The Weakness of Shallow Religion

1 SAMUEL 1:1-3

Theme: Though Elkanah’s faith appears to be strong, it is actually weak, shallow and superficial. God would have us know Him, walk with Him and worship Him with all our heart and mind in an ever growing relationship.  

ELKANAH IS MERELY A RELIGIOUS MAN.  

Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim-zophim, of mount Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephrathite: ² And he had two wives; the name of the one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah: and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. ³ And this man went up out of his city ^†yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.^[1] (1Samuel 1:1-3)

Elkanah’s description as an Ephraimite appears troublesome since Samuel served as a priest, an office reserved exclusively for Levites. However, Elkanah was a direct descendant of Levi (1 Chron. 6:33–38) and was therefore qualified to function in a priestly capacity. He was a Levite by lineage but an Ephraimite by residence. One indication of how lawless were the times in which Samuel was born is his father’s bigamous marriages. ^[2]

The designation “Ephrathite” indicates his residence and location only, but he actually belongs to the priestly tribe of Levi. He and his family are Levites who had been historically devoted to the Lord and His service. Yet, Elkanah is not serving as a priest or Levite….

    1. He Appears to be Faithful in His Worship.   Vs. 3

In spite of Elkanah’s failures, he is still a deeply religious man (1Sam.1:3).

       A.  He Has Not Forsaken the Lord.  Vs. 3, “unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh”

He had not forsaken the one true God to worship the "gods" of Canaan like so many of his fellow Israelites. 

       B.  He Keeps the Annual Feasts and Sacrifices. 

Evidently, he faithfully celebrates all three special feasts outlined by the Lord in the book of Exodus (23:15-16).  "Three times in the year," God had said, “all thy males shall appear before the Lord GOD” (Exo. 23:17).

Though many in Israel failed to honor God in this way—just as many Christians today fail to honor God by worshiping Him regularly and giving the first fruits of their material possessions—Elkanah was very conscientious about obeying these particular commandments.

       C.  He is Consistent and Faithful.

We read that “this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh.” (1 Sam. 1:3).

    2.  He Appears to be Persistent in His Worship.  Vs. 3

1 Samuel 1:3, And this man went up out of his city yearly to worship and to sacrifice unto the Lord of hosts in Shiloh. And the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, the priests of the Lord, were there.

Verse 3 emphasize Elkanah’s persistence in spite of the sinfulness and corruption of Eli’s sons Hophni and Phinehas. These men were notoriously wicked, but Elkanah faithfully and persistently worshiped God from his heart. He refuses to allow the sinfulness of others hinder his acts of devotion. Many weak souls will soon abandon their practice of faith because of the perceived and actual hypocrisy of so called adherents. They will work with, play with, recreate with, party with and even go into business with hypocrites, but they will NOT worship with them. Such excuses only evidence shallow commitments. Not Elkanah though.... He stayed with what he knew to be right and true even though his spiritual leaders were desperately wicked men.     

    3. He is Actually Superficial in His Worship.

Elkanah is a religious man—a faithful Jew when it came to performing the outward requirements of the law, particularly in terms of offering sacrifices to God. Remember superficial identifies his religion as surface, external, peripheral, and merely skin deep. It consisted in outward routines devoid of spiritual meaning. His faith is not really internalized; therefore, minimally impactful in his lifestyle and decisions.  Elkanah is an illustration of weak and shallow religion....

APPLICATION: It’s often easier to carry out the external requirements of Christianity yet neglect the internal and foundational requirements that give meaning to our outward forms of worship, service and commitment. Sometimes giving great amounts of money to a church or ministry is merely a substitute for giving one self and our talents or skills to the Lord. Such gifts tend to gain us recognition, special privileges, and honor before the rest of the church. It is so easy for spiritual disciplines to become routines disconnected from their God-given designs. As a result our faith stagnates at shallow routines and nearly meaningless practices. Bible reading is hit and miss...mostly miss. Prayer is relegated to emergency use only, but certainly not daily communion with God. Meditating on God's Word has been lost upon modern Christians. Tradition can displace truth as worship descends into patterns and forms long severed from their original meaning, power, and grace as God intended. It is possible to attend church and never worship while there…. It is possible to discover powerful truths through preaching and never bother to actually explore their potential in our own lives...through obedience. Yes, like Elkanah we can merely settle for a form of shallow and weak religion that vaguely resembles a vibrant faith.  

But, why? How could this development take shape when a person regularly involves themselves in religious events and activities? Really...when a person is willing to sacrifice for their faith isn't that an indication of deep and substantial devotion? Then how can Elkanah be regarded as merely superficial and shallow in his worship? Wouldn't it be more correct to say his faith is strong and deep instead of weak and shallow?

          A.  Worldliness is often the Culprit.

However, when it came to matters of the heart, Elkanah allowed the worlds system to penetrate his lifestyle. We must remember that in this moment of Israel’s history, “every man did that which was right in his own eyes” (Judg. 21:25), including marrying more than one woman. Elkanah’s decision to be a polygamist and to subsequently demonstrate favoritism toward Hannah definitely reflected the pagan influence that had penetrated his own life. Consequently, he suffered the consequences in terms of his family life.

          B.  External Religion without Internal Commitment is Likely the Case.

Today, many of us as Christians definitely consider ourselves religious. We may go to church regularly, we may have been baptized, and we may even substantially support the ministry financially. We're also committed to the basic tenets of Christianity: the deity of Christ, salvation by grace, the Bible is the Word of God, and that Jesus Christ is coming again.

But at the heart level there is something missing in many of our lives. We are more committed to the externals of the Christian Faith than we are to the internal aspects, such as genuine devotion, loving God, deep transformation within, empowered obedience, reflecting the fruit of the Spirit, which the apostle Paul describes as “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance” (Gal. 5:22).

APPLICATION: Unfortunately, most of us live in a culture that is out of harmony with these Christian values. Consequently, we must constantly be on guard against the subtle influences of the world system, which the apostle John defines as, “For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” (1 John 2:16). The Word of God can help us know the true state of our hearts and motives. Hebrews 4:12 says, “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Daily, the Scriptures can alerts us when we are merely going through the religious motions.

          C.  A Compensation for Guilt May also be in Play.

Frankly, I also believe many of us as Christians perform our religious duties to compensate for our failures. Guilt is the real motivation and not the Spirit of God.

                 1.  We know in our hearts we are not committed to Jesus Christ as we should be.

                 2.  We know we’re toying with sinful thoughts that dull our spiritual lives.

                 3.  We’re playing around with the sensual aspects of a worldly lifestyle.

                 4.  We’re making decisions in our businesses that are questionable, if not downright unethical.

                 5.  Our language is often not honoring to God.

                 6.  We give the appearance of being religious—in actuality, to compensate for our guilt.

APPLICATION: Sometimes we do good things for the wrong reasons. Elkanah should have been devoted to God as a priest or a Levite…. Knowing he was not what and where he ought to be motivated him to practice shallow religion instead of exploring and experiencing a life of joyful obedience to God. Yes, He made great sacrifices to compensate for his guilt, but God would rather obedience than sacrifice (1 Sam. 15:22-23). God desires that we worship Him in spirit and in truth (Jn. 4:23-24) from the heart and not merely adhering to empty religious traditions, and rituals that miss the point of adoration, praise, and heart-felt devotion (Matt. 22:36-40). If any of what I am emphasizing is true in your own life, ask God to help you practice Paul's exhortation to the Philippians: “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” (Philip. 4:8) Allow such honest inward reflections and Spirit-led self-examinations to produce godly outward expressions of true devotion from the heart. Finally, 1 John 1:9, is still in the Bible for folks just like you and me. God is a merciful and forgiving God when we specifically acknowledge our sins to Him in an attitude of genuine repentance.

---

^[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (2009). (Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version., 1 Sa 1:1–3). Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.

^[2] Merrill, E. H. (1985). 1 Samuel. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 433). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.