A Closer Look
The theme of barrenness recurs in the Old Testament, as we read last week in Walter Brueggemann’s discussion around Naomi’s barren then suddenly fertile future in the Book of Ruth, which promised the same kind of future to all Israel. We recall that Brueggemann sees in barrenness the lack of a future, so Hannah’s pregnancy, an amazing gift from God in response to prayer and promises, is fulfillment and future not only for her but for all Israel, for Samuel will be the man of God who helps Israel establish a monarchy. With a strong leader, the people wouldn’t just do what was right in their own eyes, but would be led by, and accountable to, something greater than themselves. And that “something,” as we have noted, would be blessed by God. It is remarkable but consistent with the biblical narrative that great things seem to come from what looks like nothing, from humbleness, from what appears small or barren. It reminds me of the desert, and the way a land that appears dry and without life is actually teeming with all sorts of activity, and all sorts of possibility. Is that why we’re drawn to the wilderness to refresh our spirits? God does amazing things in the most unlikely places, and through the most unlikely people.
Perhaps, for us today, the notion of God “ordaining” national leaders is hard to translate. In fact, centuries of religious wars and other troubles make many of us wince when political leaders claim they are “called by God” to their positions of power. But we might also long for our systems of leadership – how we choose our leaders, and how we hold them accountable – to be worthy of God’s blessing, if they are fashioned in such a way that they further our shared ability to “do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with our God” (Micah 6:8).