Wednesday, February 3, 2010
When Godly Parenting Fails
(I Samuel 8:1-6)
Without a doubt, Samuel was a godly man. Though not perfect, the Scriptures uniformly view him as a hero of the faith, one who stood faithfully for God throughout his ministry. When we read of his sons’ shortcomings, therefore, we find ourselves perplexed. How could it be that Samuel’s sons “walked not in his ways” (3)? What went wrong?
Scripture gives no indications as to Samuel’s parenting style. Pure conjecture could surmise that Samuel gave too much time to the ministry and not enough time to his family; but the Bible doesn’t say. Maybe Samuel’s relationship with his wife was strained; but the Bible doesn’t say. What the Bible does tell us is that Samuel, a godly prophet, experienced disappointment in his sons.
It is entirely possible for parents to do everything right and yet see their children do wrong—especially when they’re young. Just like adults, children possess both a sin nature and a free will. Proper child rearing can restrain the sin nature, but it can’t eradicate it. Discipline and training can bend the child’s will in the right direction, but it can’t insure that children will always make right choices. The scary truth for parents is that sometimes even well-trained children make foolish and sinful decisions.
Like any parent, Samuel took initial offense to the suggestion of replacing his sons with a king. But, unlike the average parent, Samuel took the matter to the Lord in prayer (6). Even when deeply offended by the elders, Samuel had the spiritual insight to seek God’s will, not his own. Consistency counts. And God will bless and direct when we faithfully acknowledge Him—even when things don’t turn out like we had hoped (Prov. 3:5-6).
