Cobwebs in the corners

So I know that I haven't posted consistently, and I realized that I have a lot of mostly finished posts saved as drafts... I have been using the drafts as sort of sounding boards, but I haven't ever polished them up. I think I'll just go ahead and post them anyway.

Stand still, that I may reason with you

Now therefore stand still, that I may ^areason with you before the Lord 1 Samuel 12:7

That is interesting. It isn't often that the prophets come to us with an appeal to logos. don't know that I have really paid attention to recent times when leaders try to teach us with logic, well, I guess there are commandments that seem obvious when you think about them like not killing or stealing, self reliance, food storage etc. but in this case he does try to reason with them. Samuel reminds Israel of their history, the times and ways that God has preserved and blessed them, then he calls down a miracle to prove how displeased God is with their current decision (to demand a king).

Why didn't Samuel use a more 'spiritual' approach? More--ethos and pathos? I wonder if it isn't because the people were beyond that. They had been prospered, and they had forgotten God. I don't think they had turned away necessarily, but they didn't feel that they needed him. They were still asking the prophet to give them a king, but Samuel said, "The Lord your God was your king" and he should have been. As I look through recent instruction, I'm going to try to pay attention to if, when and how current prophets use reasoning to teach.

"Stand still" For some reason, that strikes me as powerful. "Be still and know that I am God." How often do we stand still? I personally find it uncomfortable, and I start reaching for my phone, computer, TV remote, book, radio... anything.

Every once in a while I get ambitious and I write a "Still List." I take a piece of paper (lately digital paper) and I write at the top "I still..." And I just wait for the flood. I still need to register for classes, I still havn't returned that movie. I still haven't ordered that part. I still need to do my home teaching. I still need to call my old friend. It is scary how quickly my list grows. (when I get really ambitious, I try to start crossing things off that list :))

Now I know that the scripture doesn't actually mean my kind of still, but maybe that is why it impresses me so strongly. In that context, being still also means taking time to evaluate my priorities, to be on top of things, and to make a sort of self accounting for my responsibilities. I don't think any of those are a bad thing.