God held Eli, as a priest and judge of Israel, accountable for the moral and religious standing of his people, and in a special sense for the character of his sons. He should first have attempted to restrain evil by mild measures; but if these did not avail, he should have subdued the wrong by the severest means. He incurred the Lord's displeasure by not reproving sin and executing justice upon the sinner. He could not be depended upon to keep Israel pure. Those who have too little courage to reprove wrong, or who through indolence or lack of interest make no earnest effort to purify the family or the church of God, are held accountable for the evil that may result from their neglect of duty. We are just as responsible for evils that we might have checked in others by exercise of parental or pastoral authority as if the acts had been our own.

Gud krævede Israels præst og dommer Eli til regnskab for de moralske og religiøse tilstande, der rådede blandt folket, og i særdeleshed for sønnernes karakter. Præsten skulle til at begynde med have truffet milde forholdsregler for at holde det onde nede, og hvis det ikke hjalp, skulle han have benyttet de strengeste midler. Han pådrog sig Herrens mishag, fordi han ikke revsede synden og straffede synderen. Man kunne ikke forvente, at denne mand kunne bevare Israels renhed. Når mennesker ikke har tilstrækkeligt mod til at rette det forkerte, eller når de på grund af ligegyldighed eller mangel på interesse ikke gør sig alvorlige anstrengelser for at bevare familien eller Guds menighed ren, bliver de krævet til regnskab for de onde følger af deres pligtforsømmelse. Vi er lige så ansvarlige for det onde, som vi kunne have forebygget hos andre ved at gøre brug af vor myndighed som forældre eller pastorer, som vi ville være, hvis vi selv havde begået det.