The passage that prompted today’s piece of #LentArt is the Old Testament text for this Sunday:
The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons."
Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you, and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you."
Samuel did what the LORD commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Do you come peaceably?"
He said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice. When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the Lord's anointed is now before the LORD."
But the LORD said to Samuel, "Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."
Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."
Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."
Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen any of these."
Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here."
He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The LORD said, "Rise and anoint him; for this is the one."
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.
1 Samuel 16:1-13
Throughout this past week the story of Samuel and the gradual downfall of Saul has been bubbling away in the background although none of the passages had prompted me to post a related piece of art, until today, when I posted this illuminated initial from the 15th century Bedford Psalter and Hours in the British Library.
The line that always leaps out to me from this passage is that “the LORD does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.” And in the context of this story it is a reminder that God works through people that you and I might easily disregard. Not just the strong and the more experienced but, as here, the young and inexperienced. In our own circuit two of our staff, Leah and Lynn have only recently joined us and are facing challenges they never expected when they “signed up.”
However, also in the text David is described: "Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome" and in this small initial he is illustrated in all his handsome ruddiness! But later in the story of David we discover that within his handsome exterior lay a lustful heart, that was prepared to use, and abuse his authority to essentially rape Bathsheba and murder her husband. Yet this man is God’s anointed king, going on to attain legendary status in the identity of the nation of Israel and an ancestor of Jesus… indeed Jesus as the long expected Messiah, is described as the inheritor of David’s throne…
Leaders of nations, even overtly God-anointed leaders of nations, are not always paragons of virtue. Indeed some become leaders because they are ruthless enough to lie and betray others at strategic times. Others may well be good and noble but have their heads turned by the authority granted to them (that was definitely the case with David’s son Solomon). Yet despite their flaws some are the right people at the right time. Churchill, JFK, MLK are three patently flawed men in the past century, who, if they lived today would have had their private lives dissected daily on 24 hour news and social media, yet who despite their fallibility still did key things at the right time that have made a significant difference to the lives of people then and since. That doesn’t excuse anything that they did wrong, but the things they did right should not be discounted… and there are probably thousands of other examples…
At present leaders across the world are facing incalculable challenges. Some of those in political power at present I have little respect for, either because of their ideologies or what I know of their attitudes and actions to others in the past. With, some I may even doubt their competencies. But for all that, I am praying for them all, their advisors and those who have to implement their decisions. I pray that God might anoint them with what is needed for this hour: wisdom, compassion, strength… and particularly that ability to see the both the detail, that illuminators like the one responsible for this piece had, as well as the big picture.
PRAYER
Based on 1 Timothy 2:1-2
“I urge therefore, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone - for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness”
Let us pray for all those in positions of authority
· Our Prime Minister, his cabinet and advisors
· Our First and Deputy First Ministers in Northern Ireland, the Executive and their advisors and civil servants
· Other public representatives
· Other world leaders, recognising that this is a global pandemic
· Business leaders
· Church leaders, including our own President, Secretary and Connexional Coordinating Team
May they not only know God’s guidance but also know that ultimately they will be accountable not just to an electorate, or shareholders or church members but to God
May they and their families will be protected from harm
May they act righteously and compassionately on the basis of wise, informed and godly counsel and not out of expediency or in response to public clamour, courting popularity
May they be good stewards of the resources that God has placed at their disposal
May they exercise integrity and honesty in all their dealings
May they be above reproach in their private lives whatever has been the case in the past
May they not abuse the power which God has entrusted to them but would have the necessary discernment to recognize what is wrong and to reject it
May they see themselves as servants rather than masters or mistresses
May they not use their office to promote their own agenda over the wellbeing of others
And in the words of the Book of Common Prayer
Eternal God, in whose perfect kingdom no sword is drawn but the sword of righteousness, no strength known but the strength of love: So mightily spread abroad your Spirit, that all peoples may be gathered under the banner of the Prince of Peace, as children of one Father; to whom be dominion and glory, now and for ever. Amen.
Shalom
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