CHILDREN WHO WALK IN TRUTH

CEJ Spring 2008
by Greg Gay If things are going well with our children in all areas of their lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually, we who are blessed to be parents have great happiness and confidence in the future for the quality of their lives and for the perpetuity of the Lord’s Church. We are thankful and count our blessings as being beyond our ability to comprehend.

The Apostle John wrote Gaius:

“THE ELDER,
To the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth: Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth.” (3 John 1-4).

Whether discussing spiritual or physical children, we can all identify with
these verses. We rejoice when our children “walk in truth.” If we have had a part in helping to convert someone, we are just like a proud parent toward them, encouraging them and cheering them on to continued growth and faithfulness. With our physical children, we invest our time, our money, our hearts, our entire lives into helping them form the values we believe they are going to need to be successful in their lives. When they become adults and show that they love God and are faithful in the Lord’s church, the Church of Christ, we can say as John said, “I have no greater joy.”

Oh, but what snares await the young! Satan does not spare our children or grandchildren any more than he spares those of us who are older in his vile attempts to get us to go astray day after day. Although his power is limited, he is relentless in his tenacity. No family member in any family is spared. Oh how we grieve for our children who are gone astray!

Let us look at the family of Eli, a family that ended in physical and spiritual tragedy.

“Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD. And the priests’ custom with the people was that when any man offered a sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come with a three-pronged fleshhook in his hand while the meat was boiling. Then he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; and the priest would take for himself all that the fleshhook brought up. So they did in Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. Also, before they burned the fat, the priest’s servant would come and say to the man who sacrificed, ‘Give meat for roasting to the priest, for he will not take boiled meat from you, but raw.’ And if the man said to him, ‘They should really burn the fat first; then you may take as much as your heart desires,’ he would then answer him, ‘No, but you must give it now; and if not, I will take it by force.’ Therefore the sin of the young men was very great before the LORD, for men abhorred the offering of the LORD.”
(1 Samuel 2:12-17).

Instead of being content with the humble service of their father, Eli’s sons decided to change things to suit themselves and in the process violated the worship of Almighty God. By their actions, they showed that they “abhorred” or despised the worship of God. In addition to violating the worship of God by taking the choicest cuts of meat, the sons of Eli were also immoral.

“Now Eli was very old; and he heard everything his sons did to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tabernacle of meeting. So he said to them, ‘Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all the people. No, my sons! For it is not a good report that I hear. You make the LORD’s people transgress. If one man sins against another, God will judge him. But if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?’ Nevertheless they did not heed the voice of their father, because the LORD desired to kill them.” (1 Samuel 2:22-25).

Matthew Henry, commenting on these passages about Eli’s sons makes
application to those who would be preachers and servants of the Church.
He writes:

“Nothing brings a greater reproach upon religion than ministers’ covetousness, sensuality, and imperiousness.... To have gone to the harlots’ houses, the common prostitutes, would have been abominable wickedness, but to use the interest which as priests they had in those women that had devout dispositions and were religiously inclined, and to bring them to commit their wickedness, was such horrid impiety as one can scarcely think it possible that men who called themselves priests should ever be guilty of. Be astonished, 0 heavens! at this, and tremble, 0 earth! No words can sufficiently express the villany of such practices as these.” (from Matthew Henry’s Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Modern Edition, Electronic Database. Copyright (c) 1991 by Hendrickson Publishers, Inc.).

How did Eli react to all of these things? As parents, we always want our children to be correct We will want, naturally, to blame everyone else before we would ever blame our own children for any fault. That is to be expected in all of us. Eli was no different But, he not only failed to condemn his children for their wrong, he actively participated in part of their evil. A man of God told him: "‘Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in My habitation; and honourest thy sons above Me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel My people?’ ” (1 Samuel 2:29).

One of Eli’s mistakes was that he chose to be more loyal to his sinful children than he was to God. The proof of that is that Eli ate the food his sons extorted from the worshippers. Just as children who are faithful to God are an encouragement to their parents, children who are not faithful become a temptation for the parents to give in to the same evil so their beloved children will appear to be OK. As much as it breaks our hearts because of who may be involved, whether our children or anyone else we love, we cannot follow anyone in evil. Even the Apostle Paul said “Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ.” (1 Corinthians 11:1).

God’s judgment upon Eli’s family is very sad. Eli knew of his son’s evil, but his feeble protests were not the needed correction. “For I have told him that I will judge his house forever for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he did not restrain them.” (1 Samuel 3:13). Eli’s sons were priests, ordained and trained to serve in the temple. They violated their sacred trust and did not stop their sin when confronted. While their actions were certainly wrong, even done once, their subsequent refusal to repent and change their lives makes them forever the vile servants of Satan instead of righteous servants of God. And, Eli’s failure to take action to restrain them makes him culpable in their sin. Today, the Lord’s church is still the Lord’s. We, who are blessed to be members of the Church of Christ, are given God’s precious truths as sacred trusts to be carefully preserved and passed on to the next generation with love, care, and prayer.

Jesus pronounced woeful judgment on anyone who would lead his children astray:

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus, saying, ‘Who then is greatest in the kingdom of heaven?’ Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever receives one little child like this in My name receives Me.But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes! If your hand or foot causes you to sin, cut it off and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, to be cast into the everlasting fire. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out and cast it from you. It is better for you to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire. Take heed that you do not despise one of these little ones, for I say to you that in heaven their angels always see the face of My Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 18:1-10).

In this issue of The Christian’s Expositor we explore a few areas of temptation for God’s people. Gambling and drinking take their toll on the church in many places in shattered lives, shattered families and financial ruin. Racism is alive and well in the church today in a few places, to our shame. We send forth this issue in the hope that all of us will stay strong, no matter the source of temptation, even within our own families.

1820 Casterbridge Dr., Roseville, California 95747,
papagreg@aol.com