1 Samuel 16.1-13; Ephesians 5.8-11
King Saul was not a mighty king … far from it.
He was a decent man, with promise, but in the end, it all fell apart … as things often do …
No one knew what to do … including Saul … who fumed and fussed, got angry and made everyone afraid.
In the midst of it all, a man called Samuel … a great judge, a prophet, of man with a story.
His story is, as they say, one for the books.
His mother, Hannah, has no children.
She’s frustrated, hurt, and very sad. … she goes to Shiloh to pray, a holy place … again, and again, and again …
In the course of time, the LORD grants her desire … she gives birth to her son, Samuel … which means God did it, or I borrowed him from the LORD.
We’re not quite sure what his name means, but whatever it means, Samuel was a gift from God.
Hannah dedicates her son to God … she pledges him to be a Nazarite, sort of like a monk, a holy man.
He wouldn’t touch alcohol, he’d let his grow long, and never, ever, touch a corpse.
As a young boy, he worked in the holy place of Shiloh, for the priest, Eli … one afternoon, or early evening, when Eli was napping, like older people do, Samuel laid down for some rest.
And then a voice, Samuel, Samuel.
Samuel exclaims, Here I am, and runs to Eli …
But I didn’t call you, says Eli, go lay down again.
Three times, Samuel, Samuel … finally Eli says, The LORD may be calling you … if the call comes again, say this, Speak LORD, for your servant is listening.
The call came again, and Samuel listened.
The LORD lays out before this boy an immense project that will require of Samuel everything he is, everything he has, and then some …
The Bible says: Samuel grew in stature, in favor with the LORD, and with the people … Samuel grows up to become one of the great Judges of Israel … and then in his old age, he appoints his sons as judges, to follow in his footsteps.
But his sons did not follow in his ways, they turned aside …; they took bribes and perverted justice.
The elders of Israel came to Samuel, You’re old, Samuel, your sons aren’t worth a toot … we need a king, just like the other nations; a king to lead us.
Samuel was unhappy … he said - you’ll go from the frying pan to the fire …
A king has some value, but kings all behave pretty much the same way, said Samuel … it’ll be the same for you … the strong man, the king, the head honcho, will brag about it and be mean … he’ll demand everything from you, and you won’t like it, and you’ll complain to the LORD, you’ll regret your decision, and the LORD will ignore you.
The people turned a deaf ear to Samuel … they wanted a king, and no one, not even Samuel, was going to talk ‘em out of it.
Samuel talks to God, and God, Well all right, let’s do it!
As the story unfolds, God leads Samuel to a holy place, and there, Samuel meets Saul … a fine young man, handsome and strong … after some eating and drinking, Samuel takes out a flask of oil, and anoints Saul, King of Israel. Just like that.
It’s a troubled story from the start … no one is pleased; no one is satisfied … Saul tries his best, but in the end, he can’t manage it … Samuel turns on him … so does God … in the end … it’s a real mess. God directs Samuel to anoint a successor.
What? Say that again? What do you want me to do? Where do you want me to go?
Saul will find me out, and kill me.
Take it easy, says God.
God suggests a little slight of hand … take a heifer with you, tell folks your going to make a sacrifice to the LORD. And when you’re there, ask to see the sons of Jesse …
One-by-one, Jesse brings his sons to Samuel - they’re all fit to be king, strong and handsome, but the LORD doesn’t approve, so Samuel asks, Are all your sons here?
There was one more, a boy - he’s keeping the sheep, his name is David.
When David is brought to Samuel, the LORD says, He’s the one; anoint him now … and the Spirit of the LORD came upon the boy.
And now you know the rest of the story …
From here to WHERE?
If you dare nothing, when the day is over, nothing is all you will have gained.”
God asks big things of each of us, actually … to be faithful to Christ, embrace his call for justice and peace,
Centered in Christ: his courage in crossing boundaries, his determination to break the rules, when the rules no longer serve any real purpose … to heal the broken, defend the House of God, free the captives, clothe the naked, feed the hungry.
There is never an easy way to bring about the peace of God, the healing of the nations, justice for the oppressed … the rules needed to protect the people from the powerful.
That train derailment in Ohio?
An accident waiting to happen …
The railroads fought like mad to do away with regulations, inspections, and maintenance … in order to increase profits, please the shareholders, keep Wall Street happy. It was all about money.
The failure of Silicon Valley bank?
Because the banks fought like mad to do away with regulations, inspections, and safe banking practices, in order to gain more wealth, more power.
A replay of what we saw in 1929, with a wild and wooly stock market … banks, hell-bent for leather.
It’s was all about money. And the love of money is the root of all evil.
Few of us will ever be called upon as Samuel was called … but all of us are called - to be mindful, to pay attention, know what’s going on … be informed, concerned, and available …
Take up the mantle of responsibility, go the extra mile … pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and start all over again, as needed.
It takes work.
It takes effort.
It takes diligence and determination.
We all have a roll to play … we’re all on the road from here to WHERE?
To the kingdom of God.
Things to do, only we can do.
People to love, who belong to our sphere of influence.
Gardens to plant.
Children to rear.
A poem to write.
A song to sing.
Laughter to give.
Tears to be shared.
A book to read.
A life to be lived …
Forever and a day.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread.
Hallelujah and Amen!
1 comment:
Could not have said it better. Thank you for sharing this story.
Post a Comment