This is The Living Word for Sunday, March 19, 2023 based on the following Bible readings which are set for March 19 (Lent 4) in the interdenominational scheme.
1 Samuel 16:1-13 — Samuel visits Bethlehem to find and anoint David
John 9:1-16, 28-41 — Messianic miracle restores a man born blind
Ephesians 5:8-14 — Choosing to live in the light and not darkness
Theme: Spiritual discernment: What is false, what is true
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.
2-3 He makes me lie down in green pastures, He leads me beside quiet waters, He refreshes my soul. He guides me along the right paths for His name’s sake.
4 Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
6 Surely Your goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
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1 Samuel 16:1-13 — Samuel visits Bethlehem to find and anoint David
• God seeks pure motive over persuasive presentation for partnership with Him
1 The Lord said to Samuel,”How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
“Jesse” — was the grandson of Boaz and Ruth, of Bethlehem.
2 But Samuel said, “How can I go? If Saul hears about it, he will kill me.”
“He will kill me” — Samuel had already told Saul that God had rejected his kingship.
2-3 The Lord said, “Take a heifer with you and say, ‘I have come to sacrifice to the Lord.’ Invite Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show you what to do. You are to anoint for Me the one I indicate.”
“Invite Jesse to the sacrifice” — a reason for Samuel to go to Bethlehem and then follow what the Lord would show him; inviting Jesse was essential because in God’s plan one of his sons would succeed Saul.
4-5 Samuel did what the Lord said. When he arrived at Bethlehem, the elders of the town trembled when they met him. They asked, “Do you come in peace?”
5 Samuel replied, “Yes, in peace; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord. Consecrate yourselves and come to the sacrifice with me.” Then he consecrated Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.
“Do you come in peace” — Saul’s unbalanced leadership was well known, and the response was out of fear of Saul.
“I have come to sacrifice to the Lord” — not the whole reason, but what the Lord had told him to say.
6 When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.”
“Eliab” — looked the part, later serving in Saul’s army, but his true character came out in the David and Goliath story, 1 Samuel 17:28.
7 But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
8-10 Then Jesse called Abinadab and made him pass in front of Samuel. But Samuel said, “The Lord has not chosen this one either.” Jesse then made Shammah pass by, but Samuel said, “Nor has the Lord chosen this one.” Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, but Samuel said to him, “The Lord has not chosen these.”
“The Lord looks at the heart” – not evident qualifications but character and spiritual disposition. Saul, tall and impressive, 1 Sam. 9:2, lacked stature in character.
• For further study, how actions flow from ‘heart values’, 2 Chron. 16:9; Ps. 51:10; Prov. 4:23; Mark 7:21–23; Luke 6:45; 1 Thess. 2:4.
11 So he asked Jesse, “Are these all the sons you have?”
“There is still the youngest,” Jesse answered. “He is tending the sheep.”
“Tending the sheep” — in ancient times, rulers were often compared to shepherds, Ezekiel 34.
Samuel said, “Send for him; we will not sit down until he arrives.”
12 So he sent for him and had him brought in. He was glowing with health and had a fine appearance and handsome features.
Then the Lord said, “Rise and anoint him; this is the one.”
“Anoint him” — a pivotal moment, see also v.14. The transfer of anointing from Saul to David begins a long period where Saul struggles and David waits for his time.
13 So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David. Samuel then went to Ramah.
“The Spirit… came powerfully” — “rushed upon David” (ESV) in an empowering for kingship. The first mention of David.
Reflection
SUMMARY We start with a statement of the Lord having rejected headstrong Saul, and end with the Bible’s first mention of David, named as the youngest and therefore most insignificant son — but the Lord’s choice.
APPLICATION Even the wisdom and prophetic discernment of Samuel is tested in the Lord’s reminder that what matters to the Lord, now as it was then, is the heart, the character of the inner person and whether they are submitted to Him.
QUESTION How do we avoid judging superficially and gain spiritually-discerned wisdom?
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John 9:1-16, 28-41 — Messianic miracle restores a man born blind
• Legalistic Pharisees dispute the validity of Jesus’ Sabbath healing act
1-2 As He went along, Jesus saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?”
“Who sinned” — many rabbis taught that there is no suffering without iniquity. Death and suffering did enter the world as a result of Adam’s sin; however, as Jesus taught, it was wrong to extend it as a judgment on a person or their parents.
3-5 “Neither this man nor his parents sinned,” said Jesus, “but this happened so that the works of God might be displayed in him. As long as it is day, we must do the works of Him who sent Me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
“Light of the world” — Jesus had made this claim while teaching at the Festival of Shelters, John ch. 7-8. Now He is giving light to a man who had lived in physical darkness.
6-7 After saying this, He spat on the ground, made some mud with the saliva, and put it on the man’s eyes. “Go,” He told him, “wash in the Pool of Siloam” (this word means “Sent”). So the man went and washed, and came home seeing.
“Siloam” — a double meaning; Jesus, who was sent, tells him to go and wash in the pool called “Sent” and the Pharisees argue about Jesus and where He came from.
“Came home seeing” — predicted as a Messianic activity, and further evidence that Jesus was the Messiah. He performed more miracles of this kind than any other.
• Further study on Jesus sent by God: John 4:34; 5:23, 37; 7:28; 8:26; 12:44; 14:24.
8-9 His neighbours and those who had formerly seen him begging asked, “Isn’t this the same man who used to sit and beg?” Some claimed that he was. Others said, “No, he only looks like him.” But he himself insisted, “I am the man.”
10-11 “How then were your eyes opened?” they asked. He replied, “The man they call Jesus made some mud and put it on my eyes. He told me to go to Siloam and wash. So I went and washed, and then I could see.”
12 “Where is this man?” they asked him. “I don’t know,” he said.
13-15 They brought to the Pharisees the man who had been blind. Now the day on which Jesus had made the mud and opened the man’s eyes was a Sabbath. Therefore the Pharisees also asked him how he had received his sight. “He put mud on my eyes,” the man replied, “and I washed, and now I see.”
“Brought to the Pharisees” — a request to the guardians of the rules of legal interpretation, to give an opinion on the man’s healing on the Sabbath.
“Jesus had made the mud” — kneading dough was among 39 classes of work forbidden on the Sabbath; was kneading the mud with saliva also forbidden?
16 Some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others asked, “How can a sinner perform such signs?” So they were divided.
“Divided” — as to whether keeping minutiae of the law, or doing Messianic signs, was more significant.
28-29 Then they hurled insults at him and said, “You are this fellow’s disciple! We are disciples of Moses! We know that God spoke to Moses, but as for this fellow, we don’t even know where He comes from.”
30-32 The man answered, “Now that is remarkable! You don’t know where He comes from, yet He opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly person who does His will. Nobody has ever heard of opening the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do nothing.”
“Listen to sinners” — his argument is based on a number of the psalms e.g. Ps. 34:15; 66:18; 109:7; 145:19
34 To this they replied, “You were steeped in sin at birth; how dare you lecture us!” And they threw him out.
“Threw him out” — from their assembly, or more likely, excommunicated him which would result in social isolation — persecution Jesus predicted for His followers, John 15:18-27; John 16:2.
35 Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and when He found him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?”
36 “Who is He, sir?” the man asked. “Tell me so that I may believe in Him.”
37 Jesus said, “You have now seen Him; in fact, He is the one speaking with you.”
38 Then the man said, “Lord, I believe,” and he worshipped Him.
“Lord, I believe” — He has gained physical sight, and now spiritual sight about who Jesus is.
39 Jesus said, “For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind.”
40 Some Pharisees who were with Him heard Him say this and asked, “What? Are we blind too?”
“Are we blind too?” — spiritually blind, they maintain their claim to know God’s will.
41 Jesus said, “If you were blind, you would not be guilty of sin; but now that you claim you can see, your guilt remains.
“Your guilt remains” — as they proudly maintain that they are the ones with the light while rejecting Jesus. Had they accepted Him and admitted their need of revelation, they would be guiltless.
Reflection
SUMMARY A blind man healed becomes an object lesson to spiritually blind Pharisees unable to recognise God’s grace while objecting to this ‘work’ on the Sabbath.
APPLICATION Taking a rigid position on what is doctrinally correct is to become unteachable. True and false is more about discerning what Jesus is saying and doing.
QUESTION When the Spirit of Jesus does the unexpected today, how do we react?
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Ephesians 5:8-14 — Choosing to live in the light and not darkness
• When we’re not watchful we succumb to deeds of darkness that surround us
8-10 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live as children of light (for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord.
“You were once darkness” —ignorant of God and His way, dominated by sin.
“Fruit of the light” — ethical actions of those who live in God’s light, Matt 7:16-20; Gal 5:22-23; Phil 1:11.
11 Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather expose them.
“Expose them” — mainly by contrasting lifestyle.
12-13 It is shameful even to mention what the disobedient do in secret. But everything exposed by the light becomes visible — and everything that is illuminated becomes a light.
14 This is why it is said: “Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
“It is said” — possibly in a song alluding to “Arise, shine, for your light has come and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you”, Isaiah 60:1, also 9:2, 26:19.
Reflection
SUMMARY Young Christians especially, are exhorted to be single-minded about living in personal and everyday relationship with Jesus, not mixing it the new relationship with former traditions that belong to darkness, not light.
APPLICATION This is a reminder to live transparent lives, aware that nothing is hidden from God. We have a vital role as bearers of the Lord’s light to those who do not yet have it.
QUESTION What does “living as children of light” look like?
PRAYER Lord, in turning to You we became truth-seekers.
Help us to look at the heart of a person, situation or tradition, and not be led astray by appearances.
We ask for Your spiritual empowerment to live transparent lives, speaking for Jesus, walking in the revelation light You give us, and shedding Your light on the lives of others — for Jesus, Amen.
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• See also this week’s article on Falsehood vs Faithfulness and How To Tell The Difference, based on these Bible readings
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