Before you get started, this devotional is a little different. I guess you could call it a Bible study or if you’re fancy, an exegesis of the text. Often, this is how the Holy Spirit teaches me. So yeah, let’s hop right in! We are studying 1 Samuel 8.
But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord.
And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you;
it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected ME as their king.
As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods,
so they are doing to you.
Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”
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 Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord.
The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.””
1 Samuel 8:6-9, 19-22 NIV
The Prophet
For context, Samuel was known as a priest (1 Samuel 2:11, 18). He was also a prophet and he served as one of Israel’s last judges. He was well-acquainted with the Lord and His voice. When Samuel heard that the people wanted a king, he was not happy about it. Instead of coming up with his own solution, He prayed. When was the last time you prayed?
In response to Samuel’s prayer, God spoke.
But God’s response was not one that Samuel necessarily wanted to hear. God did not stop the people from having their king. Instead, God told Samuel to let them have their king. God reminds Samuel that the people’s rejection is not personal it is targeted at Him.
To the person who loves the Lord, hear me. It will seem that people are rejecting you, but really they are rejecting Him. Later in scripture, Jesus confirms this same thought.
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.
John 15:18 NIV
Nevertheless, after God confronts the issue in Samuel’s heart, He tells the prophet to listen to the people and give them what they want.
So, where does that leave God’s messengers? As a prophet, Samuel, had to accept God’s way lest he be like the children of Israel.
Are you accepting God’s way?
The People
The people rejected God because they wanted to be like other nations. In other words, they wanted the societal “norm”. They wanted what they saw other people had (coveting). This caused them to forget that they were set apart by God to be DIFFERENT than those around them. They forgot God, their deliverer and King.
In many ways, Israel traded freedom for bondage.
Much like Israel, we often forget God. We forget that He knows what is best for us. We trade the freedom that is found in Him and trade it for the bondage of sin. We take Him for granted and forget that He will not fight with us forever. Eventually, He will give you and I exactly what we want. He will give you that man, that job, that house, etc…even though He knows it’s not BEST for you. God’s love does not change, but His method does.
Walk with me for a moment, imagine a good parent.
A good parent repeatedly warns their child not to touch the hot stove. Though the parent has always protected the child, the child does not listen and still wants to touch the stove. Eventually, the parent decides to let the child touch the stove. To protect the child, the parent purchases a stove with heat shield and a children’s lock, but inevitably it is a stove so it does get hot. The child touches the stove and gets burned. Rather than leaping to the child’s rescue, the parent allows the child to experience the burn. Why you may ask? The parent allows the child to get burned to teach them. The burn teaches the child to trust the parent.
God allows certain things to teach us. He does all of the protective things before hand, but He will not keep stopping us if we are determined to go the wrong way. He gives us the freedom to choose. In this instance, God allowed Israel to have a king. As any good father, God chose the best possible kings and had His servant, Samuel, anoint them (see 1 Samuel 9 and 16). But God’s promise remained. The kings claimed their rights and reigned over the people of Israel. Each new king brought a new set of problems for Israel.
How can we avoid extra stress?
We must train ourselves to listen to God and obey Him even when His voice goes against our desires. The distinguishing characteristic between Samuel and the people was the prophet’s willingness to listen to God. Are you willing to listen?
Big hugs,
Ayanna