Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

¹⁷ Samuel sent a message to the Israelites. He told them to meet with the Lord at Mizpah. ¹⁸ He said to them, “The Lord is the God of Israel. He says, ‘Israel, I brought you up out of Egypt. I saved you from their power. I also saved you from the power of all the kingdoms that had treated you badly.’ ¹⁹ But now you have turned your backs on your God. He saves you out of all your trouble and suffering. In spite of that, you have said, ‘We refuse to listen. Place a king over us.’ So now gather together to meet with the Lord. Do it tribe by tribe and family group by family group.”

²⁰ Then Samuel had each tribe of Israel come forward. The tribe of Benjamin was chosen by casting lots. ²¹ Next he had the tribe of Benjamin come forward, family group by family group. Matri’s group was chosen. Finally Saul, the son of Kish, was chosen. But when people looked for him, they realized he wasn’t there. ²² They needed more help from the Lord. So they asked him, “Has the man come here yet?”

The Lord said, “Yes. He has hidden himself among the supplies.”

²³ So they ran over there and brought him out. When he stood up, the people saw that he was a head taller than any of them. ²⁴ Samuel spoke to all the people. He said, “Look at the man the Lord has chosen! There isn’t anyone like him among all the people.”

Then the people shouted, “May the king live a long time!”

²⁵ Samuel explained to the people the rights and duties of the king who ruled over them. He wrote them down in a book. He placed it in front of the Lord in the holy tent. Then he sent the people away. He sent each of them to their own homes.

God Keeps His Promise

¹³ When God made his promise to Abraham, God gave his word. There was no one greater than himself to promise by. So he promised by making an appeal to himself. ¹⁴ He said, “I will certainly bless you. I will give you many children.” (Genesis 22:17) ¹⁵ Abraham was patient while he waited. Then he received what God promised him.

¹⁶ People promise things by someone greater than themselves. Giving your word makes a promise certain. It puts an end to all arguing. ¹⁷ So God gave his word when he made his promise. He wanted to make it very clear that his purpose does not change. He wanted those who would receive what was promised to know this. ¹⁸ When God made his promise, he gave his word. He did this so we would have good reason not to give up. Instead, we have run to take hold of the hope set before us. This hope is set before us in God’s promise. So God made his promise and gave his word. These two things can’t change. He couldn’t lie about them. ¹⁹ Our hope is certain. It is something for the soul to hold on to. It is strong and secure. It goes all the way into the Most Holy Room behind the curtain. ²⁰ That is where Jesus has gone. He went there to open the way ahead of us. He has become a high priest forever, just like Melchizedek.