Closed Eyes
Eli heard the outcry and asked, “What is the meaning of this uproar?”
The man hurried over to Eli, who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes were set so that he could not see. He told Eli, “I have just fled from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.” 1 Samuel 4:14
This passage is part of the story of the Philistines capturing the ark of God. There are all kinds of lessons to be learned from the behavior of the Israelites, from the Philistines, from Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas and from Eli himself but one minor line stood out to me today. As I read this chapter the words, “whose eyes were set so that he could not see” grabbed my attention. To be honest at first I was just taken with that turn of phrase. It could just say that Eli was blind because Eli was old and blind. So my writer’s eye was captured by the word picture and then as I read it again I saw a deeper meaning.
Eli’s eyes were closed. His actual physical sight was non-existent but that isn’t all of it. A man of God had come to Eli and given him fair warning about his nasty sons. Their death had been foretold to Eli and I’m sure it broke his heart. In verse 18 of chapter 14 Eli dies. He hears the news about his sons and about the ark of God and it is too much for him. I can’t help but wonder if Eli did what many parents have done before and after him, what I know I have done myself. He turned a blind eye to what those boys were doing.
Eli’s sons were awful and he knew it. He went to them and told them how wrong they were and they would not listen. I wonder if that is when the eyes of Eli’s heart became set so that he could not see? Sometimes the actions of our children, spouses or friends are so hurtful, so potentially devastating that we turn a blind eye. We may try to encourage a change but when that doesn’t work we just look away and pray that God will intercede before it is too late.
Eli may have closed his eyes but it appears that Hophni and Phinehas closed their hearts. Their behavior had dire consequences for them and for all of Israel. Eli couldn’t look at that. Could you?
It isn’t just other people’s actions that close our eyes either. Sometimes we are quite able to ignore the possible consequences of our own actions when the immediate prize is shining so brightly before us. We don’t so much choose to go ahead regardless of the fallout as much as we fail to consider it. If I don’t see it maybe it isn’t really there.
Sometimes all we can see around us is darkness. We complain and moan about how awful things are while God stands right in front of us holding out a blessing. We can’t see the blessing because our eyes are set so that we cannot see.
Eli may have ignored some of the antics of his sons but he was truly, physically blind as well. You and I may have perfect vision but set our eyes so that they only see what they want to see. Combine that with ears that only hear what they want to hear and we have a real problem.
Hophni and Phinehas made lousy choices so God passed them over for a purer more humble young man. Samuel, instructed by Eli, kept his eyes and ears open to the Lord and the Lord rewarded him. Any one of us may lose our physical sight but we never, ever have to give up our spiritual sight. Let’s set our spiritual eyes on Jesus and follow where he leads.
The man hurried over to Eli, who was ninety-eight years old and whose eyes were set so that he could not see. He told Eli, “I have just fled from the battle line; I fled from it this very day.” 1 Samuel 4:14
This passage is part of the story of the Philistines capturing the ark of God. There are all kinds of lessons to be learned from the behavior of the Israelites, from the Philistines, from Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas and from Eli himself but one minor line stood out to me today. As I read this chapter the words, “whose eyes were set so that he could not see” grabbed my attention. To be honest at first I was just taken with that turn of phrase. It could just say that Eli was blind because Eli was old and blind. So my writer’s eye was captured by the word picture and then as I read it again I saw a deeper meaning.
Eli’s eyes were closed. His actual physical sight was non-existent but that isn’t all of it. A man of God had come to Eli and given him fair warning about his nasty sons. Their death had been foretold to Eli and I’m sure it broke his heart. In verse 18 of chapter 14 Eli dies. He hears the news about his sons and about the ark of God and it is too much for him. I can’t help but wonder if Eli did what many parents have done before and after him, what I know I have done myself. He turned a blind eye to what those boys were doing.
Eli’s sons were awful and he knew it. He went to them and told them how wrong they were and they would not listen. I wonder if that is when the eyes of Eli’s heart became set so that he could not see? Sometimes the actions of our children, spouses or friends are so hurtful, so potentially devastating that we turn a blind eye. We may try to encourage a change but when that doesn’t work we just look away and pray that God will intercede before it is too late.
Eli may have closed his eyes but it appears that Hophni and Phinehas closed their hearts. Their behavior had dire consequences for them and for all of Israel. Eli couldn’t look at that. Could you?
It isn’t just other people’s actions that close our eyes either. Sometimes we are quite able to ignore the possible consequences of our own actions when the immediate prize is shining so brightly before us. We don’t so much choose to go ahead regardless of the fallout as much as we fail to consider it. If I don’t see it maybe it isn’t really there.
Sometimes all we can see around us is darkness. We complain and moan about how awful things are while God stands right in front of us holding out a blessing. We can’t see the blessing because our eyes are set so that we cannot see.
Eli may have ignored some of the antics of his sons but he was truly, physically blind as well. You and I may have perfect vision but set our eyes so that they only see what they want to see. Combine that with ears that only hear what they want to hear and we have a real problem.
Hophni and Phinehas made lousy choices so God passed them over for a purer more humble young man. Samuel, instructed by Eli, kept his eyes and ears open to the Lord and the Lord rewarded him. Any one of us may lose our physical sight but we never, ever have to give up our spiritual sight. Let’s set our spiritual eyes on Jesus and follow where he leads.
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