Day 1 (Monday)
1 Kingdoms 30:1-31; 31:1-13 (David Avenges the Destruction of Ziklag, the Death of Saul & his Sons)
Last time we saw Saul consult a medium, asking her to inquire of Samuel what would happen in the coming battle with the Philistines. To the shock of the medium, Samuel actually came when she “summoned” him, and told Saul exactly the same thing that he had told him before, that God had forsaken him because he, Saul, had forsaken God, and that Saul and his sons would die in battle the next day. We then saw David try to march with the Philistines as they went to battle, but they turned him back, not trusting him to fight on their side, and expecting that he would turn against them in the course of the battle. This time, we will see what happens to David after this, and will see the final end of King Saul.
David Avenges the Destruction of Ziklag
30 Now when David and his men came to Ziklag on the third day, the Amalekites had made a raid on the Negeb and on Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag, burned it down, 2 and taken captive the women and all who were in it, both small and great; they killed none of them, but carried them off, and went their way. 3 When David and his men came to the city, they found it burned down, and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive.
4 Then David and the people who were with him raised their voices and wept, until they had no more strength to weep. 5 David’s two wives also had been taken captive, Ahinoam of Jezreel, and Abigail the widow of Nabal of Carmel. 6 David was in great danger; for the people spoke of stoning him, because all the people were bitter in spirit for their sons and daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God.
7 David said to the priest Abiathar son of Ahimelech, “Bring me the ephod.” So Abiathar brought the ephod to David. 8 David inquired of the Lord, “Shall I pursue this band? Shall I overtake them?” He answered him, “Pursue; for you shall surely overtake and shall surely rescue.” 9 So David set out, he and the six hundred men who were with him. They came to the Wadi Besor, where those stayed who were left behind. 10 But David went on with the pursuit, he and four hundred men; two hundred stayed behind, too exhausted to cross the Wadi Besor.
11 In the open country they found an Egyptian, and brought him to David. They gave him bread and he ate; they gave him water to drink; 12 they also gave him a piece of fig cake and two clusters of raisins. When he had eaten, his spirit revived; for he had not eaten bread or drunk water for three days and three nights. 13 Then David said to him, “To whom do you belong? Where are you from?”
He said, “I am a young man of Egypt, servant to an Amalekite. My master left me behind because I fell sick three days ago. 14 We had made a raid on the Negeb of the Cherethites and on that which belongs to Judah and on the Negeb of Caleb; and we burned Ziklag down.” 15 David said to him, “Will you take me down to this raiding party?” He said, “Swear to me by God that you will not kill me, or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them.”
16 When he had taken him down, they were spread out all over the ground, eating and drinking and dancing, because of the great amount of spoil they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from the land of Judah. 17 David attacked them from twilight until the evening of the next day. Not one of them escaped, except four hundred young men, who mounted camels and fled. 18 David recovered all that the Amalekites had taken; and David rescued his two wives. 19 Nothing was missing, whether small or great, sons or daughters, spoil or anything that had been taken; David brought back everything. 20 David also captured all the flocks and herds, which were driven ahead of the other cattle; people said, “This is David’s spoil.”
21 Then David came to the two hundred men who had been too exhausted to follow David, and who had been left at the Wadi Besor. They went out to meet David and to meet the people who were with him. When David drew near to the people he saluted them. 22 Then all the corrupt and worthless fellows among the men who had gone with David said, “Because they did not go with us, we will not give them any of the spoil that we have recovered, except that each man may take his wife and children, and leave.”
23 But David said, “You shall not do so, my brothers, with what the Lord has given us; he has preserved us and handed over to us the raiding party that attacked us. 24 Who would listen to you in this matter? For the share of the one who goes down into the battle shall be the same as the share of the one who stays by the baggage; they shall share alike.” 25 From that day forward he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel; it continues to the present day.
26 When David came to Ziklag, he sent part of the spoil to his friends, the elders of Judah, saying, “Here is a present for you from the spoil of the enemies of the Lord”; 27 it was for those in Bethel, in Ramoth of the Negeb, in Jattir, 28 in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, 29 in Racal, in the towns of the Jerahmeelites, in the towns of the Kenites, 30 in Hormah, in Bor-ashan, in Athach, 31 in Hebron, all the places where David and his men had roamed.
The Death of Saul and His Sons
31 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled before the Philistines, and many fell on Mount Gilboa. 2 The Philistines overtook Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan and Abinadab and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. 3 The battle pressed hard upon Saul; the archers found him, and he was badly wounded by them. 4 Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, “Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, so that these uncircumcised may not come and thrust me through, and make sport of me.” But his armor-bearer was unwilling; for he was terrified. So Saul took his own sword and fell upon it.
5 When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell upon his sword and died with him. 6 So Saul and his three sons and his armor-bearer and all his men died together on the same day. 7 When the men of Israel who were on the other side of the valley and those beyond the Jordan saw that the men of Israel had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their towns and fled; and the Philistines came and occupied them.
8 The next day, when the Philistines came to strip the dead, they found Saul and his three sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. 9 They cut off his head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to carry the good news to the houses of their idols and to the people. 10 They put his armor in the temple of Astarte; and they fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan.
11 But when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men set out, traveled all night long, and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan. They came to Jabesh and burned them there. 13 Then they took their bones and buried them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
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 see the Lord helping David here, in two ways. First, in that the Lord grants him a victory over this raiding party, so that he is able to recover everyone and everything that was lost, and much more besides. Second, in that David comes back to Ziklag in time to go after the raiders in the first place. If the Philistines had not sent him back, then by the time David returned, his wives, and the wives and children and possessions of all his men, would have been long gone, past recovery. On the other hand, we also see today the final end of King Saul, as his army is defeated, and his sons are killed in the rout, and he himself kills himself rather than be overtaken and killed by the Philistines. It is a sad end to the young man we first saw last year, searching for his father’s donkeys; the silver lining is the heroic journey of the men of Jabesh-Gilead, who raided deep into what was now Philistine-controlled territory to recover the bodies of Saul and his sons. We should note that burning of bodies is not normal; it may be that this is done because the flesh has already begun to rot, or perhaps as a matter of purification, as the bodies had been desecrated by the Philistines. It is also strange that the men of Jabesh Gilead fast for seven days, but if we remember, one of the first victories that Saul won was over Nahash the Ammonite, who had given Jabesh Gilead seven days to ask for help before he annihilated them (in 1 Samuel 11). Saul came and delivered them on the seventh day, and therefore, perhaps, this seven day fast is to honor the fallen glory of the Lord’s Anointed, 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 3-3
Last time, we saw St. Theophan speak of how genuine and unceasing prayer is true prayer, and how we labour towards attaining this through the discipline of the daily rule of spoken prayer, and the practice of mental prayer, turning our minds toward the things of God at all times through the day. At the same time, he reminded us very clearly that unceasing prayer is not the mechanical or automatic result of such disciplines, but is rather a gift of God. It is essential that we labour for it, because this is how we turn our desire toward the Lord and ask for this gift and blessing, but it is God’s gift to those who receive it. This time, he will describe this in more detail.
Unceasing Prayer – 3-3
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We pray morning and evening. The time between is long. However ardently we pray, if we turn to God only at these times in the whole day and night, it will all become scattered again. Then, when the time for prayer comes round, the soul will again be as cold and empty as before. Even if we pray fervently, if we then keep cooling down and becoming distracted, what profit is there in it? We just create and destroy, create and destroy again: it is no more than empty labour.
But if we now put ourselves to the task of not only of accomplishing our rule of prayer with attention and feeling, morning and night, but more: of practicing reflection on divine things, of turning every action to the glory of God, of frequently appealing to God from our heart with short, prayerful exclamations – then these long intervals between morning and evening, and between evening and morning prayers, will be filled with frequent appeals to God, and with frequent prayerful actions.
* * *
Although this is not unceasing prayer, it will be repeated often in such a way that, the more often it is repeated, the closer it will grow to unceasing prayer. This work is an inevitable and necessary transitional stage on the way to achievement of unceasing prayer.
If you carry out this work every day, constantly and without tiring, you can see for yourself what must happen in your soul!
From meditation on the divine, the fear of God will be born. This fear of God is already an achievement. In it, we understand the everlasting perfection of the actions of God – comprehending them through both thought and feeling.
By turning our every action to the glory of God, we will bear within ourselves the constant remembrance of God. Remembering, whatever we do, that we are constantly in the presence of God, we will actually be walking in the presence of God.
Finally, by frequent appeals to God… in other words, by often evoking reverent feelings toward God in our hearts, we will give birth to the constant warm and loving utterance in our heart of the sweet name of our Lord. In turn, this will inevitably kindle in our hearts the spiritual fire about which I spoke earlier. This (inner fire) brings with it a profound peace, constant watchful-ness, and life-giving courage. With it we will enter into that state which is the highest we can aspire to on earth, a true foretaste of the state of bliss awaiting us all in the future.
This is a true realization of what the apostle described when he said: "Your life is hid with Christ in God." (Colossians 3:3).
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 seeming paradox in this, how there is a process of disciplined growth that can be discerned and described, which seems to naturally establish this reality of unceasing prayer. But at the same time, this unceasing prayer is a fire which is kindled by God, not some high and lofty attainment which is available to the spiritually ambitious. The process is natural and dependable because of God’s love for us, and His desire for us to reach the fulfillment for which He has created us, and not because of some mechanistic system which has been discovered, discerned, or created. Unceasing prayer is the natural result of disciplined and heartfelt labour in prayer; but it is God’s gift to those who seek Him. Our freedom and God’s freedom are both preserved in this.)
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 18:1-18 (Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus, Jesus before the High Priest, Peter Denies Jesus)
Last time, we saw Jesus conclude the High Priestly Prayer at the end of the Mystical Supper in the Upper Room. We noted how this prayer, for His disciples, and by extension all of us, to be one with one another, with Him, and with the Father, is remarkable in its expression of the high calling that we have received in the Lord. It is worth noting that the Anaphora of the Divine Liturgy resonates strongly with what the Lord says in this prayer; it is our response in Thanskgiving to His prayer for us.
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
18 After Jesus had spoken these words, he went out with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas brought a detachment of soldiers together with police from the chief priests and the Pharisees, and they came there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
4 Then Jesus, knowing all that was to happen to him, came forward and asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” 5 They answered, “Jesus of Nazareth.” Jesus replied, “I am he.” Judas, who betrayed him, was standing with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they stepped back and fell to the ground. 7 Again he asked them, “Whom are you looking for?” And they said, “Jesus of Nazareth.” 8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. So if you are looking for me, let these men go.”
9 This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken, “I did not lose a single one of those whom you gave me.” 10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it, struck the high priest’s slave, and cut off his right ear. The slave’s name was Malchus. 11 Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Am I not to drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
Jesus before the High Priest
12 So the soldiers, their officer, and the Jewish police arrested Jesus and bound him. 13 First they took him to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one person die for the people.
Peter Denies Jesus
15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. Since that disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest, 16 but Peter was standing outside at the gate. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went out, spoke to the woman who guarded the gate, and brought Peter in. 17 The woman said to Peter, “You are not also one of this man’s disciples, are you?” He said, “I am not.” 18 Now the slaves and the police had made a charcoal fire because it was cold, and they were standing around it and warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them and warming himself.
Discussion questions:
1) What did you notice in today’s reading? What surprised you or what was memorable to you? (The Leader should note how St. John interprets what the Lord had said previously, that not one of those the Father had given to Him had been lost, except the son of perdition…that it is speaking specifically of His twelve disciples, and of how the Lord has preserved them all, even in the moment of His own betrayal (which is actually extremely unusual, that the followers of an accused subversive should be allowed to escape), and how this shows that He is not arrested against His will, but goes willingly, even in His captivity as the Lord of all. We must also note how the Lord corrects Peter, gently, but firmly, refusing to accept the violence that Peter has done as a gift or service to him, and healing the wound that he has inflicted. The shedding of blood is not the way to serve and follow the Lord, and for Peter, this is a hard lesson, and perhaps stands somewhat behind his denial of 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?