Second Chances

The Lord said to Samuel, ‘How long will you grieve over Saul? I have rejected him from being king over Israel. Fill your horn with oil and set out; I will send you to Jesse the Bethlehemite, for I have provided for myself a king among his sons.’

Samuel said, ‘How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me.’ And 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 you shall do; and you shall anoint for me the one whom I name to you.’

Samuel did what the Lord commanded, and came to Bethlehem. The elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, ‘Do you come peaceably?’ He said, ‘Peaceably; I have come to sacrifice to the Lord; sanctify yourselves and come with me to the sacrifice.’ And he sanctified Jesse and his sons and invited them to the sacrifice.  When they came, he looked on Eliab and thought, ‘Surely the Lord’s anointed is now before the Lord.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him; for the Lord does not see as mortals see; they look on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.’ Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. He said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Then Jesse made Shammah pass by. And he said, ‘Neither has the Lord chosen this one.’ Jesse made seven of his sons pass before Samuel, and Samuel said to Jesse, ‘The Lord has not chosen any of these.’

Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Are all your sons here?’ And he said, ‘There remains yet the youngest, but he is keeping the sheep.’ And Samuel said to Jesse, ‘Send and bring him; for we will not sit down until he comes here.’ He sent and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and had beautiful eyes, and was handsome. The Lord said, ‘Rise and anoint him; for this is the one.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the presence of his brothers; and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward. Samuel then set out and went to Ramah.

The people have been led by Moses. They have been led by judges. They have been led by prophets like Eli and Samuel. And they have been led by a king - King Saul. Samuel's first choice. God's first choice. In one of the oddest stories of the Bible, Saul becomes king - a story that includes runaway donkeys and a special, sacred cooked thigh bone, and Saul hiding amidst the luggage. From the beginning of Israel's journey as a monarchy, they are clearly making it up as they go. Reluctance, confusion, mistrust.

God has decided to try again - God is going to take a second chance. The text begins this week with God talking Samuel into trying again. Stop mourning Saul. Let's move on. Let's cut our losses. Let's go with a second choice.  Let's give ourselves a second chance.

Seeing himself as a sort of traitor, Samuel sets out in an act of sedition. He is overthrowing the current human government at the instruction of the true leader, God. We see Samuel wrestling with the dual allegiance that a monarchy creates. Samuel has allegiance to King Saul but God has asked for mutiny.

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Samuel sets out with his heifer and his anointing oil. He is preparing himself to choose a better king than his first choice. This time he will choose a strong leader, a formidable, God-fearing, trustworthy man.

But God instructs Samuel to ignore outward appearances. God tells Samuel that God looks at the heart. How is Samuel supposed to do that? He doesn't know Jesse. He doesn't know Jesse's sons. And if he does choose one, he's about to ask them to join his revolution. Why would they do that? What if they won't? What if the revolution doesn't work? What if the second choice isn't any better than the first choice?

Second chances come with second guessing.

The psalter that has been combined with this story seems to provide a broader context for second chances. I want to linger with this prayer for forgiveness. My favorite version of the psalm is this one below by Charlie Peacock. It's haunting. The song yearns for God's unfailing love, God's great compassion, God's forgiveness, cleansing and mercy.

I, like Samuel often need to be talked into second chances. I cling to the first choice trying desperately to make it right, to overlook the disasters around me, to give grace in the moment rather than cut my losses and start over. But when David faced the need for a second chance, this psalm doesn't show him clinging to his mistaken path. He yearns for a second chance. And he asks for a second chance from a God who also takes second chances.

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Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and put a new and right spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from your presence,
and do not take your holy spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and sustain in me a willing spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners will return to you.
Deliver me from bloodshed, O God,
O God of my salvation,
and my tongue will sing aloud
of your deliverance.