OLD TESTAMENT

– A narrative on 1 Samuel 17-19

SOME people become sharp and angular when pelted by life’s hard missiles. Others, like David, are rounded by them and their concerns are rubbed off. Once again, a Bible author is giving us a potted biography that reveals the familiar pattern of God’s dealings with those he calls to his service.

David began in obscurity where he learnt survival and faithfulness in the harsh realities of an unsympathetic world (17:14,15,34-37). His secret anointing was perhaps not fully understood by either his family or himself (ch 16). It was followed by minor service in Saul’s court which may explain why Saul knows him in 16:14-23 but not in 17:55, unless the chronology is reversed for the sake of giving us an earlier summary.

He is then elevated quietly to high office (18:5), succeeds, but becomes the object of Saul’s jealousy and is ousted from his job, surviving several assassination attempts.

Many Christians in such a situation would ask why God behaved so badly towards them. The author is telling us that it is Saul who is behaving badly, and that God is protecting David from him. The heir apparent is a victim of human injustice, not of divine caprice. It was that knowledge that enabled David to survive his outlaw years, and it will enable us to survive the wilderness periods when God’s call seems to have been forgotten.

Love and serve the LORD.

. See also The Books of Samuel: Real lives and frank confessions

OLD TESTAMENT

– A narrative on 1 Samuel 3

IT can be helpful to picture the Christian life as a journey. Each person’s path is different, even though there are common features, because our personalities, perceptions and circumstances are different.

Christians are not called to be clones. We become “like” Jesus, not each other, as he works on our unique personhood so that it reflects his presence and God-centred nature. We grow in faith, as Samuel did (2:26), who took his responsibility to God and the “church” seriously (3:1), yet “did not yet know the Lord” (v 7).

How can someone believe and serve and yet not know the Lord? It does not mean that he was “not saved” or that he was living a double life. To God, our spiritual journey begins at (or before) human birth, not at the “new birth”. Somewhere along the way, there is an awakening (and for most people, more than one) when we discover God in a new way, see certain beliefs more clearly, and step forward in faith.

It is like human growth. Although the first adult tooth might be a significant step forward in a child’s development, there are many other developments not noted as the child grows; they are only seen in retrospect. Samuel’s experience suggests that it may not be appropriate to demand too much in terms of faith or experience before giving people certain tasks. It is often through executing them that people come to “know the Lord” in fresh ways.

Love and serve the LORD.