Eli warned his sons, but softly. He rebuked them, but kept eating the meat they stole from the altar. He loved them, but he loved them more than he feared God. It's a pattern more common than we want to admit, and it's costing the house of Eli everything. 1 Samuel shows us where that road leads and then mercifully points us toward a high priest whose love never compromises and whose arms are open to all who have fallen.
