A Parent’s Weight Problem

No doubt that title caught your attention, but please note up front that I am not addressing a weight issue or offering some diet plan. As you will see in this story, a parent’s weight signaled something far deeper than an eating problem.

It’s one of the saddest stories in the Old Testament. A man named Eli, and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests of Israel. Tragically though, we’re told that Eli’s sons were “worthless men” (1 Samuel 2:12). Wow! How could two sons grow up in the house of God and be called worthless? Scripture provides an answer: “They did not know the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12). Hophni and Phinehas dressed the part, but their hearts were far from God! There are a couple of principles that we learn here:

1. You can grow up in a godly family (even in a godly church), but live ungodly.

2. You can be religious (even hold a religious office), but not have a personal relationship with God. 

Because Hophni and Phinehas were ungodly they cared nothing for the things of God. This is clear because they took for themselves, sometimes by force, the choice parts of the meat that were being offered as a sacrifice to the Lord (see 1 Samuel 2:12-17). Scripture tells us that “the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord, for the men treated the offering of the Lord with contempt” (1 Samuel 2:17). They not only despised the offering of the Lord, but they also engaged in illicit and unashamed immorality in public (see 1 Samuel 2:22). There’s a third principle we learn:

3.  No sin goes undetected by God. 

Because Hophni and Phinehas were ungodly they were stubborn and rebellious. Eli, their father, heard about what his sons were doing and spoke to them about it (see 1 Samuel 2:22-25). Their response? “They would not listen to the voice of their father” (1 Samuel 2:25). Should we be surprised by their response? No! They were ungodly, which leads us to a fourth principle:

4. Ungodly people act ungodly.

Hophni and Phinehas did not respect the Lord, therefore they did not respect their dad. But there’s another reason why they did not respect their father. When a man of God arrived at Shiloh, he included this question in his prophecy against Eli’s house: “Why then do you scorn my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded for my dwelling, and honor your sons above me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?” (1 Samuel 2:29). The man of God exposed not only Hophni and Phinehas’ sin, but also Eli’s sin. It is clear that Eli was condoning his sons’ sin by eating of the choice meat that had been set apart as a sacrifice to the Lord. Scripture tells us that when Eli died, “he was old and heavy” (1 Samuel 4:18). Eli’s weight, a result of his sin, actually contributed to his death…he “fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy” (1 Samuel 4:18). A fifth principle is revealed here:

5. When parents condone their child’s sin, they become part of the problem. 

Yes, it’s one of the saddest stories in the Old Testament. There are many unknowns and so we don’t have a complete account of their story. But the account we do have reveals enough information that should cause parents to take notice. Parents play a key role in determining their children’s behavior and lifestyle. Yes, when children grow older they will make their own decisions, but it’s the formative years that are so critical. If you’re a parent like me, then we need to love and lead our children. Here are some ways we can love and lead them…

∙ Be a godly example in our words and actions by living out the truths of the Bible in the power of the Holy Spirit. 

∙ Teach our children who God is, as well as His Son, Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit by reading the Bible together and discussing it with them.

∙ Invest quality and quantity time with our children by praying with them, playing with them, listening to them, talking with them, teaching them.

∙ Lovingly confront and discipline our children when they sin, focusing on discipleship and discipline rather than simply handing out a punishment.

Can you think of some other ways we can love and lead our children? Feel free to share in the comments section.