Narrative Lectionary Key Verse for Today
“Samuel lay there until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the Lord. Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. But Eli called Samuel and said, ‘Samuel, my son.’ He said, ‘Here I am.’ Eli said, ‘What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also, if you hide anything from me of all that he told you.’ 18So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. Then he said, ‘It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to him.’”
NL Daily Devotion for Tuesday, October 18, 2022
by R. M. Fergus, Clergy Stuff
I’m sure it’s bad, but I can’t help but chuckle when I read Eli’s response to Samuel’s prophecy. He’s ancient, half-blind, probably sick to death of what rotten apples his sons have turned out to be, so in spite of the Israelite culture of the legacy of sons, when he hears God’s going to pretty much drop kick them off the face of the earth, he just shrugs. “It’s God. Let God do whatever seems good.” Or, in modern lingo, “Whatevs. They totes deserve it.”
But poor Samuel. He was a child! He had to deliver the bad news to the guy who was taking care of all his needs. It says something about his character that he was willing to trust God enough to say it like it was. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: prophecy, speaking God’s words, is not easy. Because God’s words aren’t always what the people want to hear. Not to go back to yesterday’s devotion about Hannah, but I wonder how many stories she told and sang to him about God’s faithfulness based on her own experience. That would’ve sunk in, I’m sure. So once again, her influence is at work here in Samuel’s developing character. He’s just heard directly from God for the first time and it ain’t pretty. But he knows God won’t drop him—his mama told him so.
What’s the hardest truth I’ve ever had to say to someone?
