Bible Truth #116 - 1 Samuel 2:22-25

1 Samuel 2:22-25

22  Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.

23  So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours.

24  No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear spreading among the Lord's people.

25  If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the LORD, who will intercede for him?” His sons, however, did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for it was the LORD’s will to put them to death.

I sent a few extra verses to give the context but I want to focus on the last phrase of verse 25. It was the Lord’s will that they be put to death, it was His plan. So God directed their steps NOT TO LISTEN TO THEIR FATHER’S REBUKE. Why? Because it was God’s will to PUT THEM TO DEATH. And what the Lord wills, the Lord causes to happen. Why? Because a Sovereign God gets His way EVERY time. Those that just can’t bring themselves to believe that Truth do not believe in a Sovereign God.

Of course, that is what the text says but I would like to hear the Arminian’s explanation on that text. Will he try to tell me that it was the Lord’s will to put them to death BECAUSE they didn’t listen to their father’s rebuke? Sorry, they have the cart before the horse. Read it again, His sons did not listen to their father’s rebuke, for [BECAUSE] it was the LORD’s will to put them to death. According to Proverbs 16:9 and 19:21 (God’s sovereignty in human affairs), God was working in Eli’s sons, He made them want to ignore their father’s rebuke - just as He makes His Elect believe (John 6:29).

I’m sure there are those who will argue that Eli’s sons were wicked and the Lord was going to put them to death for the wickedness of which they were guilty. Well of course that is true because EVERY lost man, woman, boy, or girl is wicked. But it doesn’t change the fact that God MADE them ignore their father’s rebuke BECAUSE it was the LORD’S will to put them to death.

God is sovereign, man is not. If some want to believe man has a free will, I say to them, “Go ahead.” But when man’s unbiblical, so-called, free will bumps up against God’s plan, guess which one prevails? (Isaiah 14:27)

I submit man has no free will, God simply makes the Arminian think he does. And one of the reasons I think man has no free will is because God’s Word states man is a slave to sin or a slave to righteousness (Romans 6:17-18) and slaves DO what their Master requires of them...

Bottom Line: Eli’s sons did not listen to their father because ignoring his rebuke was God’s plan for their lives, AND the end thereof.

God glorifies EVERY man He calls (Romans 8:30) and ONLY those He calls.