DCLM Daily Manna 12 June 2026 — An Inglorious End

DCLM Daily Manna 12 June 2026 Devotional by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi — An Inglorious End

TOPIC: An Inglorious End (DCLM Daily Manna 12 June 2026)

KEY VERSE: And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them – 1 Samuel 2:29

TEXT: 1 Samuel 2:26-36 (KJV)

26 And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord, and also with men.

27 And there came a man of God unto Eli, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord, Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh’s house?

28 And did I choose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to offer upon mine altar, to burn incense, to wear an ephod before me? and did I give unto the house of thy father all the offerings made by fire of the children of Israel?

29 Wherefore kick ye at my sacrifice and at mine offering, which I have commanded in my habitation; and honourest thy sons above me, to make yourselves fat with the chiefest of all the offerings of Israel my people?

30 Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

31 Behold, the days come, that I will cut off thine arm, and the arm of thy father’s house, that there shall not be an old man in thine house.

32 And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation, in all the wealth which God shall give Israel: and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever.

33 And the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart: and all the increase of thine house shall die in the flower of their age.

34 And this shall be a sign unto thee, that shall come upon thy two sons, on Hophni and Phinehas; in one day they shall die both of them.

35 And I will raise me up a faithful priest, that shall do according to that which is in mine heart and in my mind: and I will build him a sure house; and he shall walk before mine anointed for ever.

36 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left in thine house shall come and crouch to him for a piece of silver and a morsel of bread, and shall say, Put me, I pray thee, into one of the priests’ offices, that I may eat a piece of bread.

DCLM Daily Manna For Today MESSAGE:

C S Lewis, a British writer and an Anglican lay theologian, once saw this epitaph on a tombstone: “Here lies an atheist, all dressed up but with nowhere to go.”

In today’s passage, a man of God prophesied of the inglorious deaths of Eli’s two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, for acts of irreverence for God. This eventually came to pass shortly after. Hophni and Phinehas were all dressed up as priests, bearing the Ark of the Covenant on their shoulders. They summarily died in battle, with no hope of eternal life awaiting them. Eli was the chief priest over the Tabernacle, as well as a judge in Israel. His sons (Hophni and Phinehas), as children of the high priest, also joined in the holy service. These sons of Eli compelled the priest’s servants to take the meat of Israel’s sacrifices in the tabernacle by force, before burning the fat as instituted in God’s law. In addition to extortion, the sons of Eli were also guilty of sexual immorality with the women who gathered at the entrance to the tabernacle. Naturally, the Lord was very displeased with this sinful behaviour and sent a man of God to deliver a damning message to Eli. The Lord said that Eli and his house would be cut off from His favour, and that, as a sign of the truth of this prophecy, both sons would die on the same day.

Death is certain. It is a necessary end. But those who die while in active rebellion against God’s commands will face a grim eternity. These two sons of the high priest of Israel should have known better. They should have known that a holy calling cannot save an unholy man unless he repents. However, instead of amending their ways, they became so selfish and rebellious that Eli, their father, could no longer control them. Although Eli cautioned Hophni and Phinehas, he had not done everything he could to decisively correct their bad behaviour. Eli was guilty of neglecting his parental duties towards his sons because “he restrained them not”. Eli should have excluded his children from the service in the sanctuary of God altogether. This is a warning to Christian parents who indulge their children and allow them to occupy positions in the church despite their manifest misdemeanours.

God is jealous over His house. He is no respecter of persons. Though He is patient and expects the penitent to return to him, there is a limit to His patience. Those who are encouraged by delusional ideologists to resist God and disdain his word, thinking there are no consequences, should have a rethink after seeing how quickly those illusions were dispelled by the swift judgement handed down to Hophni and Phinehas.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY
It is a horrible venture to dare God or tempt Him

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR
2 Chronicles 18-21

Deeper Life Daily Manna For Today 2025 was written by Pastor W. F. Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.