Feb
10
Written by:
Route 365
2/10/2010 5:00 AM
written by Doug Jackson
Biography
Greetings, my name is Doug Jackson and I will be on the 365 journey with you this week. My wife Lin and I are long-term members of Browncroft and have served in a number of roles. As a professor of Old Testament Studies, the 365 readings this year give me an opportunity to visit with ‘old friends’ from the life of Israel. There are so many rich everyday encounters with the living God in these pages that I always learn something new when I spend time with these familiar stories.
Reflection
Today’s reading is an abrupt return to the harsh realities of the period in which the young Samuel was to grow up and seek to serve God. The readings of the last couple of days focused primarily on the struggles of a single family, long awaited answers to prayer, and the song of thanksgiving and praise that looked to a sovereign and just God to address the problems of abuse and oppression in the midst of his people. Yesterday’s reading ended with the small boy Samuel, God’s gift to Hannah, taking his first small steps toward service to God as a priest at the Tabernacle. Yet we are reminded that these events took place late in the period of the Judges, and in those days everybody did what advanced their own agenda, not God’s. That was the case not just in the back alleys and side streets; it was the order of the day at the Tabernacle itself, the place that the people of Israel were to come into the presence of their holy God and be reminded of their duty to reflect his character and bring his blessing to a needy world.
It is hard to imagine a greater inversion of values than at the Tabernacle of Shiloh in those days. Pilgrims who were seeking to worship God and experience his presence were met by priestly oppression and brutality. How in the world could a small boy like Samuel survive in this brutalizing environment, let alone make a difference? Hannah and Elkanah must have had second thoughts on occasion when they made their regular visits to worship and see their son. I am not sure that Eli’s words of blessing and reassurance would have been all that helpful; after all, it was his sons who ran the shakedown operation at the Tabernacle. There are a couple of things that give us hope here, however. First, the LORD, the faithful God of covenant and promise, kept on blessing Hannah and Elkanah with children. His answer to her prayer for a son did not stop with Samuel; as a gracious Father he kept on giving. He had certainly not forgotten Hannah’s sincere faith and honest praise. Second, our reading reminds us that Samuel grew up in “the presence of the LORD.” In other words, the most powerful influence in his life was a God who loved him and had brought him into the world to make a difference. The bad stuff was there alright, but Samuel’s relationship to God made all the difference. Whatever Eli’s intentions were regarding raising the boy Samuel to serve God, he had proven himself with his own sons not to be up to the task. They ran riot at the Tabernacle and he was powerless to stop it. They showed no respect to either their father or God himself. God was not going to allow their abuse to last much longer. Samuel is such a stark contrast in this story. In an environment that was full of stuff that could have left him confused, misguided, or fed up with anything having to do with religion, he found the loving nurture of the living God. He not only grew toward maturity, but he developed healthy and productive relationships with those around him and God himself. God’s presence trumps circumstances!
I can’t help but think that many years later Mary must have had similar thoughts as she saw her own son Jesus growing up in a world of aggression and abuse. How would God fulfill his promises to make things radically different through the gift of a child? After all, the circumstances of their world were dominated by Roman imperial power, local rulers full of self ambition and greed, a religious establishment that was self-centered and sectarian, as well as the usual conflicts between neighboring groups of people. How could a small boy born in Bethlehem be God’s agent of radical change? Of course God’s own presence would make all the difference, and it still does. A life lived today in sincere faith and honest praise to God is a life that God is sure to nurture and grow toward maturity. It’s the kind of life that he can use to make a difference, regardless of circumstances.
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2 comment(s) so far...
Re: 1 Samuel 2:12-26 : Rejecting Family and God
You put things so well here, Doug. God is so gracious. There's hope for any of us in this messy world. Our surroundings impact us, but God can impact us more if we align ourselves with him.
By Karen Wood on
2/10/2010 8:07 AM
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Re: 1 Samuel 2:12-26 : Rejecting Family and God
Samuel's singular focus on pleasing God in spite of the corruption surrounding him stands out for me in this passage. Instead of following the example of Eli's sons who should have known better. Samuel sought only to do what was right. What a great example Samuel provides of what it looks like to love and serve God - even from a young age when surrounded by sin.
By Ann Lincoln on
2/15/2010 10:33 AM
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