It Is The Will Of God

So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the LORD’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.” [1 Samuel 3.18]

Samuel told Eli that judgment had been passed upon him and his sons because of sin in their lives.

Then, what Eli did was absolutely mind-boggling. He said, "It is the LORD's will..."

Why was Eli's response so remarkable? Because there we no mention of repentance whatsoever. Eli never even attempted to repent or change his or his sons' ways.

This may be the first instance of religious false doctrines about suffering.

Instead of first connecting the dots that 'bad things' coming were the curse upon disobedience and  then therefore repenting, Eli simply said, "It it the LORD's will."

That sounds just like so many 'men of the cloth' today! Instead of proclaiming the need for repentance in the coming of curses (bad things resultant only to sin), they pass it off and even go to great length to convince people that those curses are the will of God.

May I just agree with something here? Curses ARE the will of God! But, only as much as an automobile is necessary to reach a destination! The destination of 'blessings upon obedience' IS God's will. 'Curses upon disobedience' is the automobile to get back (return) to those blessings of obedience! Bad things are designed to inflict punishment upon the disobedient! But punishment by curses is no different than the discipline of a child, it is meant to bring about repentance! It is meant to change the ways of the wayward!

Where did Eli go wrong? Well, besides being apathetic and lazy in regard to his duties and the raising of his sons, Eli furthermore blatantly failed to repent when confronted with his ways. Instead, he said, "It is the will of God."

There is great confusion in the Church today about God's methods. But, if we would just consider the Tabernacle (Temple) for a moment, and consider that the tools used in the worship of God there were set apart as "holy," we could understand that God's punishment is also set apart for a specific purpose and is to be used for that purpose alone! Just as the utensils of the Temple were never to be used outside their intended purpose, so God would never use curses outside their intended purpose! God never sends mixed signals! The purpose for curses is to punish disobedience and encourage repentance and restoration.

The pathetically amusing thing is, many will argue that their 'experience' with repentance 'didn't work' and their curse (cancer, heart disease, poverty, loss, etc...) did not change. Their conclusion is this: "I repented and still God did not heal me, so, it must be God's will." Really? Who is going to stand before God, when His curses remain, and say, "I am innocent!" According to Deuteronomy 28, curses indicate that disobedience has occurred and repentance therefore is necessary - will a man declare that Deuteronomy 28 is a lie?

Is COVID-19 the will of God? Sure! ...inasmuch as it should cause us to REPENT so that we might be healed and restored!

Father, I don't want to be found guilty of denying Your Word. Like the Psalmist, I want to say, "My suffering was good for me, for it taught me to pay attention to your decrees." [Psalm 119.71]