Truth Magazine

By Mike Willis

There are many characters who appear on the pages of the Bible of whom we know very little. Some of them appear so briefly that we know little more than their names and not even that much about many others. Yet, a study of the characters of the Bible is a very profitable study inasmuch as one can learn from the positive and negative attributes of others. I would like to consider the character of Eli for this week’s editorial.

Eli was the next-to-last judge of Israel. He followed Samson as judge over Israel and was confronted with the same Philistine oppression which Samson faced. In addition to being a judge, Eli was also the high priest over Israel; he was the first to hold both of these offices at the same time. Because of these positions which he held, he was a very influential man. Yet, he was not without fault.

Eli’s Conduct Toward His Sons

One of the most notable things recorded in connection with Eli is with reference to his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas. These two men served as priests, although they were very worthless men (1 Sam. 2:12). When they offered the sacrifices to God, rather than taking their authorized share of the offering, they took as much as they wanted (1 Sam. 2:13-14; Lev. 7:29-34). In addition to that, they took this portion before the fat had been burnt as a sweet odor to God (1 Sam. 2:15; Lev. 3:3-5,16). Consequently, the people despised the offerings which they made to God (1 Sam. 2:17). The conduct of these men brought the worship of the Lord into disrespect among the people. These two sons also committed fornication with the women who were assigned to serve in the Temple (1 Sam. 2:22).

Eli was very much aware of his sons’ sins. The report of their conduct circulated among the people (1 Sam. 2:23-24) and he knew of it (1 Sam. 3:13). Indeed, he even administered a mild admonition to his children to persuade them not to sin before God (1 Sam. 2:23-24). Yet, that was not enough. Eli was high priest and judge over Israel. He was in a position of authority and responsible for the worship which was offered to God. Whereas he should have dismissed his sons as priests, he continued to let them serve.

God looked down on this sorry scene and sent a “man of God” to Eli. He told Eli that he had honored his sons above the Lord (1 Sam. 2:29) because he did not rebuke them (1 Sam. 3:13). Inasmuch as Eli was in a position to remove his sons from serving as priests, he committed sin because he would not stand up against them and demand that they quit serving as priests while guilty of so much sin. He lacked the righteous indignation which Jesus manifested when He cleansed the Temple (Jn. 2:13-17). Writing in the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, A. C. Grant said, “The character of Eli, while sincere and devout, seems to have been entirely lacking in firmness. He appears from the history to have been a good man, full of humility and gentleness, but weak and indulgent. He is not a strong personality; he is always overshadowed by some more commanding or interesting figure” (Vol. II, p. 928).

I am afraid that many of us are going to be guilty, as was Eli, of lacking the moral fiber to withstand sin. Here are some areas in which we commit a sin similar to that which Eli committed:

a. Lacking righteous indignation. We have become a gutless people-men with rubber backbones. We had rather bend to accept any doctrinal departure from the truth rather than to fight it. Indeed, about the only sin which some men in this country know is the “sin” of withstanding sin. Look around you! The American people can tolerate the Gay Rights Movement but are indignant toward people such as Anita Bryant who oppose it. Americans can tolerate the endorsement of lesbians as priests but will not tolerate the men who oppose it. In the church, brethren can tolerate men who preach another gospel and introduce Calvinism to the churches but they cannot tolerate the men who stand opposed to these false teachers. We need to wake up to the fact that we are becoming more and more susceptible to a “peace-at-any-price” approach toward doctrine. We lack backbone to withstand the advances of sin.

b. Honoring our children above the Lord. Eli also sinned in that he did not remove his sons as priests before God; he honored them above God. In a similar fashion, some parents honor their children above God. I have seen cases in which the church was forced to withdraw from some ungodly children. The reaction of the parents was that they bad-mouthed the elders or quit attending services. Parents are willing to defend their children above the god-fearing elders even though they admit that their children are guilty of sin.

c. Failing to restrain our children. Some of us are tainted with the philosophy of modern psychiatry which teaches that children should not be restrained lest they grow up inhibited. Consequently, we see children of Christians who sass their parents or otherwise act anyway they so please. Parents who so conduct themselves toward their children are guilty of sin before God.

God’s Judgment Against Eli’s House

Because of Eli’s sins with reference to his sons, God brought judgment against Eli’s house. He sent a “man of God” to foretell God’s judgment. He foretold (1) that the descendents of Eli would die at an early age, (2) that Hophni and Phinehas would die on the same day, and (3) that another family of Aaron would be given the office of high priest. Shortly thereafter, the word of the Lord came to Samuel in the night. This revelation from God stated virtually the same thing: God’s judgment against the house of Eli. The next morning, Eli demanded that Samuel tell him the message from the Lord (1 Sam. 3:17). (Notice Eli’s burning desire to know the will of God. His example deserves imitation today.) When Samuel related the word of the Lord to Eli, the aged high priest said, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him” (1 Sam. 3:18).

Eli’s submission to the will of the Lord reminds us of the prayer of Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane. He prayed, “. . . let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as Thou wilt” (Mt. 26:39). Eli quietly submitted to the will of the Lord. He was not like so many who become bitter toward the Lord and complain about their lot in life. Instead, Eli submitted to the Lord’s will, even though he did not like it.

Eli’s Love For The Lord

Sometime after this prophecy, the Israelites engaged the Philistines in battle. At the first encounter, 4000 Israelites died on the battlefield (1 Sam. 4:2). In desperation, the people had Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, to bring the ark of the covenant to lead the children of Israel into battle. In the following battle, 30,000 Israelites died, Hophni and Phinehas were killed (in fulfillment of the prophecy that both of Eli’s sons would die in one day), and the ark of the covenant was captured by the Philistines.

The aged Eli sat by the gate at the tent of meeting to await news of the battle. His heart trembled for the ark of God (1 Sam. 4:13). Finally, a messenger came to report the news of the battle. When Eli heard that the ark of the Lord was captured, he fell over backward, broke his neck, and died. The Scriptures specifically state that Eli did not die when he heard of the defeat of Israel or when he was told that both of his sons had died. Rather, Eli died when he was told that the ark of the covenant was taken by the Philistines. (Perhaps he had learned to honor God above his sons at this time in his life.) Eli’s concern for the ark manifests his love for the Lord.

Too many of us today fail to manifest this kind of concern over matters pertaining to the Lord and His church. We fret more about a scratch on our new car than over internal problems in the church. We stay at home from worship for any earthly reason. We could care less when we hear that false teachers are ravaging the flock. We need more of Eli’s concern for matters pertaining to God. We need’ men who love the Lord enough to shed tears over matters pertaining to His church. We need men who love the Lord enough to prepare themselves to serve in His church. We need men who are concerned for the lost and are willing to work to lead them to salvation. We need men like Eli who truly love the Lord.

Conclusion

Let us learn lessons from Eli. Let us not make the same mistakes which he made but let us emulate his positive attributes. “For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (Rom. 15:4).

Truth Magazine XXI: 46, pp. 723-724
November 24, 1977

By Dan Rogers, III

In Ephesians 5:17 Christians are admonished: “Wherefore be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” This divine advice should be heeded by all for an understanding of the Scriptures is essential in the life of every child of God. As Jesus so states, “Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 7:21). If one is to attain the eternal reward of heaven, then he must do God’s will. However, one can not do God’s will if he does not know and understand it. Thus, we see the importance of understanding the Scriptures.

As one seeks to properly understand the Scriptures, the basic principles of biblical interpretation cannot be ignored. If they are, one will not come to a correct understanding of God’s word. There are a number of important principles of biblical interpretation that must not be ignored. Of these, we especially want to consider two in particular.

First, in order to understand the teaching of the Scriptures concerning any subject, all Scriptures that deal with that subject must be taken into consideration. When one fails to do this, the result is error. To illustrate this principle, let us consider the subject of salvation. In general, the religious world teaches that salvation is by faith only. Such a conclusion is reached because of passages such as John 3:16, Acts 16:31, and Eph. 2:8, which emphasize faith. Admittedly, if this were all that the Scriptures taught concerning salvation, then the conclusion that salvation is by faith only would be valid. However, this is not all that the Scriptures have to say in regard to salvation. Other passages, such as Mark 16:16, Acts 2:38, and Rom. 10:9-10, to mention only a few, indicate that in addition to faith, the acts of repentance, confession, and baptism are also essential to salvation.

Unfortunately, the religious world chooses to ignore these passages, considering only those passages that deal with faith. As a result, due to their failure to consider all of the Scriptures dealing with salvation, they are engulfed in soul-condemning error. Indeed, as can be seen from this, if one is to understand the teaching of the Scriptures concerning any given subject, then all Scriptures that deal with that subject must be taken into consideration.

Then notice a second principle. Anytime passages of Scripture are seemingly .contradictory, we have an indication that something is terribly wrong with our exegesis. Either the Scriptures are in fact contradictory, or else one’s understanding and interpretation of those Scriptures is erroneous. For some, the choice as to which is the correct alternative may be difficult. However, if one believes all of God’s word to be truth (John 17:17; Psa. 119:160), and if he believes that every Scripture is indeed inspired of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17), the choice is anything but difficult. The problem lies, not with the Scriptures, but with that one’s interpretation and understanding of the Scriptures.

As an illustration of this, let us once again consider those who advocate the doctrine of faith only. Indeed, the passage of Eph. 2:8 states: “For by grace have ye been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.” It is one thing to accept the passage as Paul stated it, but it is quite another thing to interpret the passage to mean salvation by faith only. To interpret Eph. 2:8 as teaching salvation by faith only is to contradict what other passages of Scripture teach. For example, consider Mark 16:16. The passage states: “He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved . . . .” If, as according to the interpretation of many, salvation is by faith only, Mark 16:16 contradicts Eph. 2:8. On the one hand, if salvation is by faith only, it is not by faith and baptism. On the other hand, if salvation is by faith and baptism, it is not by faith only. Which is it? Both passages are in the New Testament.

Obviously, as already stated, in that the Scriptures are inspired of God, they are not contradictory. In any instance where the Scriptures are seemingly contradictory, the problem is that, rather than the Scriptures being contradictory, one’s interpretation and understanding of the Scriptures is erroneous. As such, when the Scriptures are properly interpreted and understood, there will be no seeming contradiction.

As Paul stated in 2 Tim. 2:15, “Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth.” Many, including liberal brethren, are not properly handling God’s word and do not have a proper understanding of it because they do not follow the above basic principles. If they only would, much denominational error and much liberal error among brethren could be quickly removed from the lips of men. “Wherefore, be ye not foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is!”

Truth Magazine XXI: 46, p. 722
November 24, 1977

By Bill Calame

Have you ever asked yourself the question, “Why did God create man?” If not, may I suggest that it is a question worthy of your attention. Not only is this question worthy of your consideration, but it is imperative that you understand the why of your human existence. Without this understanding, you will wander aimlessly through life. But where shall we go to obtain the answer? Are we to rely on mere philosophical speculation for an answer or has God revealed the answer? My friend, God has revealed it in His Word!

In Paul’s epistle to the church at Ephesus, he deals extensively with several aspects of God’s eternal purpose. He begins by addressing himself to man’s purpose on earth. Actually it is not man’s purpose on earth but God’s purpose for him. Give attention to the words from the inspired apostle’s pen.

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing In the heavenly places in Christ: even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blemish before him 1n love: having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us In the Beloved” (Eph. 1:3-6).

Notice where Paul begins. He begins with Grid for man has no purpose in life apart from God. He is worthy of our blessing because He has blessed us. He has blessed mankind with all material blessings. Far greater are the .spiritual blessings which His children have in Christ. Think of the many things that we are benefactors of Him because of our relationship to God in Christ. They serve to protect, comfort, strengthen, and sustain us. Despite our unworthiness, God clothes His children with endless blessings. The greatest is that He chose us to be His. We are His children and He is our Father. There is no greater achievement among men than to be called a child of God. But how did He choose us? Did he randomly pick us out from among the mass of mankind? This is the usual meaning of “choose” but it is not so used here. God did not choose from the mass of mankind which individuals would be saved and which would be lost. Rather He chose what characteristics those that He would call His would have. We could say that He decided “what kind” but left it up to each individual as to “who” would be saved. Praise God! I can of my own choice become a child of God.

But what are the characteristics that God determined His people would have? He determined that we should be “holy and without blemish before him in love.” God’s people are to be a special people to Him. Their lives are to be characterized by purity and holiness. “But ye are an elect race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that ye may show forth the excellencies of Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light: who in time past were no people, but now are the people of God: who had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy” (1 Peter 2:9, 10). In this manner they are to stand before Jehovah. But how will the child of God achieve this standard of life? Paul explains that it can only be done by those who are motivated by love. No man has ever achieved holiness by merely trying to keep God’s law apart from love as the motivation force behind his obedience. J. W. McGarvey once said, “Law without love is machinery without a motor.” Paul wrote, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth anything, nor uncircumcision; but faith working through love” (Gal. 5:6). If a man is going to stand holy before God, it will be because of his love for God and not out of obligation to. the law. This is what God chose before the foundation of the world. He chose a people who would be holy and without blemish before Him in love. This He foreordained according to His good pleasure that we might be His sons through Jesus Christ.

We have seen what God purposed to do. Why did He do it? Why did God create man? The answer is simple. God desired that out of all the human race, there would be those who in response to His love and mercy, would voluntarily of their own accord serve Him out of love. Their lives would be a sacrifice for worship unto Jehovah who through His glorious grace redeemed them in the Beloved.

This is the reason of our human existence. We are not here merely to enjoy life and grab all the gusto we can. God put us here that we might serve him. May we realize this great purpose and give our lives as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Rom. 12:1-2).

Truth Magazine XXI: 45, pp. 717-718
November 17, 1977

By John McCort

Recently I had an opportunity to worship with a group of Christians who employed some rather unorthodox methods of worship. During one of the Bible classes we all held hands during a prayer and all of the males engaged in what was called a chain prayer. The Bible class was not called a Bible class but a “sharing period,” where we all gathered in close together to make the conversations more intimate. This group often dims the lights during prayer, special songs, and the Lord’s Supper. To say the least the experience was rather unique.

After the worship period, I had some ambivalent feelings about the whole session. I could not figure out whether I was bothered by the worship period because the methods of worship were unfamiliar to me or whether they were worshiping unscripturally. Both my wife and I felt very hollow after the worship period. Something was missing that we could not quite put our finger on. We both finally concluded that nothing unscriptural had been practiced but that there was something strangely contrived about the whole session.

I keep wondering why those brethren have felt the need to radically depart from normal channels of worship. What spirituality can dimming the lights add to the worship of the Christian? What can holding hands during a prayer add to the fellowship and communion we all have in Christ Jesus? What can an informal Bible study period and worship assembly add to the worship of the Christian? Dimming the lights and other external stimuli are nothing more than a shallow, external attempt to infuse emotion, excitement, and intimacy into worship. Spirituality in worship should not depend on the externals. If we must have these externals to worship properly, then something is radically wrong with my spirituality to begin with. Some of these brethren feel like they are tuned in on a special spiritual wave-length because they have these special effects in worship: They look upon traditional channels of worship as being stale, structured, and basically dull. When we begin to have that attitude we need to do some basic realigning in our thinking.

I am not condemning these people nor am I trying to judge their motives. I am not saying that their worship was unscriptural. I am just saying that there was smoke and where there is smoke there is fire. Along with their unorthodox methods of worship, I heard some familiar Ketchersidian catch phrases such as, “We need to emphasize Jesus the man rather than the plan.” Most of them were contemptuous of the battles that have been fought over the grace-fellowship issue the last few years. Most of them dressed very casually. There seemed to be such a casual attitude toward the worship that it, almost bordered on irreverence. I believe in a relaxed atmosphere in our worship but I also believe in reverence and dignity.

We need to be tolerant of unorthodox methods of worship as long as they are scriptural. We cannot condemn a things just because we have not ever done it that way before. But neither should we introduce unorthodox modes of worship just for the sake of being different or to give the illusion of being an independent thinker.

Truth Magazine XXI: 45, pp. 716-717
November 17, 1977