ISSL Reflections October 23 2022 1 Samuel 8:4–7; 10:17–24 Post 2

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IV.
Samuel has accepted the people’s call for a King and accepted God’s counsel for going forward in this and then calls the “all the tribes” together to confirm the selection of a king.

V.
1 Samuel 8:4-7; 10:17-24 (NRSVUE)

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah and said to the Israelites, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said, ‘No, but set a king over us.’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.”

Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of the Matrites was taken by lot. Finally he brought the family of the Matrites near man by man, and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. So they inquired again of the Lord, “Did the man come here?” And the Lord said, “See, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” Then they ran and brought him from there. When he took his stand among the people, he was head and shoulders taller than any of them. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

VI.
It’s a little odd to me that as the selection process moves forward we read, “Finally he brought the family of the Matrites near man by man, and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. So they inquired again of the Lord, “’Did the man come here?’”

Somehow Saul is selected without him being present in the crowd? They search for him and cannot find him? And then they ask The Lord, “Did the man come here?”

“And the Lord said, ‘See, he has hidden himself among the baggage.’”

I guess it is wasted effort to hide from The Lord?

Why has Saul hidden?

Was he tired from the journey and wanted a nap?

Did he know/suspect the outcome of this selection process and was not ready to be singled out?

Did he want to make a grand entrance?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 23 2022 1 Samuel 8:4–7; 10:17–24 Post 1

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I.
We come to that place in the Scriptural account of the history of Israel where the first king is called.

The people call for a king and Samuel “by lot” calls out one to be king.

Take you time with this sequence of events and notice what draws your attention.

II.
1 Samuel 8:4-7 (NRSVUE)

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.

1 Samuel 10:17-24 (NRSVUE)

Samuel summoned the people to the Lord at Mizpah and said to the Israelites, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I rescued you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all the kingdoms that were oppressing you.’ But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said, ‘No, but set a king over us.’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes and by your clans.”

Then Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. He brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the family of the Matrites was taken by lot. Finally he brought the family of the Matrites near man by man, and Saul the son of Kish was taken by lot. But when they sought him, he could not be found. So they inquired again of the Lord, “Did the man come here?” And the Lord said, “See, he has hidden himself among the baggage.” Then they ran and brought him from there. When he took his stand among the people, he was head and shoulders taller than any of them. Samuel said to all the people, “Do you see the one whom the Lord has chosen? There is no one like him among all the people.” And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

III.
Why do the elders of Israel ask for a king?

Why is Samuel “displeased”?

If their asking for (or is it demanding) a king, is rejecting God, why does God open the path for them to have a king?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 16 2022 Judges 6:1–2, 7–16, 36-40 Post 3

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VII.
In addition to the Scripture we have reviewed the past couple of days, I am adding Judges 6:36-40 where we see Gideon “putting out the fleece.”

What might this reveal to us about Gideon’s personality?

VIII.
Judges 6:1-2, 7-16 (NRSVUE)

The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. The hand of Midian prevailed over Israel, and because of Midian the Israelites provided for themselves hiding places in the mountains, caves and strongholds.

When the Israelites cried to the Lord on account of the Midianites, the Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites, and he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you and drove them out before you and gave you their land, and I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not pay reverence to the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live.’ But you have not given heed to my voice.”

Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.” Gideon answered him, “But sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has cast us off and given us into the hand of Midian.” Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you.” He responded, “But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them.”

Judges 6:36-40 (NRSVUE)

Then Gideon said to God, “In order to see whether you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said, I am going to lay a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece alone, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that you will deliver Israel by my hand, as you have said. And it was so. When he rose early next morning and squeezed the fleece, he wrung enough dew from the fleece to fill a bowl with water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not let your anger burn against me, but let me speak one more time; let me, please, make trial with the fleece just once more; let it be dry only on the fleece, and on all the ground let there be dew.” And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, and on all the ground there was dew.

IX.
Do you think Gideon’s “putting out the fleece” is a test of God?

Does it suggest a lack of trust in God?

Or is it a test of his right hearing of God’s direction to him?

What do you think of Gideon? Is he willing to follow God or reluctant?

Would you take him to be a model of faithfulness or do you think he models a lack of faith?

One more question – do you think you should incorporate “putting out the fleece” into your spiritual practices?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 16 2022 Judges 6:1–2, 7–16 Post 2

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IV.
In the last post I asked us to focus on how Gideon voiced his reluctance to accept the task “offered” to him by the angel of the Lord.

Let’s look again and pay attention to what we notice in the exchanges.

V.
Judges 6:1-2, 7-16 (NRSVUE)

The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. The hand of Midian prevailed over Israel, and because of Midian the Israelites provided for themselves hiding places in the mountains, caves and strongholds.

When the Israelites cried to the Lord on account of the Midianites, the Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites, and he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you and drove them out before you and gave you their land, and I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not pay reverence to the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live.’ But you have not given heed to my voice.”

Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.” Gideon answered him, “But sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has cast us off and given us into the hand of Midian.” Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you.” He responded, “But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them.”

VI.
What do you notice in the conversation?

For me, I notice the give and take of a conversation.

And as I think about it, it seems while Gideon did not say (as some have), “Here I am, send me;” neither did he run in the opposite direction as Jonah did initially.

So, as you pay attention to Gideon’s words, what do you think of him?

And particularly what do you notice you might call a strength of his?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 16 2022 Judges 6:1–2, 7–16 Post 1

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I.
This week we turn to the call of Gideon and his charge to rescue the people from the Midianites. Let’s start our time with Gideon by reading the Scripture below. You may want to take note of God’s call upon Gideon and Gideon’s several responses.

II.
Judges 6:1-2 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The Israelites did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, and the Lord gave them into the hand of Midian seven years. The hand of Midian prevailed over Israel, and because of Midian the Israelites provided for themselves hiding places in the mountains, caves and strongholds.

Judges 6:7-16 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

When the Israelites cried to the Lord on account of the Midianites, the Lord sent a prophet to the Israelites, and he said to them, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel: I led you up from Egypt and brought you out of the house of slavery, and I delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all who oppressed you and drove them out before you and gave you their land, and I said to you, ‘I am the Lord your God; you shall not pay reverence to the gods of the Amorites in whose land you live.’ But you have not given heed to my voice.”

Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, “The Lord is with you, you mighty warrior.” Gideon answered him, “But sir, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all his wonderful deeds that our ancestors recounted to us, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has cast us off and given us into the hand of Midian.” Then the Lord turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian; I hereby commission you.” He responded, “But sir, how can I deliver Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” The Lord said to him, “But I will be with you, and you shall strike down the Midianites, every one of them.”

III.
Where do we find Gideon?

“… beating out wheat in the windpress, to hide it from the Midianites.”

And I guess to hide himself also?

He is identified as a “mighty warrior” and Gideon’s response is, “… if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us?”

He doesn’t seem to mind putting the hard questions to the angel of the Lord, does he?

He even suggests, “But now the Lord has cast us off and given us into the hand of Midian

.”

Doesn’t the angel of the Lord need to call on people who are a bit more upbeat? Somewhat more willing to accept accolades such as “mighty warrior” and to step into the task offered?

How often do you think God calls on those who believe they are not up to the tasks at hand?

How often do you think folk are reluctant to walk into the future God has for them?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 9 2022 Deuteronomy 32:3–6, 10–14, 18 Post 3

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VII.
As you come to these Scripture passages today, look for what they speak to you of stability and instability.

VIII.

Deuteronomy 32:3-6

For I will proclaim the name of the Lord,
     ascribe greatness to our God!

The Rock, his work is perfect,
     and all his ways are just.
A faithful God, without deceit,
     just and upright is he;
yet his degenerate children have dealt falsely with him,
     a perverse and crooked generation.
Do you thus repay the Lord,
     O foolish and senseless people?
Is not he your father who created you,
     who made you and established you?

Deuteronomy 32:10-14

He sustained him in a desert land,
     in a howling wilderness waste;
he shielded him, cared for him,
     guarded him as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle stirs up its nest
     and hovers over its young,
as it spreads its wings, takes them up,
     and bears them aloft on its pinions,
the Lord alone guided him;
     no foreign god was with him.
He set him atop the heights of the land
     and fed him with produce of the field;
he nursed him with honey from the crags,
     with oil from flinty rock,
curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,
     with fat of lambs and rams,
Bashan bulls and goats,
     together with the choicest wheat—
     you drank fine wine from the blood of grapes.

Deuteronomy 32:18

You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you;
     you forgot the God who gave you birth.

IX.
What did you find?

Where does Moses speak of stability and the source of stability?

Where does instability show up?

Do any of Moses’ words encourage you to notice what brings stability to your life?

Or, for that matter, do his words help you identify where you give in to what brings instability to you?

Moses even speaks of a source of stability in “… a desert land, in a howling wilderness waste …”

Do you recall those moments when God’s presence brought stability even in the wilderness?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 9 2022 Deuteronomy 32:3–6, 10–14, 18 Post 2

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IV.
Let’s hear Moses speak to us today and take notice of the hope in his voice.

V.

Deuteronomy 32:3-6

For I will proclaim the name of the Lord,
     ascribe greatness to our God!

The Rock, his work is perfect,
     and all his ways are just.
A faithful God, without deceit,
     just and upright is he;
yet his degenerate children have dealt falsely with him,
     a perverse and crooked generation.
Do you thus repay the Lord,
     O foolish and senseless people?
Is not he your father who created you,
     who made you and established you?

Deuteronomy 32:10-14

He sustained him in a desert land,
     in a howling wilderness waste;
he shielded him, cared for him,
     guarded him as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle stirs up its nest
     and hovers over its young,
as it spreads its wings, takes them up,
     and bears them aloft on its pinions,
the Lord alone guided him;
     no foreign god was with him.
He set him atop the heights of the land
     and fed him with produce of the field;
he nursed him with honey from the crags,
     with oil from flinty rock,
curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,
     with fat of lambs and rams,
Bashan bulls and goats,
     together with the choicest wheat—
     you drank fine wine from the blood of grapes.

Deuteronomy 32:18

You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you;
     you forgot the God who gave you birth.

VI.
Where did you hear Moses speak of hope?

Where he spoke of the greatness, perfection and faithfulness of God?

Or does hope even enter in when he speaks of the people’s foolishness and forgetfulness?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 9 2022 Deuteronomy 32:3–6, 10–14, 18 Post 1

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I.
We read at Deuteronomy 31:30, “Then Moses recited the words of this song, to the very end, in the hearing of the whole assembly of Israel …” and this song of Moses follows. It has similarities to the pattern we find in some of the Psalms and the Hebrew prophets

Let’s read it slowly and then give it another hearing trying to hear it as the Hebrew people might have heard it that day.

II.
Deuteronomy 32:3–6, 10–14, 18 (New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition)

Deuteronomy 32:3-6

For I will proclaim the name of the Lord,
     ascribe greatness to our God!

The Rock, his work is perfect,
     and all his ways are just.
A faithful God, without deceit,
     just and upright is he;
yet his degenerate children have dealt falsely with him,
     a perverse and crooked generation.
Do you thus repay the Lord,
     O foolish and senseless people?
Is not he your father who created you,
     who made you and established you?

Deuteronomy 32:10-14

He sustained him in a desert land,
     in a howling wilderness waste;
he shielded him, cared for him,
     guarded him as the apple of his eye.
As an eagle stirs up its nest
     and hovers over its young,
as it spreads its wings, takes them up,
     and bears them aloft on its pinions,
the Lord alone guided him;
     no foreign god was with him.
He set him atop the heights of the land
     and fed him with produce of the field;
he nursed him with honey from the crags,
     with oil from flinty rock,
curds from the herd, and milk from the flock,
     with fat of lambs and rams,
Bashan bulls and goats,
     together with the choicest wheat—
     you drank fine wine from the blood of grapes.

Deuteronomy 32:18

You were unmindful of the Rock that bore you;
     you forgot the God who gave you birth.

III.
What captures you in this song?

The description and attributes and actions attributed to God?

The description of a “foolish and senseless people”?

Do you think the people are so bad they should be called “… degenerate … perverse and crooked …”?

Is Moses unloading on the people for all the trouble they have given him through the years?

Or, is he asking them to recognize the best and worse they are capable of?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 2 2022 Exodus 2:1–10 Post 3

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VII.
Think about the sister who, “… stood at a distance to see what would happen.”

VIII.
Exodus 2:1-10 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

IX.
I wonder how much the sister knew of the death threat that hung over the baby?

Did her mother send her to the river to bring back some report on the fate of the baby? Or, did her own curiosity or love take her there?

How is that one who “… stood at a distance …” becomes the one who speaks to Pharaoh’s daughter and proposes a Hebrew nurse for the baby? It seems to me that is a very bold step for the girl.

And while we are thinking of bold steps, what about Pharaoh’s daughter? She takes this boy as her son and names him. How many ways she is defying both the law of the land, Pharaoh, and her father?

There are so many brave and bold, maybe even “foolish” actions presented here.

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}

ISSL Reflections October 2 2022 Exodus 2:1–10 Post 2

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IV.
Let’s read the passage once more and take notice of what you learn about the mothers in the account.

V.
Exodus 2:1-10 New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine baby, she hid him three months. When she could hide him no longer she got a papyrus basket for him and plastered it with bitumen and pitch; she put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the bank of the river. His sister stood at a distance, to see what would happen to him.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her attendants walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it, she saw the child. He was crying, and she took pity on him. “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children,” she said. Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and get you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Yes.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child and nurse it for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”

VI.
First there is, “The woman conceived and bore a son…”

Then you have, ‘When the child grew up, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son.”

The child has two mothers accounting to this account.

He is given birth by one, and given a life in the house of the daughter of the ruler of the nation.

As you consider these two women, what do you think they are able to give their son?

And one more question today – what do you see when the one mother gives her son to the other, Pharaoh’s daughter?

charles
{ubi caritas et amor, Deus ibi est}