Category: 1 Samuel

1 Samuel 16:1-13

This text is used for the Lectionary Year A on March 26, 2017.

I live in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States along the beautiful Chesapeake Bay. The wildlife is both beautiful and responsibly protected. Short walks around the neighborhood led to the rivers that feed the Bay. Osprey build nests on top of nearby light poles. Slow moving boaters often spot bald eagles. Blue Heron linger along the shore. When in flight, these birds are beautiful to watch. Soaring high into the sky and swooping down to capture prey. Their eyes are affixed to the water.

Growing up I used to visit my grandparents often. Upon arrival, my grandfather would quickly hand me a list of tasks he needed me to accomplish. One of them was helping him spot the various pests that lingered outside his southeast Texas home. My goals: find any trace of ants, termites, roaches, and/or spiders that sought sanctuary inside his home. I was always a willing participant because my tasks were met with generous compensation. We would walk around together, I would spot, and he would spray. Every time I found something he would say, “Good job Eagle Eye!” As a young boy, I was not sure what being an “eagle eye” meant, but I adored his affection. I have come to understand that he needed a better set of eyes around his house. I offered those eyes. Circling the house and affix to the goal of attacking the pests.

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1 Samuel 8:4-11

This text is used as one of the texts for the Lectionary Year B on June 7, 2015.

You know it’s going to be a challenging week of sermon prep when the text at hand mixes religion and politics.  Of course, for the season of salvation history in question God’s spiritual people were also a national people.  Religion and politics often went hand in hand.  In the era of the new covenant, God’s spiritual people are now comprised of representatives from every nation and are, therefore, not confined to any one political region or boundary.  Religion and politics may not share the same relationship that they once did, but the events of the present text illustrate several principles that are vitally important for the church today pertaining to divine authority and human leadership in our lives.  The text breaks down naturally into three elements: the Israelites’ request for a king, Samuel’s interaction with the Lord, and Samuel’s report to the people.

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1 Samuel 3:1-10

This text is used for the Lectionary Year B on January 18, 2015.

In the first few chapters of 1 Samuel the story moves from the story of Samuel’s faithful family to the unfaithful sons of Eli. Samuel’s father Elkanah is a man who makes vows and keeps them (1:21) and Hannah his mother is a woman who, at great personal cost, is faithful to her vow (1:11, 26-28). In chapter 3 the story line moves back to Samuel (last seen in 2:26) after a detour to contrast the unfaithful sons of Eli who respect neither the people’s sacrifices (2:12-17) nor their service (2:22). In a sense this is also Israel’s story according to the Deuteronomic Historian: Israel’s pendulum swings from faithfulness to unfaithfulness and back. It is, of course, also our story.

Samuel is described as a na’ar (נַעַר), in v. 1, which may be translated “boy” but can be used of young men or of servants of various ages. It is the same word Jeremiah uses to protest his own calling (Jeremiah 1:6). It likely indicates that he is not a child (cf. 2:26) but is inexperienced. Verse 7 underlines the point twice: Samuel “did not know the Lord” and “the word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him.” Perhaps it was hard for later readers to imagine a time when the famous Samuel “did not know the Lord.”

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