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Samuel 15:34-35;16:1-13
We’re maybe used to the idea that Jesus turned the accepted
values of his day around. This to a certain extent was what really
upset the authorities, and particularly the religious leaders
– because they had everything worked out, they controlled
the everyday lives of the people through the rules and regulations
that covered every aspect of their lives, and you still see that
in the strict Jewish communities in parts of this country. But
turning accepted practice upside down wasn’t something that
Jesus started, as we see in this story from the Book of Samuel
– God was doing just the same thing generations earlier.
It’s a great story, this choosing of a successor to Saul,
and quite relevant in period of political confusion such as we
have at the moment. Just a few days ago the Prime Minister was
reshuffling his Cabinet and there was much speculation as to who
should get which job. How would he choose? What was the criterion
used in choosing one person over another? Was it a case of who
has the greatest talent, or who was the most likely to remain
loyal for the next twelve months?
Enough of British politics!
In our story tension builds as God (mysteriously) instructs the
prophet not to anoint the obvious choices, the ones the political
consultants or pundits would choose today (the ones with the best
numbers in the polls or the best faces for television), the ones
who somehow appear most qualified or capable because they are
older or stronger or more impressive.
Samuel took one look at the eldest son Eliab and thought, "Here
he is! God's anointed!" But then something, an inner prompting
from God says ‘No, not that one!’ and in the modern
Message translation we get the reasoning behind this - "Looks
aren't everything. Don't be impressed with his looks and stature.
I've already eliminated him. God judges persons differently than
humans do. Men and women look at the face; God looks into the
heart."
In some mysterious way Samuel understands that God is concerned
with the unseen, the heart, of the person, the very centre and
core, and although he might have been a fine upstanding strong
lad, and traditionally the one to whom such an honour would have
been granted, in God’s eyes there was something not quite
right in his heart.
And it goes on! Jesse brings out a succession of eligible young
men who might be anointed by Samuel, and each time that inner
prompting tells him that these are not the right ones, not God’s
choice. And then maybe Samuel starts having second thoughts. ‘Hang
on!’ he thinks, ‘I’m running out of options
here – maybe I misheard God.’ But then he asks the
vital question ‘Are there any more sons?’ and Jesse,
rather apologetically mumbles that there is another, the runt
of the litter (as the Message puts it) who just looks after the
sheep.
So out they go and fetch David from the field where he’s
shepherding the flock, and immediately God gives Samuel a big
nudge, or maybe a kick up the backside which jolts him into action
“Up on your feet! Anoint him! This is the one!”
Bring in the shepherd and make him a shepherd-king, anointed by
God to lead the people and to live on throughout their history
as the greatest of kings, the hope of the people, a vision for
the future. And all this heaped upon this slight lad, the smallest
and youngest member of the family.
Who but God knew what potential lay in the youngest, the smallest
of all? Who knew what power God would give to the power-less?
It wasn’t just that God was giving Samuel a lesson in values
though – he wasn’t deliberately holding back on revealing
who he wanted just to make Samuel sweat a little! The important
message of this story, and indeed of the whole of our Bible is
that it has a beginning, a middle and an end – God is in
control, he will have his way despite all that humankind might
throw at him, despite all the disappointment of seeing his people
follow him one minute and then reject him another.
There were times when God had to punish the people for their disobedience,
and there were times when he would bless them, but God’s
promise to his people (and now by implication to all believers)
is that at some point in time all people will worship the one
true God and his will will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
We might think that we know what’s best for the world and
for God’s purpose but so often we’re following our
own agenda and not Gods. We are looking at the world from our
small corner, he sees it with the eyes of eternity and that makes
a big difference!
David was a small boy when he was anointed, a small link in the
chain, but he was part of God’s plan for God’s family
and that was the important issue here.
Back in 1990 when the now famous Hubble telescope was first launched,
there was not much hope for its success. Apparently its reflecting
mirror had been manufactured improperly, causing the telescope’s
pictures to be out of focus. In fact, Hubble needed a giant --
and expensive -- pair of eyeglasses or refractions to correct
its vision, because the curvature of its mirror was off by a mere
one-fiftieth the width of a human hair. It seems that if the curve
or parabola is not just right, a telescope is useless. It cannot
focus light and reflect reality as it is -- or in the case of
Hubble, as it was billions of years ago. Small things can make
a big difference.
Seeds are small, too, and often buried or overlooked, but what
power lies within them! Jesus offers parables in Mark’s
Gospel that compare the reign of God with the mysterious, hidden
way of a seed's growth, a process that fascinates us even today,
in spite of our technological progress and the "wonders"
it produces.
When you sow a row of lettuce seeds, do you understand what’s
going on in the seed as it lies there in the soil or compost?
Can you comprehend how the influence of light levels, temperature,
humidity and nutrients go together to determine whether the seed
will germinate and grow – or do you just accept it as a
wonderful part of the natural world? It's like that, Jesus says
with the kingdom of God: hidden and mysterious, and yet a very
real wonder all the same, which has an inevitability and purpose.
Martin Luther thought about this, and he said, “If you
truly understood a single grain of wheat, you would die of wonder.”
