Priest Eli and prophet Samuel

The original Korean text: https://blog.naver.com/stevision/50025357164

 

Once upon a time, when there were no kings in Israel, priests were almost like kings. There was a priest named Eli. There was a child called Samuel with Eli, a child who was not Eli's son but a child offered to God, who lived in God's house helping Eli. One night God said to Samuel about sins of Eli's house in detail, and informed him that Eli's house would be thoroughly destroyed.

 

The next morning, Eli called Samuel and asked, "What did God say to you? Tell me everything. God punish you if you don't." Samuel, at the threat of Eli the priest, said exactly what God had said.

 

What we can see here is that God may have a person of low position declare a curse on a person of high position. Now consider the threat of Eli to Samuel. What if Samuel, despite his threat, didn't say the words God had given him? Would Samuel get punished as Eli had cursed him because it was the words of the priest? Nonsense itself! Eli's curse is just empty words as far as God didn't tell Samuel to say what he heard to Eli. Rather, God would rebuke Eli, saying, "You vulgar priest! Why should I punish Samuel, my lovely one, like that?"

 

Blessings and curses without cause are simply empty utterances of false religioners. The Scripture says plainly that God will turn the blessings proclaimed by the priests, who ignore sins of Israelites and accept money from them, into curses. This means that you will receive a just curse from God, if you, living a sinful life, go to a priest and get blessed by him for the money you brought. God is not mindful of the blessing proclaimed to a sinner.

 

Then, why did the blessing to Hannah, Samuel's mother, which was declared by the undignified priest Eli, come true? Of course, it was because God wanted to bless Hannah. It was never because Eli was a priest that his declaration came true. Even if Eli hadn't said that, God would have given Hannah the same blessing.

 

So priests are called servants of God. God uses his servants; how can his servants get him to work for them? If a servant of God believes that, if he declares to the saints blessings or curses using his position, power, and spiritual authority, they will certainly come true; he utters vain words with a heart full of pride.

 

Most pastors are trustworthy, and they see through the faith of the saints, so their declarations of blessing and curse are in line with God's will, therefore will be fulfilled. However, you don't have to bear blessings or curses in mind if they were declared by pastors who misunderstand you or want to show off their authority, because those blessings and curses have no validity. Good blessings will come upon you without pastor's declaration of blessing if you live uprightly before God. On the contrary, ill punishments for your sins will come upon you even when there was no pastor's declaration of curse because you have concealed your sins from the pastor and the saints and kept sinning before God.