What is it about?
Most commentators take Eli's statement in 1 Samuel 3:18 ("It is the Lord, let him do what is right in his eyes") as a statement of pious acceptance of divine judgment. Some have additionally argued that he is presented as a model of repentance for the exilic community to emulate. This paper argues that far from being a model of repentance, Eli is portrayed as being culpably passive in response to God's judgment.
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Why is it important?
This study is important for a theology of repentance.
Perspectives
One of the reasons I wrote this was to help people who are engaged in weekly teaching and preaching in a faith context. Eli is often present here as a model of how one should respond to God's sovereignty. However, the text presents him as more of an anti-type. It is possible to allow one's view of divine sovereignty to create an unhealthy sense of passivity.
Ryan Cook
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This page is a summary of: Pious Eli? The Characterization of Eli in 1 Samuel 3:18, Horizons in Biblical Theology, September 2018, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/18712207-12341375.
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