Scripture Study for

The search for the new king and the choice and anointing of David open a new chapter in the story of Israel. The anointing of David is a solemn and sacred action that ceremonially sealed God’s choosing him. Following the ritual, the spirit of the Lord rushes upon him. This spirit was understood as a principle of dynamic divine action, a force that had visible effects in human history. Those seized by the spirit were thus empowered to act within the community in some unique fashion. This story recounts how it took hold of a future king. 

The move from darkness to light is the principal metaphor used in the Letter to the Ephesians to describe the radical change that takes place in the lives of Christians as a result of their commitment to Christ. Christians are not only warned about the works of darkness, but also urged to expose them. This counsel is given as a play on the difference between virtuous behavior that can be plainly seen, because it is done in the light, and shameful behavior that is hidden in the secret of darkness. Christians have entered into a new state of being, which will require a new way of living.

The struggle between darkness and light is a thread that runs throughout the account of the man cured of blindness. Jesus uses this two-part form to underscore the urgency of his ministry. He and his disciples must do God’s work while it is yet day, for the night will come when such work will have to cease. Jesus identifies himself as the light of the world. The man who was brought from physical blindness to sight moves from spiritual blindness to religious insight. This is not true of the Pharisees. They are blind to the truth that the newly cured man saw so clearly. The one who was blind now sees, and those who can see are really blind.