Daily Readings - Tue Jan 16 2024
1 Samuel
1The LORD said to Samuel, "How long will you grieve over Saul, since I have rejected him from being king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and go. I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons."2And Samuel said, "How can I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me." And the LORD said, "Take a heifer with you and say, 'I have come to sacrifice to the LORD.'3And invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what you shall do. And you shall anoint for me him whom I declare to you."4Samuel 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?"5And he said, "Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the LORD. Consecrate yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." And he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.6When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, "Surely the LORD's anointed is before him."7But 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 sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart."8Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."9Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, "Neither has the LORD chosen this one."10And Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel. And Samuel said to Jesse, "The LORD has not chosen these."11Then Samuel said to Jesse, "Are all your sons here?" And he said, "There remains yet the youngest, but behold, he is keeping the sheep." And Samuel said to Jesse, "Send and get him, for we will not sit down till he comes here."12And he sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy and had beautiful eyes and was handsome. And the LORD said, "Arise, anoint him, for this is he."13Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers. And the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon David from that day forward. And Samuel rose up and went to Ramah.
Mark
23One Sabbath he was going through the grainfields, and as they made their way, his disciples began to pluck heads of grain.24And the Pharisees were saying to him, "Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the Sabbath?"25And he said to them, "Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him:26how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?"27And he said to them, "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.28So the Son of Man is lord even of the Sabbath."
Sermon
The readings today invite us to reflect on God's perspective and the true purpose of religious practices. In 1 Samuel, we see Samuel being guided by God to anoint David, the youngest and seemingly insignificant son of Jesse. This story teaches us that God looks beyond outward appearances and values the heart. Similarly, in Mark's Gospel, Jesus challenges the Pharisees' strict adherence to Sabbath laws by emphasizing that human needs are paramount. He uses David's example of eating the sacred bread to illustrate that the spirit of the law should take precedence over its letter.
These passages remind us to trust in God's wisdom and discernment. Just as Samuel learned to look beyond appearances, we too should seek to understand God's deeper purposes. Jesus's defense of his disciples highlights the importance of compassion and flexibility in our religious practices. The Sabbath, a day of rest, was created for humanity's benefit, not as a rigid rule to be followed without consideration for human needs.
In our daily lives, these lessons encourage us to embrace humility and trust in God's plan. Let us not judge others by appearances or get entangled in legalistic thinking. Instead, let us focus on the heart, where true wisdom and understanding reside. By doing so, we align ourselves with God's perspective and live in the spirit of the law, prioritizing love and compassion above all else.