Today’s Reading: 1 Samuel 8
When Samuel heard their demand—“Give us a king to rule us!”—he was crushed. So, Samuel prayed to God, who answered him and said, “Go ahead and do what they’re asking. They are not rejecting you. They’ve rejected ME as their King. From the day I brought them out of Egypt until this very day they’ve been behaving like this, leaving me for other gods. And now they’re doing it to you. So let them have their own way. But warn them of what they’re in for. Tell them the way kings operate, just what they’re likely to get from a king.”
So Samuel told them in no uncertain terms what it will be
like when they have a king. He said, “Your
king will take your sons and make soldiers of them and force them into
dangerous battles. He’ll put some of you
to forced labor on his farms, plowing and harvesting, and others to making
either weapons of war or chariots in which he can ride in luxury. He’ll put
your daughters to work as servants and slaves. He’ll confiscate your best
fields, vineyards, and orchards and hand them over to his special friends. He’ll
tax your harvests and vineyards to support his extensive bureaucracy. Your
prize workers and best animals he’ll take for his own use. He’ll lay a tax on
your flocks and you’ll end up no better than slaves. The day will come when you
will cry in desperation because of this king you so much want for yourselves.
But don’t expect the LORD to answer.”
It is remarkable that they want to be “like
all the other nations,” when no other nation has had such an amazing
opportunity as Israel. No other nation
had ever been chosen by the LORD to be His special people. No other nation had ever had the unimaginable
privilege of entering into a covenant with their Creator. No other nation had been promised the coming
of the Savior of the World! No other
nation was the object of God’s special care and protection and provision. No other nation had the LORD, Himself as their
King. Yet, the people were blind to all
of these incredible privileges and decide to settle for a human king. Tragically, as humans often do, they settle
for “second best.” Nevertheless, the
LORD told Samuel, “Do as they request. Give them a king.”
So
often we, too, settle for "second best." We seek comfort and
success in this world's systems when we have the incredible privilege of being
God's chosen people. If we insist long enough, the LORD will allow us to
have our way. But beware, you will regret not staying the course with
God's perfect plan for your life.
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