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Sermons from Commons Church. Intellectually honest. Spiritually passionate. Jesus at the centre. Since 2014.
Because even though God is willing to work with what the people want, give in to demands that God deems inappropriate that are not going to lead them anywhere good, I'm struck by this posture God takes that inherited power is inherently toxic. We have been tracing our way through the era of the Judges. We made our way now to the last of them, a man named Samuel. And, just to remind you of context, the book of Judges is really there to demonstrate the chaos of an era without leadership. Moses leads his people out of slavery in Egypt.
Jeremy Duncan:Joshua leads those people into the land where they settle. But after that, the Hebrew people enter into this period of ad hoc, situational, crisis based leadership. And in this period, the 12 tribes are really barely hanging together. There's no real central vision. And for the most part, the people are not even particularly committed to this God that has rescued them as that firsthand experience of rescue recedes from their memory.
Jeremy Duncan:And by the way, I think there is something there for all of us to pay attention to. Sometimes the hard fought lessons of the past can be really hard to hold on to. Once we find ourselves even just a generation or 2 removed from them And this is important. There's wisdom in learning where you come from. There's wisdom in understanding why things are the way that they are.
Jeremy Duncan:Now sometimes when you learn why things are the way they are, you understand even more clearly why they need to change to go forward. So this is not a hold on to the past at all costs kind of moment. But there are lessons that we need to receive from those who've come before us. And often that doesn't happen unless we actively search those lessons out from those who've come before us. It is surprisingly easy for memories to be lost.
Jeremy Duncan:And so the book of 1st Samuel is really all about the Hebrew people being pulled out of the chaotic mess of the judges where they forgot their own story and being set on a path toward becoming a nation. And last week we encountered the crisis that sets Samuel on the path to leading Israel as their last judge. Today, we actually get to see Him in action. So let's pray, and then we'll dive in because, again, today we've got a lot of ground to cover for one sermon. God of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, God who has always been there from the very beginning guiding and shaping, God who has always been patiently walking alongside the human story to bring us forward, to bring us home.
Jeremy Duncan:As we encounter our story today and we work to find our place in it, as we struggle to move that same story forward in new ways toward your kingdom imagination this week, might we also find the spaces where we can slow down and listen and learn from those who have walked this path before us. Right? The tension of pushing forward and at the same time looking back, always be present in our journeys. And in that, might we humbly play some small part in the larger story that surrounds us. As we look back today with fresh eyes renewed by the light of Christ, may we look for your goodness in the story and discover your grace all around us.
Jeremy Duncan:Might we be compelled to move forward this week with love for those near us. In the strong name of the risen Christ, we pray. Amen. Today, it's Samuel's moment in charge. And we're gonna cover ancient graffiti, peace treaties, more wayward sons, and then finally trading one mistake for another.
Jeremy Duncan:But let's start by picking up right where we left off last week. Because if you remember the Israelites start a war of aggression against the Philistines and they lose. And in doing so, they lose the Ark of the Covenant that represented God on earth for them. Now that doesn't go well for anyone, including the Philistines. Hemorrhoids are involved.
Jeremy Duncan:It's all kind of a bummer. Give me that one. Come on. But eventually, the Philistines return the ark and Samuel calls the people to repentance. So that's where we left off in chapter 7 verse 6.
Jeremy Duncan:But in verse 7, we read this. When the Philistines heard that the Israelites had assembled at Mizpah, the rulers of the Philistines came up to attack them. When the Israelites heard this, they were afraid because of the Philistines. And they said to Samuel, do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us that he may rescue us from the hand of the Philistines. Now, unfortunately, it seems that no one has really learned the lessons from last week at all.
Jeremy Duncan:But there are some interesting questions here. I mean, first, why on earth are the Philistines now even thinking about attacking? Remember, they were just attacked by Israel. They defeated them and captured the ark. But realizing that was a mistake, they decided to return it.
Jeremy Duncan:And now, just after returning the ark, with gifts by the way, they prepare to escalate hostilities all over again. I mean, what gives? Well, there is some question here about what the Philistines actually think is happening at Mizpah. We know as readers that the Israelites are gathering to repent, but the last time that the Israelites gathered at Mizpah was at the end of Judges chapter 10. And that time, they absolutely were massing for an attack.
Jeremy Duncan:So, it is very possible that this religious gathering that Samuel has called for looks like a precursor to war. And so, the Philistines decide, well, we better strike first. And if that's the case, then this battle that follows is the result of a breakdown in communication. And that would be tragically plausible given everything that we know about human history and what we know about warfare. And look I'm not saying that you are going to go to war over a misinterpreted prayer gathering.
Jeremy Duncan:But listen to this. Sometimes assuming the worst about someone has terrible consequences for all of us. So be wise, but please don't jump to conclusions that you can't walk back from. Now the second possibility here is simply that the Philistines, having had the Ark of the Covenant in their possession, are very keenly aware of the threat that the Israelites pose. And now seeing them all gathered in one place is just too tempting a target.
Jeremy Duncan:And so, they do very quickly switch from reconciliation to aggression. And instead of attempting to make peace, they decide look, this is our chance. We attack now. We remove a threat from the board. What's important though here is to notice the difference between what we saw last week.
Jeremy Duncan:Remember chapter 4, verse 2, the Israelites sallied forth in battle against the Philistines. And this week, chapter 7, verse 8, they cry out to the Lord that they might be saved from the hand of the Philistines. Those are 2 very different verses, and what follows are 2 very different outcomes. We talked about this last week but I want to come back to it because it's really important. The problem under Eli's leadership is that Israel engages a war of aggression.
Jeremy Duncan:The Philistines are not bearing down on them. Israel is just itching for a fight. And God says, not interested. Even if you pull all the strings, even if you drag the Ark of the Covenant in to represent me, this is your war. It's not mine.
Jeremy Duncan:I'm out. And that little story in chapter 4 can honestly feel kind of throw away when you read it. It almost feels like it's there just to serve as the transition from Eli to Samuel, but it feels really important to me. Because I think after all of the chaos of all of the judges, we are finally starting to understand the character of this God. This God who has an agenda apart from the politics of Israel.
Jeremy Duncan:This God who's more interested in a way forward rather than just being celebrated as powerful. This God who's willing to lose, to be humiliated even if it serves the greater good. Like, I might even argue that this little story in first Samuel, without it, it's hard to understand the humility of the cross that comes later. Why would any God allow themselves to appear so fragile? In fact, that's precisely one of the criticisms that was levied against early Christian communities.
Jeremy Duncan:For example, there's this really famous, scratching or carving from the 2nd century that was discovered in Rome. It's called the alexamenos graffito. But essentially, it's this sort of crude graffiti epithet that was carved into a wall. And I'll put it on the screen here. There's an image of the actual carving, and then there's a drawing, so you can see what's going on a little more clearly here.
Jeremy Duncan:But that's Jesus on the cross, with a donkey head to illustrate how silly this person thought the whole idea was. And underneath, he scratched the inscription, Alexa Munoz worships his God. Essentially, this was just someone making fun of their neighbor for being a Christian because they thought the whole idea of a crucified savior was absurd. I mean, why would any God worth worshiping allow that to happen to them? Now, of course, as Christians we believe that self sacrificing love is the very heart of the divine.
Jeremy Duncan:That is precisely what Jesus shows us about God. But the truth is that answer goes all the way back even into the story that we read last week. In fact I would argue it's woven through the whole story of the Bible. It's just that we miss it a lot of the time. God has always been willing to appear weak.
Jeremy Duncan:God has never cared about any of our measures of strength to begin with. In fact, as far as God is concerned, strength was never about any of our perceptions anyway. It's not some puffed up macho bravado. Divine strength has always been about the commitment to see through what is right, to stand up for justice when necessary, but also very much to walk away from violence that drags us back into cycles of never ending war. And what we saw last week is that this God has been willing to lose since before that made any sense to any of us.
Jeremy Duncan:In the words of the theologian, Lil Wayne, real g's move in silence like lasagna. And sometimes power looks more like quiet peace than it does like celebratory praise, and sometimes that's something that all of us could stand to hang on to. K. Let's pick up our story here. Because the Philistines prepare to attack and the Israelites cry out to be saved.
Jeremy Duncan:And this time, unlike their previous battles, they win. So verse 13. So the Philistines were subdued, and they stopped invading Israel's territory. Throughout Samuel's lifetime, the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines. From the towns of Ekron to Gath, all that the Philistines had captured were restored to Israel.
Jeremy Duncan:And Israel delivered the neighboring territory from the hand of the Philistines. There was peace between Israel and the Amorites. Now, Samuel continued as Israel's leader all the days of his life. Interesting little phrase here to end this section that I want to talk about. There was peace between Israel and the Amorites.
Jeremy Duncan:Seems a bit of a thrown in the end. Right? This whole section, 3 battles now, have all been about the Philistines and yet the section closes with peace between Israel and the Amorites. And the question here is about who these Amorites are. This term is somewhat nebulous, but it does seem to be used by the biblical writers as a broad name for the indigenous Canaanite nations.
Jeremy Duncan:If you recall, the Philistines, as an example, are not from Canaan. Right? They are a group of settlers coming down from the northern Aegean Sea. And, there's lots of other groups moving into this area during the Bronze Age. The Amorites were a Semitic group with connections to the Levant all the way back into the Sumerian dynasty.
Jeremy Duncan:And there's various subgroups and nations under that title. But the title seems to be used in the Bible, at least, to refer to what we might call the OG Canaanites. Robert Alter cites Shmuel Aronski's work here to suggest that what the writer is communicating here with this line, they delivered the neighboring territories from the hand of the Philistines, is that the Hebrews have actually established peace with a whole group of the surrounding neighbors by fighting on their behalf. Which again demonstrates that there's a much more complex relationship between the Hebrew people and their Canaanite neighbors than it might appear at other times in the Bible. Things are difficult and nuanced.
Jeremy Duncan:And that makes sense to me both in the way that the title Amorite is used in the Bible, but also in the narrative here. We see God withdraw from the war of aggression that starts the whole section, but then support Israel when they call out for salvation and in doing so God helps to establish peace in the region for at least a generation between a whole host of different nations. There are really important themes that are being seeded here in the story, even in these formational stories as Israel moves its way toward nationhood. We just have to be looking for them, and I would argue that looking through the lens of Jesus helps to highlight them for us. Still, we end here with Samuel leading Israel all the days of his life.
Jeremy Duncan:And yet, in chapter 8, we read that when Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel's leaders. The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. And anyone here who remembers Eli's scoundrel sons is probably a little suspicious at this point. And they are right to be, because Samuel's sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.
Jeremy Duncan:Now, there's this really interesting bit of wordplay here. If I was going to translate this very stiffly, literally, I might say something like this. Samuel's sons bent toward money and accepted bribes. They bent justice in their favor. It's actually the same root in both accusations.
Jeremy Duncan:It means to bend away from what is straight. Literally, it means to steer something sideways. They bend toward money, and in doing so, they bend justice away from those who need it. And that makes me think of a few things. First, I think very rarely do we ever start off making, like, 90 degree turns in our lives.
Jeremy Duncan:I think more likely, we tend to slowly inch our way off a couple of degrees, until eventually we look back and we realize we're pointing in the completely wrong direction. In other words, we bend ourselves, at least at first, which is part of why I do think small decisions matter a lot more than we sometimes realize. 2nd, I think there's a neat reminder of consequence here. In bending things towards themselves, what happens is that they bend justice convince ourselves that our choices aren't really going to hurt anybody. I'm just looking after me.
Jeremy Duncan:That's part of the game. We all do it. Got to get mine. And, obviously, in this situation, if you're a judge and you accept a bribe, that's clearly going to impact someone else. But in a lot of situations that's a lot easier for us to paper over.
Jeremy Duncan:And maybe in reflecting on how we bend things toward ourselves, and that may bend something away from someone who needs it, I think that's a helpful exercise in properly evaluating the real impact of our choices on those neurons. Finally, though, I think this. I think the phrasing here is meant to show that Samuel's sons are bending, but perhaps not quite as far gone as Eli's quote scoundrel sons. Like, obviously, there's a parallel here. Right?
Jeremy Duncan:Two sons. They're all wayward. We're clearly meant to see that line up. But the language that was used to describe Eli's sons a few weeks ago, in English, it was rendered scoundrel. But the Hebrew there is the word belial, and that meant useless or wicked or good for nothing.
Jeremy Duncan:But over time, it actually became equated with the devil. Paul picks it up. He uses it in 2nd Corinthians. He writes, what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial?
Jeremy Duncan:So to call these kids Belial, like these are fighting words. These are bad dudes. Eli's sons are scoundrels. Samuel's sons are bending in the wrong direction. And I say that not to let them off the hook.
Jeremy Duncan:That's not the point at all. I say that because in appointing sons that were very clearly unfit for their role, us Eli essentially loses any of the actual authority in the community. Now, he still has the apparent authority of the title that goes along with it. But the truth is, by the time he's done, everybody has lost confidence in his leadership because they know he makes bad choices. Samuel, on the other hand, has made some very similar bad choices.
Jeremy Duncan:But as of yet, those choices haven't become his leadership in the eyes of the community. Does that make sense? I actually think about this a lot in the context of my job and leadership at church. I make bad choices all the time. I make bad choices for the church.
Jeremy Duncan:I make bad choices with the staff. I make bad choices with my family. And there's a lot of grace to cover over a lot of bad choices. At least, I know there has been for me, and I'm incredibly grateful for that. But I think what enables the kind of grace that is necessary to lead in any community is the kind of leader that's willing to learn about and acknowledge their bad choices.
Jeremy Duncan:As a parent, when you are unwilling or incapable of listening to how your kids receive your decisions, Or as a friend, when you are unwilling to take criticism from people that you're supposed to care about, as a boss, when you're unwilling to hear where you have dropped the ball at times, when people begin to perceive that you are unable to learn from your bad choices, that's when your bad choices become your leadership in their mind. And honestly, there's probably no coming back from that. Look, I know people talk about getting canceled all the time these days. But in my experience, you can actually mess up a lot of things. But if you can also demonstrate that you're willing to listen and learn and then actually change as a result, there's probably far more grace available to you than you might think.
Jeremy Duncan:And if you're worried that some of your choices have bent a little bit in the wrong direction, then you can start by asking some questions of people that you trust and then honestly listening to what comes back to you and making changes. Now, that doesn't mean that there are consequences for those bad choices. And so we read that all the elders of Israel gathered together, and they came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, you are old, and your sons do not follow your ways. Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.
Jeremy Duncan:We're going to talk about the problems with this request, the grief that it will cause, both for Samuel, for the Lord, for the people, all of that in just a second. But notice here, there's a really interesting exchange. The people closest to Samuel, the ones that know him best, that understand his leadership, they come to him and they say bluntly and honestly, look, friend, you have served well, but you've made some really bad decisions. And we cannot continue to head in the direction that you've set for us. The thing is you have led well and we do still trust you.
Jeremy Duncan:Can you appoint the one to take us forward next? I mean, this is a far more complex interaction than it might seem on the surface here. There's consequences. Samuel, you gotta go. And yet there is grace.
Jeremy Duncan:Can you help us determine who will lead us next? Hard situations require hard conversations. And sometimes all of that is like it's pretty hard to process Because what we read is that when they said this, give a king to lead us, this displeased Samuel, it's a very nice tidy translation. But the root here, what it actually means is that this shattered Samuel. And so he prayed to the Lord.
Jeremy Duncan:And the Lord told him, listen to all that the people are saying. But ultimately, it's not you they've rejected, it's me. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are now doing to you. So listen to them, but warn them solemnly. Let them know what a king will claim as his right.
Jeremy Duncan:The text goes on from here to outline just how terrible a king will be for everyone. He will use your sons as soldiers. He will take the best land for himself. He will force you to make weapons for his wars and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters as perfumers and cooks and bakers.
Jeremy Duncan:He will demand a tenth of everything that you have until you are basically slaves all over again. It said that people aren't listening. And so in verse 19, they say, nope. We want a king. And in verse 22, God answers, listen to them.
Jeremy Duncan:Give them what they want. And this right here is a fascinating ending to the era of the judges. We have Samuel, who has, for all intents and purposes, actually been a pretty good leader for a very long time. And yet, now at the end, he stumbles in the last stretch by appointing his sons as if he was, well, honestly, a king. And yet, the people say, look, if you're just going to appoint your sons anyway, then why don't you give us a real monarchy like all the other nations?
Jeremy Duncan:And he takes that kind of personally. To be perfectly honest here, it does feel a little hypocritical from Samuel. But then most of our bad choices are a little hypocritical. I get it. But what really intrigues me here is God's response to it all.
Jeremy Duncan:Because even though God is willing to work with what the people want, give in to demands that God deems inappropriate that are not going to lead them anywhere good, I'm struck by this posture God takes that inherited power is inherently toxic. And for me, this goes all the way back to that conversation about apparent and actual authority in communities. A parent authority is titles. It's a name, the cache that comes with your position. Apparent authority is when someone demands that you listen to them because their office is nicer than yours.
Jeremy Duncan:And the truth is that's how a lot of the world works. I get it. Except I don't think that's ever how the kingdom of God was intended to operate. Because real authority, the only kind that really matters in all of our relationships, has never really been about the ability to tell someone what to do. It's only ever been about the influence that's earned in our relationships.
Jeremy Duncan:Through demonstrating over and again that you are trustworthy and showing people that you actually do care about their best interests, that's what really matters. And it seems to me that that kind of influence is actually the only kind of authority that God has ever wanted any of us to exercise in our relationships with each other. God doesn't want someone who gets to be in charge. God wants each of us to earn the right to lead each other every single day. And I get it.
Jeremy Duncan:Titles are easier. Hierarchies are just a lot cleaner, especially when it comes to a nation, particularly when we are feeling threatened and someone comes along and tells us that they alone can save us if we just cede control to them. And I happen to think that's a scary thing when it comes to our politics, but I absolutely believe it's anathema to the way of God. Authority does not vest in a title. It takes shape in the ways that we demonstrate our care for each other.
Jeremy Duncan:Anything less is counterfeit. As a pastor, I'm telling you now that if someone demands your allegiance to them because they are a pastor or because they have the degrees or because they wrote the book on it, you should probably run from that as quickly as possible. Because eventually, that kind of leadership will take your best for themselves and force you to make weapons for their wars. It will demand a tenth of everything that you have, just like kings have always done to all of us. Sometimes the Bible is at its best when it shows us what to absolutely steer clear of.
Jeremy Duncan:And I'm not saying leadership is bad. I'm not saying God can't speak to you through a person. That happens all the time. It's happened many times in my life before. But any person who presumes to speak for God is taking for themselves the place that God wants for God's self in all of our lives directly, where God speaks and God guides, God cares and God provides, where God's spirit breathes in and through every rise and fall of your chest directly.
Jeremy Duncan:Because it's good to have good leadership that cares for us. But the simple truth is you don't need a monarch or a guru or even a pastor to lead you back to God. What you need is to get up every morning and pursue the way of Jesus one step at a time, one foot in front of another, trusting that He will get you all the way home. The rest of it is just about how we encourage each other along the way. And anything more than that is demanding for ourselves the place that God wants in each of our lives.
Jeremy Duncan:Let's pray. God, for all the times when we have just wanted someone to tell us what to do, to push us here or there, to direct our steps rather than turning to you and learning your way and submitting ourselves to grace and peace even when that's hard. For the times when we have done that to someone else and we've demanded that they follow our ideas and our steps, And we haven't done that in conversation and relationship but simply imposed ourselves on another. For all of this, we repent, and we ask that you, by your spirit, would be present in each of our lives, guiding us, shaping us, speaking to us, comforting us, leading us back to the way of Jesus and the story of your son and that life taking root inside of us, one step in front of another, stumble after stumble, but continually moving our way back to you. God, might we see our role in each other's lives as helps and encouragement.
Jeremy Duncan:And sometimes, yes, that means we need to speak a hard true word but we do that in conversation. We do it in relationship. We do it in love, understanding that our job is not to impose ourselves. Our job is to listen and to guide and to learn from you. May this be our way, and in that, may Christ be glorified and lead each of us home.
Jeremy Duncan:In the strong name the risen Christ we pray. Amen. Hey, Jeremy here and thanks for listening to our podcast. If you're intrigued by the work that we're doing here at commons, you can head to our website commons.church for more information. You can find us on all of the socials at commonschurch.
Jeremy Duncan:You can subscribe to our YouTube channel where we are posting content regularly for the community. You can also join our Discord server. Head to commons.church/discord for the invite and there you will find the community having all kinds of conversations about how we can encourage each other to follow the way of Jesus, we would love to hear from you. Anyway, thanks for tuning in. Have a great week.
Jeremy Duncan:We'll talk to you soon.