1S3-1: How This Aspect Of Asian Culture Can Weaken One’s Relationship With The Lord

Today we begin 1 Samuel Chapter 3.

For the Complete Jewish Bible, click HERE.

For the King James Version, click HERE.

I’m half-Japanese on my father’s side…

Because of this blood connection, ever since my teenage years I’ve had a lot of exposure to Japanese culture…

This included attending my fair share of Japanese and Asian-American churches and houses of worship.

Now there’s one aspect of Japanese culture that I see as a weakness when it comes being to being a man (or woman) of God.

Japanese culture hates confrontation.

When someone sins…

They much prefer to look the other way rather than confront the sinner.

Or when it comes to evangelizing…

You’re not gonna see a lot of Japanese believers preaching hell fire out on the streets like we have in the West…

The reason why is because the Japanese prioritize social harmony more than anything.

They really don’t like to rock the boat or upset anybody.

And they’re particularly sensitive about causing someone to lose face.

This may be the reason why less than 1% of the Japanese population are Christians or believers in the God of Israel.

Because let’s face it, one who possesses a true Biblical faith is gonna be at odds with the world and most people around him or her.

I certainly have been pretty much all my life…

And in spite of my heritage, my personality is as far from a Japanese person as you can get.

Hell, all you gotta do is read my blog to find that out.

Now why do I bring this up?

Because it ties in directly with the character of Eli.

See, Eli wasn’t a wicked man who was worthy of destruction.

The Lord knew that…

Which is why He actually didn’t destroy Him.

In fact, if the truth be told, Eli was a decent man…

And he did love the Lord.

But he was a weak man.

He didn’t have the guts to call people on the carpet for their sins…

He let his sons abuse the worshippers who came from afar to sacrifice…

And he looked the other way when they desecrated the Sanctuary. 

Bottomline, Eli did not possess the guts to stand up and do what was right according to God’s Will and the Torah.

And that is a weakness that simply cannot be tolerated in God’s High Priest.

Yes, it is true that Eli had inherited a dysfunctional priesthood along with 12 tribes who were just as dysfunctional.

But that’s no excuse.

A man of God has to stand strong in a world that opposes the truth of the Word.

Eli became the High Priest but as we discussed earlier, that never should have happened.

He didn’t come from the proper bloodline…

All he did was passively enjoy the benefits and honors connected to his post while ignoring the tough responsibilities connected to that office.

He simply went along with all of the manmade traditions that had developed and now existed in place of the Lord’s authorized rituals.

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it?

There’s a huge lesson here for any person who thinks he wants to lead God’s people.

FIRST, it’s usually not a role that you can just walk right into…

You’ve gotta be chosen for such a role.

SECOND, even if you’re not chosen…

You’d better be prepared to take responsibility for everything that happens under your watch if you do become a leader.

Because the Lord will hold you responsible…

Yes, Eli took over a mess when he became the High Priest….

He may not have caused the mess but once he became High Priest…

From that instant onwards, he was responsible for cleaning it up.

A responsibility he failed miserably to live up to…

And now the Lord was gonna call him on the carpet for it.