SCRIPTURE: “If we say, “We have no sin,” we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” (1 John 1:8 (HCSB)
QUOTE: “The human mind has infinite capacity to rationalize, and evil characters just push that boundary a bit. Whatever they are doing, they think it makes sense to do it, and they think they have a good reason to do it. In short they feel justified.”
NOTE:
When we suffer the consequences of walking out of God’s will, we must avoid rationalizing our sinful behavior and even blaming God. In spite of deliberate and consistent sin involving idolatry and immorality, God’s chosen people lived in denial, even when they were confronted again and again with their evil ways.
They blamed God for what was happening in their lives —the ultimate in rationalization and spiritual blindness. Can this ever happen to born-again Christians? Only God knows the heart, but it’s clear that many in the Corinthian Church were reflecting this kind of behavior. They were even defiling the sacred communion meal. Consequently, Paul reminded them that such a serious and deliberate sin led God to discipline them with sickness and even death.
Thankfully, this kind of discipline is rare. Our human responsibility means acknowledging our sins, truly repenting, and accepting the forgiveness available in Christ’s shed blood. The important lesson for all of us in this Old Testament story is that Eli took full responsibility for his actions. He made no excuses. He knew he had failed.
ILLUSTRATION:
When Eli realized that God was speaking to Samuel, he accepted the bad news, since the Lord had already prophesied that judgment was coming (1Samuel 2:27-31). God’s judgment on Eli’s sin impacted his family negatively to the third and fourth generation (Exodus 34:6-7). Eli’s descendants would be eliminated from the priesthood in Israel. This judgment could not be reversed by sacrifices and offerings, and it was accomplished during King Solomon’s reign (1 Kings 2:27).
REFLECTION:
Why is it so easy to make ourselves victims when we are the ones who are responsible for our sinful actions as well as the results of those actions?
TWO YEAR BIBLE READING PLAN: 2 Chr 1 – 2, Psalm 54