It was hot out, like the conflict of the two was manifest in the environment. A contemptuous relationship born of close age and the difficulty of establishing identity. Love was there but always shrouded in immaturity and overshadowed by the competition to be individual rather than identified as the collective, brothers.
They had always been sheltered, clucked over by their hen of a mother. Today was different. Mother had to attend to some business and the boys could not come. The instructions were simple: stay together and come back alive, in time for supper.
As always, conflict arose. Where to go? What to do there? The country was a kingdom and the knights upon steel steeds rode to and fro looking for danger – finding, conquering, and moving on. At last they arrived at the edge of the forest. The dense wall of life stood as a border to a new land. A few steps in and they stashed the bikes in the brush, allowing their eyes to adjust to the lower light.
Every direction inviting, they were paralyzed by possibilities. Jacob, the eldest, grabbed Samuel’s wrist and started to run toward some rocks he wanted to scale. Samuel wrestled free from the grip and went the opposite way. As fast as he could, he put distance between them. A hundred yards later he looked back.
Samuel fell; he just didn’t see that small root. It was about three in the afternoon. Sweat rolled into his eyes, the sun blinding him as it flashed through the canopy. He tumbled down the hill and into the creek. His brother Jacob rushed to help him. When he found Samuel he was missing a shoe.Â
They sat in the water and laughed for a moment watching the bubbles float around the rocks, watching the skippers dance on the surface of the water, circles ringing their feet. Birds, breeze, brook, brothers: it was there in this moment with nothing else but each other that they found harmony.
Normally they fought. The constant bickering ever weighing heavily on their parents; but today it was just Jake and Sam, alone together in the woods taking on the world. Jake took off his shoes and splashed his feet, laughing, then splashed water up on Sam’s face who immediately jumped and they wrestled. They were completely soaked, baptized anew. Jake threw one of his shoes into the woods and placed the other up on a stump. Sam took his shoe and set it next to his brother’s.Â
Barefoot, arms around each other, they walked in the forest the first time as allies.
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Drew founded Mental Grenade Jan 2020. He is a follower of Jesus Christ, a medically retired Marine, EOD Tech, writer, mountain biker, photographer, facilitator, and fly-fisherman. He seeks to bridge the civilian – military divide and bring hope through honest communication about difficult issues.
Danushkar Mathivathanan
March 18, 2024 13:56Hey, i am a theologian. A hobby. I am doing a biblical thesis on jacob and samuel. Both were the favoured kids of their mother. Jacob, naughty, samuel, quiet. Jacob was a wrestler. Samuel was a calm guy.
I am saying all these to say how much my research resonates with your story.
And thousand other things, like the similarities between two chapters- genesis 35 and 1 samuel 7.
1. Both of them say to throw idols in a similar way, similar hebrew words.
2.in both cases it says “der herr antwortete”. (Jacob- the lord who answered..) (the destress in samuel’s situation was described and it says god “answered”).
3. Thirdly jacob says “der mit mir gewesen ist auf den weg ich gezogen bin” (who was with me on the way i came), whereas samuel says thirdly ebenezer- der herr ist bis hierhin (geographical point) geholfen.” (To me it sounds similar).
4. Both of them go to bethel (in jacobs case it his only place, in samuels case it is one of his four places).
5. Jacob gets good with esau, whereas in samuels case it is israel making peace with ammorites.
6. Samuel makes a memorial stone, jacob also places a stone.
Both of them also build altars. I don’t think there are any other places in the bible where they build altars as well as erect stones.
7. The type of distresses- threat from surrounding places is also same- Jacob- people from Schechem and Samuel- Philisters-, (I think, if not tell me pls).
8. In this chapter, jacob is officially addressed as israel. This chapter was the beginning of israel.
In 1 samuel 7, israel is for the first time gathered as a nation.