This video is a lecture I gave to a group of undergraduate students at a Christian University. It takes note of some prophets before the era of kings. I start with Moses, quickly consider Bilam and his unusual case. Then I move on to Samuel, a remarkable prophet who served as a bridge between the days of judges and the era of the kings. As a prophet, Samuel played a key in the establishment of monarchy in Israel. And from that point on Prophets will be involved with kings in uneasy relationships. The struggle between the words God spoke through the Prophets and the behavior of kings began almost immediately and Saul and Samuel.