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DELEGATED AUTHORITY?  THAT SOUNDS RISKY.  YOU MEAN YOU LET OTHERS BE IN CHARGE FOR YOU?

They’re everywhere you turn.  Think about it.  Your bosses at the magazine, even that one lady – “the tyrant.”  I set her up especially for you, dear.⁵⁶  You just keep looking up the chain of command and eventually you will run smack-dab into me.  Your journalism professors, kindergarten teacher, parents – oh yes, your step-parents – they were all my delegated authorities for you just as Saul was for David.  Like I say, there’s a whole lot of character building going on here.  Get used to it.⁵⁷

BUT SAUL?  HE WAS EVIL.

Doesn’t matter.  He was still in the chain of command, even though not our top lieutenant at the time.

THAT WAS DAVID, RIGHT?

Not hardly – still in short pants.  No, as has always been the case, our main man was a prophet, Samuel.⁵⁸

UNTIL DAVID GRADUATED TO THE THRONE?

No, still Samuel.  Later on it was Nathan, the one who we sent to confront the king about his Bathsheba debacle.  He was our principal authority in that locale – our conscience, if you will.⁵⁹  David would have to undergo further development in that regard in order to become our prophet as well.

WHAT ABOUT TODAY?  YOU DON’T STILL HAVE PROPHETS ROAMING ABOUT BUTTING THEIR NOSES IN, DO YOU?

Nothing’s changed from my end.  I have always maintained a “voice” in communities throughout the earth.⁶⁰  Today, traditions of men merely appear to be prevalent, and many stumble over our prophets daily.  In time, we will rectify the matter.

56 “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities.  For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.  Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.  For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to evil.  Do you want to be unafraid of the authority?  Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same.  But if you do evil, be afraid; for he does not bear the sword in vain; for he is God’s minister, an avenger to execute wrath on him who practices evil” (Romans 13:1-4).

57 “Servants be submissive to your masters with all fear, not only to the good and gentle, but also to the harsh.  For this is commendable, if because of conscience toward God one endures grief, suffering wrongfully” (1 Peter 2:18-19). “Therefore you must be subject, not only because of wrath but also for conscience sake” (Romans 13:5).  “This being so, I myself (Paul) always strive to have a conscience without offense toward God and men” (Acts 24:16).

58 “Surely the Lord does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).  “So when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, ‘There he is, the man of whom I spoke to you.  This one shall reign over My people’” (1 Samuel 9:17). “So Samuel said (to Saul), ‘ . . . And did not the Lord anoint you king over Israel (and dispatch you on a mission to utterly destroy the Amalekites, including all their livestock)?  Why then did you not obey the voice of the Lord (but took spoil)?  For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. . . . Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, He has also rejected you from being king’” (1 Samuel 15:17b, 18, 19, 23).

59 “Then the Lord sent Nathan to David.  . . . (Then Nathan said to David):  ‘Why have you despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in His sight?  You have killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword; you have taken his wife to be your wife, and have killed him with the sword of the people of Ammon’” (2 Samuel 12:1a, 9).

60 “He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (Ephesians 4:11-12).