Sermon for Sunday 28th February 2021: 1 Samuel 3, 1-10; Mark 2, 23-3,6.
Fr Leonard Doolan – St Paul’s Athens
‘The word of the Lord was rare in those days’ (1 Sam 3, 1) words that begin the story of the calling of Samuel.
We often have bible studies here in Athens, for the last year provided by Zoom gatherings, but previously in person. We invariably use a method of sitting with the scriptures called in Latin Lectio Divina. It is a method that allows silent reading of a passage of scripture, then reading it aloud, each person reading one or two verses each, then some silence, followed by each participant deciding on a single word or very brief phrase, which we then go on as a group to develop in conversation. It is a good, inclusive method of looking at scripture together. It allows us to ‘dig down’ into scripture, a helpful phrase that Deacon Christine gave us last week in her sermon.
This method of digging down into scripture originates in the monastic tradition, but is now commonplace in parish life for study groups.
If we applied this method of Lectio Divina to the passage from 1 Samuel, our OT reading for this Sunday, it would be interesting to see which word, or short phrase each person would chose.
I prefer when people just choose one word, but some latitude is needed, so for me, I would chose this short phrase, ‘The word of the Lord was rare in those days’.
The phrase stuck in my mind, because somehow it goes against the grain of normal perceptions of God. It indicates perhaps a lack of activity on God’s part, an inertia, a sort of absence or anergia, unemployment. This jarred with me. It could not possibly be the case. So time to ‘dig down’ a little bit.
I went to the Septuagint version of the bible, ie the Greek version, still used by the Greek Orthodox Church. Initially I couldn’t find the 2 Books of Samuel, and by process of deduction I discovered that the Septuagint calls them 1st and 2nd Book of the Kings. What we are accustomed to calling the Books of Kings are Kings Books 3 and 4 in the Septuagint.
So having worked out that puzzle I found the phrase ‘The word of the Lord was rare in those days’. I could work out most of the Greek, but something didn’t look right; the word translated as ‘rare’. In Greek the word is timios (τίμιος) which means honest or honourable in both modern and ancient Greek. Now, I felt, we were getting somewhere. But better was to come. It also can be translated as ‘precious’. Ah – we have arrived! ‘The word of the Lord was precious in those days.’
How we got from precious to rare (even though rare can mean something like ‘priceless’) is quite a step. Even the Authorized Version of the bible translates this word as precious. Here we are now thinking that God didn’t say much – instead the focus shifts away from any suggestion of God’s inactivity in the time of Samuel, towards God’s word being considered precious in those days. Quite a semantic difference, and a completely different understanding in our modern English translation.
So God’s word is precious, just as it was precious in the time of Samuel, for God’s word never passes away, and it always achieves what it purposes. In the case of our OT passage this morning, the precious word of God is pure and simple. Of course it is. It is not some great long phrase. God simply says the precious name ‘Samuel’. What could be more precious than this – I have called you by name, you are mine. God calls us by name, and we are his, and thus we are precious in his sight. This evokes that moment in the Garden of Resurrection when the Risen Christ says only one thing to a grieving woman, ‘Mary’. Then she recognized the risen Lord.
I feel quite good about redeeming this apparent mistranslation of the word ‘rare’, but we have to keep digging, and here we have a problem. In the same sentence we are told that visions were not widespread. The word used here means ‘distinguish’ or ‘expand’. No distinguishing visions or expansive vision! I begin to feel a little deflated by my earlier excavation, and maybe the bible translators know better.
But this is where we just have to read on. Immediately we have a reference to the old man Eli, and we are told that his ‘eyesight had begun to grow dim so he could not see’. This is the key. Old Eli’s physical blindness represents what is going on in those times. The physical blindness might be Eli’s, but this represents the spiritual blindness of the people. We are told that the sons of Eli were scoundrels, desecrators of sacred rites and ceremonies, with no regard for the Lord, nor for his priests. The old man’s lack of sight is the allegory of the lack of vision, the faithlessness of those around him. So in reality it is the lack of human faith that causes the precious word of God to be heard rarely, and for visions to be few.
So in this spiritual darkness, where sinful action dominates reverence for the Lord, a young man is called by name. ‘Samuel’. Given the whole background at the time, Samuel thinks old Eli calls him. ‘Samuel’. Three times it happens. It takes three times for Eli to recognize that it is the voice of the Lord calling Samuel – a calling that will be to prophetic and priestly ministry.
When this realization hits home, there is no alternative response. ‘Speak Lord, for your servant is listening.’ It is this that is key to understanding the ‘preciousness’ of the word of God, and the opening up of the vision. It all requires our affirmative response. God will seem to say little if we are not listening. God will reveal little to us if we wander about, our eyes are half shut.
Always, when I read this passage of Samuel, I am reminded of the words of the hymn,
‘Here I am Lord,
Is it I lord?
I have heard you calling in the night.
I will go Lord,
If you need me,
I will hold your people in my hands.’
(Servant King, Schutte New Dawn Music)
In every era God has called women and men to renew and refresh our faith, just as he called Samuel in that time of spiritual deafness and blindness.
One such inspirational person in the Christian era (though there are many to choose from) is St. Benedict. Interestingly it is often the case that renewal comes from within the monastic life – the life committed to community, to prayer for the world, to contemplation, to study of scripture. Benedict is one of those towering monks who renewed faith across Europe against a background of social chaos and invasions from pagan tribes of Northern Europe such as the Visigoths. Out of the core of his prayer life and his faithful waiting upon God, he renewed orders of monastics and gave a stability to Christian witness across Europe.
The Rule of St. Benedict has been widely used and adapted for other monastic traditions – he himself beginning with the rule of St. Anthony of Egypt. The first few words of the Rule are the key to understanding the rest, ‘Listen carefully, my son, to the teachings of a master and incline the ear of your heart.’ (RB Prologue). ‘Listen’.
We know what St. Benedict means by ‘the ear of your heart’ even though we know it is an anatomical anomaly, however we should note that Benedict is not such a fool – there is part of the physical heart that is called the ‘auricle’, the ear. We need to be listening to God from the place of our passions, the heart, and we need to be doing more than looking, we need vision. God’s word is always issuing from the divine lips; God’s revelations are always before us; we need to listen with the ear of the heart, and to see with the eye of faith.
We have ‘dug down’ a bit on this passage from 1 Samuel. There will be a Lent Bible Study Group on offer in Lent. Remember our Lent will begin on March 17th. We will use the Lectio Divina method for these bible studies. Do join up on Zoom. I thought now we would move to begin our comments on the gospel reading, but, hey, we have had enough.
‘The word of the Lord was rare in those days; visions were not widespread.’
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