Eli: A Powerful Lesson from A Bad Example

Samuel was the result of a tearful prayer by his mother, Hannah. Because God answered her prayer and gave her a son, Hannah named him Samuel which means "asked of God."
As she had promised the Lord, when Samuel was weaned, Hannah and her husband Elkanah brought him to the tabernacle of Shiloh and left him there with the high priest, Eli.
Samuel would serve the Lord for the rest of his days as both a prophet, priest and judge. One of Samuel's most difficult tasks, one which he was required to do as a boy, is the one upon which our lesson focuses this evening.