“Sovereignty”
I Samuel 15:1-3, 10-19, 20-26
May the words of my mouth and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable to you, O Lord, our Rock and our redeemer. Amen
This month we are going to delve into the story of kings in ancient Israel and it all begins in the Book of Samuel. We are keenly aware of transitions in governance in our own history from colonists to states united in upholding a sovereign nation.Other countries uphold a sovereign King or Queen. And in recent history we watched asa phenomenon called Arab Spring swept across the Middle East calling into high relief the power and the complexity of sovereign tribes and ancient grudges.
Leadership among God’s Chosen people evolved over time.A brief overview will help us understand the context for this scripture.Best summarized in four phases the first is the age of patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph. Their story ends with the death of Joseph in final verses of Genesis.
ThenMoses: from Exodus to Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy he led God’s people all the way from Egypt through the desert for forty years. At the end, he stood atop Mount Nebo andGod showed him the Promised Land: a land he could see but not enter.Moses died on the threshold of the Promised Land and Deuteronomy 34:10 concludes, Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses…he was unequaled.
The third phase begins with The Book of Joshua. In Hebrew Joshua means Yahweh is salvation.God said to him, As I was with Moses, so I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you. Be strong and courageous; (Joshua 1:5b).This is the man who led the people across the Jordan and intoCanaan and the book ends with his death.
The fourth and final point of reference for us is the season of crisis management. The Book is called Judges: these men and women call the tribes of Israel back to Godevery time they “did what was evil in the sight of the Lord” (Judges 2:11, 3:7, 12, 4:1, 6:1, 10:6, 13:1).There were fifteen in all: among them Deborah, Gideon Jepthah, Samson Eli and Samuel. The famous refrain throughout the book hints at the hopefor a monarchyto save Israel. In those days there was no king in Israel; all the people did what was right in their own eyes (Judges 21:25).
Samuel is both a judge and a prophet. He mediates the wishes of the people and declares God’s word to them. In this story we are given a great deal of information about what God wants, what the people want and what happens when the people get what they want: a regent on earth like all the other nations.
They expected that once Samuel anointed the tall handsome, courageous valiant leader all would be well.
The riveting account of the demise of King Saul is still vigorously debated in academic and religious circles. I invite you to join in the debate this morning. The following story might help you prepare to wrestle with the facts and the ambiguitysurrounding God’s rejection of King Saul.
Once upon a time a defendant was on trial for murder. There was very strong evidence indicating guilt, but no corpse had been found. The lawyer for the defense knew that his client would probably be convicted so in his closing statement he said, "Ladies and gentlemen of the jury, I have a surprise for you."
Looking at his watch he said with dramatic effect, "Within one minute, the person presumed dead in this case will walk into this courtroom.”He looked toward the courtroom door. The jurors, somewhat stunned, all looked towards the door eagerly.
A minute passed. Nothing happened.Finally, the lawyer said, "I made up the previous statement. But you all looked on with anticipation. I therefore put it to you that there is reasonable doubt in your mind as to whether anyone was killed and you must therefore return a verdict of not guilty.”
The jury retired to deliberate. After only a few minutes, they returned and pronounced their verdict: guilty.Surprised, the defense lawyer said, "You must have had some doubt. I saw all of you stare at the door.”
The jury foreman replied, “Yes, we did all stare at the door but we also noticed that your client did not.”
For King Saul, God’sjudgment is swift and harsh and it is left to the prophet Samuel to tell Saul that he shall no longer be King of Israel. For us it is a disturbing story. Is King Saul a tragic hero dethroned unjustly or an arrogant mortal trying to reign over heaven and earth? Here are some clues to help us decide:
The majority of scholars concur that the story was composed during the Babylonian Exile sometime after 586BCE long after King Saul actually reigned (1025-1005 BCE. Those same scholars think the story was used to drive home the command to worship Yahweh exclusively and the dire consequences of idolatry.
It all began on a promising note: “Saul stood head and shoulders above everyone else” (1 Sam 9:2). “God gave him another heart” (I Sam 10:9) and when Samuel introduced Saul to the tribes of Israel (1 Sam 10:20), they exclaimed, “Long live the King!”(1 Sam 10: 24).
It also began with a solemn warning from the prophet Samuel, If you will fear the Lord and serve him and heed his voice and not rebel against the commandments of the Lordand if both you and the king who reigns over you will serve the Lord your God, it will be well…but if not the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king(1 Samuel 12:14).
The people understood the meaning of harem. Foreign to us it was natural to them. A recognized form of war, called a holy war in which everything is destroyed as an offering to God. The victors take nothing for themselves because it is not their victory but God’s.
King Saul disobeyed God. The ensuing dialogue invites us to wonderabout three facets of the story.
Didthe spoils of war become a temptation for personal gain or did King Saul sincerely wanted to make a special offering.
Did King Saul bring King Agog back for personal triumph, for humanitarian reasons or to show God’s strength by parading the vanquished leader of the Amalekites?
Finally, what about the pressure from the people to take thebest of the animals? Was King Saul agile of mind to find a way to please them and God? Or did he craft that justification only after Samuel called him to account?
When Samuel told God that the people wanted a king God said,“They are rejecting me for Iam their king”(1 Samuel 8:7).God rejects Saul as king because the King of Israel reigns as God’s anointed not a sovereign. In victory King Saul confused his power with God’s power. In victory King Saul demonstrated, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he was truly the people’s king – not God’s servant.
The Hebrew verb sama appears 5 times in this lesson.It means both to listen and to do.
We may say God is sovereign but do we live like that matters when we feel pressured by a secular society, the call of the internet, the temptation to indulge our desire for money, power and or pleasures?
We can take a lesson from our spiritual ancestors. Their mediation on the first commandment is found in Deuteronomy 6:4. Called the Shema this prayer must be recited every day before sunrise and again when three stars appear in the sky at dusk: all to help the Chosen People remember that God is sovereign no matter who rules over them or what they want to rule over in this life.
God rejected Saul as king, not as a person. The issue is not the merits of Saul but the future of Israel and it depended upon a King that served God, not the people.
One must wonder, did King Saul pray the Shema that morning before the sun rose and as the first three stars came out in the sky at dusk? The answer to that question would settle the question put before us in this spiritual courtroom today: arrogant selfish leader or tragic hero?
Would our life and witness to Jesus Christ be different if we prayed before dawn and as the first stars came into view to remember our God who is sovereign. Let us pray
Hear, O Israel: TheLordis our God, theLordalone.
You shall love theLordyour God with all your heart,
and with all your soul, and with all your might.
Keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart.Recite them to your children and talk about them when you are at home and when you are away, when you lie down and when you rise.
Bind them as a sign on your hand, fix them as an emblemon your forehead,and write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Amen
The Reverend Elizabeth Kuehl
Hope United Church
June 14, 2015
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