It's All About The Heart

All About The Heart

In 1 Samuel 2 we have the account of Eli and the transgressions of his two sons, Hophni and Phineas. Eli is held accountable, so it seems, for the disobedience of his sons, and suffers greatly in the end. He receives the judgment from the Man of God saying that Eli kicked at the sacrifices and offerings. This kick means to trample down. To see something as vile. To treat with disdain and disrespect the offerings made at the temple. The offerings was always to go first to God and then to the priests. However, we read in this account that Eli’s son’s insisted on getting their portion first. Not only that, but they wanted the best of the offerings for themselves. Eli is asked why he is honoring his sons above God, to make themselves fat. So, this was a revel in the flesh and in essence idolatry in itself. The idolatry of self.

The Lord God says in verse 30, “Be it far from Me for them that honor Me, I will honor, and them that despise Me, shall be lightly esteemed.”

By this we can see that their act of gluttony was not just a sin, but it was to despise the Lord Himself. So what is of essence here is the attitude of the heart and not just the sin. In fact, the judgment passed was not only the untimely deaths of his sons on the same day, but it is a judgment passed onto his generations. In verse 36 we read, “And it shall come to pass that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and for morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me I pray thee into one of the priests offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.” So because of gluttony, self-serving attitudes before God and man, and ultimately self-idolatry, the judgment of hunger and poverty is passed onto them. So I have to ask, where was God’s forgiveness? Where was His mercy? How is this such a big deal? Surely sexual immorality or fornication would merit this judgment? What about murder or theft? And yet, God’s judgment is severe. Maybe we should consider this office of priest. In light of the priests of God we understand that they were consecrated unto the Lord. Consecration means to be set apart for a specific purpose. And only that purpose. The priests did not belong to the people. They belonged to Him. We are according to 1 Peter 2: 9 a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people, that we should show forth the praises of Him who has called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. We are now the priests of God. If I had to write a test, but failed to complete it, would I be able to say that I wrote the test? No. It is only once I completed it, that I would be able to say with boldness, “It is finished”. Our great High Priest after the Order of Melchizedeck, Jesus Christ, went before us and bought us with His Blood. He cried, “It is finished!” He made a sacrifice, once and for all, so that we may now enter within the veil as a chosen generation, a royal priesthood. As priests, washed in His blood, we are now His. We are not our own. And no longer do we go to a temple to make an offering as priests, but we are the temple. The sacrifice on the altar of our hearts, that speaks forever, is His Body broken for us.

Jesus says in John 6: 55 the following: 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.

Today we are admonished as that often as we come together, to partake of Holy Communion. No longer blood and guts, but a neat little cup and small piece of bread. In those days blood was to be placed on the ear, thumb and toe, signaling the total consecration of the priests unto the Lord. They would spend days sacrificing the various offerings brought to the temple, drenched in the blood of animals. We, however do not have just the sprinkling of blood, but the Word says we are washed in the blood of Jesus. In essence every single part of our bodies, our temples, are covered under the blood. And the reality is that we did not slay an animal for this blood as priests of God, but it was our very sin that He had to take upon Himself, and was slayed by God’s wrath because of that sin. Should you think this devotional is about gluttony, you are wrong. Rather, it is about the attitude of the heart. It is easy to look at sin as something we do, which is external. Something out there. But the Word says that we are to guard our hearts with all diligence for out of it flows the issues of life. The sin we so readily and habitually commit, the permissible swearword here and there by how we speak or what we listen or watch. The gluttony that silently creeps in like a fog unnoticed, the gossiping in the name of “love”, the unfulfilled vows of I will pray for you, the crude jokes and language we use.

All of these habitual sins are saying something about our hearts. I can go on and on. When we look at these sins and see them separately, they seem small. Almost insignificant. No Biggy. Almost like Hophni and Phineas. The punishment does not seem fit the crime. Is God unjust…no! We forget that our God sees the heart of man. These sins we so indulge in for years or even now and then, which we so easily justify, spits in the face of God. It treats His offering, His sacrifice with disdain, with contempt. Not considering how we eat His flesh and drink His blood, just like Hophni and Phineas with the temple offerings. These offerings are all a type and shadow of the cross. The ultimate sacrifice that we are partakers of.

In 1 Corinthians 11: 27 – 30 we read:

27 Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. 28 But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. 29 For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. 30 For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.

God is not petty, but He is also nobody’s fool. He sees that which we cover. That which we take lightly that we full well know is not. And the fact that we do take it lightly to heart, says something about our heart. Does He not say to Eli that He would esteem those light who esteems Him lightly? We think He focuses on the sin, but in reality His focus is always the heart, where the sin resides. How lightly do you esteem your “pet” sins, says so much of how much weight you place on His sacrifice. Therefore the severe and just judgment. In 1 Samuel 3, the very next chapter, the Word says that the word of the Lord was precious in those days (meaning it was scares), and there was no open vision. Jesus is the Word, the Bread of Life. This verse speaks of the spoken word by the Prophets, but also no visions.

In verse 2 – 3 we read:

2 And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; 3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

Eli could not see, his eyes grew dim, and the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, is more than it was time to sleep. Because it was to Samuel that God spoke that very night. Eli in essence is an example of a back sliding Christian, who though set apart onto God, was not set apart in reality. Habitual sin has caused the lamp of God to go out in the temple of the Lord, and him going to sleep, speaks of him falling spiritually asleep. And yet, when Samuel went to sleep God spoke to him. This sleep is speaking of God’s rest. Eli’s generation would hunger, but not just for physical bread, but spiritual bread.

In 2 Timothy 3: 16 – 17 we read:

2 Timothy 3:16-17 16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17 That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

When we look at this account, the same can be said of obedience. He says He gives His Spirit to those who obey Him. Obedience is high on His list for priests, which is holiness in all the categories of our lives. We can be sure that when we obey, He will not only feed us with the Bread of Life, but with milk and honey, which is revelation…the opening of the eyes. We are no longer in a time where we can esteem sin lightly, which is to say esteem His sacrifice lightly. He has made a way for us to come with boldness to the throne of grace, to receive grace and mercy in a time of trouble. But somehow, we think we can eat, drink and sin further. That is to say eat of His flesh and drink of His blood, and sin further. We are sure to ask for forgiveness, but fail to repent, which is to turn around. To seek His face and turn wholeheartedly from our sins. May we come humbly before Him today, acknowledge that which we do not esteem our sins as vile and utterly detestable as we should. That we are indeed esteeming His sacrifice to lightly by our light esteem of habitual “small” sins. May we rent our hearts and not our clothes. That is to say, not start to set up rules for ourselves all over again, but rather be renewed in the spirit of our minds, presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable service, as priests unto the Lord. So that we may in obedience be led by the Spirit, as Priests of God, holy and set apart. Amen.

Please Read:

Romans 6: 1 - 6

What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound?  God forbid.  How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?  Know ye not that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death?  Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.  For if we have been planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection.  Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.