Israel Demands A King

1 Samuel 8-10

"So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.  They said to him, 'You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.'"  1 Samuel 8:4-5

Samuel had been Israel's leader for many years.  Now he was old, and he appointed his two sons, Joel and Abijah, as leaders in his place.  But his sons "turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice."  1 Samuel 8:3b  So the Israelites asked Samuel to appoint them a king "such as all the other nations have."  The Israelites were not only rejecting Samuel's sons as leaders because of their dishonesty.  The human instinct to be like other people is strong, and this was a big part of Israel's desire to have a king.

If we are going to pattern our lives after other people, we should choose our role models very carefully.  If we choose to follow others, we should be sure they are following God.  But actually God wants us to get our marching orders directly from Him through His word and prayer and the guidance of the Holy spirit, because God has a different, specific plan for each person.

When the elders asked for a king, Samuel felt rejected.  But God gave him some advice that we, too, can take to heart.  When we witness to someone about God and His goodness, and the person who hears is not interested in what we are saying, we don't need to take it personally.  God told Samuel that they were rejecting Him, not Samuel.

The Israelites were unlike any other nation, because God had taken them as His special people and had been their king for many years.  Now they wanted a king they could see.  Change can be for the better, but it can also be detrimental.  Certainly swapping God for an human king was a bad deal.  God told Samuel to warn the people about the disadvantages of having a man for their king.  Samuel warned them that a king would take their sons and daughters to serve him and would take part of their land, their produce, and their animals for himself.  But the people were stubborn and would not listen to God's warning.  They wanted what they wanted in spite of what God said, and that's a warning to us.  1 Samuel 8:19-20,  "But the people refused to listen to Samuel.  'No!' they said.  'We want a king over us.  Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.'"  When we reject God's will and God's warnings and insist on having our own way, we will miss God's best for us and may well have regrets because of the adverse consequences of our choices.

Father, help me to remember that Your way is always best for my life no matter how badly I want my way.  May I always yield to You and Your will.  Amen.