Day 127
1 Samuel 1:1‐2:21; John 5:1‐23; Psalm 105:37‐45; Proverbs 14:28‐29
None of His Words Fall to the Ground
Did you ever realize how much drama there was in 1 Samuel on either side of the calling of Samuel? The drama that Eli’s sons cause in the temple and how wicked they are, and then the defeat not once but twice of Israel at the hands of the Philistines, and the capture of the ark of the covenant. Samuel is called in the midst of war and ruin for Israel. Eli keels over dead at the news of the capture, his sons are dead, and his daughter-in-law dies in childbirth bearing Ichabod. But there is one amazing verse in this chaos: “The Lord let none of his words fall to the ground.”
The Lord’s words, Samuel’s words, they are one and the same. And Jesus tells us to pay attention to the Word of God that comes from Him, the Son of God, the Son of Man. Hearing the Word makes the difference between life and death. Jesus says, “You search the scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that testify on my behalf” (John 5:39).
If you have reached this almost halfway mark in your year of reading the Bible and your energy is flagging, press on! You are finding eternal life in the study of these words, this Word. “Without people, the prince is ruined,” says Proverbs 14:28. Without readers, the Word is hidden under a bushel.
Your steadfast faithful reading gives life and light to the world and testifies that Jesus truly is our Savior.
The Rev. Alison P. Harrity