The scriptures read are 1 Samuel 1-3. Psalm 80 and John 15.
1 Samuel 1. In his intro to the books of Samuel, Peterson points out that David (c.1000 BC) lies midway between Abraham (c. 2000 BC) and Jesus (c.6 BC), each a pivotal character in God's plan.
We start with another barren woman, who prays to God and is given a blessed child. The woman is Hannah. The child is Samuel. In thanksgiving, she dedicates him to God, giving him to the priest Eli, serving at the shrine at Shiloh, as soon as he is weaned.
BTW, a clue that Eli is not the best priest: he couldn't tell the difference between a woman praying silently and a woman who's drunk.
1 Samuel 2. Hannah's prayer foreshadows Mary's Magnificat.
Eli's sons are corrupt and God decrees that Eli's family will lose their position as a priestly family.
1 Samuel 3. The word of God comes to Samuel in a wonderfully told, slightly comical vignette. But what God tells Samuel about Eli's family is sobering. Eli takes the news surprisingly well.
Samuel is now an up and coming prophet.
Psalm 80. A plea for God to restore his people. Israel is compared at length to a vine.
John 15. Jesus compares himself to a familiar plant in the next "I Am" statement: "I Am the Vine." (For more on that , click here.) The main thing is to stay intimately connected with Christ and love each other.
No comments:
Post a Comment