Any gift can become an idol. The gold of Egypt was formed into an idol.
It is fashionable to pronounce money/wealth as an idol. Our contemporaries speak of sexuality being one of our idols. I once heard a statement that, at the time, I considered to be one of the most heretical I had ever heard...Children can become an idol.
That seemed absurd. After all what could be more important...than...childr.....(oh!)
I may not have been on your turf, so I risk causing pain by bringing this up; but allow me to simply surface a few questions begged by the text of 1 Samuel 1-3.
Hannah's identity was linked to bearing children. Is my identity too closely tied to my children?
Eli failed to teach what mattered and/or looked the other way while bringing up his boys. Then they didn't heed his too-late warnings. Is my identity so tied to my child's happiness that I fail to teach and discipline?
Eli was unable to see the opportunities for Samuel (at least until God's third try).
Am I too busy to model for a child the simple ways of relationship with God?
Eli, Hannah, and Samuel...and in the weeks ahead David...force me to ask these difficult questions. But there is one more, that comes from personal observation and personal experience.
Constant offerings for appeasement are required for (false) gods and idols. Could it be that we are constantly offering things/experiences/permissive situations to our children to appease them for fear they might turn on us or might not turn out okay?
