Parental Responsibility In Christ (1)

Bringing forth children into the world is one thing; caring and providing for their spiritual and moral training, education and material and physical needs is another matter entirely. Parental responsibility therefore, refers to the sacred duty of parents to provide the proper spiritual and moral training for their children. Where the parents fail in this responsibility, the children grow up to be a problem not only to their parents, but also to the entire society at large. Such children with poor parental care usually engage in examination malpractices, cheating, cultism, drug and sex abuse and may later end up in armed robberies or fighting rebel wars. They tell lies; they steal; they are deceitful, lazy, proud and they hardly show any respect for constituted authority.

Where, on the other hand, the parents are responsible and they provide the right attitude and values through proper religious education and moral instruction, the children become a source of pride and benefit to them and their nation. This point is illustrated in the families of Eli and Samuel, on the one hand and that of Asa on the other.

In these contrasting family roles, we see the need to take the training of our children seriously when we grow up and become fathers and mothers.

BAD PARENTAL RESPONSIBILITY

Both Eli and Samuel occupied responsible positions in the life of the Israelites. Eli was the chief priest in charge of the central shrine at Shiloh. Samuel trained as a boy priest and took over Eli as the priest in Israel. Samuel also became a prophet and a judge. Both Eli and Samuel were upright in character. Unfortunately, they did not provide for the proper spiritual and moral training of their children. Eli's children, who became assistant priests, committed atrocities on terms of sacrifices to the Lord and in sexual misconduct. The sons of Samuel, who also became judges in Israel when Samuel became old, took bribes and perverted justice. If these two distinguished men had been fair and firm in the training of their children, they would have brought honour and not disgrace and punishment to their family, society and God's sanctuary.

EXAMPLE OF ELI

The sons of Eli, Hopni and Phinehas, were worthless men for they had no regard for God. Whenever the Israelites offered sacrifices at Shiloh, the sons of Eli would send their servants with a three-pronged fork to bring any part of the meat from the booking pot. All that the fork could pick was sent to the priests. Furthermore, before the fat was burnt, the priests' servants would come demanding raw meat instead of boiled meat for the priests to roast. If the worshippers protested saying: "Let them burn the fat first and then take as much as you wish", they would threaten to take the meat by force.

It was the custom of the priests to obtain their share of the sacrifices brought by the worshippers; this was the right thigh and the breast. The only exception was the burnt offering in which the whole of the animal was burnt on the altar. Thus, it was wrong for the sons of Eli to take just any portion of the sacrificial meat. Also, the fat of the meat was first burnt as a tribute to God and then roasted before the priests could take their share. But, the sons of Eli demanded their share before God's portion was given to Him, and they also demanded for raw meat instead of roasted meat.

The sons of Eli went further to sleep with the women who served at the entrance to the temple at Shiloh. Eli heard all the evil things that his sons were doing. He attempted to correct them but he did not succeed in changing them. Thus, he was unable to reform his children instead of rebuking them. He was unable to discipline and control his children.

A man of God later condemned Eli for his lack of parental responsibility, for his children had deprived the Lord of the honour and respect due to Him by treating the sacrifices with contempt and desecrating the temple. The man of warned Eli that God will withdraw the privileges of priesthood from his family and leave no old man in his family again. His two sons would die together in a battle and a faithful priest would be raised to take his place.

Sometime later, God called Samuel and in a message confirmed His anger against Eli and his family. God was particularly angry with Eli because he knew what his sons were doing but he took no effective steps to check them. And when Eli heard the message from Samuel, he resigned himself to the judgement of God saying: "It is the Lord; let him do what he seems good to Him."

We should all learn to train our children under God so that when they grow up, they won't depart from it.