June 12, 2018
1 Samuel 8:1-9 The Message
God made a covenant or promise with Israel to be their God if they would be his people. But instead of being excited about God as King, Israel wanted to be like other nations who had a human king. Can you imagine telling God “thanks for the offer…but, no thanks?”
In our reading today, please note how God responds when the people reject His offer to be the King of their lives. He lets them have their own way; they will taste the fruit of their demands and regret it later. If we are wise, we will give God his rightful place in our lives and not demand that he do things our way.
1 Samuel 8:1-9 Rejecting God as the King
1-3 When Samuel got to be an old man, he set his sons up as judges in Israel. His firstborn son was named Joel, the name of his second, Abijah. They were assigned duty in Beersheba. But his sons didn’t take after him; they were out for what they could get for themselves, taking bribes, corrupting justice.
4-5 Fed up, all the elders of Israel got together and confronted Samuel at Ramah. They presented their case: “Look, you’re an old man, and your sons aren’t following in your footsteps. Here’s what we want you to do: Appoint a king to rule us, just like everybody else.”
6 When Samuel heard their demand—“Give us a king to rule us!”—he was crushed. How awful! Samuel prayed to God.
7-9 God answered Samuel, “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.
Prayer: Lord, thank you for the wisdom I gain from your Word. I choose you as my King and invite you to lead my life. You see things so clearly; I need your vision. In Jesus’ name. Amen.