I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed one forever.

 

Thursday, June 8, 2023


Psalm 89:1-18

1 Samuel 2:27-36

Acts 5:12-26


Observance: Thanksgiving for the Holy Communion


I will build him a sure house, and he shall go in and out before my anointed one forever.


Spending a lifetime reading the Old Testament and trying to discover the application travels along a bell curve. At first, we read all these promises from God to the different characters along the way and apply those promises to ourselves. Then we get a little bit of education under our belt; we read a few theological books (the short ones), and think that it might be presumptuous to take those promises out of context and dump them into our own lives.


At the last, however, we see the beautiful harmony of all those different books that make up the Bible and truly understand that these promises are not just for those to whom they were first spoken, but to us, and our children. Jesus promised His disciples that He was going to prepare a room for them in His Father’s mansion, and then He prayed for you and me. In today’s reading from 1 Samuel, God is telling Eli that a house is being built for Samuel, who will be in the presence of the anointed one forever. Samuel anointed Saul and then David, but both of those men died. The anointed one who Samuel is to be with forever is Christ.


Could this mean that you and I are among the ranks of Samuel and the Old Testament priests? If so, we should certainly take the instructions for priests very seriously. There is also a great sense of wonder that, among the rest of the hoi polloi on this earth, the Christian is very special in God’s eyes. Special enough to die for, and rise again for, and build an eternal house to be with forever.

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