1 Samuel 16:1-13
Lent 4- Year A
Samuel may help us into a question of “blindness”. Early on he was deafened by his own name and not able to hear beyond it. Here Samuel is stymied by his fear which feigned grief. Later Samuel is blinded by Eliab’s physical attributes. After anointing David, the last and least of Jesse’s sons, he sets out for Ramah, anticipating a later scene of Rachel’s weeping grief for her children.
Blindness is not just personal, but corporate. As we talk of social holiness, so we need to speak of social blindness. To translate this to modern concepts—I think we could say that someone or a whole culture may not be blind, but they might be “blinded”. If something is in a person’s blind spot, they won’t see it. If a light is too bright, they won’t see it. If there are too many distractions, they won’t see it. It is the same with hearing deafness; if a sound blocks people’s voices or if we are in a room with a lot of echo, we are “deafened”.
Samuel got caught in a cultural appeal for a king, fearing a king out of power, and not able to recognize a next king. In each case his blindness and deafness did not lead to playing a mean pinball. Things fall apart and we fall with them. Things are crookedly put together and we are misshapen in crooked’s image.
In the end Samuel returns home to Ramah—a high place for idols—that systemically, culturally, blocks a new word and later will be a place of slaughter (always a prime indicator that blindness and deafness are present in high places). Samuel returns home after this scene and the next we hear of him—he died.
Though fondly remembered, Uncle Samuel, is one who wrestled long with not hearing and not seeing.
Blindness is not just personal, but corporate. As we talk of social holiness, so we need to speak of social blindness. To translate this to modern concepts—I think we could say that someone or a whole culture may not be blind, but they might be “blinded”. If something is in a person’s blind spot, they won’t see it. If a light is too bright, they won’t see it. If there are too many distractions, they won’t see it. It is the same with hearing deafness; if a sound blocks people’s voices or if we are in a room with a lot of echo, we are “deafened”.
As found in Wrestling Year A: Connecting Sunday Readings with Lived Experience
Isn't it great when G*D gives direction on mis-direction. No wonder we are so good at it. After all, we are in G*D's image. This does give a moment of pause to those of us already leery of the government we have. Might the misdirection of whatever leadership you are dealing with have the ear of G*D and their questionable behavior be part of some larger plan? In some cases this is at least a question and in other cases it is clear that it is not the case, they are simply out to misdirect in order to consolidate their own power. Amazing and frustrating how the same behaviors can be acceptable/excused or not.
When you look at your own misdirections, do you have the sense that G*D is directing them or are they to make you look as good as possible under the circumstances? The question doesn't seem to be whether or not we participate in such behavior as to its purpose. This is a difficult passage that raises many more questions than it settles.
In the end, may we all be able to go home again. Ramah is calling and while it feels good to be home we have to recognize that it may also be the location of great grief in days to come. Is this sheer happenstance or is there a connection between inconsolable grief and its subsequent justification of misdirection?
http://www.kairoscomotion.org/lectionary/2005/march2005.html
Once you were in darkness - threatened by leader and community - then you came to understand "not wanting" and you proceeded as though it were light, as though there were no threat.
When we feel threatened we shut our eyes, physical and spiritual.
With our eyes closed we divide our experience from our theology. Saul is Saul is Saul and ever will be king (substitute the leader of your choice) so there is no sense in doing anything about it. Blind from birth is blind from birth is blind from birth (substitute the present personal limitation of your choice) and so there is no sense in practicing an alternative reality. Once darkness sets in, darkness is all there is.
These limitations and their overcoming are the stuff fairytales are made of. And there isn't much truer than fairytales.
- - -
sin, sin all around
and not a healing left
unfairness abounds
and blame is our motifthrough the most unlikely one
the youngest the weakest
the ugliest the most foolish
the spit and the mudsin becomes irrelevant
unfairness ceases to be a mantra
so what now that our understanding
of blame needs recalibratingwell well well
it is time for the depth
of experience-based belief
in muddy spit-based kinship
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2007_03_01_archive.html
Samuel may help us into the question of "blindness". Early on he was deafened by his own name and not able to hear beyond it. Here Samuel is stymied by his fear which feigned grief. Later Samuel is blinded by Eliab's physical attributes. After anointing David, the last and least of Jesse's sons, he sets out for Ramah, anticipating a later scene of Rachel's weeping grief for her children.
Blindness is not just personal, but corporate. As we talk of social holiness, so we need to speak of social blindness. As Rick put it on the Midrash Lectionary List, "I have another thought on this. To translate this to modern concepts - I think we could say that the Pharisees may not be blind, but they might have been blinded. If something is in a person's blind spot, they won't see it. If light is too bright, they won't see it. If there are too many distractions, they won't see it. The arrogance and self-righteousness of the Pharisees blinded them to what Jesus was telling them. Although I am not deaf, if a sound blocks people's voices or if I am in a room with a lot of echo, I am deafened."
Samuel got caught in a cultural appeal for a king, fearing a king out of power, and not able to recognize a next king. In each case his blindness and deafness did not lead to playing a mean pin-ball. Things fall apart and we fall with them. Things are crookedly put together and we are misshapen in crooked's image.
In the end Samuel returns home to Ramah – a high place for idols - that systemically, culturally, blocks a new word and later will be a place of slaughter (always a prime indicator that blindness and deafness is present in high places). Samuel returns home after this scene and the next we hear of him – he died.
Though fondly remembered, Uncle Samuel, is one who wrestled long with not hearing and not seeing.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2008_02_01_archive.html
Blindness can have many a cause. One of the usually overlooked causes is that of grief. It blinds us to many an opportunity and keeps us repeating the same pattern over and over as though that would change something. At some point grief of a loss ends and a revolution begins.
Samuel is not sent to a pool to wash off muddy spit, but to a household to bloodily sacrifice a heifer. Healing and leadership are effected through many routes and processes, not all pleasant or understandable.
Little by little questions come to Samuel. "Eliab is tall, is he the one?" Likewise the noticeable qualities of Abinadab, Shammah, etc. bring their questions. Finally the merest twinkle in an eye stopped the questions and said, "Let's not judge externals." There's more than a bit of humor in this story that needs to be played out and enjoyed.
Bottom-line, what do you know and when did you know it? Well, not till it happened. Be prepared to be present when the next happening happens.
http://kcmlection.blogspot.com/2011/03/1-samuel-161-13.html
How to make distinctions is a part of the game of survival. This is like me or likes me—I am delighted and draw near. This is not like me or doesn’t like me—I am fearful and flee or fight.
Eventually we have to recognize that our ability to recognize only goes so far—a book cover or first impression. It give gross information but is not fine enough to really sift out what is going on. Experience can get fooled by a pretty face, a complement, and familiarity. The complete Shakespeare corpus is daunting and illumining. Our heart’s desire fails to remember our same heart’s demands.
It is easy to divide things into male and female. We don’t like to be confused by those born without identifiable genitalia and their acculturation as boy or girl. It is easy to divide both males and females into our extant class/tribal/racial categories. We don’t like to be confused by those who do not fit easily into their class (Giovanni/Francesco di Pietro di Bernardone) or are bi/multi-racial. In today’s world we get further confused as each gender can claim one or more orientations of affection. The finer the distinctions get, the more anxious we tend to become.
And yet it is possible to work our way through whatever easy characterizations we have of one another to see the gifts below the surface that will benefit all when given an opportunity to be nurtured and implemented. Who ever heard of such a thing as a Black Astrophysicist and now we are relearning the wonder of the cosmos. Even a decade ago, could you have considered the election of a Lesbian to a seat of power in the overwhelmingly white, rich, male environment of the House of Representatives? Absent David; how would he even be on the long list of potential anointees?
This story tends to leave us with an impression that only G*D can make fine distinctions about the gifts of the heart. Remember all of David’s life and his failings and how G*D is reported to have stuck by this choice. The learning here is to dive deep into lives to find a larger story in a smaller setting. A practice of looking on hearts regardless of observable gender/class/tribe/race/orientation/etc. and honoring a preferred identity does pay off to increase our ability to live peaceably together (an eternal Bethlehemic desire).