Second Sunday after Epiphany
Preaching
Preaching And Reading The Old Testament Lessons
With an Eye to the New
In the days of Eli and Samuel, before the beginning of the kingship of Saul, and from about 1220 --1020 B.C., Israel lived in Canaan in the form of a very loose twelve--tribe federation. She had no king or stable government. As the Book of Judges says, "In those days there was no king in Israel; every one did what was right in his own eyes" (Judges 21:25). Rather, leadership was lodged from time to time in a series of "judges," who sometimes exercised military, legal, or priestly functions. One of those priestly judges was Eli.
The tribes, or a few of them, sometimes banded together in common military defense against an attacking enemy, as in the Book of Judges. But the tribes' principal bond consisted in their common covenant with the Lord and with their worship of him. That worship was first carried on at Shiloh, which was located north of Bethel and northeast of Jerusalem in the central highlands. There the ark of the covenant, symbolizing the base of God's throne, was lodged, with the Lord believed to be invisibly enthroned above it. Eli served as the priest at that shrine, and there the tribes met once a year to offer sacrifices and to renew their covenant with God. The temple was not built until the reign of Solomon (961--922 B.C.), and the ark was housed before that time in the inner room or Holy of holies of the tent of the tabernacle. Thus, contrary to popular art and belief, the young Samuel in our story is sleeping not in the temple, but in the tabernacle tent.
Samuel had been dedicated to the service of the Lord in the tabernacle by his mother Hannah, in gratitude for his birth, after she had suffered for a number of years with infertility. But 1 Samuel is careful to point out that Hannah continued her motherly care for her child, even though she was separated from him (cf. 1 Samuel 2:18--19). Probably the young Samuel's duties consisted in menial tasks, such as preparing utensils and fire for the sacrifices, sweeping, hauling water, and other such necessary duties. However, he probably also was tutored by Eli in the covenant traditions and laws of Israel.
Despite Eli's faithfulness to the Lord, his sons Hophni and Phinehas were totally undisciplined by their father, who had grown old and half blind. The sons fornicated with female servants at the shrine (1 Samuel 2:22) and reserved the best portions of the meat of the sacrifices for themselves (1 Samuel 2:29). The promise of the Lord, therefore, was that Eli's house would be cut off by death and God would raise up for himself a faithful priest (1 Samuel 2:31--35). That situation forms the background of our text.
It is not surprising that our passage says that "the word of the Lord was rare in those days" (v. 1). When there is no faithfulness in the land, a terrible silence of God is experienced. We complain often in our troubles that God seems to be absent from us, but perhaps what we need to do in such situations is to examine our own hearts and lives. Have they been open and watchful for the Lord's presence, or have we treated him only as one who occasionally will bail us out of our difficulties? The New Testament records that even Jesus could not perform miracles in Nazareth because of the people's unbelief (Matthew 13:58).
Our text makes it clear, however, that the working of the Lord in our lives is not dependent on our belief or unbelief. Our actions do not control God, nor do they coerce him to act in some manner. He often breaks into human life, even where faith and obedience are not present, and that is exactly what he does in our text for the morning. His call to Samuel is entirely unexpected, so much so that Samuel does not understand it immediately. Rather, the boy Samuel, when he twice hears, "Samuel, Samuel," stumbles groggily in the middle of the night to ask Eli what he wants. Indeed, verse 7 tells us that Samuel does not even know the Lord yet, because the Lord has not revealed himself to the boy. Everything finally depends on God's prior revelation and action, and not on human faith.
There is still some receptivity that night there in that tabernacle, however. "The lamp of God had not yet gone out" (v. 3). The lampstand in the tabernacle (cf. Exodus 25:31--37; Leviticus 24:3) was kept burning. And the aged Eli, for all his inability to deal with his wayward sons, recognizes who is in fact speaking to Samuel. "Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy" (v. 8). A merciful God takes advantage of even the slightest opening to his working. And perhaps that mercy hears our cries for help in our difficulties, despite all our feeble faith and indifference. If it weren't for the overflowing mercy and love of the Lord, surely you and I would not have a prayer!
That which God does in our text, therefore, is to break into the midst of unfaithfulness and start a new era. He calls Samuel to be his prophet and judge and priest for Israel. He wipes out the evil that has gone before (cf. 1 Samuel 4:18). And he gives his covenant people a new beginning under the leadership of the faithful Samuel. Once again the word of the Lord, revealed to Samuel, now guides the people. Once again God dwells in Israel's midst at Shiloh. Once again the divine hand leads toward the future (vv. 19--20). Wickedness, unfaithfulness, disobedience do not defeat Israel's Lord of her history. And our similar sins do not defeat his purpose in our history either. God guides on to the future of his kingdom come on earth. And God will fulfill his good purpose, no matter how human beings try to thwart it.
To be sure, God will do away with his enemies. The story of Eli and his errant sons, who are condemned (v. 34), make it very clear that finally evil cannot stand against the Lord. And there is judgment in this story, as well as mercy. But predominant in our text is that wondrous mercy - God giving a new beginning, God revealing himself once again, God making all things new, God breaking into human life with his surprises of love. That's what God continues to give us in Jesus Christ also, is it not - a fresh start, ourselves made new, the evil past gone, a good future held out to us? Perhaps the young Samuel's response to the Lord should be ours also. "Speak, Lord, for thy servant hears" (v. 10). Here I am, for you called me.
The tribes, or a few of them, sometimes banded together in common military defense against an attacking enemy, as in the Book of Judges. But the tribes' principal bond consisted in their common covenant with the Lord and with their worship of him. That worship was first carried on at Shiloh, which was located north of Bethel and northeast of Jerusalem in the central highlands. There the ark of the covenant, symbolizing the base of God's throne, was lodged, with the Lord believed to be invisibly enthroned above it. Eli served as the priest at that shrine, and there the tribes met once a year to offer sacrifices and to renew their covenant with God. The temple was not built until the reign of Solomon (961--922 B.C.), and the ark was housed before that time in the inner room or Holy of holies of the tent of the tabernacle. Thus, contrary to popular art and belief, the young Samuel in our story is sleeping not in the temple, but in the tabernacle tent.
Samuel had been dedicated to the service of the Lord in the tabernacle by his mother Hannah, in gratitude for his birth, after she had suffered for a number of years with infertility. But 1 Samuel is careful to point out that Hannah continued her motherly care for her child, even though she was separated from him (cf. 1 Samuel 2:18--19). Probably the young Samuel's duties consisted in menial tasks, such as preparing utensils and fire for the sacrifices, sweeping, hauling water, and other such necessary duties. However, he probably also was tutored by Eli in the covenant traditions and laws of Israel.
Despite Eli's faithfulness to the Lord, his sons Hophni and Phinehas were totally undisciplined by their father, who had grown old and half blind. The sons fornicated with female servants at the shrine (1 Samuel 2:22) and reserved the best portions of the meat of the sacrifices for themselves (1 Samuel 2:29). The promise of the Lord, therefore, was that Eli's house would be cut off by death and God would raise up for himself a faithful priest (1 Samuel 2:31--35). That situation forms the background of our text.
It is not surprising that our passage says that "the word of the Lord was rare in those days" (v. 1). When there is no faithfulness in the land, a terrible silence of God is experienced. We complain often in our troubles that God seems to be absent from us, but perhaps what we need to do in such situations is to examine our own hearts and lives. Have they been open and watchful for the Lord's presence, or have we treated him only as one who occasionally will bail us out of our difficulties? The New Testament records that even Jesus could not perform miracles in Nazareth because of the people's unbelief (Matthew 13:58).
Our text makes it clear, however, that the working of the Lord in our lives is not dependent on our belief or unbelief. Our actions do not control God, nor do they coerce him to act in some manner. He often breaks into human life, even where faith and obedience are not present, and that is exactly what he does in our text for the morning. His call to Samuel is entirely unexpected, so much so that Samuel does not understand it immediately. Rather, the boy Samuel, when he twice hears, "Samuel, Samuel," stumbles groggily in the middle of the night to ask Eli what he wants. Indeed, verse 7 tells us that Samuel does not even know the Lord yet, because the Lord has not revealed himself to the boy. Everything finally depends on God's prior revelation and action, and not on human faith.
There is still some receptivity that night there in that tabernacle, however. "The lamp of God had not yet gone out" (v. 3). The lampstand in the tabernacle (cf. Exodus 25:31--37; Leviticus 24:3) was kept burning. And the aged Eli, for all his inability to deal with his wayward sons, recognizes who is in fact speaking to Samuel. "Eli perceived that the Lord was calling the boy" (v. 8). A merciful God takes advantage of even the slightest opening to his working. And perhaps that mercy hears our cries for help in our difficulties, despite all our feeble faith and indifference. If it weren't for the overflowing mercy and love of the Lord, surely you and I would not have a prayer!
That which God does in our text, therefore, is to break into the midst of unfaithfulness and start a new era. He calls Samuel to be his prophet and judge and priest for Israel. He wipes out the evil that has gone before (cf. 1 Samuel 4:18). And he gives his covenant people a new beginning under the leadership of the faithful Samuel. Once again the word of the Lord, revealed to Samuel, now guides the people. Once again God dwells in Israel's midst at Shiloh. Once again the divine hand leads toward the future (vv. 19--20). Wickedness, unfaithfulness, disobedience do not defeat Israel's Lord of her history. And our similar sins do not defeat his purpose in our history either. God guides on to the future of his kingdom come on earth. And God will fulfill his good purpose, no matter how human beings try to thwart it.
To be sure, God will do away with his enemies. The story of Eli and his errant sons, who are condemned (v. 34), make it very clear that finally evil cannot stand against the Lord. And there is judgment in this story, as well as mercy. But predominant in our text is that wondrous mercy - God giving a new beginning, God revealing himself once again, God making all things new, God breaking into human life with his surprises of love. That's what God continues to give us in Jesus Christ also, is it not - a fresh start, ourselves made new, the evil past gone, a good future held out to us? Perhaps the young Samuel's response to the Lord should be ours also. "Speak, Lord, for thy servant hears" (v. 10). Here I am, for you called me.
