Samuel's and Eli's boys: convenant children? - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing,
majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of
him and what came to my heart and mind in 1 Samuel 8:1-3,

"When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel's leaders. The
name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah,
and they served at Beersheba. But his sons did not follow his ways.
They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and
perverted justice."

In his article, "The Covenant of God and the Children of Believers",
professor David J. Engelsma proclaimed that the children of all who
share in the covenant of God are automatically inducted into the fold
of those with good standing in that covenant. If the parents got
saved, the children are automatically saved - without reference to the
need for personal choice, personal faith on the part of the children.
If that be so, one wonders where all the Christians are in Europe
today from the bygone Christian era of that continent - if each
succeeding generation is saved by the covenant relationship enjoyed by
the previous one. Simple math brings the concept into question, let
alone the dearth of Scriptural support for such theological nonsense.

Apparently Engelsma missed the account of Samuel's boys. So too Eli's
sons. It is always fascinating to me to read theologians who logically
argue themselves into nothing the Scriptures have to say. Oh, the
covenant child thing is only for the "new covenant"? Better let Paul
know about that. He was filled with joy over Timothy, not because he
was the son of Eunice (and therefore a partaker in the covenant), but
because Paul had been "persuaded" that the faith that Eunice had, had
now been evidenced in Timothy's life, 2 Timothy 1:5.

In any event, Samuel's boys were no Samuel. Samuel was reared by the
high priest Eli, who himself had boys that were just as worthless.
Samuel was God's man, God's selection to be Israel's last judge and
Israel's king-maker. I note that it was Samuel's move to appoint his
worthless sons as his successor.

This appointment by Samuel of his sons to lead Israel was the impetus
for the nation to demand a king to rule over Israel. Rather than
suffering leaders those who "turned aside after dishonest gain and
accepted bribes and perverted justice" (something our fellow
countrymen know of all too much today), they demanded Samuel appoint a
king for Israel before his death, "So all the elders of Israel
gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, 'You
are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to
lead us, such as all the other nations have.'" 1 Samuel 8:4-5.

To be sure, the Israelites made this request because they had rejected
God, "Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you
[Samuel] they have rejected, but they have rejected me [the Lord] as
their king." 8:7. However, look at the foolishness these worthless
sons of Samuel added to the national turmoil that sin wreaked on
Israel.

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share
what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to
hear from you!

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Trevor Fisk

trevor.fisk@gmail.com