sermon for October 16

October 16

The reading: .1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20

After they had eaten and drunk at Shiloh, Hannah rose and presented herself before the Lord. Now Eli the priest was sitting on the seat beside the doorpost of the temple of the Lord. She was deeply distressed and prayed to the Lord, and wept bitterly. She made this vow: “O Lord of hosts, if only you will look on the misery of your servant, and remember me, and not forget your servant, but will give to your servant a male child, then I will set him before you as a nazirite until the day of his death. He shall drink neither wine nor intoxicants, and no razor shall touch his head.”

They rose early in the morning and worshiped before theLord; then they went back to their house at Ramah. Elkanah knew his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. In due time Hannah conceived and bore a son. She named him Samuel, for she said, “I have asked him of the Lord.”

After this Hannah prayed:  “My heart exults in the Lord;

    my strength is exalted in my God

My mouth derides my enemies,  because I rejoice in my victory.

“There is no Holy One like the Lord, no one besides you;

    there is no Rock like our God. Talk no more so very proudly,

    let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge,

    and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken,

    but the feeble gird on strength.

Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread,   

but those who were hungry are fat with spoil.

The barren has borne seven,  but she who has many children is forlorn.

The Lord kills and brings to life;  he brings down to Sheol and raises up.

The Lord makes poor and makes rich;  he brings low, he also exalts.

He raises up the poor from the dust;  he lifts the needy from the ash heap,

to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor

For the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and on them he has set the world.

“He will guard the feet of his faithful ones, but the wicked shall be cut off in darkness;

    for not by might does one prevail. The Lord! His adversaries shall be shattered;

    the Most High will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth;

    he will give strength to his king,  and exalt the power of his anointed.

The summary

We have skipped a lot of years between last week’s reading on The Golden Calf and this morning’s reading on the birth of Samuel.  Between these events, it was a time of great anxiety in the wilderness. The people had to rebuild everything, including the social order, laws and political system.  As the people wandered, fought and settled, they struggled with questions about  “who will lead us”.  There was no pharaoh, no master, no director, no high priest, no king.  For a time, the people of Israel were led by judges, men and women like Deborah who organized society, delegated work, divided lands, arranged services, and made legal judgments.  They were part prophet, president and priest.  Samuel, whose birth we hear about today, is the last of the judges.  The people demand a king (like their neighbors). Samuel leads Israel from the time of the judges to the time of the kings. God instructs Samuel to anoint Saul as king,  When it turns out that he is not really up for the work,  Saul is removed and David is anointed as king.

Samuel’s birth story is filled with the impossible. Hannah should not be able to bear a child. After her faithful prayer, constant petition and promise to dedicate the child to God, she conceives and gives birth.  This is one of five times in the bible where the main wife is barren and cannot have children  (the other four are Sarah and Isaac, Rebeakh and Jacob, Rachel and Joseph, and Elizabeth and John the Baptist).   In each story there are similar details about constant prayer, not giving up hope, being dedicated to the Lord and the suspension of natural laws that allow each birth.  Each child is born at a time of great anxiety, change and transition, when the people were struggling with the questions:  “who will lead us, who will help us, who will save us” . These questions are answered,  “you will be led by people who are committed to God, people who are raised in faith and hope, and  people who know God can act mightily in the world”.   For us today, this story is a reminder of the importance of raising people in faith, surrounded by and seeing examples of God’s power and God’s care.