Blind versus Sighted Leaders
by Dr. John Tetsola

God is dethroning spiritually blind leaders, replacing them with sighted leaders such as the Samuels of our day. Many start out adhering to the precepts of God, but "leak" over time. Like Eli, they begin well, but end up spiritually blind and no longer in the "now" of God. Eli's life exemplifies how God puts down one (Eli) and raises up another (Samuel).

And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;
1 Samuel 3:2-3

Eli was a judge in Israel which meant he functioned as king, prophet, pastor, apostle, teacher, and evangelist of his day. He was all in all. Men and women came from far and near to receive the Word of the Lord from Eli. Eli and his lawless sons ministered to the Lord at Shiloh, the spiritual center of Israel. But Eli's eyes began to wax dim. He could no longer see and the lamp of the Lord in the temple had gone out. This is very significant. The eyes are the gate to our hearts and the source of our vision. Eli's anointing, understanding, and vision which God had placed upon his life had begun to wax dim. He could no longer comprehend the things of God. This is a dangerous place to find ourselves. We have leaders who are functioning like this today. Due to their lack of spiritual-sightedness, they have led many Christians astray into ditches of ignorance, tradition, and defeat. When a leader becomes blind to the "present" things of God, they cannot see, hear, nor understand the "new things" of God. This causes them to hold onto the old. They embrace the old and operate in what worked before their eyes began to wax dim. Their spiritual perception becomes dull concerning hearing God's voice and understanding the leading of God.

Results of the Failure to Discipline

…Why do you honor your sons more than me…
I will put an end to your family, so it will no longer serve as my priests.
"Then I will raise up a faithful priest who will serve me and do what I tell him to do.
1Samuel 2:29b, 31a, 35a NLT

Because Eli neglected to discipline his sons he suffered great consequences. As judgment from God, Eli's two sons Hophni and Phinehas both died in one day. Eli's lamp dried up, his light went out, and God passed the baton to Samuel-a faithful priest whom God would raise up who would do what God told him to do. Besides all this, God would put an end to the family of Eli. His descendants would be booted from the priesthood. We must not operate after the example of Eli who honored his sons more than God. Neither should there be any preferential treatment.

We must continually be filled with the anointing or our lamps will go out. When the oil dries out the lamp is extinguished. When the temple is in darkness, spiritual eyesight and hearing begin to grow dull and eventually stop functioning. At one time Eli had an open connection with God. As a leader and priest he communicated with God on a regular basis. When Hannah desired to bare a child for Elkanah, she came to Eli who went to the Lord on her behalf. Eli must have been walking upright and communicating regularly with God. Not only were the gates of communication open, but Eli was witnessing answered prayers during this time.

Unfortunately Eli slowly began losing the favor of God. The behavior of his sons, along with his own ignorance, was causing his oil to dry up. Similarly leaders are ignoring the drastic mistakes that their relatives, staff members, friends, and ministers are making before the Lord, thus causing their oil to run dry. While the responsibility of God's leader is great, it must be handled without preferential differences. God is no respecter of persons, yet it is this very thing that is causing the eyes of many leaders to "wax dim." We cannot afford to allow the lamp of our temple to grow dim. Our temple must remain "lit" with the glory of the Lord. A believer cannot see and understand the things of God when his lamp is dim. Similar to Eli, this person's lamp begins to go out and they begin to walk in darkness. And because they are no longer sighted leaders, the baton of God must then be passed to the Samuels of their day.

by Dr. John A. Tetsola