God honors those who fear Him

And the Lord came and stood, calling as at other times, “Samuel! Samuel!” And Samuel said, “Speak, for your servant hears.” Then the Lord said to Samuel, “Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 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. Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever.” Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, “Samuel, my son.” And he said, “Here I am.” And Eli said, “What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.” So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, “It is the Lord. Let him do what seems good to him.” And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. And the Lord appeared again at Shiloh, for the Lord revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the Lord. (1 Samuel 3:10–21)

This event took place while Samuel was still a boy. I can’t imagine having the courage to tell the high priest what God told him, but he did. Eli knew his error with his sons and his reply indicates he’d learned his lesson. Nevertheless, this man seemed to accept his fate.

One commentary says that if a believer fails and yet repents from his sin, forgiveness is there, but so might be a dreaded consequence. Eli submitted to what seems good to God. I’m not sure I’d have the courage to do that either. He lost every good thing he had. 

However, the law indicates that sin can be deliberate and with awareness, or unintentional. The OT says: “Then you shall select cities to be cities of refuge for you, that the manslayer who kills any person without intent may flee there.” (Numbers 35:11) Since this provision was made for what we now call manslaughter, this indicates God looks at the heart as much as He sees the deed. Did Eli repent? Or did he simply accept this consequence of failing to discipline his sons? A verse from Solomon’s proverbs says:

The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with evil intent. (Proverbs 21:27)

As a Christian with knowledge of God's love and mercy, this kindness tends to be our focus, yet even the NT says these things: 

Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, (Philippians 2:12)
Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. (Colossians 3:22)
As for those who persist in sin, rebuke them in the presence of all, so that the rest may stand in fear. (1 Timothy 5:20)
It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:31)

Eli sinned by giving his sons no rebuke for ignoring God rather than giving Him respect, honor, reverence — and paid the price.

Jesus, honoring You is not only right, but logical. I can say, with thousands of angels, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12)

The Role of Emotions

The focus of today’s devotions is again on disregarding emotions and “the will being the real king’” that governs faith. This is too much negativity about devotions for the NT identifies two emotions being positive: joy and peace.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22–23)

These two emotions are from the Holy Spirit and are like green traffic lights. If they are not in my life or suddenly go missing, I know that I have business to do with God. His Spirit is no longer filling my heart and mind and I have sin to confess.

The joy of the Lord is a powerful emotion. If I am filled with the Spirit, that joy is present and deep, bubbling up inside of me even when circumstances and burdens are also present and deep. Peace is the same. It is from God and often makes no sense as its presence does not depend on circumstances either.

Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:5–7)

A Spirit-filled friend recently said to an anxious Christian, “Why pray when you can worry?” And this hit me as an apt reminder that God is about joy and peace. He is glad to give it to His children from deep inside, from His Spirit to our inner spirit where it flows out of us  — into our thinking and affecting our decisions. It is easier to obey Him when my heart is connected to His heart and feeling the wonder of His joy and peace.

I’ve noticed that some Christian denominations focus on one of the three parts of the human soul: intellect, emotions and will. For some, having accurate knowledge is most important. Others love to express their feelings, particularly in worship.

Others stress the value of the will. However, the Scriptures tell me that all three are God's and need to be yielded to His Spirit. He uses the human mind, forming ideas for service and to do good in this world. He uses our emotions to signal us to danger, action, and the state of our walk with Him. He uses the will to say YES to His commands. These three motivate my body to get off my duff and do what He tells me to do, thus involving my body. In walking with Jesus, all of me is engaged. If I ignore my emotions, then joy means nothing and peace is only a state of mind, not a guard for my heart and mind or an indicator of what is going on in my spiritual life.

While the NT says, “God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control” (2 Timothy 1:7) it also says, “Bondservants, obey in everything those who are your earthly masters, not by way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord.” (Colossians 3:22). Both verses use the same root word for fear. Fear of people will result in being unable to love others and tell them about Jesus. A denial of fear can result in not fearing God. Dismissing that emotion is not wise. Being aware of what comes from God and what comes from the flesh is important when it comes to fear, even though it seems negative.

PRAY: Jesus, You tossed the money changers out of the temple, wept at the death of Lazarus, and sweat blood in Gethsemane — all involved emotions. You also knew the hearts of others, remembered OT words, and obeyed all that the Father asked of You saying “Not my will but Thine be done.” You were fully engaged and the Spirit ruled in Your every thought, word, and deed. I want to be like You, always and in every part of me. Thank You that this is Your goal for me also.