Day 1 (Monday)
1 Kingdoms 26:1-25; 27:1-12 (David Spares Saul’s Life a Second Time, Serves the King of Gath)
Last time we saw David encounter Nabal, a wealthy and surly man, and lose his temper to the point that he was prepared to kill Nabal and all the men in his household. We saw David turned from this purpose by the wisdom, discretion, and decisive action of Nabal’s wife Abigail, who brought gifts to David and his men. When she told her husband what she had done, he died in shock and rage, and David married her instead. We noted that this was not a good thing, even though Abigail is an excellent wife for David, because she is neither his first or second wife; this is the point that David begins to act more like a king of the Gentile nations than the Anointed of Yahweh, the God of Israel. Nonetheless, David remains humble and faithful to God, as we will see in this week’s reading.
David Spares Saul’s Life a Second Time
26 Then the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying, “David is in hiding on the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimon.” 2 So Saul rose and went down to the Wilderness of Ziph, with three thousand chosen men of Israel, to seek David in the Wilderness of Ziph. 3 Saul encamped on the hill of Hachilah, which is opposite Jeshimon beside the road. But David remained in the wilderness. When he learned that Saul had come after him into the wilderness, 4 David sent out spies, and learned that Saul had indeed arrived. 5 Then David set out and came to the place where Saul had encamped; and David saw the place where Saul lay, with Abner son of Ner, the commander of his army. Saul was lying within the encampment, while the army was encamped around him.
6 Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Joab’s brother Abishai son of Zeruiah, “Who will go down with me into the camp to Saul?” Abishai said, “I will go down with you.” 7 So David and Abishai went to the army by night; there Saul lay sleeping within the encampment, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head; and Abner and the army lay around him. 8 Abishai said to David, “God has given your enemy into your hand today; now therefore let me pin him to the ground with one stroke of the spear; I will not strike him twice.”
9 But David said to Abishai, “Do not destroy him; for who can raise his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and be guiltless?” 10 David said, “As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him down; or his day will come to die; or he will go down into battle and perish. 11 The Lord forbid that I should raise my hand against the Lord’s anointed; but now take the spear that is at his head, and the water jar, and let us go.” 12 So David took the spear that was at Saul’s head and the water jar, and they went away. No one saw it, or knew it, nor did anyone awake; for they were all asleep, because a deep sleep from the Lord had fallen upon them.
13 Then David went over to the other side, and stood on top of a hill far away, with a great distance between them. 14 David called to the army and to Abner son of Ner, saying, “Abner! Will you not answer?” Then Abner replied, “Who are you that calls to the king?” 15 David said to Abner, “Are you not a man? Who is like you in Israel? Why then have you not kept watch over your lord the king? For one of the people came in to destroy your lord the king. 16 This thing that you have done is not good. As the Lord lives, you deserve to die, because you have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord’s anointed. See now, where is the king’s spear, or the water jar that was at his head?”
17 Saul recognized David’s voice, and said, “Is this your voice, my son David?” David said, “It is my voice, my lord, O king.” 18 And he added, “Why does my lord pursue his servant? For what have I done? What guilt is on my hands? 19 Now therefore let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it is the Lord who has stirred you up against me, may he accept an offering; but if it is mortals, may they be cursed before the Lord, for they have driven me out today from my share in the heritage of the Lord, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’ 20 Now therefore, do not let my blood fall to the ground, away from the presence of the Lord; for the king of Israel has come out to seek a single flea, like one who hunts a partridge in the mountains.”
21 Then Saul said, “I have done wrong; come back, my son David, for I will never harm you again, because my life was precious in your sight today; I have been a fool, and have made a great mistake.” 22 David replied, “Here is the spear, O king! Let one of the young men come over and get it. 23 The Lord rewards everyone for his righteousness and his faithfulness; for the Lord gave you into my hand today, but I would not raise my hand against the Lord’s anointed. 24 As your life was precious today in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and may he rescue me from all tribulation.” 25 Then Saul said to David, “Blessed be you, my son David! You will do many things and will succeed in them.” So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.
David Serves King Achish of Gath
27 David said in his heart, “I shall now perish one day by the hand of Saul; there is nothing better for me than to escape to the land of the Philistines; then Saul will despair of seeking me any longer within the borders of Israel, and I shall escape out of his hand.” 2 So David set out and went over, he and the six hundred men who were with him, to King Achish son of Maoch of Gath. 3 David stayed with Achish at Gath, he and his troops, every man with his household, and David with his two wives, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail of Carmel, Nabal’s widow. 4 When Saul was told that David had fled to Gath, he no longer sought for him.
5 Then David said to Achish, “If I have found favor in your sight, let a place be given me in one of the country towns, so that I may live there; for why should your servant live in the royal city with you?” 6 So that day Achish gave him Ziklag; therefore Ziklag has belonged to the kings of Judah to this day. 7 The length of time that David lived in the country of the Philistines was one year and four months.
8 Now David and his men went up and made raids on the Geshurites, the Girzites, and the Amalekites; for these were the landed settlements from Telam on the way to Shur and on to the land of Egypt. 9 David struck the land, leaving neither man nor woman alive, but took away the sheep, the oxen, the donkeys, the camels, and the clothing, and came back to Achish. 10 When Achish asked, “Against whom have you made a raid today?” David would say, “Against the Negeb of Judah,” or “Against the Negeb of the Jerahmeelites,” or, “Against the Negeb of the Kenites.” 11 David left neither man nor woman alive to be brought back to Gath, thinking, “They might tell about us, and say, ‘David has done so and so.’” Such was his practice all the time he lived in the country of the Philistines. 12 Achish trusted David, thinking, “He has made himself utterly abhorrent to his people Israel; therefore he shall always be my servant.”
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should read this quote from St. Bede of Jarrow, discussing David's dealings with Saul: "1 Samuel 19:18 (ACCS Jos-2 Sam): Bede: David was allotted the kingdom of the Israelites in place of Saul. He was a humble, innocent and gentle exile, yet he was for a long time tormented by [Saul’s] unjust persecution.… Whoever upon hearing these things begins to strive after humility and innocence and to drive pride and envy from his heart, has, as it were, found a draught of the clearest water, by which he may be refreshed. But if he recognizes that Saul signifies those who persecute, and David signifies Christ and the church; and if he recognizes that on account of the [persecutors’] lack of faith, both their material and spiritual sovereignty has been destroyed, while the reign of Christ and the church will always remain; [with this understanding] he will perceive a cup of wine made from the water, for he will know that he is reading not only about that king but about his own life and reign, where before he read [the story] as if it were an ancient history about others. Homilies on the Gospels 1.14." With that said, the Leader should also note that this portion, where David goes and takes refuge with the Philistines, is a strange and remarkable turn for the Anointed of God who began his “career” in defeating the Philistines on behalf of the Lord. It may be that God grants him favor with the Philistine king, but it is also possible that this, like the polygamy we saw last time, indicates a further lapse, and specifically a lapse of faith in God, Who has preserved him so far in every case from Saul.)
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 3-1
As we prepare to enter into Great Lent, it is good that we should read something regarding the spiritual effort of prayer in which we are engaged. For the last two years, we have read two of four little sermons preached by St. Theophan the Recluse on the subject of prayer, and this year, we will read another. This is the third of four sermons published in the little book “The Path of Prayer” by Praxis Press, translated by Esther Williams. St. Theophan will provide us with an introduction himself, connecting this sermon to the prior two.
Unceasing Prayer – 1
I have already explained to you briefly two aspects, two stages of prayer. These are spoken prayer, when we pray to God with the prayers of others, and mental prayer, when we raise our mind to God through reflection on divine things. In this we offer everything to God, at the same time making frequent appeals to Him from the heart.
But even this is not all. There is a third stage of prayer, and this is genuine prayer. The first two are merely preparations for this. This can be described as: the constant turning of mind and heart to God. This is accompanied by inner warmth, and then by a burning of the spirit. This is the end which prayer should reach, and the aim which every worker in the spirit should keep in mind. Without it, we will labour in vain in the task of prayer.
Remember what is said about prayer in the Holy Word of God: “Watch and pray” (Matthew 26:41) says the Lord. “Be sober, be watchful," teaches the apostle Peter (1 Peter 5), "continue steadfastly in prayer, watching therein," (Colossians 4:2) and: "with all prayer and supplication praying at all seasons in the Spirit," (Ephesians 6:18) the Apostle Paul instructs us. He explains elsewhere the reason why we should do this. It is because – he says: " life is hid with Christ in God." (Corinthians 3:3), and "The Spirit of God dwelleth in you," (Corinthians 3:16) – “to Him it is we call Abba, Father."
From these exhortations and instructions you cannot fail to see that prayer is not some kind of casual, occasional activity, but should abide in us as an uninterrupted state of the spirit, just as breathing and the beating of the heart are uninterrupted actions of the body.
I will illustrate this with an example. The sun stands in the centre, and around it are all the planets; they are all attracted to it and turned towards it, some on one side, some on the other.
What the sun is in the world of objects, God is in the world of mind: the Sun of spirit. Turn your thoughts to heaven, and there, what will you find? The angels! According to the Lord's word, they always see the face of their heavenly Father. All the disembodied spirits, as well as all the saints in heaven, are turned towards God. All of them fix their mental eyes upon Him, and because of the inexpressible bliss which flows through them from this contemplation of God, they never wish to tear away their gaze.
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 St. Theophan is explaining to us that prayer needs to become more than something that we do, but rather something that we ARE, a reality that permeates and drives our entire existence, the true reality of our being. More remarkably, he is speaking of this reality as something that is attainable, accessible to us, if we have the will to seek it. This is a blessing for which we are created – and this is a marvel that is great indeed.)
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)
John 17:1-19 (Jesus Prays for His Disciples)
Last time we saw Jesus engage one more time with the people of Judaea in the Temple in the winter time, at the feast of the Dedication (which is Hanukkah, incidentally), when He declared Himself clearly once again to be God, one with the Father, and they tried once more to kill Him. At that point He departed from Jerusalem, and went across the Jordan. He remained there until the message came that Lazarus was dying, and when He went and raised Lazarus from the dead, the narrative moves quickly toward Passover, and the Mystical Supper, and the Lord’s Passion, Death, and Resurrection. We will skip (for the moment) over the story of Lazarus, of the plot of the High Priests to kill Jesus, over the anointing of the Lord’s feet by Mary, Lazarus’ sister, over Palm Sunday, over the Last Supper, the Lord’s washing of the feet of His disciples, and most of the Lord’s discourse with His disciples at the Mystical Supper. We will return to all of those things after Pascha, and will read them through the summer, but since so much of the Gospel according to John is set in Jerusalem immediately before the Crucifixion, we need to skip ahead in order to get to the Crucifixion in time for Holy Week. Today, then, we will pick up the story after He has said to them: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). And from there, He moves into what is usually called the High Priestly Prayer of the Lord.
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
17 After Jesus had spoken these words, he looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son so that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him authority over all people, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified you on earth by finishing the work that you gave me to do. 5 So now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had in your presence before the world existed.
6 “I have made your name known to those whom you gave me from the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me is from you; 8 for the words that you gave to me I have given to them, and they have received them and know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that you sent me. 9 I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours.
10 All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. 11 And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I protected them in your name that you have given me. I guarded them, and not one of them was lost except the one destined to be lost, so that the scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.
14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one. 16 They do not belong to the world, just as I do not belong to the world. 17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you have sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. 19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.
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 two remarkable things that are present throughout this passage. First, that the Lord says so explicitly that He has shared in the glory of the Father from eternity, and abides always with the Father. This is a truth beyond our understanding or comprehension, but the Lord is clear in what He says here. The second remarkable thing, however, is that the Lord prays for His disciples, and all who follow Him, to become partakers of this glory and truth and life and love and unity that are revealed to us by the Lord, in which He abides eternally with the Father and the Holy Spirit.)
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?