Title:
Honor God
Text: 1 Samuel 2: 30
Date: 3-27-2014
Place:
SGBC, New Jersey
1
Samuel 2: 30:…them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall
be lightly esteemed.
These are the words of the LORD God. This word applies to each of us here today.
1
Samuel 2: 30:…them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall
be lightly esteemed.
God demands that we honor him by
honoring Christ: both in the doctrine of Christ we believe and proclaim, in our
walk before the Lord and in our rebuke of those who dishonor Christ in any way.
God promises, “them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be
lightly esteemed.” (1 Sam 2: 30)
Throughout the scriptures, we see God
honor those who honor him.
·
Abel
honored God by believing God and offering unto God a more excellent sacrifice
than Cain. He came in Christ the Lamb. Likewise,
God honored Abel, “He obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of
his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.” (Heb 11: 4)
·
Noah
honored God. Noah rested his entire reputation before men, even his eternal
soul, upon the word of God and prepared an ark as God commanded. And God
honored Noah: saving him and his house and giving him rest.
·
Moses
honored God. He “refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; choosing rather
to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin
for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the
treasures in Egypt” (Heb 11: 24-26) And God honored Moses.
Likewise, throughout the scriptures, we
see God lightly esteem those who despise him.
·
Lot was a righteous
man—a believer saved by grace; but he failed to honor God, when Lot chose that
fertile plain of Sodom rather than submitting to God by submitting to Abraham. So
God lightly esteemed Lot; God made Lot suffer the consequences in his family
the rest of his life.
·
David was
a righteous man; the man after God’s own heart.
But in the matter of Uriah, David failed to honor God, he lightly
esteemed God. So God lightly esteemed David: by taking his infant child and by
making the sword to never leave David’s house the rest of his days.
Proposition: Those who honor God, God will
honor and those who lightly esteem God, God will lightly esteem.
Our text
gives us another example with a man named, Eli. Eli failed to honor God, when
he failed to sharply rebuke his sons and teach them the importance of the
sacrifices and offerings. Therefore, God lightly esteemed Eli, making him
suffer greatly in his family. This principle applies in the neglect of all
known duty. So keep that in mind.
I. FIRST, ELI FAILED TO HONOR GOD BY
FAILING TO REBUKE HIS SONS AND TURN THEM TO THE LORD.
This
is our responsibility, even if our children are lost—1 Samuel 2: 12: Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they
knew not the LORD.
His
sons held the office of priest, yet they were lost. Surely, God did not expect
Eli to rebuke and command his sons obey God in the house of the Lord, when they
did not even know the LORD! Yes, God did! Why?
In God’s house, God teaches his people
the one way of salvation in Christ—that is who the offerings and sacrifices in
the temple pictured. Nothing is more important.
The purpose of gathering together in
this place is to hear that you and I are born sinners, separated from God,
without Christ, without hope in this world.
We are helpless to make ourselves be born again, helpless to bring
ourselves to believe on Christ, to justify or make ourselves righteous or to
sanctify and make ourselves holy.
The purpose of gathering together here
is to hear the gospel which declares salvation is of the Lord. God the Father
chose his Son to be the High Priest, the Offering, the Altar and the Temple of
God and God chose a people in his Son. God’s Son, Christ Jesus, fulfilled all,
redeeming his people from the curse of the law. God the Holy Spirit regenerates
each one, making us the habitation of God and of Christ through faith.
Therefore, in God’s house, God will have
everyone—sons of God and sons of the devil; believers and unbelievers—to at
least, outwardly, keep the order God commands so we can hear this glorious
message. God the Holy Spirit said
through the apostle Paul,
1 Corinthians
14: 26: Let all things be done unto edifying….33: For God is not the author of
confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints….40: Let all things
be done decently and in order.
Furthermore, God will have us who are his
children, who God has placed in authority—pastors, husbands, fathers, mothers—to
teach those in our sphere of influence. God will have us rebuke any and all who
are a distraction from Christ, who attempt to put a blemish upon Christ any in
way.
Application: Always
remember, we cannot make God’s word effectual in the heart. But that is not our responsibility. Our responsibility is to have our children
under the sound of the gospel of Christ to teach them Christ, that includes
rebuking them if they become distracted or become a distraction from Christ in
any way.
II.
SECONDLY, WE SEE WHY GOD’S ORDER IS SO IMPORTANT BY LOOKING AT ELI’S SONS. Here
is what they did—1 Samuel 2: 13: And the priests’ custom with the people was, [this
was not God’s word; but the custom of Eli’s evil sons who were priests] that,
when any man offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant came, while the flesh was
in seething, with a fleshhook of three teeth in his hand; 14: And he struck it
into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fleshhook brought up the
priest took for himself. So they did in Shiloh unto all the Israelites that
came thither.
15: Also, before they burnt the fat, the
priest’s servant came, and said to the man that sacrificed, Give flesh to roast
for the priest; for he will not have sodden flesh of thee, but raw. 16 And if any man said unto him, Let them
not fail to burn the fat presently, and then take as much as thy
soul desireth; then he would answer him, Nay; but thou shalt give it
me now: and if not, I will take it by force. 17: Wherefore the sin
of the young men was very great before the LORD: for men abhorred the offering
of the LORD….v22:…and…they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the
tabernacle of the congregation.
Why
was their sin very great before the LORD?
These sacrifices typified Christ who has made Peace between God and those
he saves. Christ offered up himself a sacrifice in place of his people. Thereby,
Christ made reconciliation to God and reconciled his people to God. The consequence
is they shall be born of God and given spiritual peace here and eternal peace
hereafter.
But by their actions, Eli’s
sons were contemning Christ and the people by turning all the eyes of the
people away from Christ. They were not only leading the women away from the
worship of God to commit physical fornication and adultery—they were leading
all to commit spiritual fornication and adultery against the LORD and his
Christ. Since this was left unchecked by Eli, it resulted in his sons causing all
the people to abhor the offering of the LORD. The people began to abhor coming
to God’s house to worship God in these sacrifices and offerings. His sons did
all this to fulfill the lusts of their flesh.
THESE THINGS ARE THE VERY
ESSENSE OF OUR SIN: PUTTING THE FLESH ABOVE THE WILL OF GOD AND THE HONOR OF
CHRIST!
Application: Now, wouldn’t you say that these sons
ought to be rebuked sharply for this? It
was great evil before the Lord. Likewise, it is great evil before the LORD when
religious men and women turn from Christ, from the gospel of Christ and invent their
own customs, in order to make proselytes, to fill their bellies at the expense
of God’s honor and his people’s salvation. It leads sinners to commit spiritual
adultery and ends in men speaking evil of the gospel—2 Peter 2: 2: And many
shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be
evil spoken of.
I am so thankful that God
has given you a heart to be diligent and orderly when you to come to hear the
gospel of our Redeemer. God considers it just as great an evil for anyone to
come where the gospel of his dear Son is being preached, and by some action of
ours, distract the people from hearing of Christ.
III. THIRDLY, WE SEE ELI’S OFFENSE. ELI JOINED HIS SONS IN THIS EVIL. HOW SO? BY NOT
REBUKING THEM SHARPLY AND SPEAKING THE TRUTH PLAINLY—1 Samuel 2: 22:
Now Eli was very old, and heard all that his sons did unto all Israel; and how
they lay with the women that assembled at the door of the tabernacle of the
congregation. 23: And he said unto them, Why do ye such things? for I hear of
your evil dealings by all this people. 24: Nay, my sons; for it is no good
report that I hear: ye make the LORD’S people to transgress. 25: If one man sin
against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the LORD,
who shall intreat for him? Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto the voice of
their father, because the LORD would slay them.
The things Eli said to his sons
were true. Yet, Eli
was not very plain. He suggested to his sons, that turning from Christ left
none to entreat God for them.
Indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ is the
only Mediator between God and men. Christ is the only propitiation for the sins
of his people. Christ ever lives to make intercession for his transgressing
people. By his person and finished work, Christ is always successful in his
mediation and intercession for his people. But if you turn your back on Christ,
there remains no one else to entreat God for you.
Hebrews 10: 26:
For if we sin wilfully [if you reject Christ] after that we have received the
knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, 27: But a
certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall
devour the adversaries. 28: He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy
under two or three witnesses: 29: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye,
shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and
hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the
Spirit of grace?
But Eli did not speak this word plainly
to his sons nor did he rebuke them sharply enough; in other words, he did not
honor God. That is why God was displeased with Eli.
There was
nothing to excuse Eli for not honoring God. It says, “Eli was very old.” Perhaps,
Eli had grown gentle. But God did not take that as an excuse! Someone said, “When the honor of
God is at stake, gentleness is treason.”
Perhaps, old age
taught Eli that people prefer a preacher who does not offend anyone. God blames
the preacher who never offends anyone! Galatians 1: 10: if I yet pleased men, I
should not be the servant of Christ.
And the thing that made Eli’s offense
even worse is that he knew the importance of not holding back the word of the
Lord. Later, God used young Samuel to rebuke Eli and listen to what Eli told
Samuel—1 Samuel 3: 17: And he said, What is the thing that the LORD hath said
unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also,
if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee.
Application: Brethren, to
honor God is to declare the word of God faithfully, to rebuke those who make
light of Christ, even when it is our dearest and nearest loved ones. Our Savior said,
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come
after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.
Luke 14:26 If any man come to me, and hate not his
father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and
his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.
It would have been more loving to his sons
for Eli to have honored God by telling them the truth and rebuking them sharply.
Holding back the truth of God, may spare
our own personal hurt, it may temporally spare the hurt of those we rebuke, but
by holding back the word of God two things are sure to happen.
Notice, the last part of 1 Samuel 2: 25: Notwithstanding, they
hearkened not unto the voice of their father.
Eli
held back the word of God. God will certainly not honor us by making his
word effectual in the heart of our loved ones, if we dishonor God by holding back
his word. Holding back the word
never causes a sinner to hearken.
Notice, the last part:
1 Samuel 2: 25:…because the Lord would
slay them. Because Eli failed
to teach and rebuke his sons in the past, they continued in their sin against
God. Now, they had sinned against God to
the point that God turned them over in reprobation. God said that:—1 Samuel 3:
13: For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity
which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them
not.
Application: Father and
mothers, don’t let this word discourage you; it is given by God to encourage us
to redeem the time we have, to teach our children the truth while we can.
IV.
FOURTHLY, LET’S LEARN HOW TO REBUKE THOSE UNDER OUR AUTHORITY BY HOW GOD
REBUKED ELI.
God our Father is faithful. He shows us
what a loving father does; he always rebukes his sons and daughters when they
need it—1 Samuel 2: 27: And there came a
man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD,…
This was a man sent of God—so he held
nothing back, “Thus saith the LORD.” And notice: this man was sent of God TO
ELI.
Application:
Brethren,
I often remind you to wait on the LORD to work obedience in the heart of his
people—“that their faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power
of God.” (1 Cor 2: 5) But understand,
God speaks, rebukes and works obedience by his power, using the voice of
powerless, earthen vessels, like you and me. So if you are a son or daughter
with a faithful father or mother who rebukes you sharply—consider that they may
be sent of God to you, it may just be the Voice of the LORD speaking to you. And
if rebuked by the voice of a man remember the word of the Lord, “My son, despise not thou the
chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the
Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye
endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons;” (Heb 12: 5-7)
God rebukes Eli for not teaching the
gospel clearly to his sons by reminding him it was by plainness that God saved
him—1 Samuel 2: 27:.. Did I plainly appear
unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?
It was because God plainly taught Aaron
the truth, and used him, that God delivered his brethren out of Egyptian bondage.
Then God used those he taught the truth to plainly teach Eli, and God saved
Eli. This is a strong rebuke to Eli for
not speaking the truth plainly to his sons.
Application: Brethren, the
best way to rebuke is to speak the truth plainly to those to whom we are
responsible. Remember, God plainly appeared to our fathers through the
gospel—teaching them plainly. God used them to bring us his gospel in great
plainness. God delivered us out of bondage by teaching us the gospel plainly. So
rebuke by speaking plainly to your children and those around you.
God rebukes Eli by reminding him why Eli
is a priest of God—1 Samuel 2: 28: And
did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon
mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me?
God chose Eli’s father Aaron and set him
apart to be his high priest. Through Aaron, his grandfather, and Ithamar his
father, Eli was born into the family of Levi and made a priest unto God.
Application: Brethren, because
God chose our everlasting Father, Jesus Christ, to be our High Priest and chose
us in Christ. To offer upon God’s altar—Christ
is the High Priest, the Offering and the Altar by which he perfected forever
his people. To burn incense,—Christ
our High Priest made intercession for his people on the cross and everlives to
do so by his presence before the Father. To
wear an ephod before me--Christ is the Urim and Thummim—the Light and Glory
of God; Christ has the names of his elect on his breastplate representing us
before the Father. It is by Christ our High Priest, our everlasting Father,
that we are born-again into the holy family of God and made a royal priesthood
unto God. The best way to rebuke our children, and all who will listen, is to
teach them the truth that Christ is our High Priest who makes all his people a
royal priesthood by his work for us and in us.
God rebukes Eli, reminding him why Eli
had access to God.—1 Samuel 2: 28:…and
did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the
children of Israel?
God gave Aaron the offerings, Aaron in
turn gave the offerings to his brethren, on down to Eli. In those offerings Eli
could approach unto God.
Application: Brethren, God
gave the work of redemption to Christ our High Priest, who is the Offering of
God, our Righteousness. Christ in turn gave himself to us in the new heart. Now
we have access to God in Christ the new and living way! The best method to rebuke our children from
every false way is to declare the truth that it is by Christ’s finished work, and
in Christ through faith, that believers are freely given access into God’s
presence. (Heb 10: 19-23)
Here is the greatest part of this rebuke:
1 Samuel 2: 29 Wherefore kick ye at [tread under foot] my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I
have commanded in my habitation;
Christ is Gods’ sacrifice and God’s
offering. God dwells in Christ in his people. So Eli’s sons tread God under
foot and they tread his people underfoot, when they tread Christ under foot, who
was represented in those offerings they polluted. And by Eli’s failure to rebuke his children, Eli
did the same.
Application: You who kick
at my Redeemer. Do you see what great
evil you are committing? The only
sacrifice and offering God will receive is Christ. He is God’s offering and
sacrifice, provided by God. God’s habitation is in Christ that one offering. Because
Christ dwells in his people, God dwells in his people. So when you reject a
believer who speaks the truth to you, you also reject Christ. When you reject
Christ, you also reject God because God has made himself one with his people in
Christ Jesus. (Eph 2: 20-22)
Brethren, when we do not speak of Christ
as we ought, we join in with those who contemn our God in Christ and his people
in Christ. But do you see how God
rebuked Eli with the very gospel with which Eli should have rebuked his sons? It is the gospel of Christ that rebukes.
There were two more things, Eli did in
all this—1 Samuel 2: 29:…and honourest
thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the
offerings of Israel my people? 1 Samuel 4: 18:..[Eli] was an old man, and
heavy.
This is the essence of sin. All disobedience, all neglect of duty implies a preference
to our will, our interests, or our pleasures above the will of God and the
honor of God.
So Eli’s
house suffered greatly.
1
Samuel 2: 30: Wherefore the LORD God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy
house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the
LORD saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they
that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.
Both Eli’s sons were cut off by God and
his house was diminished to nothing. But God raised up a faithful High Priest.
1
Samuel 2: 35: And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according
to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure
house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.
Historically that high priest was Zadok;
spiritually that High Priest is Christ. And if Eli was found in Christ, the faithful
High Priest, it was with Eli, as it was with David. Since David was represented
in his head, Christ Jesus, his standing with God never changed though he failed
to honor God. So David could say,
2 Samuel 23:5: Although
my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things, and sure: for this is all my salvation, and all my
desire, although he make it not to grow.
Honor God: by believing on the Lord Jesus Christ (John
5:22-24), by confessing your sin and glorifying God’s justice (Ps. 51:1-4), by
submitting to the rule of Christ as your Lord (Phil. 2:9-11), by trusting his
unerring providence (Rom. 8:28-32), by extolling his greatness (Ps. 30:1; 68:4;
145:1; Dan. 4:37), by rejoicing in the Lord (Phil 4:4), by consecrating
yourself to him alone (Luke 14:26), by obeying his word, by seeking his will
(Pro. 3:5-6), by honoring him with your substance (Pro. 3:9; Mal. 3:8-14), by loving
one another (I John 3:23), by promoting
his honor in the world to everyone to
whom you speak.
God says, “them
that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be
lightly esteemed.”
Amen!