GOD ALWAYS HAS A REMNANT TO REPLACE THE CORRUPT PRIESTHOOD IN HIS CHURCH “I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind” 1 Samuel 2: 35 God always has a remnant. He raised up Samuel to replace Eli and his evil sons, who were corrupt, compromising priests with no fear of God. He raised up David to replace Saul when Saul turned form the Lord to seek his own glory and please man. God always has someone in training he is raising up when his servants start to wander from the truth. He will do the same in this generation where we see corruption in his church and priesthood as well. God is always hiding his faithful servants in the wilderness, preparing them as arrows in his quiver, polishing them for the appointed time. No one can deceive God; he is always steps ahead for his Glory and for his sheep’s sake. Like he did with Saul and Eli, he will expose many still and then raise replacements after his own heart who no one expects or sees it coming. He still had 7,000 prophets hidden in Elijaha time when most of the prophets had bowed to Jezebels corruption and bowed to Baal. God is never without a voice. Let us look at what happened to Eli and his corrupt sons after they mocked God and would not repent, they had defiled the priesthood and mocked God thinking they could get away with it. And the bible says that “the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no open vision.” 1 Samuel 3:1. God did not speak since the priesthood was corrupt and the people’s hearts wicked. Any words they followed from the corrupt priests were not from God, but corrupt false words from the corrupt priests. The Lord only begun to speak again when he raised up Samuel a pure priest who had no selfish motives driven by self-gain and glory but would obey the Lord and do all he said. And though he was a boy God entrusted his secrets and plans to him. 1 Samuel 2: 27 Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Did I not clearly reveal myself to your father’s house when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? 28 I chose your father out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your father’s house all the offerings made with fire by the Israelites. 29 Why do you [f] scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?’ 30 “Therefore the LORD, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that your house and your father’s house would minister before me forever.’ But now the LORD declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. 31 The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your father’s house, so that there will not be an old man in your family line 32 and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, in your family line there will never be an old man. 33 Every one of you that I do not cut off from my altar will be spared only to blind your eyes with tears and to grieve your heart, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life. 34 ” ‘And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. 35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his house, and he will minister before my anointed one always.36 Then everyone left in your family line will come and bow down before him for a piece of silver and a crust of bread and plead, “Appoint me to some priestly office so I can have food to eat.” 1 Samuel 3: 10 The LORD came and stood there, calling as at the other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” Then Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” 11 And the LORD said to Samuel: “See, I am about to do something in Israel that will make the ears of everyone who hears of it tingle. 12 At that time I will carry out against Eli everything I spoke against his family—from beginning to end. 13 For I told him that I would judge his family forever because of the sin he knew about; his sons made themselves contemptible, [b] and he failed to restrain them. 14 Therefore, I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’ May we avoid the mistakes of Eli, who covered his sons sins and tolerated evil. May we avoid the sins of his sons who grew prideful, wicked, and complacent and misused their priesthood and perverted the work of the Lord. Though Eli’s family had been chosen to be priests, God removed them and disdained them. May we never think we are indispensable because of our gifts. If the Lord can cause stones to worship him when we don’t ( Luke 19:40), if he can raise up children of Abraham out of stones( Mathew 3:9), if he can speak through a donkey when man does not listen,(Num 22:28), then it shows we are very dispensable. May we never take our gifts for granted and may we never glory in anything other than the cross. If we are not faithful, despite his promises and gifts; if we are wicked and refuse to listen to his voice, he will always “ raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind”. May we be those faithful ones who do according to what is in his heart and mind. The Lord removed Eli and his sons in a most horrific manner since they would not repent but mocked his work. Without a holy fear of God, its very easy to get corrupted and deceived even as we serve God. Let’s keep our eyes on Jesus and the cross. It’s all about him, the sheep are his, the bride is his, we are only stewards. He will not share his glory with anyone. “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.”(Luke 17:20)
Posted on: Fri, 23 Aug 2013 20:47:04 +0000
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