Day 1 (Monday)
1 Kingdoms/1 Samuel 8:1-22 (Israel Demands a King)
Last time we saw Israel actually repent, and come to Samuel asking for guidance. He told them to abandon the worship of Baal and Astarte, and to get rid of their idols, and to ask the Lord for mercy, and he offered the sacrifice of a young lamb, even as the Philistines came to attack Israel where they were gathered with Samuel. We saw the Lord accept Israel’s repentance, and fight against the Philistines for them, so that the Philistines fled from God’s thunder, and Israel was able to chase them away. Finally, we heard that God continued to defend Israel against the Philistines for as long as Samuel remained as judge, and how Samuel would travel from place to place judging Israel. This time, sadly, we will see Samuel’s time as judge come to an end, as a new generation of Israelites decides that they are tired of judges, and want the sort of “government” that all the other nations have.
Israel Demands a King
8 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beer-sheba. 3 Yet his sons did not follow in his ways, but turned aside after gain; they took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the Lord, 7 and the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
10 So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12 and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. 15 He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. 16 He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
Israel’s Request for a King Granted
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! but we are determined to have a king over us, 20 so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 When Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and set a king over them.” Samuel then said to the people of Israel, “Each of you return home.”
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note that the request for a king, on its own, is not necessarily the problem. In the Torah, that is, in the Five Books of Moses, God had given instructions to the people about how to select a king, and what that king should do, in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. These instructions address many of the concerns that Samuel expresses to the people, telling them that a king who is “like those of the nations around them” will do all of these troubling things. Ultimately, the issues that Samuel mentions will trouble Israel’s monarchy until the Babylonian Captivity; the only king that will actually care for His people is the Lord Himself, although His ancestor according to the flesh, David the King, served as an image of good kingship for a long time.)
2) What do we learn about God in this reading?
3) What do we learn about human beings in this reading?
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)
Epistle of St. Clement to the Corinthians (translated by Roberts-Donaldson)
Last time we saw St. Clement explain the roots of the division and sedition in the Church of Corinth, warning the Christians there against the dangers of envy. He provided many examples from the Old Testament, starting with Cain’s envy of Abel, and then continued too into the age of the Church, discussing the martyrdoms of St. Peter and St. Paul as the fruit of envy, and the grievous persecutions suffered by Christian women as further fruit of the same sin. This time, we will see him exhort them to repentance.
Letter of Clement to the Corinthians: Chapters 7-9
CHAPTER 7 — AN EXHORTATION TO REPENTANCE.
These things, beloved, we write to you, not merely to admonish you of your duty, but also to remind ourselves. For we are struggling in the same arena, and the same conflict is assigned to both of us. So let us give up vain and fruitless cares, and approach to the glorious and venerable rule of our holy calling. Let us attend to what is good, pleasing, and acceptable in the sight of Him who formed us.
Let us look steadfastly to the blood of Christ, and see how precious that blood is to God, which, having been shed for our salvation, has set the grace of repentance before the whole world. Let us turn to every age that has passed, and learn that, from generation to generation, the Lord has granted a place of repentance to all who would be converted to Him. Noah preached repentance, and as many as listened to him were saved. Jonah proclaimed destruction to the Ninevites; but they, repenting of their sins, propitiated God by prayer, and obtained salvation, although they were aliens [to the covenant] of God.
CHAPTER 8 — CONTINUATION RESPECTING REPENTANCE.
The ministers of the grace of God have, by the Holy Spirit, spoken of repentance; and the Lord of all things has himself declared with an oath regarding it, "As I live, says the Lord, I desire not the death of the sinner, but rather his repentance;" adding, moreover, this gracious declaration: "Repent O house of Israel, of your iniquity. Say to the children of My people, Though your sins reach from earth to heaven, and though they be redder than scarlet, and blacker than sackcloth, if you turn to Me with your whole heart, and say, Father! I will listen to you, as to a holy people."
And in another place He says: "Wash, and become clean; put away the wickedness of your souls from before my eyes; cease from your evil ways, and learn to do well; seek out judgment, deliver the oppressed, judge the fatherless, and see that justice is done to the widow; and come, and let us reason together. He declares, "Though your sins be like crimson, I will make them white as snow; though they be like scarlet, I will whiten them like wool. And if you are willing and obey Me, you shall eat the good of the land; but if you refuse, and will not listen to Me, the sword shall devour you, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things." Desiring, therefore, that all His beloved should be partakers of repentance, He has, by His almighty will, established [these declarations].
CHAPTER 9 — EXAMPLES OF THE SAINTS.
So let us yield obedience to His excellent and glorious will; and imploring His mercy and loving-kindness, while we forsake all fruitless labours, and strife, and envy, which leads to death, let us turn and have recourse to His compassions. Let us steadfastly contemplate those who have perfectly ministered to His excellent glory. Let us take (for instance) Enoch, who, being found righteous in obedience, was translated, and death was never known to happen to him? Noah, being found faithful, preached regeneration to the world through his ministry; and the Lord saved by him the animals which, with one accord, entered into the ark.
The translation is taken from the following website: http://earlychristianwritings.com/text/1clement-roberts.html
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 how, having established envy as the great sin in last week’s reading, and having emphasized how those who suffered because of envy, the Apostles and martyrs, were faithful and raised to glory, Clement is now inviting both himself, and all those who read his letter, to repentance, showing from the Old Testament that this is nothing new, but has always been the path to salvation. This point accomplishes several things at once. First of all, it assures them that God will accept them back, although they have indeed fallen away. Second, it shows them the path which they need to walk, and gives them examples of this. Third, it connects with the saints and martyrs of whom he spoke last time, who exhibited the fruits of repentance in all their life, rejecting the sin of envy themselves, and rather enduring the suffering caused by that envy by turning towards the Lord in trust and faithfulness, and invites the Corinthians to walk that same path. Finally, it makes clear that everyone in Corinth has the same path back: both those who began the sedition and division, and those who suffered from it, but fell into sin as a result of it…all are called to repentance, all are called to turn away from the strife and envy of this world and turn towards the Lord, just as Enoch and Noah did, despite living in a world consumed by evil, envy, and violence. They did not fight against it…they simply turned towards the Lord.)
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 13:10-30 (Purpose of Parables, Sower Parable Explained, Parable of Weeds among Wheat)
Last time we saw Jesus speaking to the Pharisees, and to all the crowds, showing them in parables the consequences of rejection, and how by refusing Him entry into their hearts, they left a space which all kinds of evil would rush in and fill. He told them, as well, the famous parable of the Sower, about the man who planted seed in all kinds of different ground, and how the ground bore fruit in a variety of different ways, and how the seeds were carried away, or trampled, or the new shoots were choked by thorns, etc, and how some of the seed fell and grew in good soil. This time, He will explain the parable, and why it is that He speaks in parables.
The Purpose of the Parables
10 Then the disciples came and asked him, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 He answered, “To you it has been given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For to those who have, more will be given, and they will have an abundance; but from those who have nothing, even what they have will be taken away. 13 The reason I speak to them in parables is that ‘seeing they do not perceive, and hearing they do not listen, nor do they understand.’ 14 With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah that says:
‘You will indeed listen, but never understand,
and you will indeed look, but never perceive.
15 For this people’s heart has grown dull,
and their ears are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes;
so that they might not look with their eyes,
and listen with their ears,
and understand with their heart and turn—
and I would heal them.’
16 But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. 17 Truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.
The Parable of the Sower Explained
18 “Hear then the parable of the sower. 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20 As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet such a person has no root, but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22 As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of the world and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23 But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields, in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty.”
The Parable of Weeds among the Wheat
24 He put before them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; 25 but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and then went away. 26 So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared as well. 27 And the slaves of the householder came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where, then, did these weeds come from?’ 28 He answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ The slaves said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he replied, ‘No; for in gathering the weeds you would uproot the wheat along with them. 30 Let both of them grow together until the harvest; and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, Collect the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.’”
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note that these two parables are connected. Before the Lord explains the Parable of the Sower, He explains why He speaks in parables, and then He explains the meaning of the Sower and His seed, before continuing to the slightly different parable about the weeds among the wheat. This second parable illustrates the purpose of parables. That is to say, the Lord speaks in parables without explanation to those who are presently unwilling to hear and understand. In this way, they hear the invitation, they hear the Word of God, and what they have heard may begin to work upon them, but the point is veiled, so that they are not faced with an immediate, final choice to reject or accept the Lord’s Word. In this way, they are not condemned immediately, and are given time still to repent. So, too, in the parable of the weeds among the wheat, the Lord of the harvest tells His servants not to try to remove the weeds before the time, lest they damage the crop before the harvest, but to wait until harvest time, and then to separate the weeds from the good harvest. In short…God is forbearing, and patient, and gives everyone time to choose to repent and listen and respond. But that time is not infinite; there will indeed be a harvest.)
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?