Honor. 1st Samuel 2:30. “But now the Lord saith, ‘Be it far from me; for them that honor me I will honor, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.” Throughout the world, God has His people who can pass on His messages to those who need and want to hear His word. Sometimes the message is the Gospel of the grace of God, good news to lost souls. Others who have heard it often need to hear it again because they have not taken it seriously and are in danger of being eternally lost. Other messages may be warnings about the evil being committed by individuals, assemblies, or nations. The Lord’s messenger in the Lord’s message is not always appreciated, but he should never be ignored because his message has eternal consequences. There are principles we can count on no matter what happens. The Lord will never let a person down who gives the Lord the right to make the choices we live by.
I have had the privilege of coming from a long line of people who have committed themselves to letting the Lord direct their lives. Great-grandfather Henry Goff, with his wife, Emma Caroline, decided in England in the 1880s that it was the Lord’s will for them to move to North Dakota. All but two of their family members gave evidence of being real and committed believers. The other two professed faith in Christ but made decisions based only on how much money they could make rather than on what God’s will was. Then, my grandfather chose to move west, which was opening up, because he felt it was God’s will to make a new start for his family. The results of that move, made over 100 years ago, have proven to be one God has blessed, and many members of our extended family will be in heaven because he and Grandma chose to honor God.
My father and mother knew that unless the Lord had first place in their lives and home, everything else they did would not last or honor God. We were instructed in the things of God and the ways of God from infancy. Linda and I have tried to do this in our lives since we were able to make decisions, and it has brought us many wonderful blessings. Indulgent fatherhood brings disaster to their children and to others influenced by them. Some people refuse to act on the light they have been given to make others feel good about them. It is better for children to respect their parents than to love them. Love may come with time, but it will be fundamentally lost if respect isn't learned early in life. When we do not maintain the moral standards we know are right, corruption among people and even worship follow the course of poor leadership.
As a father, Eli did not discipline his children during their learning time. As a priest over priests, Eli acted the same way he had as a father. He had no standard of discipline to follow or to expect from those he led. Overcoming natural relationships is one of the greatest and hardest tests of leadership. Not disciplining children or those we are called to lead leads to disobedience and disregard for people and God. Allowing this made Eli guilty, too.
The prophetic message the man of God brought to Eli was solemn because it was without hope of change. By tolerating his sons' bad behavior, Eli made the consequences of his failure his own. Eli was the source of blame. His laxity and complacency forfeited his right to pass the priesthood on to his family and gave his faithless sons no hope for the future. They had to die to preserve the people from the evil effects of their sins. The man of God sent to prophesy to Eli had a message from God to deliver, and the consequences of that message he could not escape. The judgment of God was coming to his household, and there were specific reasons for this.
First, the call to remember. Eli's forbearers had the honor and privilege of being set apart to serve God generations earlier, while they were still in Egypt. The trust given to priests was a solemn duty in divine service. They were also given all the provisions they needed, right from God's table. Second, the reason why. God's blessings and ample provision had been set aside by Eli in the interest of honoring his sons rather than God. The blame for his sons' lawlessness was laid at Eli's door. His toleration of their behavior was seen as honoring them more than God. Third, a warning is given. God judges evil and gives grace. The judgment that was coming would suit the sin that had been committed. Fourth, the description is given. We all leave a legacy that often lasts for several generations. Eli was leaving behind a legacy of calamities and judgment for his family, while God was going to show good to the children of Israel. Fifth, the day of judgment. Both of Eli's sons would die on the same day, and Eli would live to see that day. Sixth, God would raise up a faithful priest. A faithful priest who will do God's will and bring God's blessings to His people will take Eli's place. Seventh is the contrast. Eli's heritage to his family will be degradation, destitution, and poverty.
Not only would Eli’s sons die, but their posterity would be poverty-stricken people who would struggle to survive. The main characters in the book of First Samuel, Eli, Samuel, and David, all made the same mistake regarding their families. The first Phinehas was the kind of man who carried out justice in the right way. God honored him and promised an ongoing priesthood for his family because of his action against sin.
We learn from this that overlooking evil carries a high cost that must be paid and may never be paid off. There are times when sin must be faced in ourselves, and others, and genuine repentance and forsaking of sin are the only way to deal with it. It is no favor to anyone if we try to cover sin as if it is not a serious offense against God.
Some men are willing to act scripturally in dealing with others, but they try to find ways to avoid carrying out scriptural discipline within their families. An impartial leader is a man whom the Lord's people esteem. Corrupt living and covetousness seem to go together. Once it starts, there seems to be no way to stop it. That, in turn, sets a trend for others to follow. They soon are degraded and live wicked lives marked by habits, passions, and dishonor unacceptable to the Lord's people. Those who seek a leadership position for power and prominence adversely affect others and take away that which should be for God alone.
We must remember that worship and authority are linked because one without the other is meaningless and dangerous. Some people want to "worship God in my own way." They are not too concerned about what God says, as long as it suits them. People's respect does not come just because we hold a particular "office." Cut-and-dry teaching does not create devoted hearts by telling them about it or demanding it.
Devoted, warm, and grateful-hearted teachers produce that effect on others, even when the person speaking is simple and not nearly as gifted as others. A young believer, a simple, faithful man or woman, or a child who loves the Lord and appreciates the privilege of ministering to Him exposes the dark things that have been hidden from men, not because of their condemning words but because of their living light. Samuel ministered before the Lord. He grew before the Lord and grew in favor with the Lord and with men. What a blessing a little light shining in a dark place can be to the Lord's people. We should all be committed to this as we live in these dark days.
So, how do I honor the Lord? “Honor the Lord with thy substance.” I honor Him when everything entrusted to me is used in a way that can maintain the cycle of honor. When I claim what I have been given as my own, I will lose a personal sense of honor that is very important for me to be happy. If I claim what God has given me to be my own, I will be looked upon by others as selfish, self-centered, and self-serving. If I keep what God has given me with a tight fist, it despises Him. God forbid that such a thing will ever happen – that I should ever despise Him in such a way.
I honor Him when I hold Him in reverence and all that is about Him. His name, word, house, and people will be honored when He is honored. When I speak His name to others, is it with an audible expression of reverential fear? When I hold, handle, and read His Word, is it with respect and careful speech? When I am in the place of His name, do I show by my ways that holy things are done here? When I am with His people, do I honor Him by giving them the proper respect they deserve, the dignity that children of the living God have a right to have because they belong to their heavenly Father?
There is a lifestyle in which God is honored throughout one’s life as a child of God. Often, God grants success to such people. They will be the first to credit God and His grace for everything that has been done. They know their own power hasn’t done it, so God can trust them with the honor He gives. Ezra 7:27-28.