We Don't Control Our Ears (1 Samuel 2:25)

[Eli said] “If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the LORD, who can intercede for him?” But [Hophni and Phineas] would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the LORD to put them to death.

Have you ever wondered how the Pharisees could have conversations with Jesus himself and still completely miss the point? Or what about when you hear a conversation where someone else is so consumed with his or her own agenda that they cannot see what is plain to everybody else?

Or what about the moments when you reflect on a situation in your own life where you realized that everybody around you was telling you what you needed to hear and you still insisted on your own way?

Hophni and Phineas are responsible for their actions, but there is a stunning statement here where God also takes responsibility for their stubborn pursuit of their own way.

They would not listen… for it was the will of the LORD to put them to death.

Yes, they should have listened. They were living in total rebellion to what God willed for Israel, especially what he willed for priests. But God had another will that included removing them from their post, so there was nothing Eli could have said to change their mind.

Let’s pray that the Lord opens our eyes and ears to hear truth and to be convicted in our core to turn and repent from patterns of sin that others point out in us.