Day 1 (Monday)
1 Kingdoms 2:11-36 (Eli is Denounced)
Last time we read about Deborah, and the time that she judged Israel, and how the Lord delivered His people by the hand of two women, Deborah the judge, and Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite, who killed the general of the Canaanite armies as he slept with a wooden tent peg. We will leave the rest of the stories of the judges behind, and move forward to the book of 1 Kingdoms, also known as 1 Samuel, where we will see the last two judges, Eli the priest, and Samuel his successor. Samuel, you may remember, was the son of Hannah and Elkanah her husband; Hannah had been barren, but had prayed to God for a son, and had promised to dedicate that son to the Lord’s service, so after God granted her request, once her son Samuel had been weaned, she brought him to the Tabernacle at Shiloh, where we pick up the story in chapter 2, verse 11.
Eli’s Wicked Sons
11 Then…[Samuel] remained to minister to the Lord, in the presence of the priest Eli.
12 Now the sons of Eli were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord 13 or for the duties of the priests to the people. When anyone offered sacrifice, the priest’s servant would come, while the meat was boiling, with a three-pronged fork in his hand, 14 and he would thrust it into the pan, or kettle, or caldron, or pot; all that the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is what they did at Shiloh to all the Israelites who came there. 15 Moreover, before the fat was burned, the priest’s servant would come and say to the one who was sacrificing, “Give meat for the priest to roast; for he will not accept boiled meat from you, but only raw.” 16 And if the man said to him, “Let them burn the fat first, and then take whatever you wish,” he would say, “No, you must give it now; if not, I will take it by force.” 17 Thus the sin of the young men was very great in the sight of the Lord; for they treated the offerings of the Lord with contempt.
The Child Samuel at Shiloh
18 Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy wearing a linen ephod. 19 His mother used to make for him a little robe and take it to him each year, when she went up with her husband to offer the yearly sacrifice. 20 Then Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, and say, “May the Lord repay you with children by this woman for the gift that she made to the Lord”; and then they would return to their home.
21 And the Lord took note of Hannah; she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters. And the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord.
Prophecy against Eli’s Household
22 Now Eli was very old. He heard all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 He said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is not a good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If one person sins against another, someone can intercede for the sinner with the Lord; but if someone sins against the Lord, who can make intercession?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father; for it was the will of the Lord to kill them.
26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and with the people.
27 A man of God came to Eli and said to him, “Thus the Lord has said, ‘I revealed myself to the family of your ancestor in Egypt when they were slaves to the house of Pharaoh. 28 I chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to offer incense, to wear an ephod before me; and I gave to the family of your ancestor all my offerings by fire from the people of Israel. 29 Why then look with greedy eye at my sacrifices and my offerings that I commanded, and honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choicest parts of every offering of my people Israel?’
30 Therefore the Lord the God of Israel declares: ‘I promised that your family and the family of your ancestor should go in and out before me forever’; but now the Lord declares: ‘Far be it from me; for those who honor me I will honor, and those who despise me shall be treated with contempt. 31 See, a time is coming when I will cut off your strength and the strength of your ancestor’s family, so that no one in your family will live to old age. 32 Then in distress you will look with greedy eye on all the prosperity that shall be bestowed upon Israel; and no one in your family shall ever live to old age. 33 The only one of you whom I shall not cut off from my altar shall be spared to weep out his eyes and grieve his heart; all the members of your household shall die by the sword.
34 The fate of your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, shall be the sign to you—both of them shall die on the same day. 35 I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who shall do according to what is in my heart and in my mind. I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed one forever. 36 Everyone who is left in your family shall come to implore him for a piece of silver or a loaf of bread, and shall say, Please put me in one of the priest’s places, that I may eat a morsel of bread.’”
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that this reading highlights what is an unusual reality in the Scripture, as God brings judgment to a specific person and family. We can see a normal pattern, in which God is generally merciful and patient, but His wrath comes strongly upon those who He has placed in positions of authority, who have then abused that authority. It is this sort of judgment that we are seeing in this passage, as Eli the priest, and his sons, and all their household, are disinherited from the service of the Lord, and the priesthood is given to a different household of the descendants of Aaron. We should note that the prophecy in verse 35, where God promises to raise up a faithful high priest, is fulfilled in the time of King David, when Zadok, a descendant of Aaron’s son Eleazar, rather than Ithamar, from whom Eli is descended, becomes the high priest. We should note, as well, that the Sadduccees, who we have been seeing in the New Testament, are claiming to be descendants of Zadok, but that they are not, in fact. The true descendant of Zadok at the time of Christ is, in fact, John the Baptist, and thus we can see the prophecy that ends this passage fulfilled twice, once at the time of King David, and the second time in perfection with John the Baptist heralding the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 2 (Wednesday)
Saint Theophan the Recluse – The Path of Prayer – Sermon 2-4
Last time we saw St. Theophan’s initial advice about how to bring prayer out of the limited space of morning and evening prayers, and into our everyday pasttimes by calling out to God as we face each task and challenge of the day. We saw, especially, how he urged that we should not just pray in word, but in truth, earnestly seeking the Lord’s help and mercy in everything that we face. This time, he will give us a second way in which we may bring prayer into every moment of our lives.
Mental Prayer – 4
But before we can make the soul appeal to God in this way, it first must be made to turn everything to the glory of God: to attribute to Him our every activity, large or small. This is the second method: this is how to teach the soul to turn to God as often as possible during the day. If we give ourselves the task of fulfilling the apostolic commandment, to do everything to the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31) – even eating and drinking – then we will inevitably remember God whatever we do … and this not simply, but with circumspection, taking care that we do not act wrongly and do not trespass against God in any deed.
In turn, this will make us turn to God in fear, and to beg for His help and enlightenment. Then, because we are almost constantly doing something or other, we will find ourselves almost constantly turning to God in prayer – and in this we will be constantly practicing the art of uplifting the soul prayerfully towards God. But so that the soul may do this as it should – doing all things to the glory of God – it must be directed towards this from early morning onwards; from the very beginning of the day, before you go about your everyday business. Then it may last until evening.
This mood is induced by meditation on divine things … and this is the third method of training the soul to turn more frequently towards God. Meditation is a reverent reflection on godly attributes and actions, and on what our glimpses of them demand of us. There can be reflection on the Goodness of God; on His Justice, Wisdom, Might, Omnipotence – on His Providence, on His Dispensation to save us through the Incarnation, on His Mercy, on His Word, on the holy Sacraments, on the kingdom of heaven.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out the distinction between the 1st method, from last week, and this 2nd method; the 1st is a matter of what we say to God at each moment of the day, while the 2nd is a matter of how we understand our daily pasttimes. Either path leads to the other; if we can remember to verbally offer every moment to God, then we will come to see every moment as belonging to Him. But if we can change our way of thinking about our lives, and offer everything we do, and everything we are, to Him, then we will naturally cry out to Him in prayer at every moment of our day. The issue, of course, is that it is actually difficult to “flip a switch” in our way of thinking, and it is difficult to remember to call out to God all day long, so we also see the introduction to the third method, which we will discuss more next week.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?
Day 3 (Friday)
Matthew 23:1-39 (Jesus Denounces the Scribes and Pharisees)
Last time we saw Jesus face the Pharisees and Sadducees as they confronted Him in the Temple, and turn aside every effort they made to humiliate Him or to get Him in trouble with the Romans. This time, as they remain determinedly opposed to Him, we will see Him finally denounce them to the people.
Jesus Denounces Scribes and Pharisees
23 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, 2 “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat; 3 therefore, do whatever they teach you and follow it; but do not do as they do, for they do not practice what they teach. 4 They tie up heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on the shoulders of others; but they themselves are unwilling to lift a finger to move them.
5 They do all their deeds to be seen by others; for they make their phylacteries broad and their fringes long. 6 They love to have the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, and to have people call them rabbi.
8 But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all students. 9 And call no one your father on earth, for you have one Father—the one in heaven. 10 Nor are you to be called instructors, for you have one instructor, the Messiah. 11 The greatest among you will be your servant. 12 All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted.
13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you lock people out of the kingdom of heaven. For you do not go in yourselves, and when others are going in, you stop them. 15 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cross sea and land to make a single convert, and you make the new convert twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.
16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the sanctuary is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath.’ 17 You blind fools! For which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary that has made the gold sacred? 18 And you say, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing, but whoever swears by the gift that is on the altar is bound by the oath.’ 19 How blind you are! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred? 20 So whoever swears by the altar, swears by it and by everything on it; 21 and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it and by the one who dwells in it; 22 and whoever swears by heaven, swears by the throne of God and by the one who is seated upon it.
23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint, dill, and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. It is these you ought to have practiced without neglecting the others. 24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel!
25 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence. 26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may become clean.
27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs, which on the outside look beautiful, but inside they are full of the bones of the dead and of all kinds of filth. 28 So you also on the outside look righteous to others, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous, 30 and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have taken part with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’ 31 Thus you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your ancestors.
33 You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell? 34 Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, 35 so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. 36 Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation.
The Lament over Jerusalem
37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! 38 See, your house is left to you, desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.’”
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should point out that we have not really seen Jesus speak about the Pharisees in this way before. We have seen Him criticize them when they attacked Him, and we have seen Him preach to them in parables, demonstrating to them their foolishness in rejecting the very Messiah for whom they have been waiting and working. But here, as they persist in rejection of Him, He reveals the fullness of their hypocrisy, their fixation on money, their contentment with outward righteousness, even as they remain unwilling to actually address the inner sin. It is interesting to connect this passage with the denunciation of Eli and his sons in our Day 1 reading; it is those who have been entrusted with authority by God who are called to account most strictly, because when they sin, they abuse God’s gift for their own ends, and exploit those God entrusted to their care.)
2) Where do we see Christ in this text; what is He saying or doing here?
3) Do we see ourselves and the Church in this text; what does it say about us?
4) What do you find difficult about this reading? Is there anything confusing about it, or anything that you dislike? (This is an open question, as always. )
5) Does this reading make you think that you need to change anything in your life?