Of
Fathers and Sons (1 Samuel 2:11-36)
I noticed a similarity between Eli and his two sons and Samuel and
his two sons. Both Eli and Samuel were good priests of the Lord. But both their
sons, although they became priests as well and judged the people of Israel,
they were wicked in their ways. This reminded me of what Kenny told us about
prioritising family over ministry. Yes, Eli and especially Samuel were good
servants of the Lord, but they weren't able to effectively pass the faith on to
the next generation (which were their sons). And as what Jeff Cavins said, it
only takes one generation to not pass the faith to the next generation to grow
a society of lukewarm Catholics. This is also similar to what happened to the
Israelites when they were in Kadesh Barnea. The generation who entered the
promised land did not know God and thus prostituted themselves to the false
gods.
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Pat P
I find it interesting in the first book of Samuel, how the Lord
curses the House of Eli because Eli knows his sons are misbehaving against the
Lord’s wishes and Eli does not react against his own family. It speaks to me
because I empathize with Eli. It is our family and those we care about the most
we find hardest to speak against.
It makes me think of what it means to be a family. To the immediate
eye a family is a father, mother, and children. But the reality is that we are
all brothers and sisters in Christ. And as a child whose definition of home was
so fluid, I find my Christian family defines me as much as my physical family,
racial background, and cultural affiliations.
Eli's inability to rebuke and redirect his family brings down the
wrath of The Lord.
And so we must be watchful and observant to ourselves and each of
our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is important because wherever there is
light, shadow will follow. We must be present in the lives of one another to
ensure our actions are not based on sin and do indeed glorify God.
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Surath F
False
Idols (1 Samuel 7:3)
This reminded me of what Fritz and Fr. Michael always tell us regarding
throwing out any idols or items that are not in keeping with the faith (ie.
oujia boards, charms, etc). I've heard some scary stories about evil coming from
keeping those items in the house.
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Pat P
The power of the Ark to bring about the destruction of the Philistines
also speaks to me. It reminds me the power of God to destroy all false idols.
Just as the ancients were presented with many false idols, we today are
presented with the false idolatry of money, power and flesh to name a few. When
we let God not just into our minds, but most importantly into our hearts, He
destroys these false idols. In so doing, He resurrects our hearts with His
will.
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Surath F
Israel
Demands for a King (1 Samuel 8)
I find the passage about people asking for a king interesting. As Samuel
prays about this, the Lord responds saying to obey the people, "it is not
you they have rejected; they have rejected me from ruling them" (1 Samuel
8:7). This is a turning point of Israel's history. The sovereignty of The Lord
is basic to Israel's existence. Now we are seeing an earthly king. A large
reason for this is to keep the Philistines at bay.
To me it emphasizes the inability of the Israelites to put faith in the
infinite God that delivered them from Egypt, focusing rather on a finite
monarchy. As Samuel indicates, this finite monarchy comes with the shortcomings
of humanity such as tithes, conscription, and so on.
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Surath F
David
and Jonathan (1 Samuel 18)
David was a king, a musician, singer, a man after Gods heart, an animal
lover, and a war hero to name a few. It's no wonder many women were after
him. I'm thinking if David were alive in
modern times, he will be my celebrity crush!
Jonathan and David's friendship was truly amazing. It's something I
never tire reading about. How Jonathan and David instantly bonded. We often
know that to be best friends with someone usually stems from having common
interests. When I read their story, I feel they shared a common bond, which was
their love for Israel, and I am pretty sure as best friends, they would have
talked about God too.
I find Jonathan extremely remarkable as well. A humble prince. He was
not jealous of David's success but instead rejoiced so much so that he put in
his own priestly robe and armour on David. Jonathan could have instantly
recognized the light in David and knew that God was with him that he was able
to defeat the Philistines.
Also, I like how in 1 Samuel 20, Jonathan stays a loyal friend and makes
a promise to David to protect him from his own father. I also see courage in
Jonathan how he stood up to his father for the sake of his friend. He knows
that God has chosen David as king. Where his father seems to oppose God's will,
Jonathan seems to accept that he will not be the next king and shows support
for the one that God has chosen by confronting his father when he asks what
David has done that he should be put to death.
It's a blessing to have a true friend like that and I earnestly believed
that God had a part in the friendship David and Jonathan shared. They were more
than friends but were as close as brothers. Then there is the part were
Jonathan tells David that he must run for his life and they cry knowing that they
will probably not see each other again. That is so heartbreakingly beautiful.
-
Elizabeth E
David’s
Sin and Nathan’s Condemnation (2 Samuel 11-12)
I liked the part when the prophet Nathan confronted King David about
having Uriah killed. How he made a parallel example of the rich man with many
flocks and the poor man having only this one sheep that he loves most.
Uriah was a very righteous man. He wouldn’t even go to his house and lay
with his wife because he couldn’t bear the thought of being comfortable in his
own house while his brothers are fighting at the frontlines. And here comes
David with a lot of wives and concubine, thinking he could commit sin and
outsmart Uriah and the Lord.
The initial sin he committed (adultery) was followed up with another, even graver sin (murder). Looking back at it makes me wonder what the wise
thing he could’ve done after he got Bathsheba pregnant. Could he have gone back
to the Lord and consulted the Lord with what he needs to do instead of relying on his own power, wisdom and
scheming on Uriah's death, would it have been a different ending?
I felt really sad with the story. It made me reflect on my own as well.
How many times have I thought I could outsmart God and get away with it? Or
rather, how many times have I failed to humble myself to God and in the end,
compounding one sin after the other?
-
Pat P
David’s
Forgiving Heart (2 Samuel 14:25-33)
I'm quite amazed how David was able to forgive Saul and Absalom. I
mean, these are people who are dear to him, the other being his son too. Both
these men wanted David dead. It would've hurt him somehow that these men whom
he trusted have betrayed him. And yet, David forgave and was merciful towards
them. He didn’t kill Saul when he had the chance to and he told his soldiers
not to kill Absalom.
I'm more like Joab. I saw that Absalom would be beneficial to the king
initially and so he schemed so David would take Absalom back. But when Absalom
proved to be trouble in the end, he killed him despite David's orders not to.
And how he reacted to David's grief over Absalom. Yeah, it was selfish.
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Pat P
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