OUT OF OPTIONS

1 Samuel 2:12-26

" If a man sins against another man, God may mediate for him; but if a man sins against the Lord, who will intercede for him?" (1Sam. 2:25a).


Out of Options
written by: Duane Brush
(Editor of Word Action)

Since the 1966 Miranda v. Arizona Supreme Court case, law enforcement officers in the United States have been informing criminal suspects that they are entitled to an attorney. If they can't afford one, one would be provided for them. No matter how heinous the crime, a suspect has the right to an attorney as well the right to make his or her appeal to a judge or jury.

In today's reading, Eli's sons didn't listen to their father. They took advantage of others whenever they could. Everywhere they went, they left trail of disappointment and hurt. But perhaps worst of all, they ran out of options. Eli rightly points out that by sinning against the Lord, there was no one left to intercede for them.

Unlike Ernesto Miranda, who was originally released because his rights had been denied, Eli's sons would not get off on a technicality. By sinning against the Lord, they were, in effect, out of options. "There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death" (Prov. 14:12).

Good things happen when god speaks and people listen, when God directs and people obey (Harold Bonner)

Word Action