Called by Name
January 5, 2025
Welcome to our exploration of the books of Samuel. These books cover the shift of the nation of Israel from a group of tribes to a monarchy. Some of the most memorable and consequential characters are found here: The Prophet Samuel, King Saul, and King David.
I want to clear something up though before we get too far into this. Prophets and prophecy. We have missed some nuance with these words. Prophets don’t tell the future, they tell consequence. Prophecy is future oriented, but it’s more akin to saying, “If you keep making that face, it’ll stay that way” rather than gazing into a crystal ball and muttering vague gibberish that rhymes.
Consider these examples:
“If you keep rattling your saber, you’ll end up in a war.” See Micah and Isaiah and Jeremiah.
“If you don’t take care of the land, you will be spit out.” Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Isaiah.
“If you don’t look after the poor and the least of these, society will crumble in hopelessness.” See… well all the prophets, especially Amos.
Prophets don’t tell the future, they tell consequence. These warnings are not set in stone. They come with a choice: “If you change your ways and turn back to God, you’ll prosper.”
Here’s one of the most miss understood prophecies in scripture. It comes from Isaiah 7:11-16. Isaiah states to King Ahaz of Israel, “Ask the Lord your God for a sign, whether in the deepest depths or in the highest heights.”
But Ahaz said, “I will not ask; I will not put the Lord to the test.”
Then Isaiah said, “Hear now, you house of David! Is it not enough to try the patience of humans? Will you try the patience of my God also? Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The young woman will conceive and give birth to a son, and[c] will call him Immanuel. He will be eating curds and honey when he knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, for before the boy knows enough to reject the wrong and choose the right, the land of the two kings you dread will be laid waste.”
We often want to jump straight to Jesus. And yes, Jesus is there. Yet in context… this prophecy only gets more powerful. Let’s break it apart.
Isaiah is speaking to Ahaz saying, “Ask God for a sign.” And Ahaz says no. Isaiah gets a little testy, “You’re trying my patience and God’s patience… Here’s your sign anyway. A young woman will have a child, and by the time that child is weened but before his bar mitzvah, the two kings you dread won’t be an issue.”
It’s telling the consequence of the actions of the awfulness of the two kings that Israel was afraid of. Yet King Ahaz was too proud and stubborn to ask God for a sign. To turn to God in prayer and ask for help with these two foreign threats. So, Isaiah gets testy and gives this prophecy.
This prophecy isn’t just about foretelling Jesus. In its context, it speaks directly to Ahaz’s situation. The prophecy gains even more power when the author of Matthew, writing under Roman oppression, recalls it and applies it to Jesus. By the time Jesus was mature, both King Herod and Emperor Augustus were dead. [1]
This shows that prophecy reveals God’s presence in the world. It reminds us that “God is with us”—Emmanuel. This might feel like inside baseball. Yet it matters. It matters because of what we read in Samuel. “The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.”
In those days, the word of the Lord was rare. I have had a lot of folks this holiday season saying that they feel distant from God. That God isn’t hearing their prayers and that they are languishing. I think this can happen for many reasons.
One reason that the divine may feel distant we’re so in the wrong, we don’t even realize it. We have drifted so far from the imitation of Christ that we don’t even know. Like how every church says that they’re welcoming. Which is true to an extent. They are welcoming to the folks they know. It’s a rare thing to find a church that welcomes everyone. That’s a rare church culture. Because we believe something, doesn’t make it true. Belief must be paired with action. We’re not just hearers of the word but doers also.[2]
Another reason is we’re treating God like our cosmic bellhop. There are two parts to communication: assertive communication and active listening. God is still speaking, are we listening? Are we taking time to sit in holy silence, attuned to God’s voice?
One more reason that comes to mind (among countless more), our pride might get in the way. Like King Ahaz, we resist change. Like the man who asked Jesus to heal him, and Jesus askes, “Do you want to be well?” Sometimes, we’re so accustomed to pain and trauma that we cling to it, unsure of who we’d be without it. Healing leaves scars, but like Jesus’ wounds post-resurrection, those scars can point to God.
I believe God will never force us. God always invites. God sends prophets to warn of consequence. Prophets hear the voice of God, for the benefit of the common good, and they come to us and give uncomfortable and inconvenient truths. Prophets are sent to speak uncomfortable truths, not just to comfort us.
Samuel hears God’s voice but mistakes it for Eli’s. Eli, in his wisdom, guides Samuel to listen. He could have let pride get in the way—yet he didn’t. Eli could have chosen to limit Samuel and stick to the way things were because that would mean Eli’s sons would be in charge of the priesthood. With this change, with Samuel hearing God, the priesthood goes in a new direction. Eli accepts God’s invitation and uncomfortable truth.
Contrast this with Herod, who refuses to hear God. His pride leads him to destructive choices, just as ours often does.
Sometimes I’m like this. Sometimes I refuse to accept my actions which harmed others. I’m slow to say I’m sorry. I get caught up in my pride and ego and can’t accept the world for what it is. A world that has cancer in it. And people dying. And suffering. And natural disasters that hit communities and leave people despairing. School shootings and domestic terrorism. There’s a lot I can’t accept in this world.
Yet if we listen to the voice of the prophets, we can find our way back to God. Yes, this is a world that has cancer in it. You can’t catch it from others. So it’s good to show compassion and deliver food to your friends. Put them on the prayer list. Say their names. Ask what they need and text them often. For if we don’t, we are not loving our neighbor as we would ourselves.
People do die. They have an annoying habit of that. You will, too. Sorry. Happy New Year..? Did that help? No? It’s good to reach out and deliver food and tell stories of those whom we’re mourning. Keep their memory before us and learn to laugh through the tears. For if we don’t, our grief comes out sideways.
There are natural disasters and school shootings and domestic terrorism. Some of which we can’t help. Like the serenity prayer states, there are some things we can’t change. Yet it also says that there are things we can change. And our inaction to change the things that can change keeps awful things coming out way. We’re too addicted to our perceived liberties and freedoms that we forgot what those actually look like. “All things are permissible,” writes Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:23, “but not all things are helpful.”
Are we attuned to the prophets? Or are you hearing the court priests of comfort? It’s easy to tell the difference. You won’t like what you hear from the prophets.
You won’t like being told that you shouldn’t text and drive. To limit your social media. To turn off cable news and stop dehumanizing your political opposite for they are fellow citizens. You won’t like to hear that the government has a lot of waste, and also does a lot of things right. That statement should make all of us mad. I didn’t like saying it.
If all you’re hearing is words of comfort. If you’re hearing “peace, peace” and there is no peace, then it’s time to find another church. The great theologian and prophet Walter Bruggemann once said, “The church isn’t called to be the happiest place in town. It’s called to be the most honest place in town.”
Jesus calls us not to wealth, health, and happiness but to take up our cross and follow him.[3] Follow him to serve our neighbors for there’s no greater love than to lay down your life for a friend.[4] We are called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit the sick and prisoner, and welcome the outcast.[5] This will save your life. The truth will set you free. And liberate others. This is how the world is saved.
How far will you go to find the divine? The magi traversed afar and King Herod couldn’t walk down the block to see God. The invitation is in front of you. It will mean leaving your places of comfort or at least the places you have come to know the most. Yet the place the awaits us… all of us… eye has not seen nor hear heard nor human imagination envisioned what God has in store for us.[6] It will take time, effort, and change. Yet God will be with us every step of the way. God will provide us with mentors who will reflect the divine back to you. Tell you that when you hear the voice that’s been calling your name, to answer, “Speak, for your servant is listening.”
Thanks be to God. Amen.
Footnotes
[1] Augustus died in 14 CE, and Tiberius, his stepson, succeeded him as the second emperor of Rome. Jesus’ crucifixion is commonly estimated to have occurred between 30 CE and 33 CE, during the reign of Tiberius (who ruled from 14 CE to 37 CE). This timeline indicates that Jesus lived for about 15–19 years after Augustus’ death.
[2] James 1:22
[3] Matthew 16:24-26
[4] John 15:13
[5] Matthew 25:31-46 and Luke 15:2
[6] 1 Corinthians 2:9. Also related: Jeremiah 29:11
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