WEEKLY REFLECTION by Pastor Lap Dinh on 1 Samuel 2:12

Sons of the High Priest. Raised in the tabernacle. Surrounded by the sacrificial system, the Levitical law, the very presence of God — and yet, they did not know the Lord. Religious proximity is not the same as knowing God. Hophni and Phinehas had access that most Israelites could only dream of, and it meant nothing because their hearts were never transformed by the One they served.

Luke 9 brings the disciples face to face with their own version of this failure. They cannot cast out a demon (Luke 9:40). They argue about who is the greatest (Luke 9:46). They want to call fire down on a Samaritan village (Luke 9:54). These are men who have walked with Jesus, witnessed miracles, and been sent out with power — and still they are self-serving, status-seeking, and reactive.

The lesson is the same in both Testaments: spiritual position does not guarantee spiritual formation. Ministry proximity does not automatically produce Christlike character. Eli's sons served in the temple. The disciples traveled with the Son of God. And both groups still had to be confronted with how little they actually knew the One they claimed to follow.

This is a pastoral word I return to often. Long-time church members, ministry leaders, even pastors ourselves — we can become so busy with the work of God that we slowly drift from the God of the work. Familiarity with the sanctuary does not equal intimacy with the Father.

Do you know the Lord — or only know about Him? There is a world of difference, and only He can close it. May we all know Him.