Post by Oluwatosin Oni (@oloriireoni)

OPEN HEAVENS DEVOTIONAL 16 MAY 2026 COMMENTARY
MEMORISE: Proverbs 22:6
“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.”

This verse is one of the most quoted promises in Scripture regarding parenting. It contains both a command and a promise. The command is to train—not just to feed, clothe, or house, but to actively shape the direction of a child’s life. The promise is that the training will stick. It does not guarantee the child will never wander, but it guarantees that the foundation will remain. When the child is old, the training will call him back.

BIBLE READING: 1 Samuel 2:18-26
This passage contrasts the boy Samuel with the sons of Eli. Samuel, a child dedicated to God by his mother Hannah, ministered before the Lord, wearing a linen ephod. He grew in favor with God and man. Meanwhile, Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were wicked men who despised the Lord’s offering and committed immorality at the tabernacle. They ignored their father’s weak rebukes. The passage ends with a striking verse: “And the child Samuel grew on, and was in favour both with the LORD, and also with men.” This passage demonstrates that the way a child is raised—with prayer, dedication, and godly grooming—determines the adult he becomes.

The Neglected Boy Child
In today’s devotional, Pastor E.A. Adeboye (Daddy Adeboye) addresses a critical issue that affects the future of families, churches, and nations: the training of the boy child. In many societies, more focus is placed on training girls than boys. While this is not wrong—girls absolutely need training—boys must not be neglected. Every boy is a man in the making. Every boy is a future leader of a home, church, organization, or nation.

The Devil’s Strategy Against Future Shepherds
The devotional reveals the devil’s strategy: “Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered” (Zechariah 13:7). The enemy understands that if he can destroy the future leader, the people he is meant to lead will be scattered.

Destroy the boy, and the future family will collapse.
Destroy the boy, and the future church will have no pastor.
Destroy the boy, and the future nation will have no godly leader.
The devil tries to strike future shepherds before they are grown. He attacks them through neglect, through ungodly influences, through broken homes, through social media, through worldly music, through absent fathers. If he can capture the boy, he can scatter the sheep.

Samuel vs. The Sons of Eli
The Bible reading gives a powerful contrast between two sets of boys raised in the same environment.

The sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas:

They were raised in the tabernacle—the house of God.
Their father was the high priest.
They had every spiritual advantage.
But they became wicked men who despised God’s offering, committed immorality, and ignored correction.
Their end was death and judgment.
The boy Samuel:

He lived in the same house as Eli’s irresponsible sons.
He saw the same things they saw.
But he was different.
Why? Because he was a product of prayer, dedication, and godly grooming.
Samuel’s mother Hannah had prayed for him before he was born (1 Samuel 1:11). She dedicated him to God (1 Samuel 1:25-28). She invested in his spiritual training before he even went to the tabernacle (1 Samuel 1:22). As a result, Samuel grew in favor with God and man, while Eli’s sons grew in wickedness.

The difference was not the environment—it was the upbringing.

The Divine Pattern: Jesus
The devotional points to Jesus as the divine pattern for raising boys. Luke 2:40, 52 says that Jesus grew in four dimensions:

1. Wisdom (mentally) — He grew intellectually. His mind was trained.
2. Stature (physically) — He grew in body. His health was attended to.
3. Favor with God (spiritually) — He grew in relationship with the Father.
4. Favor with man (socially) — He learned to relate to others.

Every boy should be nurtured in all four areas. Not just spiritually, but mentally, physically, and socially. A boy who is only trained in one area will be unbalanced. A boy who is neglected in any area will be vulnerable.

The Consequences of Neglecting Boys
The devotional cites a sobering statistic: many prison inmates had irresponsible fathers who were not present in their lives. The absence of a godly father is a pipeline to prison.

Other consequences of neglecting boys:

They are left to be trained by social media, which promotes ungodly values.
They are left to ungodly friends, who lead them into trouble.
They are left to worldly music, which corrupts their minds.
They are only corrected after they have gotten someone pregnant, dropped out of school, or been sent to jail.
“Prevention is better than deliverance.” It is better to train a boy when he is young than to try to change him after he has destroyed his life.

How to Raise a Boy Like Samuel
If you are a parent, guardian, or church leader, here is how to invest in the boy child:

https://rccglive.com/open-heaven-16-may/

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