At the beginning of 1 Samuel, there was a famine of the Word of the Lord. He was silent because of the failure of the priesthood to live up to their responsibility to God’s people. The Lord broke his silence by calling out to Samuel. Samuel thought Eli was calling him, and he ran to see what the old Priest wanted. The Word that came to Samuel was a prophecy about the demise of Eli and his house. It was not a pleasant message & Samuel did his best to keep from delivering it. But Eli insisted on hearing the truth. Samuel finally delivered it with all its condemnation to Eli. Verse 13 gives us the brunt of that message from the Lord to Eli. It says, “And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them.” Eli was full of problems. He had more weaknesses than the average man, and many a preacher and teacher will point each of them out to us. But I can’t help but marvel at his godly response to the catastrophic message Samuel gave him. He simply says, in verse 18, “It is the Lord. Let Him do what seems good to Him.”
Many of the commentators argue that it’s not a positive response, but I’d rather not see it that way. I like to see Eli as a man resigned to accept God’s will regardless of what it is. I like to think that amidst his many life failures, he still acknowledges God’s sovereignty and submits himself graciously to God’s will. Unlike Saul, who tries to kill David, Eli blesses Samuel and surrenders to the inevitability of God’s will in all the circumstances of his life. If this is accurate, we might compare Eli in some sense to Job. “Naked came I into the world, naked from it I must go. The Lord gives, and the Lord taketh away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.” When Jacob is faced with the demand to send Benjamin back to Egypt with his brothers to face the most powerful man in Egypt, it takes some time, but he finally comes around. He entrusts Benjamin to his sons and says, “May God Almighty give you mercy as you go before the man…” He did not realize that the “man” was his beloved son Joseph. “…so that he will release Simeon and let Benjamin return.” But the real comment follows, “…But if I must lose my children, so be it.”
The Beatles sang “Let It Be.” It was from Mary’s response to the Angel’s declaration that she would be the mother of the Messiah as a virgin. She said, “Let it be to me according to thy will.” That’s exactly where God wanted Jacob. That’s exactly where God wanted Eli. I think it’s exactly where God wants us. Whatever the trial in life we face, we need to submit it to God “almighty” and trust Him for the result. We should say along with Jacob, Eli, and Mary! “So be it!” “Let it be to me according to thy will.” We should sing with the Beatles, “When I find myself in times of trouble, Mother Mary comes to me speaking words of wisdom, let it be, let it be…let it be…. “