Memorial of Saint Anthony, Abbot

Lectionary: 309


Samuel was displeased when they asked for a king to judge them. He prayed to the LORD, however, who said in answer: “Grant the people’s every request. It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king.”

Samuel delivered the message of the LORD in full to those who were asking him for a king. He told them: “The rights of the king who will rule you will be as follows:
He will take your sons and assign them to his chariots and horses, and they will run before his chariot….

It’s not hard to hear the complaint of the Tea Party in Samuel’s protest about “the rights of the king.” Where they complain today about the invasion of the federal government, Samuel foresaw with a prophet's vision the future king's encroachments.

We know, of course, that the popular demand for a king prevailed. First Saul and then David were anointed as kings. Eventually both priests and prophets would hail David as the divinely appointed king whose "house" would never fail. David's descendants ruled in Jerusalem for over four hundred years. When history finally brought them down, the prophets predicted the Messiah would come from his line.

But Samuel's murmuring against human authority would remain a vital element of the Jewish tradition and of our Christian tradition. It persists in the “checks and balances” of the American Constitution with its three branches of government. No one should have too much authority.

Standing before Pontius Pilate, Jesus would quietly remind the Roman procurator, “You would have no power over me if it had not been given to you from above.” (John 19:11) Whether Pilate understood Jesus’ referent as the Lord or Caesar, he had to hear the rebuke, “You are only a man like me. Don’t kid yourself.”

God may anoint a man, a church or a government with authority, but he may as quickly strip them of it – as happened to King Saul.

The LORD said to Samuel: How long will you grieve for Saul, whom I have rejected as king of Israel? Fill your horn with oil, and be on your way. I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem, for from among his sons I have decided on a king. (I Samuel 16:1)

When religious people invoke the authority of God, their critics remind them of the "man-made" nature of our traditions. More astute critics of the scriptures understand they are man-made documents; to which the Church replies, “They are nonetheless divinely inspired, inerrant and infallible.” And then we labor to interpret them as spiritually infallible.

This is a sacred polarity in our tradition. On the one hand, we need authority and we honor those whom God has placed over us. So long as there are people we will need leaders to help us survive; and we will need organization, discipline and cooperation among their followers. 

On the other hand, every human authority is limited. No authority can claim infallibility – as governments, families, businesses, sports officials and churches invariably do. Always we listen for the Spirit which may counsel obedience today and resistance tomorrow.

Given this situation, we welcome the Holy Spirit to guide us. At times we should cooperate; at others, we should resist; always we should be alert and watchful for God's authority.  We pray for our leaders, support them, forgive their shortcomings, trust them as far as they deserve and challenge them when necessary.