Abuse of Power

Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 1 Samuel 2:22

Many times, I’ve heard it said that power corrupts, and many times, I’ve witnessed examples of power’s corrupting influence. Though I don’t spend a lot of time craving power, I’ve always assumed I’d be immune to its perversion. What a terrible person. If that were me, I wouldn’t have done such terrible things. I’m better than that. The problem of course, is that I did abuse my power. As a physician, the DEA once granted me the privilege to prescribe controlled substances. This is a privilege that I abused, diverting opioids for my own use. Because I abused that power, the DEA had to remove that privilege for a time. So, when I’m tempted to look down upon the corruption of others, I must consider the possibility that the only reason I’ve not done such terrible things as that other guy may be that I’ve just never had the same power he had.

Today’s passage illustrates the corruption and abuse that can stem from power. In the story, we read of the priest Eli and his wicked sons. Though Eli may have been a kind-hearted priest, he was a terrible father, allowing his sons to sexually exploit those women who had dedicated their lives to serving in the temple. Because of their position as Eli’s sons, they had the power to do whatever they wanted, and so they did.

I can and should identify this as a terrible offense. What Eli’s sons did was an abomination. The danger in judging something as evil though, is to become judgmental and condescending myself. I would never do that. The truth though, is that most men have some primal instinct to want to be king, doing whatever they want. If I’m honest, I’d have to admit that if I were granted unlimited power, if no one could tell me no, and if I were freed from all consequences, I’d probably do and say terrible things as well.

To judge without becoming judgmental. That is not easy. As a physician, it’s my job to identify self-destructive behavior, pointing to a remedy. That means I must judge unhealthy behavior. I must do so though, without being judgmental. I’ve got unhealthy behaviors myself. Likewise, as a Christian, it’s not wrong to see and identify sin. I must always do so though, with the recognition that I too am a sinner. Though it isn’t easy, if I want to be able to approach the failures of others in a healthy manner, I must embrace the humility to see that I too can and have failed.