Day 1 (Monday)
1 Kingdoms 28:1-25; 29:1-11; (Saul Consults a Medium, the Death of Saul, the Philistines Reject David)
Last time we saw David spare Saul’s life once more, and then go to take refuge among the Philistines. We saw that he was even granted a town of his own for him and his men and their families to live in, and that he spent his time going out and attacking the long-time enemies of Israel (while claiming that he was actually attacking Israel itself). This is somewhat ambiguous to us; it may be that David is making an error like Abraham, seeking refuge in Egypt rather than trusting in God, or it may be that David is using this as an opportunity to continue to function as the actual king of Israel, continuing the destruction of pagan peoples who remained in the Promised Land after Joshua’s death. The fact that he keeps the booty from these attacks, indicates that he is in fact lapsing from faithfulness, but it’s not clear at this point.
The Philistines Prepare for War
28 In those days the Philistines gathered their forces for war, to fight against Israel. Achish said to David, “You know, of course, that you and your men are to go out with me in the army.” 2 David said to Achish, “Very well, then you shall know what your servant can do.” Achish said to David, “Very well, I will make you my bodyguard for life.”
Saul Consults a Medium
3 Now Samuel had died, and all Israel had mourned for him and buried him in Ramah, his own city. Saul had expelled the mediums and the wizards from the land. 4 The Philistines assembled, and came and encamped at Shunem. Saul gathered all Israel, and they encamped at Gilboa. 5 When Saul saw the army of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart trembled greatly. 6 When Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord did not answer him, not by dreams, or by Urim, or by prophets. 7 Then Saul said to his servants, “Seek out for me a woman who is a medium, so that I may go to her and inquire of her.” His servants said to him, “There is a medium at Endor.”
8 So Saul disguised himself and put on other clothes and went there, he and two men with him. They came to the woman by night. And he said, “Consult a spirit for me, and bring up for me the one whom I name to you.” 9 The woman said to him, “Surely you know what Saul has done, how he has cut off the mediums and the wizards from the land. Why then are you laying a snare for my life to bring about my death?” 10 But Saul swore to her by the Lord, “As the Lord lives, no punishment shall come upon you for this thing.”
11 Then the woman said, “Whom shall I bring up for you?” He answered, “Bring up Samuel for me.” 12 When the woman saw Samuel, she cried out with a loud voice; and the woman said to Saul, “Why have you deceived me? You are Saul!” 13 The king said to her, “Have no fear; what do you see?” The woman said to Saul, “I see a divine being coming up out of the ground.” 14 He said to her, “What is his appearance?” She said, “An old man is coming up; he is wrapped in a robe.” So Saul knew that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to the ground, and did obeisance.
15 Then Samuel said to Saul, “Why have you disturbed me by bringing me up?” Saul answered, “I am in great distress, for the Philistines are warring against me, and God has turned away from me and answers me no more, either by prophets or by dreams; so I have summoned you to tell me what I should do.”
16 Samuel said, “Why then do you ask me, since the Lord has turned from you and become your enemy? 17 The Lord has done to you just as he spoke by me; for the Lord has torn the kingdom out of your hand, and given it to your neighbor, David. 18 Because you did not obey the voice of the Lord, and did not carry out his fierce wrath against Amalek, therefore the Lord has done this thing to you today. 19 Moreover the Lord will give Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines; and tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me; the Lord will also give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines.”
20 Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, filled with fear because of the words of Samuel; and there was no strength in him, for he had eaten nothing all day and all night. 21 The woman came to Saul, and when she saw that he was terrified, she said to him, “Your servant has listened to you; I have taken my life in my hand, and have listened to what you have said to me. 22 Now therefore, you also listen to your servant; let me set a morsel of bread before you. Eat, that you may have strength when you go on your way.”
23 He refused, and said, “I will not eat.” But his servants, together with the woman, urged him; and he listened to their words. So he got up from the ground and sat on the bed. 24 Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house. She quickly slaughtered it, and she took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened cakes. 25 She put them before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that night.
The Philistines Reject David
29 Now the Philistines gathered all their forces at Aphek, while the Israelites were encamped by the fountain that is in Jezreel. 2 As the lords of the Philistines were passing on by hundreds and by thousands, and David and his men were passing on in the rear with Achish, 3 the commanders of the Philistines said, “What are these Hebrews doing here?” Achish said to the commanders of the Philistines, “Is this not David, the servant of King Saul of Israel, who has been with me now for days and years? Since he deserted to me I have found no fault in him to this day.”
4 But the commanders of the Philistines were angry with him; and the commanders of the Philistines said to him, “Send the man back, so that he may return to the place that you have assigned to him; he shall not go down with us to battle, or else he may become an adversary to us in the battle. For how could this fellow reconcile himself to his lord? Would it not be with the heads of the men here? 5 Is this not David, of whom they sing to one another in dances,
‘Saul has killed his thousands,
and David his ten thousands’?”
6 Then Achish called David and said to him, “As the Lord lives, you have been honest, and to me it seems right that you should march out and in with me in the campaign; for I have found nothing wrong in you from the day of your coming to me until today. Nevertheless the lords do not approve of you. 7 So go back now; and go peaceably; do nothing to displease the lords of the Philistines.” 8 David said to Achish, “But what have I done? What have you found in your servant from the day I entered your service until now, that I should not go and fight against the enemies of my lord the king?”
9 Achish replied to David, “I know that you are as blameless in my sight as an angel of God; nevertheless, the commanders of the Philistines have said, ‘He shall not go up with us to the battle.’ 10 Now then rise early in the morning, you and the servants of your lord who came with you, and go to the place that I appointed for you. As for the evil report, do not take it to heart, for you have done well before me. Start early in the morning, and leave as soon as you have light.” 11 So David set out with his men early in the morning, to return to the land of the Philistines. But the Philistines went up to Jezreel.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader can point out many things here – first, it should be noted that generally, the practice of necromancy at this time dealt in sounds only, which the medium would interpret to whoever was making the inquiry. This is why the medium in this case responds as she does when she sees Samuel, fully formed and visible; her trick has surprisingly been far more successful than expected. We can understand from this that God has sent Samuel to give to Saul one final word; this may even be one final opportunity for Saul to repent, to deliver over the kingdom to David, and to ask for mercy for himself and his family. But Saul does not repent; he knows himself to be guilty, and all-but-faints at the words of the prophet. As for David, despite his time with the Philistines, we see here that he is sent away by them. He appears to be willing to fight with the Philistines against Saul, but is effectively preserved from the need to do this by their distrust of him. It is not clear what the sense of this is; it’s possible that David actually intended to do exactly what the Philistine commanders feared, and to turn on them at the pivotal point in the battle, and that the result of their distrust is the Philistine victory that God has ordained in judgment against Saul, and to finally grant the kingdom to David. But all this is ambiguous, and somewhat troubling, especially as we have seen David beginning to act as just another Canaanite warlord/king. What we need to remember in all this is that David’s path is not a perfect one, but is one that leads to profound repentance and prayer and faith; it is for this that he is remembered, and because of this that he is counted among the Saints, and his prayers are read as the most fundamental prayer book of the Church.)
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 3-2
Last time, St. Theophan urged us to move beyond spoken and mental prayer, and to learn what he calls genuine prayer, a constant turning of the mind and heart toward the Lord. He spent some time describing what this is like, and giving us words from Scripture that assure us that this unceasing prayer is truly something to which we are all called, and is indeed the reality in which we are called to live. This time, he will continue to outline what is the path toward this, and to assure us that it is for all of us.
Unceasing Prayer – 2
We must learn to do on earth all this that is done by the angels and saints in heaven. We must learn here to become accustomed to this angelic, continual, prayerful standing before God in our hearts.
Only someone who achieves this will become a true man of prayer. But how can one become worthy of this great gift?
I will answer this question briefly as follows: If you labour untiringly in prayer, always zealous and full of hope – if you strive without ceasing to reach the promised land, which is the burning of the spirit – you will certainly attain what you seek.
Saint Macarius of Egypt – who practised this work and received the fruits of prayer – testified to this fact. "If you do not have prayer," he said, "Labour in prayer. Then the Lord, seeing your work, will grant you this prayer, because of your patient perseverance, and because of your powerful desire for this blessing. "
Labour alone reaches only so far. But [it changes] when the fire is lit, that of which our Lord speaks as follows: "I come to cast fire upon the earth," (Luke 12:49) "and what will I do if it is already kindled. " At this time, the labour comes to an end, and then our prayer becomes an easy, free and comforting flow.
But do not think that this describes some kind of very high state, one which cannot be approached by people in ordinary life. No. It actually is a high state, but it can be achieved by everyone. Everyone sometimes feels a warmth and ardour during prayer. This happens when the soul becomes detached from everything, enters into itself, and so prays to God with real warmth. It is actually during this occasional inspired descent of the Spirit upon prayer that the landmark of prayer may be reached, so that after this it becomes a constant condition.
As I have said, the way to this is to make efforts in prayer. When wood is rubbed against wood, it becomes hot, and in this way it makes fire. In the same way, when the soul is rubbed in the effort to pray, this friction finally evokes the fire of prayer.
The effort required for prayer consists of conscientiously persisting in the two stages of prayer I have already described. We can name them: reverent recital of the customary rule of prayer with feeling and attention, is followed by teaching the soul to ascend to God by reflecting on divine things in such a way that we turn everything to the glory of God. This leads us to appeal to God frequently from the heart.
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 two things. First, that this “genuine prayer,” this unceasing prayer, is something that all of us can attain to, if we are willing. Second, that it is not something that we can gain for ourselves, but rather, that it is the gift of God to us. This is a paradox, and yet it is true. It takes great effort from us, and yet, it is always a gift of God.)
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 17:20-26 (High Priestly Prayer continued)
Last time we skipped ahead from the Pharisees’ rejection of the Lord in John 10 to the middle of the Mystical Supper, as the Lord began what is referred to as His “High Priestly Prayer” for the Apostles, and for all the Church, praying that they might be protected and sanctified and brought into unity with one another, and with Him and with the Father. This time, we will see Him expand this prayer beyond the circle of the Apostles only.
High Priestly Prayer Continued
20 “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, 21 that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24 Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.
25 “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. 26 I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
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 in this place, as in some others, we see the Lord explicitly turning and looking at, and in this instance praying for, all of us, and not just for those who were present there with Him. This means that we are included in the glory and the protection and sanctification which He offers to His Apostles, and we are included in this most remarkable of promises and prayers: “22 The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, 23 I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. “)
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?