There must not have been a weight-reducing place in downtown Shiloh when
Eli died. The verse I am referring to is found in 1 Samuel 4:18. "...when he made
mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the
gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy.
And he had judged Israel forty years."
That is some way to be remembered isn't it? That verse makes it clear he was
overweight, but that obesity wasn't his only weakness. During his time as a priest
and a judge, the ark of God was taken. Eli didn't have much discernment. He
couldn't control his children. His two sons were called ruthless men.
1 Samuel 2:12 says, "Now the sons of Eli were corrupt; they did not know the LORD."
Yet with Eli's faults, God used him to teach a young Samuel. Eli must have been a
good teacher, but he set a poor example.
We can do the same thing today. What kind of an example are we setting for our
family? God looks on the inside of a person - to the heart. Is your family learning
where your heart is?
