The Two Rarely Are the Same

1 Samuel 10:1-27, New Living Translation (NLT)

Samuel Anoints Saul as King
10 Then Samuel took a flask of olive oil and poured it over Saul’s head. He kissed Saul and said, “I am doing this because the Lord has appointed you to be the ruler over Israel, his special possession.[a] 2 When you leave me today, you will see two men beside Rachel’s tomb at Zelzah, on the border of Benjamin. They will tell you that the donkeys have been found and that your father has stopped worrying about them and is now worried about you. He is asking, ‘Have you seen my son?’

3 “When you get to the oak of Tabor, you will see three men coming toward you who are on their way to worship God at Bethel. One will be bringing three young goats, another will have three loaves of bread, and the third will be carrying a wineskin full of wine. 4 They will greet you and offer you two of the loaves, which you are to accept.

5 “When you arrive at Gibeah of God,[b] where the garrison of the Philistines is located, you will meet a band of prophets coming down from the place of worship. They will be playing a harp, a tambourine, a flute, and a lyre, and they will be prophesying. 6 At that time the Spirit of the Lord will come powerfully upon you, and you will prophesy with them. You will be changed into a different person. 7 After these signs take place, do what must be done, for God is with you. 8 Then go down to Gilgal ahead of me. I will join you there to sacrifice burnt offerings and peace offerings. You must wait for seven days until I arrive and give you further instructions.”

Samuel’s Signs Are Fulfilled
9 As Saul turned and started to leave, God gave him a new heart, and all Samuel’s signs were fulfilled that day. 10 When Saul and his servant arrived at Gibeah, they saw a group of prophets coming toward them. Then the Spirit of God came powerfully upon Saul, and he, too, began to prophesy. 11 When those who knew Saul heard about it, they exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet? How did the son of Kish become a prophet?”

12 And one of those standing there said, “Can anyone become a prophet, no matter who his father is?”[c] So that is the origin of the saying “Is even Saul a prophet?”

13 When Saul had finished prophesying, he went up to the place of worship. 14 “Where have you been?” Saul’s uncle asked him and his servant.

“We were looking for the donkeys,” Saul replied, “but we couldn’t find them. So we went to Samuel to ask him where they were.”

15 “Oh? And what did he say?” his uncle asked.

16 “He told us that the donkeys had already been found,” Saul replied. But Saul didn’t tell his uncle what Samuel said about the kingdom.

Saul Is Acclaimed King
17 Later Samuel called all the people of Israel to meet before the Lord at Mizpah. 18 And he said, “This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, has declared: I brought you from Egypt and rescued you from the Egyptians and from all of the nations that were oppressing you. 19 But though I have rescued you from your misery and distress, you have rejected your God today and have said, ‘No, we want a king instead!’ Now, therefore, present yourselves before the Lord by tribes and clans.”

20 So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel before the Lord, and the tribe of Benjamin was chosen by lot. 21 Then he brought each family of the tribe of Benjamin before the Lord, and the family of the Matrites was chosen. And finally Saul son of Kish was chosen from among them. But when they looked for him, he had disappeared! 22 So they asked the Lord, “Where is he?”

And the Lord replied, “He is hiding among the baggage.” 23 So they found him and brought him out, and he stood head and shoulders above anyone else.

24 Then Samuel said to all the people, “This is the man the Lord has chosen as your king. No one in all Israel is like him!”

And all the people shouted, “Long live the king!”

25 Then Samuel told the people what the rights and duties of a king were. He wrote them down on a scroll and placed it before the Lord. Then Samuel sent the people home again.

26 When Saul returned to his home at Gibeah, a group of men whose hearts God had touched went with him. 27 But there were some scoundrels who complained, “How can this man save us?” And they scorned him and refused to bring him gifts. But Saul ignored them.

[Nahash, king of the Ammonites, had been grievously oppressing the people of Gad and Reuben who lived east of the Jordan River. He gouged out the right eye of each of the Israelites living there, and he didn’t allow anyone to come and rescue them. In fact, of all the Israelites east of the Jordan, there wasn’t a single one whose right eye Nahash had not gouged out. But there were 7,000 men who had escaped from the Ammonites, and they had settled in Jabesh-gilead.][d]

Footnotes:
10:1 Greek version reads over Israel. And you will rule over the Lord’s people and save them from their enemies around them. This will be the sign to you that the Lord has appointed you to be leader over his special possession.
10:5 Hebrew Gibeath-haelohim.
10:12 Hebrew said, “Who is their father?”
10:27 This paragraph, which is not included in the Masoretic Text, is found in Dead Sea Scroll 4QSama.

And so the saga begins. Samuel prophecies to Saul, telling him what will occur at every turn. And Saul begins the journey toward the throne. For all Saul is able to accomplish during his early years as king, it is surprising to me that he hides here, now. He stands taller than all those around him. God chooses him to rule his people. And he hides among the luggage. 

And then there are the echoes of Christ's reign to come.  "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" "Isn't that Joseph the carpenter's son?"  Oh, the repetitive behavior we have as broken humans. Time and again, we sin nothing new. We simply repeat and repeat the same sins over and again.  "How did the son of Kish become a prophet?” “How can this man save us?”

We have our own ideas of what we need to be saved. We have our own idea of greatness and leadership. But God has his own ideas as well... and the two rarely are the same.  

The Least Will Become the Greatest

1 Samuel 9:1-21, New Living Translation (NLT)

Saul Meets Samuel
9 There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin. He was the son of Abiel, son of Zeror, son of Becorath, son of Aphiah, of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.

3 One day Kish’s donkeys strayed away, and he told Saul, “Take a servant with you, and go look for the donkeys.” 4 So Saul took one of the servants and traveled through the hill country of Ephraim, the land of Shalishah, the Shaalim area, and the entire land of Benjamin, but they couldn’t find the donkeys anywhere.

5 Finally, they entered the region of Zuph, and Saul said to his servant, “Let’s go home. By now my father will be more worried about us than about the donkeys!”

6 But the servant said, “I’ve just thought of something! There is a man of God who lives here in this town. He is held in high honor by all the people because everything he says comes true. Let’s go find him. Perhaps he can tell us which way to go.”

7 “But we don’t have anything to offer him,” Saul replied. “Even our food is gone, and we don’t have a thing to give him.”

8 “Well,” the servant said, “I have one small silver piece. We can at least offer it to the man of God and see what happens!” 9 (In those days if people wanted a message from God, they would say, “Let’s go and ask the seer,” for prophets used to be called seers.)

10 “All right,” Saul agreed, “let’s try it!” So they started into the town where the man of God lived.

11 As they were climbing the hill to the town, they met some young women coming out to draw water. So Saul and his servant asked, “Is the seer here today?”

12 “Yes,” they replied. “Stay right on this road. He is at the town gates. He has just arrived to take part in a public sacrifice up at the place of worship. 13 Hurry and catch him before he goes up there to eat. The guests won’t begin eating until he arrives to bless the food.”

14 So they entered the town, and as they passed through the gates, Samuel was coming out toward them to go up to the place of worship.

15 Now the Lord had told Samuel the previous day, 16 “About this time tomorrow I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin. Anoint him to be the leader of my people, Israel. He will rescue them from the Philistines, for I have looked down on my people in mercy and have heard their cry.”

17 When Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said, “That’s the man I told you about! He will rule my people.”

18 Just then Saul approached Samuel at the gateway and asked, “Can you please tell me where the seer’s house is?”

19 “I am the seer!” Samuel replied. “Go up to the place of worship ahead of me. We will eat there together, and in the morning I’ll tell you what you want to know and send you on your way. 20 And don’t worry about those donkeys that were lost three days ago, for they have been found. And I am here to tell you that you and your family are the focus of all Israel’s hopes.”

21 Saul replied, “But I’m only from the tribe of Benjamin, the smallest tribe in Israel, and my family is the least important of all the families of that tribe! Why are you talking like this to me?”

Footnotes:
9:8 Hebrew 1⁄4 shekel of silver, about 0.1 ounces or 3 grams in weight.

The hunt begins: for a few donkeys and a king. Saul and a servant head out to find the animals and along the way, they find Samuel instead.  Little do we know at the beginning of the story that God planned the whole thing. I just hear him whispering to the donkeys "Here donkey, donkey, donkey..." or however you call a few donkeys.  As they are lead away from Saul's homeland, it seems God led them to Samuel.  

And so when they show up, God whispers again, but this time to Samuel to let him know this is the guy, the handsome guy, the tall guy, the guy who will become the first king of his people.  Only no one whispered in Saul's ear. So it is no wonder he is confused. He shares how his tribe is the smallest and his family the least important within that tribe. How God is that? The greatest will be the least and the least? Well, the least will be the greatest.  

A donkey leads the way for a king. And a nobody becomes one.  

We Don't See

1 Samuel 8:6-22, New Living Translation (NLT)

6 Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. 7 “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. 8 Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. 9 Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”

Samuel Warns against a Kingdom
10 So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. 12 Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. 13 The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. 14 He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. 16 He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. 17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.”

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. 20 “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”

21 So Samuel repeated to the Lord what the people had said, 22 and the Lord replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home.

Footnotes:
8:12 Hebrew commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties.
8:16 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads young men.

The first few sentences break my heart. To think of how God loved his people and saved them from slavery, and time and again protected them and led them to safety, and then hear God being rejected... [sigh] Breaks my heart.  And so God is gracious enough to offer truth. God has Samuel read them the entire list of issues to come if they get their way.

Is it any surprise they ignore it all? Is it any surprise we all ignore those honest warnings that God sends offers when we insist on getting our own way?  But if you notice, the Israelites have one thing on their mind: what others have.  Maybe that's the lesson of the day. When we get so caught up in what others have, we miss what is really best for each of us. We even miss what is really going on with the others we are jealous of. We only see what we want to see.  We don't see what they see. 

Watch What You Ask For

1 Samuel 8:1-5, New Living Translation (NLT)

Israel Requests a King
8 As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. 2 Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. 3 But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.

4 Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. 5 “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”

How often do we, as Christ followers, want what everyone else has? The problem is, what everyone else has doesn't always work. In fact, it rarely ever works. Yet we want what "they" have anyway.  

The Israelites were no different. So here, we see corruption with Samuel's sons so we can understand where the people are fed up. The same thing happened with Eli and his sons.  You can't expect that a born lineage is going to give you exactly what you are looking for. But telling God how things should go and thinking that their choices would have better outcomes than God's choices, is an arrogant, or at least an ignorant, thought.  

Watch what you ask for. You just might get it.  

Then Listen Even Better

1 Samuel 3:1-21, New Living Translation (NLT)

The Lord Speaks to Samuel
3 Meanwhile, the boy Samuel served the Lord by assisting Eli. Now in those days messages from the Lord were very rare, and visions were quite uncommon.

2 One night Eli, who was almost blind by now, had gone to bed. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was sleeping in the Tabernacle[a] near the Ark of God. 4 Suddenly the Lord called out, “Samuel!”

“Yes?” Samuel replied. “What is it?” 5 He got up and ran to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

“I didn’t call you,” Eli replied. “Go back to bed.” So he did.

6 Then the Lord called out again, “Samuel!”

Again Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

“I didn’t call you, my son,” Eli said. “Go back to bed.”

7 Samuel did not yet know the Lord because he had never had a message from the Lord before. 8 So the Lord called a third time, and once more Samuel got up and went to Eli. “Here I am. Did you call me?”

Then Eli realized it was the Lord who was calling the boy. 9 So he said to Samuel, “Go and lie down again, and if someone calls again, say, ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.’” So Samuel went back to bed.

10 And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”

And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.”

11 Then the Lord said to Samuel, “I am about to do a shocking thing in Israel. 12 I am going to carry out all my threats against Eli and his family, from beginning to end. 13 I have warned him that judgment is coming upon his family forever, because his sons are blaspheming God[b] and he hasn’t disciplined them. 14 So I have vowed that the sins of Eli and his sons will never be forgiven by sacrifices or offerings.”

Samuel Speaks for the Lord
15 Samuel stayed in bed until morning, then got up and opened the doors of the Tabernacle[c] as usual. He was afraid to tell Eli what the Lord had said to him. 16 But Eli called out to him, “Samuel, my son.”

“Here I am,” Samuel replied.

17 “What did the Lord say to you? Tell me everything. And may God strike you and even kill you if you hide anything from me!” 18 So Samuel told Eli everything; he didn’t hold anything back. “It is the Lord’s will,” Eli replied. “Let him do what he thinks best.”

19 As Samuel grew up, the Lord was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. 20 And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.

Footnotes:
3:3 Hebrew the Temple of the Lord.
3:13 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads his sons have made themselves contemptible.
3:15 Hebrew the house of the Lord.

"Here I am." Oh how I love that line. Call my name and you will hear my response. "Here I am." So here we have Eli the priest mentor and the young boy Samuel who was brought by his mother when he was just a wee little one.  And now little Samuel begins to hear the voice of the Lord.

So God calls his name... and Samuel does what he knows how to do. He responds to his mentor. "Here I am." But of course, Eli did not call him.

So God calls again... and again... before Eli realizes what is actually going on. The good news is that God doesn't give up. He keeps calling.

And so when Samuel is guided by his mentor to listen to the voice of God this time, Samuel does.  And there again, God calls. And Samuel responds, "Here I am."

I wonder how often we hear God's voice but don't recognize it as so? I wonder how many times we go to others for guidance when it is actually God who is wants to speak to us?

Listen.
Allow God to speak.
When you hear your name, know it is God.
And then listen even better.

If God is Calling You...

1 Samuel 1:1-28, New Living Translation (NLT)

Elkanah and His Family
1 There was a man named Elkanah who lived in Ramah in the region of Zuph[a] in the hill country of Ephraim. He was the son of Jeroham, son of Elihu, son of Tohu, son of Zuph, of Ephraim. 2 Elkanah had two wives, Hannah and Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah did not.

3 Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of the Lord at that time were the two sons of Eli—Hophni and Phinehas. 4 On the days Elkanah presented his sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to Peninnah and each of her children. 5 And though he loved Hannah, he would give her only one choice portion[b] because the Lord had given her no children. 6 So Peninnah would taunt Hannah and make fun of her because the Lord had kept her from having children. 7 Year after year it was the same—Peninnah would taunt Hannah as they went to the Tabernacle.[c] Each time, Hannah would be reduced to tears and would not even eat.

8 “Why are you crying, Hannah?” Elkanah would ask. “Why aren’t you eating? Why be downhearted just because you have no children? You have me—isn’t that better than having ten sons?”

Hannah’s Prayer for a Son
9 Once after a sacrificial meal at Shiloh, Hannah got up and went to pray. Eli the priest was sitting at his customary place beside the entrance of the Tabernacle.[d] 10 Hannah was in deep anguish, crying bitterly as she prayed to the Lord. 11 And she made this vow: “O Lord of Heaven’s Armies, if you will look upon my sorrow and answer my prayer and give me a son, then I will give him back to you. He will be yours for his entire lifetime, and as a sign that he has been dedicated to the Lord, his hair will never be cut.[e]”

12 As she was praying to the Lord, Eli watched her. 13 Seeing her lips moving but hearing no sound, he thought she had been drinking. 14 “Must you come here drunk?” he demanded. “Throw away your wine!”

15 “Oh no, sir!” she replied. “I haven’t been drinking wine or anything stronger. But I am very discouraged, and I was pouring out my heart to the Lord. 16 Don’t think I am a wicked woman! For I have been praying out of great anguish and sorrow.”

17 “In that case,” Eli said, “go in peace! May the God of Israel grant the request you have asked of him.”

18 “Oh, thank you, sir!” she exclaimed. Then she went back and began to eat again, and she was no longer sad.

Samuel’s Birth and Dedication
19 The entire family got up early the next morning and went to worship the Lord once more. Then they returned home to Ramah. When Elkanah slept with Hannah, the Lord remembered her plea, 20 and in due time she gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,[f] for she said, “I asked the Lord for him.”

21 The next year Elkanah and his family went on their annual trip to offer a sacrifice to the Lord and to keep his vow. 22 But Hannah did not go. She told her husband, “Wait until the boy is weaned. Then I will take him to the Tabernacle and leave him there with the Lord permanently.[g]”

23 “Whatever you think is best,” Elkanah agreed. “Stay here for now, and may the Lord help you keep your promise.[h]” So she stayed home and nursed the boy until he was weaned.

24 When the child was weaned, Hannah took him to the Tabernacle in Shiloh. They brought along a three-year-old bull[i] for the sacrifice and a basket[j] of flour and some wine. 25 After sacrificing the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. 26 “Sir, do you remember me?” Hannah asked. “I am the very woman who stood here several years ago praying to the Lord. 27 I asked the Lord to give me this boy, and he has granted my request. 28 Now I am giving him to the Lord, and he will belong to the Lord his whole life.” And they[k] worshiped the Lord there.

Footnotes:
1:1 As in Greek version; Hebrew reads in Ramathaim-zophim; compare 1:19.
1:5 Or And because he loved Hannah, he would give her a choice portion. The meaning of the Hebrew is uncertain.
1:7 Hebrew the house of the Lord; also in 1:24.
1:9 Hebrew the Temple of the Lord.
1:11 Some manuscripts add He will drink neither wine nor intoxicants.
1:20 Samuel sounds like the Hebrew term for “asked of God” or “heard by God.”
1:22 Some manuscripts add I will offer him as a Nazirite for all time.
1:23 As in Dead Sea Scrolls and Greek version; Masoretic Text reads may the Lord keep his promise.
1:24a As in Dead Sea Scrolls, Greek and Syriac versions; Masoretic Text reads three bulls.
1:24b Hebrew and an ephah [20 quarts or 22 liters].
1:28 Hebrew he.

Beyond breaking my heart to hear how Hannah was taunted for not being able to bear a child, this text has always been very personal to me. When I was in the delivery room with my first son, I was overwhelmed with his beauty. The idea that this child came out of me, took my breath away. It was at that moment I realized just how worthy God was of my worship and devotion. 

So just as Hannah gave the very child she yearned for, right back to the God who provided him, I gave my first son back as well. I told God in that very moment that I was dedicating my son back to him. I am not sure I knew what that meant, not being a churched person and never reading the bible before. I just knew what God had done for me was more than I could ever repay him for.  So it seemed reasonable. I'm sure it seemed reasonable to Hannah, as well.

Sure enough, when my son turned 13 he asked me if he could join the team at our church that was going to Haiti. Haiti was in complete turmoil and he was just 13. So I told him "no." Maybe next year.  Sure enough, he didn't let it go. A year later he asked me again.  And again I told him "no!"  It was at that point that he called me out. He basically called me a hypocrite and said that I raised him to serve God but I didn't really mean it, because if I did, I would allow him to go as God was calling him to do.  

So... I told him "Fine! If God is calling you to go to Haiti, then God can get your teachers to approve you being gone for two weeks, when as an honor student, you are only allowed three absences all year.  And God can come up with the $1,400 you will need to get there!"  

Two weeks later my 14 year old son handed me $1,400 and signed consent letters from all his teachers.  And where did he get the money?? From those very teachers.  My son will be 30 this year and he is still serving God in Haiti.  And I am grateful to the God who gave him to me in the first place.  

Another Ripple

Ruth 4:1-22, New Living Translation (NLT)

Boaz Marries Ruth
4 Boaz went to the town gate and took a seat there. Just then the family redeemer he had mentioned came by, so Boaz called out to him, “Come over here and sit down, friend. I want to talk to you.” So they sat down together. 2 Then Boaz called ten leaders from the town and asked them to sit as witnesses. 3 And Boaz said to the family redeemer, “You know Naomi, who came back from Moab. She is selling the land that belonged to our relative Elimelech. 4 I thought I should speak to you about it so that you can redeem it if you wish. If you want the land, then buy it here in the presence of these witnesses. But if you don’t want it, let me know right away, because I am next in line to redeem it after you.”

The man replied, “All right, I’ll redeem it.”

5 Then Boaz told him, “Of course, your purchase of the land from Naomi also requires that you marry Ruth, the Moabite widow. That way she can have children who will carry on her husband’s name and keep the land in the family.”

6 “Then I can’t redeem it,” the family redeemer replied, “because this might endanger my own estate. You redeem the land; I cannot do it.”

7 Now in those days it was the custom in Israel for anyone transferring a right of purchase to remove his sandal and hand it to the other party. This publicly validated the transaction. 8 So the other family redeemer drew off his sandal as he said to Boaz, “You buy the land.”

9 Then Boaz said to the elders and to the crowd standing around, “You are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. 10 And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife. This way she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband and to inherit the family property here in his hometown. You are all witnesses today.”

11 Then the elders and all the people standing in the gate replied, “We are witnesses! May the Lord make this woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, from whom all the nation of Israel descended! May you prosper in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem. 12 And may the Lord give you descendants by this young woman who will be like those of our ancestor Perez, the son of Tamar and Judah.”

The Descendants of Boaz
13 So Boaz took Ruth into his home, and she became his wife. When he slept with her, the Lord enabled her to become pregnant, and she gave birth to a son. 14 Then the women of the town said to Naomi, “Praise the Lord, who has now provided a redeemer for your family! May this child be famous in Israel. 15 May he restore your youth and care for you in your old age. For he is the son of your daughter-in-law who loves you and has been better to you than seven sons!”

16 Naomi took the baby and cuddled him to her breast. And she cared for him as if he were her own. 17 The neighbor women said, “Now at last Naomi has a son again!” And they named him Obed. He became the father of Jesse and the grandfather of David.

18 This is the genealogical record of their ancestor Perez:

Perez was the father of Hezron.
19 Hezron was the father of Ram.
Ram was the father of Amminadab.
20 Amminadab was the father of Nahshon.
Nahshon was the father of Salmon.[a]
21 Salmon was the father of Boaz.
Boaz was the father of Obed.
22 Obed was the father of Jesse.
Jesse was the father of David.
Footnotes:
4:20 As in some Greek manuscripts (see also 4:21); Hebrew reads Salma.

It is easy for us to glaze over when another genealogical record pops up in scripture. So and so begat so and so... So and so was the father of so and so... and onward.  But within each of those lineages falls a name. A name that matters. A name that reverberates across the mountains and leaves ripples upon the ocean waves.  A name that is known for generations to come and that leaves such an impression, that life is never the same.  And in this record, the name is David. Yes, David. 

David, the shepherd boy who stood up and said "I will kill the giant if none of the men larger than me are willing to save our people!"  

David, the youngest of brothers who was chosen to be the next King of God's people.  

David, the warrior, the musician, the poetic writer, the lustful man, the murderer. 

David, the man who warmed God's heart. 

Here, in the midst of names like Obed and Salmon, Ram and Hezron, falls David.  And soon, another lineage will fall under his name... and another ripple will be formed... and none of us will ever be the same.