God uses imperfect people for His purposes, don’t attack them.
…but the boy ministered BEFORE THE LORD UNDER ELI the priest. 1 Samuel 2:11b
Eli means ‘ascension’ in Hebrew and ‘God is abundance’, ‘God is my oath’, (from Elisabeth). Interesting that the name of Eli has a connection with an ‘oath’ which Hannah had to make before God for Samuel.
Eli was present from the very beginning of Samuel’s journey, even before he was conceived. His blessing as High Priest was instrumental in the birth of his successor (he didn’t know that), God’s choice to lead Israel. Eli, though he was guilty before God for his sons’ wicked behaviour, was GIVEN A SACRED TRUST by God concerning Samuel. God uses ‘imperfect people’ to fulfill His purposes here on earth! We are so quick to see faults and weaknesses in others but we should remember before we attack people, God may have chosen them. IMPERFECT BUT CHOSEN!
The first part of Eli’s role was his blessing upon Hannah and later upon her husband, Elkanah;
Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord (five children later; our gracious God blessed them). 1 Samuel 2:20, 21
Eli’s second role was training/mentoring Samuel, in the things of the priesthood. Samuel set apart from before birth with a calling from God to lead/ judge God’s people Israel still had to submit to training and so may we. Many times God will put us alongside an older mentor to learn by association, for example ‘Elisha poured water on the hands of Elijah/served him’.
The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions. 1 Samuel 3:1
Now we come to Eli’s third role in the life of Samuel, introducing him to the voice and presence of the Lord. Samuel was trained in the duties of the Tabernacle but still didn’t know the Lord. It’s one thing to know about God, quite another to have a living relationship with the Lord Himself. Eli, now old and hardly able to see was the one who made that final connection possible for his charge, Samuel.
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. Then Eli realised that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, “Go and lie down (the Lord first spoke to Samuel when all around him was still: Be still and know that I am God Ps. 46:10) and if He calls you, say, ‘Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening’”. 1 Samuel 3:7, 8, 9
Eli had almost fulfilled his trust of raising Samuel in the duties of the priesthood, but also as a national prophet for the God’s people Israel.
The Lord was with Samuel as he grew up and He let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba recognised that Samuel was attested as a prophet of the Lord. 1 Samuel 3:19, 20
Unfortunately the first thing God spoke to Samuel was the coming judgement of the house of Eli, his master.
In modern parlance the elderly priest had literally, ‘worked himself out of his job’. Samuel’s training and mentoring where he’d been so intimately involved for so long a period, ended his own ministry. God chose the weak and imperfect old priest to raise up His prophet and judge for the nation and Eli did a good job with Samuel his spiritual son, though not with his own physical sons.
God bless and keep you today.