Abhorrent

 April 11, 2024

Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas were quite different than their father. All three were priests, but where Eli was faithful, his sons were profane and perverse. They stole the offerings of the people, slept with young woman who came to worship, and generally despised the counsel of God. God’s judgment on them was clear: ”Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the Lord, for men abhorred the offering of the Lord.“ (I Samuel 2:17)

The problem wasn’t just that they were doing such things, but that because of their behavior others rejected the offering of the Lord. Today, we would say that people saw their behavior and wanted nothing to do with God. It is a sad testament for that to be said of any of God’s people, but I’ve felt the weight of this judgment even heavier for having been a pastor for over 50 years. 

I remember once when I officiated at a funeral of a man who was a good, faithful worker, a back-slapping kind of friend. It was a different story at home. He was alcoholic and abusive. I dealt with the situation as compassionately as I could, but later received some pretty vitriolic letters from co-workers who thought I had besmirched his reputation. When I asked his widow if I had said anything offensive to her, she affirmed that I had not, that my words were comforting to her. Turned out the letters came from his drinking buddies.

Even so, I don’t want to be the reason someone rejects Christ. I’m OK If they reject him because of who he is, but not if they reject him because of who I am. The Bible says Jesus is a stumbling stone to unbelievers. That’s fine. But not if I am the stumbling stone.