Portrait of a Disgruntled Prophet - Part 3

So we come to the climax of the conflict where Saul is rejected from being King 1st Samuel, 15. When I was working on this question of what was going on between Samuel and Saul and I was exploring it trying to figure it out. Actually started with chocolate. Christina said, let me start with the hardest one. I had to make sensitive 250. Now to go back and look at what came before and I saw how things led to chapter 15 Let me summarize the beginning of the story of 1st, Samuel, 15. Samuel claims that he has a word from the Lord. That's all is to execute the Harem. The band, holy war against the amalekites called usually in Hebrew amalek. That's the name of the king and his name of the people. That's a bit of ambiguity there. A Raticate them all people and animals. So some of that is zombie. They carry out the Harem but they spared a medical team and the best of the animals.

Yahweh tell Samuel in verse 11. This is the key verse but he has repented but changed his mind, the Hebrew word Islam. King James says, repent. Usually when it transmits that word change your mind or human being to repent, the change from something is wrong.

This results in Samuel being angry and crying out to the Lord all night. Winx time it arrives. So reports that he has carried of the Caribbean, Sea malachite with Samuel, the gates him for sparing, the king and the best of the animals. And then there's a back-and-forth conversation which I'm not going to summarize it when I actually read it. But the upshot is that by the end of the chapter so it can ship has been decisively revoked.

2015 is the most complex and ambiguous chapter in the entirety of 1st and 2nd Samuel. I really find it difficult to launch at the first of all. What amenities are going to read through the text. And that's the next point we're going to look at this isn't Middleton literal version the MLV bright emites. I want lettuce and tomato sandwich and when the money is really juicy tastes great. And that's it. S m. L. V, t. Raps. I don't think you have any of this on the screens. I'm going to read my transmission, you can look in your Bibles and not trying to read it real carefully and slowly. Samuel said she saw. It was me that you always spent 10 years King over his people, Israel. So, no, listen to the voice of the words of Yahoo. This is your way of host. I'm doing a reckoning for what amalek did Israel when he set upon him on the way when he is real, was coming up from Egypt. Now go, and you shall strike down amalek and utterly destroy all that is his and you shall not spare him. And you shall kill everyone from man to woman from Child To suckling, from Oxford to ship, from Campbell to donkey, I'm so call the people and must have them until I'm two hundred thousand foot soldiers and ten thousand men of Judah. I'm so I came to the city of amalek and lay in ambush in the body. Console set of the kenites leave her inside. Go down for the midst of the amalekite. Lest I destroy you with him. For you showed kindness to all the sons of Israel when they came from Egypt. And the connects turned away from the midst of amalek. I'm smart, sole smooth, amalek from have alerted, you come to shore, which is before Egypt. And so alive, and the edge of the sword. But song, and the people spared I gag and the best from the sheep and the cattle, and the families, and the young Rams and everything. Good. For they did not want to actually destroy them, but all the despised things in the perishables, those. They're totally destroyed. Other word of Yahweh campus. And old saying, I have repented of the fact that I made Saul King, what he has turned aside from following me and my words, he has not fulfilled.

I'm Samuel became angry and he cried out to the highway all night long.

Insomnia, the rose in the morning to meet saw and it was reported to Samuel saying so I would have gone down to Carmel and behold, he has erected for himself a monument and then he has turned aside and pass who invented Google.

Samuel came to stall. Install said to him may you be blessed of y'all way. I have fulfilled the word of Yahweh Samuel said then what is the sound of sheep in my ears and the sound of cattle that I hear this joke? So right by appoint you do to me just so you know the participle in Hebrew from Shemar Shemar. So he says what is the sound of sheep by?

Enter the automatic sound there.

Exhausted from the amalekite, they brought them spared from the best of the sheep and cattle in order to sacrifice to your God and the rest destroyed. Zombies at the song. So I may tell you what he always has spoken to me in the night. And he said to speak. Cassandra said though you may be small in your own eyes, you are the head of the tribes of Israel and Yahweh anointed you to be king over Israel. And you always sent you an apart and say, go you should listen to destroy simple amalek and you shall fight against them until you finish them off. So why did you not listen to the voice of your way for you post on the spoiled? And you didn't even in the eyes of yaqui? I'm so sick of Samuel. I did listen to the voice of y'all awake and I went down the path that you always sent me on. And I brought back, I Got King of amalek

But the people took this from the Spore and sheep and cattle, and the best of the things destined for destruction to sacrifice to Yahweh, you're going to do that. Samuel said I'm just now, leaving High poetry. The poetic inserted a very, very high falutin comforted or Derrick Rose is the Delight of Yahweh in burnt offerings and sacrifices. Much as in listening tomorrow, to the voice of yaqui, listening is better than sacrifice attentiveness is better than the fat of Rams for Rebellion is as the sin of designers. And Defiance is the transgression of terrorism was our terms for Idols, right? Since you have rejected the word of your way, he's rejected you from being King. I saw that the Samuel, I have sinned for a transgression against the most of your way and against your words. I was afraid of the people and listen to their voice.

I know, please remove my sin and return with me and let me worship Yahoo. I'm Samuel, I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of y'all with. So Yahweh has rejected you from being king of Israel. I'm Samuel turn to leave, but so see the flap of his robe and it tore and Sammy said to him and I'm more over the unchanging. One of his role does not deceive, but he does not repent was not a human being that he should repent.

And salted. I have sinned. No, please honor me before the Elders of my people and in the presence of Israel and return with me that I may worship. Yahweh, your God What time does turned away from Sullivan's Hardware, Shipyard way.

And Samuel said bring forth to me a god-king of amalek and I went to him with fostering steps, and I thought surely, bitter death has been turned aside and Sam is a just as your sword had bereaved women. So bereaved above all of them, it would be your mother and Samuel hacks. It got to Pieces before you're away at gilgal. Insomnia went to Rama. And so I went to his house to give you a shower and Sammy are no longer. So sure until the day of his death for Samuel Morin oversoul and you already had repented that he had made Saul King over Israel.

No, in a class. I'm teaching, I would take two class sessions minimally to work through. This text is so much, and too complex, we can't do that. So I'm going to go to the next point and try to disentangle the rules of survival, and guard in the story, by stating 7, CC's that are ways that show how Samuel 1st, Samuel, 15 is a combination of the story. We have seen, Brazil connections,

Thesis one. Samuel has maintained inappropriate control over Saul instead of mentoring the fledgling thing to becoming a leader, in his own right to think is what was needed. Samuel begins in 1st Samuel. 15 verse 1 to assert control over Saul and he does this in two ways. If you have your text so you can look at it yourself. I'm going to read now. From the first verse the first thing Samuel says the salt is it was me, but you always sent or not you working over his people, it was me. So having previously resisted, giving the people, a King Samuel now inside, if it takes credit for it.

He is the one who made Saul King is to take control immediately, static position. Just I wasn't just me. Who did it? but the next thing Samuel says, is to make it very clear that this the word from the Lord, So now listen to the voice of the words of Yahweh versus Yahweh of hosts. So what I'm going to say if you next is both from God and I made you King so don't forget it. With an opening like this, how could solve even think for questioning Samuels instructions, which, in the name of God directions to holy war against the amalekites. Even though when you study the amalekites in the Bible they were nomadic people this right over the place. You can actually destroy them all and does not take. Spoiler bootie heel is that they take profit from it. He's never condemned for it. Nobody else has ever asked.

But Samuel has established himself as a unique and only spokesperson from God, so much. So that Salve uses Yahweh as Samuels God, Everything in the phrase. He uses three times in this chapter your God, which the people also use in chapter 12 of Yahweh, your God Tell me about to interpose himself between God on one side and soul. That is really the other side. Is that neither of them can have an independent relationship to God. It must go through Sandra. so, he says to

I'm going against almost all the commentaries here. Samuel not God initiates, the rejection of Saul. Samuel claims Aaron is from Yahweh. I doubt it. No, I could say we're never told that God, tell the timer to do this. That's one thing. That's true. I just rooted in an earlier encounter with a malachite when Israel was coming into the promised land. It's recorded in Exodus 17 and in Deuteronomy, 25 in one of those texts were told that Yahweh would have Perpetual war against on the deck and the other one we were told that Israel must have Perpetual war against Zamalek Perpetual War. They never attack any time between those events which a minimally 300 to 500 years earlier and it is the first time anybody has tried to attack I would like because of what happened back then. It's a very strange assignment. To get a new king is the first assignment that's or Samuels the song. Know somebody, you know about the 1812 war between Canada and the US have lived in both Canada and the US every Canadian Sphynx Canada won, the war of them are going to take some Erica. One of the basic tray is actually live in Saint Catharines, Ontario, where you can see the, the hill to the Statue of General Brock, who fought the Battle of the Canadian side and a cross to the queenston-lewiston. And that's where the battle was actually fun. I know this work pretty well. I've read the histories about it so I can imagine cuz I live in Canada, a brand new prime minister of Canada coming up on the governor general in, right, as your first task, is to attack the us because of the 1812 war. Which is only two hundred years before not treat the 500 years before I even got kind of weird. What's relevant is that I left the first test, a new prime minister would have to do. What? About governing the nation, why go and do that? Why is that necessary?

This is very strange talk also their nomadic peoples are really kind of Raticate them, and David attacks them twice. Take spoiler never condemned. Yep, salgos, I can text them and in one area anyway. Eradicates them with some exceptions.

Pizza Street. Samuel thinks God was wrong color of the monarchy in the first place. Let me explain a little bit more about it. So I mentioned the four and I'm going to summarize Samuel, Jackson's our personal, he's being replaced, and he doesn't like that possibly political. He prefers, the time of the judges are different, political organization, doesn't really fit. The monarchy is appropriate, but it could also be still logical. The god, a good leader, but God especially should not be influenced by mere human beings the leader of a standard round.

Along the way to this issue that God should not be influenced by human beings. I want you to know that twice in this chapter verses 11 and 35. It's very clear that God has in fact changed his mind. In verse 11, and I'm going to read that to you. God says to Samuel. I have repented of the fact that I made Saul King in verse 35. The ending of The Narrative. The last words are the narrator says, and Yahweh had repented that he had made Saul King over Israel, but that is very clear. Yet we go to verse 29, Samuels speech. The song. I'm already on changing One of Israel does not deceive and doesn't repeat. Repent was not a human being that he should repent. Your God damn number to Garden Avenue homes. That was the first school in reading this chapter. Let me think Samuel is not on the same page as mad because he's denying what God explicit Lee said happened.

Discus at least three attempts to avoid the contradiction. Some suggest to be transmitting a hum in verse 11. When God says, I have no I'm not as I changed my mind. I said, I'm grieving, or I am I mourn or I regret in some way that I did it. I'm saddened by it. Cuz I didn't really change his mind. The problem is, when Samuel uses that word in verse 29, he means God doesn't change his mind. And when the narrator the end says it is over.

Another attempt to this is really interesting, is to say he won't change his mind. They won't change his mind about changing his mind again. What do you think? The first doesn't make sense at all? That's not what he's saying. He doesn't change because the mutable Some suggestion, this doesn't actually make sense of Samuel as a character in The Narrative, but it's just the narrator is telling you about a bigger plan of God, that this points ahead to the election of David in chapter 16. And God may be either chapter 7 of 2nd, Samuel God makes an unconditional Covenant with David house. God is still committed to David and his line that he will not change his mind about that, which is predestined. We have to get rid of stall to get David in. They can't bring Saul back.

It's implausible that Samuel could have intended any of that cuz he doesn't know anything about David. He doesn't even recognize who God wants to be king in chapter 16.

Plus his comments are totally extemporaneous. Let's take a look at verses 28 and 29 and if

27 Samuel, turn to lie but still sees the flap of his roommate. Or are you going to give it? Somebody else is better than you. That's on the spur of the moment. That's not a word from the Lord, except if Samuels Consciousness is always god-consciousness. So, whatever time you think he just made that up and then he goes on his first 29th and Monrovia gum and also is like it in the old TV series of Columbo, when he's about to leave. I'll just one more thing. You need to add one more. Just one more thing that he doesn't throw that in there. Just to make it absolutely clear that God won't take him back. But that's also extemporaneous, just one more additional comment. He makes to dig the night in deeper.

Samuel. You God is Not Just based on him, stating God, doesn't change his mind or not. There's a back of a second, a wonderful good, Orthodox. Christian scholar in Durham, England, University dorm has said, in writing an article on chapter 15, though. I disagree to this conclusion, he says that in the chat, which is perfectly, right? He said that God doesn't know that's really weird because everywhere else in the Bible over and over again is very common, most common things about Yahoo.

That's wanting name for God's unchanging. One of Israel, your Bibles have some other Transit and eternal one that there's different ways to translate it. It's the adverb metsa metsa. You know, God, you're always there for me or Nick stock. We are continuing to Olam and other terms, I got to meet them from the beginning, or continue into the future word for continuance. That's his core word for God. God continues without changing time. I don't think she has such a philosophical conception but God doesn't change. That's his unique name for God. Pizza score. So just to summarize thesis tree was God's family thinks it was wrong for God. So loved the monarchy. All right.

Samuel is himself, internally conflicted over the rejection of Sword versus 11. He was angry at God. How many people suggesting? I suggest he was angry that God decided to get rid of sore, he wasn't planning to get rid of. Do you want to keep stalling this control? He was getting Soul under control. Now, we have to get a new king under control, who is never had stronger personality, and was not to let him get control. So I think he's angry about that and quite Kaiser. Why are you rejecting? So, I didn't want him to be rejected, but I guess God could say to him, you know, if I was imagining make a movie of the voice of the Lord comes on, but remember, I'm supporting your every word and you criticize you condemn him for Disobedience of, he's out. I didn't mean that just makes him to feel he was beholden to me to always do what I wanted.

Along that line, look at the slippage between God words to Samuel and Samuels words to solve 11, right? Because he's rejected me, I'm getting my words because know some of those words are treated as God's words, right? When Simon says the song, I got something to tell you and verse 16. and so it says, alright, tell me

I know what time I'm going to tell you what, the Lord spoke to me last night. Does he tells us all what God said to him? Does he say the Lord has changed his mind about you being ignored? What he says is God's anointed you and you said you in the past and he puts his own words to it to focus on the condemnation, but he cannot make himself safe. God has change his mind. Because that would make it legitimate. The guy change his mind about the monarchy the first place and gave him a king. You have to admit. God is a God, who is adaptable? He can't admit that.

Get there is an internal tension within verses, 22 and 23. Samuel says two things that don't make any sense.

What is precisely between restraining?

between verse 2326 23, since you have rejected, the Lord, the word of the Lord, he is rejected you from being can acknowledge and let God has rejected so The word reject doesn't seem to have the emotional connotations with Samuel that repent. Have, but somehow that word, it's too human. It doesn't change. So his rejection. Maybe it's part of his eternal plan. I don't know if you being King strange and then he Grieves or morons in verse 34. I never sees. So again, he Grieves over? So what's The Grieving I think again, he said that he know he has to start all over again with another king and that's going to be very difficult because he had sold directly under his thumb.

Okay, you go to the next Caesars. God has chosen. To be constrained by the choice of Samuel as the authoritative representative of God's will.

Sorry, I said that wrong. OK, Google, can I see? So this way, it was God's choice. That he would back Samuel.

Why? I suggested that this goes back to God, for seeing that the monarchy in, which could be a distortion of power meeting is really straight. He wants a profit. So he decides he would not let this prophet's words fall to the ground and it shifted from there being a priest and Prophet. But the Paradox of this is from Samuels point of view. The principle that God is no committed where he wasn't before to support the words of a prophet, a human being and back them up. That principle is a person couldn't have accepted because it means god is adapting to human being. Pic of a product. If somebody let me explain it to you in small words, right? But God had acted to your prophetic word to back it. the god depended on Memorial say, Why don't you go to set that cuz that's not supposed to be dependent on anybody? So guys very choice to support this profit. Is his adaptability The change. And Samuel would find that highly problematic.

Thesis number 6.

God's commitment to a doctor human needs leads to another change in God when Samuel messes things up. So apart from the fact that God has seen the coming monarchy and chosen to have a profit instead of a priest. So I can change the next changes. God decides he will back, whatever that app. It says I'm not let his words fall to the ground. Then that Prophet speaks words of condemnation to the king and God decided to reject the king, that's another change.

Is one more change.

And this is what God says to David. In 2nd Samuel 7.

2nd Samuel, 7 verse 15. God said, look. You're the, you know, the king and I'm going to make a covenant with your Dynasty that if any one of your son's disobeys me, I will punish them as a father, disciplines our son. But I will not reject them. Quote, I will not take them. I have said my steadfast love from them as I took it from Soul, whom I put away before you God strength again.

Soul to Disobedience last monarchy. This text says, in the davidic line Disobedience will not lose you. The monarchy monarchy will continue in your line because I will not take away. Like I said, I will the relationship with the unconditional. I'm not going to allow any profit like Samuel to speak a word that results in that King being disenfranchised of the, of the royalty to repent. But I'm going to still be the god of that King. 2 Samuels. abuse of power has led to God changing his modus operandi with Kings from then on from now on the kingship is unconditional that blows my mind when I think about that. What was that?

So the paradoxes God's Samuel is resistance to God changing. Precipitated another change in how God operates.

Pizza 7. That's my most important piece of all. Samuel has not fulfilled, the central intercessory roller profits in his relationship to Esau. See Moses is butane used to running me 18 as the prophet par excellence and any profit after it would be in the tradition of Moses asked Are You The Prophet thinking that this one particular Prophet to come? But it's not only Messianic if he is a true Prophet cuz he speaks the word of God to Pharaoh. He challenges power from God but he also intercede on behalf of his people. Profits are often portrayed as intercessors in the Bible. Abraham in Genesis 18 intercede on behalf of Sodom and Gomorrah and when God speaks to King abimelech, The King of gerar Abraham. My servant will pray for you because he is a prophet but he's only a profit because he's in that point. Moses bring the Torah down from the mountain and trying to people worse than golden copper and God wants to destroy them. And start over with Moses that I don't need these people how to make a new nation. From you who is Lord to give reasons why a test Garden, Truly repent of the evil. You had plans using the ham the next versus and the Lord repented of evil plan. That's the kind of the prayer of a righteous person availeth. Much does James Wright. It works very well. Many little profit, especially Jeremiah trade on behalf of his God, tell Jeremiah 3 times and stopped praying for the people because they are not your fencing. And I need to bring judgment on you to keep praying. I can't do it. the supposed profits from God, is Got the whole being is to show mercy, so you pray.

Are the prophets also, pray and ask God to refrain from judgement. One of the criteria in the Book of Ezekiel of a false prophet is they do not intercede on behalf of my people. The language uses, they don't stand in the breach which comes from the Lord decided he would destroy his people and he would have had not Moses his servant stood in the breach to avert his anger from them that that's the power of Prayer.

Now, they're significant contract with the Moses at the intercessor in the golden calf story. Repairs on behalf of the people and Samuel in this story who has no intersection on behalf of soil. Let me go to the comparison. I don't know if any of this is going to be on there on the chart, probably not. But let me show me the comparison on the one on God, gives the Ten Commandments to Israel will be including the provision of that's the word of the Lord. The Parlor in the Samuel store is Samuel claims, the god commands. So they execute the B. Both have one number from the Lord. Okay. Point to Aaron, the priest leads the people in this obedient to worship the golden calf.

Carlos Samuel. So, all the king leads. The people in support, this obedient, they don't fully. X is responsible for what happens. In Exodus, God tells Moses to Covenant is over and he's rejected the people. Insomnia God, tell Samuel. He's changed his mind about his kingship. Are one refuses to take responsibility, he passes the blame to the people, the people ask for this and they brought all this gold and silver. But someone said the people wanted to save the best to sacrifice to the lord. It's not just my fault.

Moses pleads for God to forgive and change his mind about rejecting, the people in a series of four or five interceptions, depending how you want to count them. He explicitly into the people in the favor years with God, if I found favor with you show favor to the people, your people and me together with package deal, you want to write them up. White milk to

there is no intercession. I may have a soul sample. In fact, refuses to pray for him. Stands out like a sore thumb against prophetic intercession. In The Exodus story, God changes his mind and he repents, you forgive the people and re-establish of the Covenant on an unconditional basis. Samuel's, the God will not change his mind and refuses Soul forgiveness.

In Exodus, Aaron remains as priest. He become high priest, and the founder of the Priestly Dynasty, though. He let the people in a Dollar Tree.

Thought is rejected from being legitimate King. Because he save some of the booty and his dynasty comes to nothing. he's an amazing contract, she was powerless, one big difference, the prophet refuses to intercede

In fact, when you go back to chapter 12, you may remember, so Samuel made an oath, moreover ask for me far. Be it for me that I should send against the Lord by ceasing to pray. On your behalf. Do you always plural? Certainly Israel. So I was there with them. This is how many percent want to pray but he refuses to renege on his pledge, his oath in the farewell speech that he would never cease praying for these people, is there, at least, he's praying for soul. There was a really interesting book on intercessory prayer in the Bible by leaders and called standing in the breach by a Biblical scholar. I really respect this chapter and Samuel is a really bad job, too. Because he read the text that time, it was constant interceding for his people. Every time someone says, I will pray for you. You just say something to pray for them. Know, he didn't he promise to but never did except for once earlier on chapter 7.

Hannah have thought. To see this boy grown up doing what he did. There's a Jewish boy to Yahoo. Who wrote the poem called The Bible and you and I and other machine, there's a translation of it by Robert alter, the famous biblical scholar And this is the one lying about Hannah that you would have. Let me cry right in English. When Samuel was born, she uttered words of Thanksgiving for this child. I prayed and when he grew up and did what he did with his life, she asked for this child, I prayed They got to say, can you just maybe sounds better than you? for this child, I prayed

It's enchanting Jewish Scholars often. See these floors in the characters. McClellan Christian College. Do they notice?

Here's a quote from was that moscato was in Moberly who I mentioned before and this is about not Samuel and Saul Switzerland. David, she says the tragedy of still going to head to the latest or we haven't covered. Write the tragedy of soul is in large part. The tragedy of his inability to accept God's choice of David and live accordingly. Ugly. I want to change to other words in that quote and it flies backwards the tragedy of Samuel. Is in large part. The tragedy of his inability to accept God's choice of soul and live accordingly. We really didn't notice that connection.

Okay, so conclusions lessons on the ethics of power from 1st Samuel, and I'm just working through this myself. So I'm going to hope that in the Q and A time. You will help me think through this. I want a quote with the Spider-Man principal and start with that. The great power comes great. Responsibility is absolutely true is a Biblical principle

I am reflecting very much on the culprit in a mentoring bringing up people to replace you. We don't like that to know. I know church is where the pastor finally retires at age, 90 and I've never trained anyone to take over the church falls apart. I also know what churches were their intention to younger people. When the pastor's retire new people would be there who have been trained and mentored into that leadership. We need to be very intentional about passing on power is back on. We receive from God is not for us to hang onto, it's a race and what you got to give you the next person who gives it to the next person and it requires character development, to be the kind of person. Who can you use your agency actual leader in a church for a parent, you have power to affect the Next Generation, right? And I'm a teacher and I have a lot of students at a train mentor and a former Mentor but I'm an informant Mentor. I want to model for them, how to live, how to take over when I have more than James and his right side and teaching positions positions anymore. They're not very many. You got to have that, you know, I have other ways to make a living if you want to be a teacher, or you can always get a form of jobs. And it's going to become along younger than me. 20, 30 years younger. Write a really fantastic book. Praise the Lord. They can do that. I couldn't write that book, I don't have enough knowledge, good. They're going to probably affected them in some way they took some ideas and ran with it in a different direction. Just wonderful. It doesn't have to be about me, I can pass on what I have always be different. I'm going to retire from my position in a few years in the future will be there. I cannot control that There's no way I can control that when people retire, and we've had this last year. People. There's nothing wrong with change, God change them adapt to new situations. The Reason God changes is it caused his character is unreachable. He is such a god of love that he will adapt to make that love evidence in your situations and we should have such character that we were willing to allow changes and new iterations of what we're interested in to happy as the Next Generation comes, and does what they need to do. It will not be the same if not. You're so much over the here. It's adapting to new technologies and your situation. The changes to come are beyond my imagination and your people will be able to adapt better to them than I could ever adapt. So got to let go of power, not giving it up by teaching others how to use it. Well, Certification for the church for church leadership but it also addresses the question of the abuse of power in the church. Maybe we have such issues, not just in the Catholic church. Is there in the partisan? Different jellicle Church, the serious, serious problem. How do we think differently about this? How do we let scripture in its details and specificity speak to our lives so that we become part of the story and imbibe, the values that is trying to teach us. I text like 1st Samuel. 1215 is a text that challenges me because it shows me some ugly sides of what I could have become. I hopefully I'm not become hard and it makes me want to live differently. When I was teaching the second part of Samuel, especially 2nd Samuel and absalom's rebellion and the rape of Tamar and all this stuff. I remember that in class one day we had a discussion about parenting. I said, I don't want a parent my kids like, how David does his? My goodness, that is terrible. This terrible. So you can learn from a text from a negative model, how to do something different, get committed to want to do something differently. And then,

Well.

I don't feel like picking what a speak for you but that pauses like, wow, there's there's so much here. Let's pursue before asking me questions. I'd like to start with his final Point lessons. Ethical lessons on leadership. Anybody Something from this morning. Making fresh sense to you or something. You want to kick the tires on her interact with Richard on related to

ethics and lessons about wielding power to imagine the right good particularly in Christian Community, not exclusively.

Because we have a different character in a different set of values.

Dr. Middleton, it seems to me in the point that really came out here was when Saul said your God and said it three times. And you think by this time, maybe, All of Israel had started to see. This is our God, but they still haven't.

and, When? when you're going on in this culture, you know, this is an Eastern culture book, but being just a wet, whatever the culture book, this is that we have trouble with Honoring people that are older. And I'm not saying that because I have a lot of white hair and everything like that, but even it's 16 we think our parents are even maybe at 6. We think our parents don't know anything, right right. Yeah. So as a professor there's still a lot to be taught, you know? On the professor has to have The thought that he still a value to be able to pass under the people. So Samuel maybe had this problem to he didn't think he had any more value to the people of Israel. Do you want to hold on to this power? I mean if people came to me and said you know, I'm just things in taking bribes and cheating on tests and you're getting old, you want to replace your, I'd be upset, I know there's no doubt about it, you know, but I find my response, you know?

The story about the relationship between Samuel and Saul tentative highlights of paradoxical Christians often find themselves under a l, especially Kylie anointed leaders. Were God is doing things to them. Is when they start seeing things that don't seem to line up perfectly with way. God would have them to be able to find a place in your mind of knowing that the person is not all that bad, but God is using them, but there can be faults in their lives that need to be handled as well. Instead of trying to find a way to rationalize that everything is fine or dismissing, everything is bad. I want to restore this bike. Samuel is not an unadulterated sociopath trying to destroy people's lives. He is a person who is conflicted about his values. I messed up and he probably, I mean, Eli mentored him in a gentle way. She's very interested in Hudson, views, and pictures of God. But I'm not sure if Eli had the ability to really meant him very far. Like, I got, to be honest. Right now, my mom loved her. She passed away some years ago. My mom was a great mom on TV. Got there about 11 or 12. She had no idea how to be a mother with teenagers. And it was problematic Samuel. I was minted, is Young ages by Eli, I don't think he had much. You know, how much infants are named after that and Sam are had to develop a very honest. Person who trusted in his own insights, may be too much, don't know. We're not told the story, you know?

Okay, I'm following this. The theme of that character. Traits of Saul and Samuel and the ethical struggles of leadership. Maybe can I put his out a good way to put it? That's a cool struggles with leadership of Simon Samuel and Saul and contrasted in in the story. I'm wondering, it seems like really relevant to our world today. Where we, regardless of whether people who are Democrats, Republicans I won't go on to that. But in the sense of there is a moral crisis in our world right now. And I see I see that happening in this book. I see us all being challenged to be noted that you raised. A, why is, why is Josh, the king of the ammonites included in the narrative writing? The harsh means it's the lineage of the Dacosta lineage of evil of Kings descended from whatever. And, and then there is the lineage of the Kings descended from God and the son of Ultimately and you have Saul that's kind of in the middle ground, right? He's described as being a tall King which is weird. Okay. Well you don't all people become Kings or the alpha Israelite or something. What in the Bible, the Giants were the the lineage of the hostility of the serpent, were these giant Kings the amount, write the, the amorites all of their kings were described as being Giants or something. And before the NBA of course, they would have all been described as being basketball players today workouts, but I'm wondering what is the character struggle that's happening there that saw was tempted, is it is the reason why is described as being tall. So, I was tempted to be, like, one of these do success for Israelites would be, to be the lineage of the Natchitoches. Instead of killing the guy. Forgot, his name was the king of the amalekites name. I can't remember. All right, instead of killing him by executing him like God commanded, he lets him live and then Samuel comes in this really kind of brutal description. You imagine Jane, a prophet of the Lord does. Why did you not fulfilled to come in? But she pulls out a sword and chop someone to bits and they say Isis, you know, Alan side of the story and I didn't want to get into that. That's what's so strange, you know? I'm thinking of you my book, I'm going to ask you the end which after 16 just a hint of what is to come because Sol is described as he is Berto. Head and Shoulders above everybody else and he's very good-looking and hot when it comes into the town to meet the disir. He doesn't know. His name is Samuel yet. All these girls come to the the wealth and Hebrew is hilarious. When you read it, they like it like that. Hey. Like come on, it's a little girls each other and you can go to your bumbling Farmers kid who had a family but he doesn't have any administrative power to all. I can't find the donkeys. Are the servant of the money that you're going to play Stairway to Crazy. The narrator God has said to Samuel because God looks on the heart, not going to open the parents. When David comes on the same result and David is out to the parents was handsome and he was ready and you. Especially using some of the same terminology from a guy said, don't look at David is described. As if to say that problem that to any young women pray is David because Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands part of his popularity is, he's a good-looking guy or good? Looks are an impediment to serving, but they can be a temptation to substitute. So at least it's a problem is David also.

as far as an ethical lesson here is As I've been sitting here listening, it's a truth that I've known that. continuing to be reiterated to me, is that in positions of leadership, it is Paramount to encourage its kind of human nature, you know, to point out the flaws in what you see, but the importance of what makes a leader is the ability to see the strength that are before you and to encourage those strengths while

Maybe helping to guide someone to learn the lessons that they need to learn without necessarily saying you're wrong. You're an error, but too Yeah. To encourage more than you're correcting. That's good. Thank you. And you are in the book.

Lava game.

Something that I'm kind of noticing here out. It's been mentioned a little bit but just not directly and talk about leadership and mentorship Hannah asked for this child. And then doesn't look like she was really involved in any kind of given them to Eli, which we know is a corrupt, lineage could have things been different if Hannah just raised her child and sought the Lord and Samuel could have been a very different person so that doesn't fascinating question.

I didn't have time to do the whole story of Hannah when you do the story behind. Now, there's an interesting. Plot Problem, that gets resolved as you go along, if is Byron. Has many children, does not have children and taunts are about being Byron. Every time they go up to the Shilo in the annual pilgrimage. She wants a child real bad, so she pleases the Lord, if you will, you listen to me and take pity on me and not, despise me. And give me a male child, then I'll give it back to you. It doesn't make sense that you really want to try that if you wanted to give it to God to be a Nazarite, it looks like to be raised in the template and that's right. And it turns out that you don't know till that whole event, that she'd be every year when she went up the sons of Eli Shane and hardness we're not only corrupting the sacrifices by demanding, the fat of the offerings for themselves, which is only 3 hours going to burn the fat in every offering it goes to God, they wanted it for themselves and if somebody resisted, they take send their servant to the three prong Forks, to jab it into whatever, they whatever comes out. That's my portion. And then it said, and they also would proposition the women at the entrance of the Temple. Was Hannah one of those who experience propositioning babies by these men. She certainly knew that the priesthood was corrupt. She decided in our oldest of the initiative of Anna, I'm going to get a son from God is going to dress my problems. They're going to give his son to be trained to be a replacement priest. She's taking a risk because you got to give him to Eli like you said, but she kept him back and we need until he was quite old were told as if to train him for a while before she let him go. So did her risk payoff? We never know if our wrists are going to playoff. We make initiatives on behalf of God to do things without knowing the consequences. If you don't know the outcome could have been so yeah, no problem humans taking initiative doing things. I thought that they were going to do. I used to be totally for Hannah. She was a woman of great Insight initiative.