Therefore I swore to the house of Eli, ‘The guilt of Eli’s house will never be atoned for by sacrifice or offering.’” - 1 Samuel 3:14 NIV
How frightening to think of committing a sin that could never be atoned for. Such was the case with Eli the priest's sons who blasphemed God. They were priests themselves, descended from the priestly lineage, but they thumbed their noses at the requirements set down for those who were supposed to serve the Lord. They treated the offerings that the Israelites brought before the Lord as if it was solely for their own benefit. The sins of Eli's sons were apparent to the people, they saw how they caroused with prostitutes, but they could not see the depth of the contempt with which they treated the offerings designated for the Lord. Their most grievous sins may have been hidden from the people, but they were not hidden from God. It was not the people who would have to deal with the priests, God would do that himself.
I wonder if that is not often the case with us. We are aware of and will even admit to the obvious sins in our lives. But those that are just between us and God we keep hidden. No one needs to know how we grieve God by being self-centered, self-absorbed, trusting in anything but God to supply our needs. For, in essence, that was what Eli's sons were most guilty of. They didn't trust God enough to supply their needs. They thought they had to take matters into their own hands, when God had already made provision for them and had assured them they would always be taken care of. That was the sin that could not be atoned for. That was the sin that would strip them of their priesthood and their lives.
I know that Christ's blood became the atonement for our sins, but do we treat that too lightly? It's a serious sacrifice that was made, the death of the Son of God as a sacrifice for our sins. A sacrifice that cannot be exploited for our own benefit.
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