by James Sanders<\/p>\n
The life of the Old Testament figure, Eli, is remarkable. Eli was a descendant of Ithamar, the fourth son of Aaron, and therefore was of the tribe of Levi. Combined in this man of God were the offices of both High Priest and Judge. It was the first time in Israel that one man had held both offices simultaneously. However, such indicated Eli’s goodness and righteousness; it seems everyone respected him. For some forty years, Eli judged the nation of Israel. (Cf. I Samuel 4:18). His character was one of godliness and devotion but was not without blemish. Phineas and Hophni, the sons of Eli, were as wicked as their father was righteous. To make matters worse, Phineas and Hophni were put into the office of a priest even though they lacked Eli’s virtue and zeal. (Cf. I Samuel 1:3). The result was nothing short of extraordinary! The conduct of Eli’s children shocked the people of Israel. Because of Phineas and Hophni, men came to abhor the offering of the Lord. (Cf. I Samuel 2:17). Things were very bad; the sad state of affairs was almost beyond description.<\/p>\n
But when the aged High Priest learned of the scandals being committed by his sons, he only administered a gentle rebuke. Apparently, Eli had always so corrected his children. Instead of reproving his boys while they were small, Eli perhaps reasoned with them and viewed their mischievous conduct with but a look of disfavor. But now Phineas and Hophni were no longer children and had grown their mischievous habits with them. The Scriptures assert that Eli was largely to blame. “He restrained them not” (I Samuel 3:13). Eli had failed to restrain his sons while they were young, and now it was too late! As the twig had been bent, so had it grown. Now, the sternest rebuke would prove ineffectual. Alas! What a lifetime of waste! All those years of effort and sacrifice were in vain. Eli had failed and failed miserably; he had let his sons down when they needed him the most!<\/p>\n
The Scriptures urge: “Chasten thy son while there is hope, and let not thy soul spare for his crying<\/em>” (Proverbs 19:18). Doubtless, Eli’s philosophy was, “Boys will be boys.” But someone has well said, “Boys will be boys, but those same boys one day will be men.” A child needs discipline and guidance when he is young. Then there is hope. Parents, open your eyes before it is too late! Now is the time to “restrain” your children. Now is the time to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. This opportunity of youth, once present, never returns. Father or mother, have you really “restrained” (guided) that wee creature so fresh from God? Be honest with yourself. Think of Eli – think of yourself – think of the little ones entrusted to your care. Will you fail them when they need you the most?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" by James Sanders The life of the Old Testament figure, Eli, is remarkable. Eli was a descendant of Ithamar, the fourth son of Aaron, and therefore was of the tribe of Levi. Combined in this man of God were the offices of both High Priest and Judge. It was the first time in Israel that…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[27,1028],"tags":[665,106,1648,29,107],"class_list":["post-67925","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","category-parenting","tag-child-rearing","tag-discipline","tag-eli","tag-parenting","tag-raising-children"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":9748,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-hophni-and-phinehas-believe-in-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":67925,"position":0},"title":"Did Hophni and Phinehas believe in God?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 14, 2007","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Did Hophni and Phinehas believe in God? Answer: Hophni and Phinehas were two sons of Eli, the high priest of God (I Samuel 1:3). They served as priests at the tabernacle. But despite their position, they were wicked. \"Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":62300,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/eli-and-being-soft-on-sin\/","url_meta":{"origin":67925,"position":1},"title":"Eli and Being Soft on Sin","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 22, 2005","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There are many things to admire about the man Eli \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0He judged Israel for 40 years; during which time he was God\u2019s spokesman. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0B.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0We find no record of any outward evil or sin in his life. \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0C.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When Eli learns that Samuel will take his place, Eli\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Parenting"","block_context":{"text":"Parenting","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/parenting\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":50391,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/those-who-will-give-an-account\/","url_meta":{"origin":67925,"position":2},"title":"Those Who Will Give an Account","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton \"Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you\" (Hebrews 13:17). Most recognize the quote from Hebrews\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":88646,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/has-the-glory-departed\/","url_meta":{"origin":67925,"position":3},"title":"Has the Glory Departed?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry Wane Benton What's in Your Heart? The ark of the covenant in Israel was symbolic. It represented the presence of the glory of God, was kept in the center of the Israelite camp, and symbolized the covenant of Jesus Christ. It was important to keep it protected from\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":21213,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/my-daughter-said-she-would-marry-when-she-moved-back-in-with-us-but-she-and-her-boyfriend-are-still-unmarried-what-do-we-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":67925,"position":4},"title":"My daughter said she would marry when she moved back in with us, but she and her boyfriend are still unmarried. What do we do?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 3, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: My daughter and her fianc\u00e9 moved in with us over two months ago because he lost his job. Part of their plan was to move a great distance to where his dad lives. I told my daughter that they had to get married immediately upon their arrival and she\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":24242,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/he-restrained-them-not\/","url_meta":{"origin":67925,"position":5},"title":"He Restrained Them Not (Iverson)","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 31, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by John Iverson Do you think juvenile delinquency is an evil that is peculiar to our day? If so, then you would do well to read your Bible, particularly such passages as are found in the book of First Samuel. Eli was a judge in Israel and a priest of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/First_Book_of_Samuel_Chapter_2-1_Bible_Illustrations_by_Sweet_Media-300x216.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67925","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=67925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/67925\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=67925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=67925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=67925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}