The seventh in a series on restoring the drama to the study of the Word of God.The plot of a story moves forward on a track of two rails: the Act - made up of a Set Up, Complications, and Climax; and the Sequence of events. Without Sequence the story goes nowhere.
Complication involves a Conflict which causes the listener to worry, wonder, and want resolution. In the process a significant character or group either develops and grows or declines and unravels.
After David’s victory over Goliath, the plot moves into
a full length story line made up of Acts through which David the courageous shepherd grows into David the benevolent King. If you think of it as one huge Act it looks like this:
- Set Up - David brought into Saul's court as a celebrity.
- Complications and Conflict - Public popularity, Saul's paranoia, Jonathan's friendship, David's marriage to Saul's daughter, and the need to flee for his life.
- Climax - the Battle at Gilboa where Saul and his family are killed.
By the time the dust settles we discover several things about David which can be trace to events in the Complications and Conflicts.
- He is a patient man - although anointed by God, he waits for Israel to acknowledge him as king.
- He inspires loyalty.
- He has traded his sling for the serious weapons of leadership.
- His romantic/literary heart has been deepened.
- He has integrity - remaining loyal to Saul even in death.
- He is compassionate - looking for a way to show kindness to Jonathan's family.
- He is organized - through the time of conflict he developed his knights of the round table.
We also discover the beginnings of the Set Up for the next Act, including the emergence of a sinister character within his ranks.
Please! Take time to read the stories as more than records of events. You may find them becoming more deeply etched into your memory.
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NEXT: Jesus' Job Description for Storytellers
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