August 18, 2023

Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 16:1-23

Daily Lectionary: 1 Samuel 16:1-23, Acts 25:13-27

1 Samuel 16:7: “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 sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart.””

In the Name + of Jesus. Amen. The Lord looks at things differently than we do.  We want might. He wants mercy.  Pastors love alliteration even more than allegory.  So when Samuel goes out to visit Jesse to see which of his sons would be the newer, better king, there’s something for us to learn.  Samuel assumes the taller. The stronger.  Someone to crush Saul, who has turned evil.  Someone who would protect the people.  The Lord rejects this idea.  It’s going to be David, despite all the things that make him look weak.  

David’s Son, yet David’s Lord is no different.  The God we want help from stomps the people we hate. He cures all our diseases. He fixes all our problems.  Instead, we get the God who dies on the cross.  We’re as perplexed as Samuel.  But where mercy is worked, peace follows.  

We talk a lot about the theology of the cross and the theology of glory.  We know the difference between mercy and might, and which one our Lord uses.  But we often overlook which one brings peace.  A theology of glory never gives true lasting peace.  Each rescue only kicks the can down the road until the next tragedy, pain, or trial.  Each rescue isn’t a chance to rejoice, but only a chance to look over your shoulder for something else.  But a theology of the cross provides a rescue that even death itself cannot destroy.  It provides the peace of knowing none of these things can separate us from the love of God which joins us in the pit to suffer, to work mercy, and to save.  Ours isn’t a hope of escape from one problem at a time.  Ours is a hope of salvation that none of our problems can rob us of, whether we have them or not.  It’s of a God who isn’t just mighty, but loving enough to work within suffering so that suffering can become a gift, and not just something to spend our days afraid of.  In the Name + of Jesus. Amen.

O Lord, my God, to Thee I pray: O cast me not in wrath away! Let Thy good Spirit ne’er depart, But let Him draw to Thee my heart That truly penitent I be: O God, be merciful to me (To Thee, Omniscient Lord of All, LSB 613:2)!

-Pastor Harrison Goodman is Content Executive for Higher Things.

Audio Reflections Speaker: Pastor Jonathan Lackey is the Pastor at Grace Lutheran Church, Vine Grove, Ky.

Study Christ’s words on the cross to see how you can show more Christlike grace in your life. Perfect for group or individual study, each chapter has a Q&A at the end, and the back of the book includes a leader guide. Available now from Concordia Publishing House.