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God’s problem with kingship in 1 Samuel is not with the royal
office per se, but rather with the Israelite conception of
kingship, especially their intention to switch their reliance
and allegiance from divine to human king. [15]
David’s response highlighted an important aspect of the Davidic
covenant. It was ultimately not a covenant about David and his
dynasty, but rather was a covenant with David for the glory of
God and the sake of Israel as a nation. [44]
David was to rule as vice-regent of God on earth; this meant
great privilege but also the responsibility to know that his
authority for rule was based upon Another, not himself. The
success of Davidic kings, thus, would be directly related to the
ability of the human king to live in submission to the Divine
King, to eschew any notions of grasping the authority of the
Lord. [60]
In our westernization of the Christian faith we have reduced our
Christian experience to the individual. We have little sense in
our churches of the intimate relationship between believers that
typified the early church. As we read through the book of Acts
we admire but do not replicate these practices. [89]
Worship lies at the center of our life as the community of
God…the human activities of evangelism and preaching are but
means to a greater end: the worship of God. [108]
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