My dad had a few great snarky sayings when one of my brothers or I did something stupid or with a lack of common sense. He would say things like, “Why don’t you just run across the room and bash your head against the wall,” or “Go play out in the street in oncoming traffic,” or “Drive really fast and don’t wear a seatbelt.” Whenever he would throw one of those at me, it would make me laugh, but it also made me stop and think about what I had done or what I was about to do.
Pay careful attention, then, to how you walk-not as unwise people
but as wise-making the most of the time, because the days are evil.
So don’t be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is.
Ephesians 5:15-17, CSB
Wisdom comes from the Lord (Proverbs 2:6), but it is our choice to use it (Proverbs 21:16). Throughout Scripture, God gives us a plethora of historical examples of family dynamics wherein commonsense falters, often with terrible consequences, sometimes fatal ones. It is hard to know which family to choose as an example. So, I have chosen two families that come to mind for me in this regard because of their interconnection and what their choices led to – those of the High Priest Eli and the Prophet Samuel.
First Samuel, chapter 1 introduces us to Samuel’s mother, Hannah. She was a barren wife who one day encountered the High Priest Eli at the temple of the Lord. Scripture tells us, “She was deeply depressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly” (v. 10). Eli noticed her and thought she was drunk (v. 13). After explaining herself to Eli, he blessed Hannah and she went on her way with some renewed pep in her step (vv.17-18).
Not long after her encounter with Eli, “the LORD remembered her,” and Hannah conceived (v. 19). In time, she gave birth to Samuel and, according to her vow, Hannah dedicated him to the Lord (vv. 11, 20). The book of 1 Samuel goes on to tell of Samuel’s upbringing in the temple under the tutelage of the High Priest Eli.
Chapter 2 gets into the family line of Eli, specifically as to his sons, Hophni and Phinehas, who were also priests, but they were “wicked men; they did not respect the LORD” (v.12). At this point, we learn about the downslide of this family’s imprudence. Eli’s sons were abusing their priestly authority for personal gain and Eli, knowing their sins, was passive in his dealings with them, so the Lord sent a man of God to Eli to tell of His judgment on Eli’s family line (vv. 22-35).
Time goes by, chapter 3 gives an account of the Lord’s calling on Samuel. His first duty was to deliver a message to Eli – the Lord’s hammer was about to strike, fulfilling His judgment as laid out in chapter 2. Still there is no repentance from Eli! I picture him shrugging his shoulders in an “oh, well” manner as he states, “He is the LORD. Let him do what he thinks is good” (v. 18). As Eli aged, Samuel grew into his role as a “confirmed prophet of the LORD” (vv. 2, 19-21).
Chapter 4 reports the deaths of Eli’s sons at the hands of the Philistines and their capture of the Ark of the Covenant (vv. 10-11). When Eli gets the news, he falls backwards, breaks his neck, and dies (vv. 17-18). This begins the slow roll of destruction of Eli’s family line as the Lord stated in chapter 2. Meanwhile, the Ark of the Covenant wreaks havoc for the Philistines, and they return it the Israelite’s in Beth Shemesh (Chapters 5-6). But the common sense of God’s people failed them as well and seventy people were struck down by the Lord “because they looked inside the ark …” (6:19).
As time goes on, the Prophet Samuel grew into his role as judge over Israel (7:15-17). When it came time for Samuel to pass his responsibilities down to his sons, we learn that they, like Eli’s sons, “turned toward dishonest profit, took bribes, and perverted justice” (8:1-3). Their lack of sense led the Israelites to their worst decision yet – they demanded a king to rule over them and rejected God (8:7-8). The Nation of Israel was then ruled by a succession of kings even though the Lord warned them of the consequences (8:10-18).
Israel’s third king, King Solomon was the wisest of them all (1 Kings 3:5-14), yet he and his sons also fail God and divide their country (1 Kings 11-14). With all the wisdom God bestowed upon Solomon, he still did not use his head, although he did warn us not to follow in his folly. Here is one of my favorites of his teachings:
Maintain [your] competence and discretion. My son, don’t lose
sight of them. They will be life for you and adornment for your neck.
Then you will go safely on your way; your foot will not stumble.
When you lie down, you will not be afraid; you will lie down,
and your sleep will be pleasant. Don’t fear sudden danger or the
ruin of the wicked when it comes, for the Lord will be your confidence
and will keep your foot from a snare.
Proverbs 3:21-26, CSB
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