God's Conditional Promises
2 Samuel 2:30 Eli, has two sons, who are also priests, who commit wicked acts in the house of the Lord. Because Eli fails to correct them, the Lord punishes Eli.
12/3/20252 min read
Therefore, the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: ‘I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.’ But now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. 1 Samuel 2:30 (NIV)
Chapter 2 starts out with Hanna's prayer of faith, thanksgiving, and rejoicing in the Lord's strength and quickly turns to the wicked acts of Eli's two sons. The chapter contrasts the righteousness of Hanna vs the wickedness of Eli's two sons and declares that some Gods promises are conditional. Eli's sons are priests who corrupt and abuse the power given to them. They are greedy, have contempt for the Lords offering, and engage in immoral acts. Eli warns them of their actions but fails to correct them resulting in his family line ending with them. The promise from God that his family line would serve the Lord forever was nullified by their wicked behavior.
This is true for Christians today. So many Christians profess their faith in Jesus but fail to guard themselves from sin overtaking them and destroying their lives. We have an unconditional promise from God that if we accept His only Son as our Lord and Savior, we will be in heaven with Him forever, but we are still responsible for our actions in this life, and there are consequences. Satan does not like that we are saved and will take any opportunity to trick us up. He knows our weak areas and will work on those areas to bring us down. 1 Peter 5:8 says, "Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." If you are not doing what you need to guard yourself from Satan, and are engaging in wicked acts, God will let you fall.
Guard yourselves from addiction, sexual sins, greed, wrath, pride, and other wicked acts. Do not let them control your life and bring you down low. Choose to join a Celebrate Recovery or some other Christ based recovery. Read your bible daily, start your morning in prayer, and ask God to guide you through the day. Do a daily inventory and make amends. Don't keep your sin hidden, so that it can grow and get out of control. Talk to your pastor or someone you trust so that your sin is open and can no longer control you. Remember to draw near to God and he will draw near to you. That is a conditional verse.