People Are Complicated

As soon as he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell over backward from his seat by the side of the gate, and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. He had judged Israel forty years. 1 Samuel 4:18

I’ve always been baffled by those individuals who’ve done both tremendously good things and terribly bad things. How can someone who is so good also be so bad? Over the years I’ve observed amazing Christian leaders, who’ve led thousands to faith, but who’ve also been terribly flawed in their personal lives. It’s hard for me to comprehend how such good and evil can exist in the same person. If I’m painfully honest though, I have no further to look than at my own life to see the same thing. Yes, I’ve done some good things in my life. But I’ve done some pretty awful things as well. Yes, I want to follow God, doing his will. But I’m still terribly flawed.

This is how I see the complicated figure of Eli the priest. In today’s passage, we read of Eli’s death, which came as he was informed of Israel’s defeat by the Philistines. In this defeat, Eli’s treacherous sons were killed and the ark of the covenant was taken. At hearing this ominous news, Eli fell over backwards, broke his neck, and died. As a priest and judge, Eli had been the religious and political leader of Israel for 40 years. In this role, God used him to do many good things. Eli blessed Hannah, telling her she was going to have Samuel, and he later raised Samuel, teaching him to serve God. Eli was a good man. He was also terribly flawed though, allowing his sons to sexually exploit the women who served in the temple. This terrible loss to the Philistines was a direct result of his son’s sin and Eli’s failure to restrain them. Eli had served God and God had used him to do tremendous good, but Eli remained terribly flawed.

I like to divide the world into good and bad people. It’s just easier for my brain. This, of course, is absurd. We all have the capability to follow God, seeking his will, doing tremendous good. We all, however, remain terribly flawed. Through Christ, we can be saved and forgiven for all time, but we still retain self-destructive appetites. The challenge then, is to daily make a conscious choice to follow Christ, allowing him to transform us. If we don’t consciously choose this, we naturally follow ourselves. We’re all complicated and will remain flawed while in this life. That however doesn’t mean we must live enslaved to our flaws. Daily, as we deliberately choose to follow Christ, he daily saves us from ourselves.