“耶和华对撒母耳说：‘我既厌弃扫罗作 … 王，你为他悲伤要到几时呢？’” - 撒上 16:1

在论及变革的那本书中，作者布里奇斯打趣说：“[作为一个领袖]，你的致命伤不是变革本身，而是变革的过渡期”（出自他的著作《应付过渡期》）。换句话说，当你习惯了（或喜欢）自己一贯做事的方法，若要改变旧的模式去接受新的常态，在心理上是需要付上极大的努力的。

尽管撒母耳起初不愿意以色列民立王，但他已习惯了周边文化中这个做法。撒母耳希望君王会为了神和百姓的缘故，去承担应有的责任。他又尽了极大的努力来引导年轻的扫罗王。撒母耳因此为扫罗的结局悲伤，扫罗本来可以成为一个伟大的王，但他却沦为神子民拙劣的领袖。

为失丧悲伤是恰当的，可是撒母耳却把自己困在那个沮丧的境况中。神因此对他说：“我既厌弃扫罗作 … 王，你为他悲伤要到几时呢？… 我差遣你往伯利恒人耶西那里去，因为我在他众子之内预定一个作王的。”神明白撒母耳的感受，然而，现在是时候放下过去，继续前行了，祂吩咐撒母耳也要与祂一同前行。

撒母耳照办了。当他先后与耶西的儿子们会面时，他领会到他们的外貌并不是最重要，最重要的乃是人的内心。于是他不断在说：“耶和华 … 不拣选他。”到了最后，耶西召唤正在放羊的小儿子回来时，撒母耳便膏了大卫为以色列下一任的君王。

祷告

主啊，当我被困境卡住时，求你帮助我改变我看事物的角度，转而跟从你的眼光来看世界。阿们。

撒母耳记上 16:1-13

1耶和华对撒母耳说：“我既厌弃扫罗做以色列的王，你为他悲伤要到几时呢？你将膏油盛满了角，我差遣你往伯利恒人耶西那里去。因为我在他众子之内，预定一个做王的。”
2撒母耳说：“我怎能去呢？扫罗若听见，必要杀我。”耶和华说：“你可以带一只牛犊去，就说：‘我来是要向耶和华献祭。’”
3你要请耶西来吃祭肉，我就指示你所当行的事。我所指给你的人，你要膏他。”
4撒母耳就照耶和华的话去行。到了伯利恒，那城里的长老都战战兢兢地出来迎接他，问他说：“你是为平安来的吗？”
5他说：“为平安来的，我是给耶和华献祭。你们当自洁，来与我同吃祭肉。”撒母耳就使耶西和他众子自洁，请他们来吃祭肉。
6他们来的时候，撒母耳看见以利押，就心里说：“耶和华的受膏者必定在他面前。”
7耶和华却对撒母耳说：“不要看他的外貌和他身材高大，我不拣选他。因为耶和华不像人看人，人是看外貌，耶和华是看内心。”
8耶西叫亚比拿达从撒母耳面前经过，撒母耳说：“耶和华也不拣选他。”
9耶西又叫沙玛从撒母耳面前经过，撒母耳说：“耶和华也不拣选他。”
10耶西叫他七个儿子都从撒母耳面前经过，撒母耳说：“这都不是耶和华所拣选的。”
11撒母耳对耶西说：“你的儿子都在这里吗？”他回答说：“还有个小的，现在放羊。”撒母耳对耶西说：“你打发人去叫他来。他若不来，我们必不坐席。”
12耶西就打发人去叫了他来。他面色光红，双目清秀，容貌俊美。耶和华说：“这就是他，你起来膏他。”
13撒母耳就用角里的膏油，在他诸兄中膏了他。从这日起，耶和华的灵就大大感动大卫。撒母耳起身回拉玛去了。

Time For A Change

"The LORD said to Samuel, 'How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king . . . ?'" - 1 Samuel 16:1

In his book on change, William Bridges slyly wrote, “It isn’t the changes that will do you in [as a leader], it’s the transitions” (Managing Transitions). In other words, moving from an old situation to a new normal takes tremendous emotional work when you have grown used to (and fond of) doing things the old way.

Even though Samuel had not wanted Israel to have a king at first, he had grown used to the idea. Samuel had wanted the king to do the right things for the sake of God and the people. And he had put enormous effort into guiding the young King Saul. So Samuel mourned about the man who could have been great but turned out to be a poor leader of God’s people.

Grieving that loss was appropriate. But then Samuel got stuck in that depressive place. So God said, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king . . . ? . . . I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.” God understood Samuel’s feelings, but it was time to move on, and he called Samuel to move with him.

Samuel obeyed. And as he looked first at one and then another of Jesse’s sons, he learned that it was not all about appearance, but about the person’s heart. So he kept saying, “The LORD has not chosen this one.” Then finally, after Jesse called his youngest son in from tending the family’s sheep, Samuel anointed David to be the next king.

Prayer

Lord, when I get stuck, help me to change my perspective to your way of seeing things. Amen.