1 Samuel 16:1-13
Samuel Anoints David
Wall painting from the Dura Europus Synogogue
Iraq, 3rd C.
The Name of the Program
How curious we have the names
Of three who did not fit the claim
That one of Jesse's sons would be
The king, by Yahweh designeed.
Thus Samuel has to turn away
Eliab, who, though he displayed
The stature of some handsome king,
Had not the heart from which grace springs.
Nor Abinadab, nor Shammah
Elicited some grand "Aha!"
From Samuel, nor the other four
Would be where Yahweh's spirit poured.
But by this boy did Yahweh name
His program, which we still proclaim:
You never know, despite your plans,
Where love for you, and all, might land.
Scott L. Barton
The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you grieve over
Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil
and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for
myself a king among his sons.” Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears of it,
he will kill me.” And the Lord said, “Take a heifer with you, and say, ‘I have
come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show
you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.”
Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the
city came to meet him trembling, and said, “Do you come peaceably?” He said,
“Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with
me to the sacrifice.” And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to
the sacrifice.
When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, “Surely the
Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not
look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected
him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward
appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.” Then Jesse called Abinadab, and
made him pass before Samuel. He said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this one.”
Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, “Neither has the Lord chosen this
one.” Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to
Jesse, “The Lord has not chosen any of these.” Samuel said to Jesse, “Are all
your sons here?” And he said, “There remains yet the youngest, but he is
keeping the sheep.” And Samuel said to Jesse, “Send and bring him; for we will
not sit down until he comes here.” He sent and brought him in. Now he was
ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, “Rise and
anoint him; for this is the one.” Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and
anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came
mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to
Ramah.
Rembrandt, Jesus Heals the Blind Man,
pen and brush drawing, ca. 1655-60,
Rotterdam, Museum Boymans-van Beuningen
Sight
John says the man was blind from birth,
Which means they thought he had a dearth
Of goodness, or, perhaps his parents
Were the ones who had been errant -
For otherwise, who can explain
Conditions we find inhumane?
But Jesus isn't into reasons,
Or int'rested in open season
On those calamity befalls;
Instead, his actions always call
Attention to the acts of God
We find so hard to see, and odd.
If anything, let him remind
Us if we miss God's love, we're blind.
Scott L. Barton
As [Jesus] walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His
disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he
was born blind?" Jesus answered, "Neither this man nor his parents
sinned; he was born blind so that God's works might be revealed in him. We must
work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one
can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world." When
he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread
the mud on the man's eyes, saying to him, "Go, wash in the pool of
Siloam" (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to
see.
The neighbors and those who had seen him before as a beggar
began to ask, "Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?" Some
were saying, "It is he." Others were saying, "No, but it is
someone like him." He kept saying, "I am the man." But they kept
asking him, "Then how were your eyes opened?" He answered, "The
man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, 'Go to Siloam
and wash.' Then I went and washed and received my sight." They said to
him, "Where is he?" He said, "I do not know."
They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been
blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes.
Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said
to them, "He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see." Some
of the Pharisees said, "This man is not from God, for he does not observe
the sabbath." But others said, "How can a man who is a sinner perform
such signs?" And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man,
"What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened." He said,
"He is a prophet." The Jews did not believe that he had been blind
and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had
received his sight and asked them, "Is this your son, who you say was born
blind? How then does he now see?" His parents answered, "We know that
this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that
now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He
will speak for himself." His parents said this because they were afraid of
the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be
the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said,
"He is of age; ask him." So for the second time they called the man
who had been blind, and they said to him, "Give glory to God! We know that
this man is a sinner." He answered, "I do not know whether he is a
sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see." They
said to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?" He
answered them, "I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do
you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?" Then
they reviled him, saying, "You are his disciple, but we are disciples of
Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not
know where he comes from." The man answered, "Here is an astonishing
thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know
that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him
and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone
opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could
do nothing." They answered him, "You were born entirely in sins, and
are you trying to teach us?" And they drove him out.
Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found
him, he said, "Do you believe in the Son of Man?" He answered,
"And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him." Jesus
said to him, "You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is
he." He said, "Lord, I believe." And he worshiped him.
Jesus said, "I came into this world for judgment so
that those who do not see may see, and those who do see may become blind."
Some of the Pharisees near him heard this and said to him, "Surely we are
not blind, are we?" Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would
not have sin. But now that you say, 'We see,' your sin remains.
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