 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” Samuel's Warning Against Kings 10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him.11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men[a] and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” The Lord Grants Israel's Request 19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the Lord. 22 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.” Meditation One of my friends growing up used to jokingly justify his poor middle school decisions saying, “If it feels good, how could it be wrong?” Our culture sees this mentality as no laughing matter as feelings rule decisions. Today we live in an uber-autonomous world where feelings are king. The people of God rejected God as king (7), forgetting they had been redeemed by His grace (8). They rebelled against God, rejecting God and His rule (8) to welcome the perceived independence of having a king “like other nations.” (5, 20) God’s provision and design for a king was rejected (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). The people felt a desire to have a king “like other nations,” rejecting God and His design, doing what was right in their own eyes. God warned them of the truth (10-18), being governed by what feels good would lead to oppression, but Israel continued to rebel. When we join our culture and reject the authority of God and the rule of His word for the authority of what feels good then we reject Him as King. Being slaves to our feelings is not freedom. Jesus is the true King who gives the independence we long for, accomplished through His suffering and death. Jesus was rejected so we could be accepted. Jesus does not conquer with power but by grace and His rule restores. Will His love rule you? He loves you, whether you feel it or not. Richly Dwelling -The root of Israel’s rebellion was not remembering God’s redemption, leading to rejecting God and His rule. Reflect on how Christ has redeemed you- How rebellious were you before He ambushed you with His grace? We should never forget what it was like being lost. -Where do you allow your feelings to rule over you more than the beneficial rule of Jesus? Be specific. -The rule of God is beneficial and restorative. He says, “Come to me and I will give you rest… (Matthew 11:28). How can His rule restore your relationships, work, studies, and family? Key verse 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Comments are closed.
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