Eli was the penultimate High Priest and Judge of Israel and a mentor to Samuel, the last judge and first prophet. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phinehas whom he appointed priests despite their misbehavior. They became the scandal and corruption of his people and allowed the Ark of the Covenant to fall into the hands of the enemies, the Philistines. Eli is notified of the death of his children and the loss of the Ark of the Covenant. In 1 Samuel 4:18 we find that "At this mention of the ark of God, Eli fell backward from his chair into the gateway; he died of a broken neck since he was an old man and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years." He was 98 years old.
Today God invites you to ask yourself about your service. Do you live it from appearances or from an intimate relationship with Him? Eli's death is told to us in a slightly tragic way since he practically died from the shock of dishonoring God at the hands of his children. Eli had God in his Ark but not in his life and as he feels that the little he has left of God is taken away, he lets himself fall as he realizes that he did not know how to respond to God's Love. This place from where he falls, the middle of the door, might mean something, that Eli knew of God and served him for a long time but he limited him to one place and did not dare to enter into intimacy with Him, to live Him. Since he did not really know God, he was not able to correct his children in his wrongdoing and help them to meet the God who dwelled among them, thus leaving the community to suffer. Today God is asking us to serve Him but not from outside His love but from within Him.
May the Lord open our hearts to his eternal love 🙏💕🕊️
