How
many of you have wanted something that someone else has? Well, you’re not
alone. Envy and coveting have been around since the beginning of time. One of
the Ten Commandments even says, “You shall not covet…” It’s too bad that the
Israelites and the elders in the reading from 1 Samuel 8:4-20 didn’t remember
that commandment.
What
is a king? A king is a barrier between us and chaos. A king is a strong wall
protecting us from whatever we fear the most: marriage problems, a faltering
economy, illnesses, crime, or drugs, for example. Anything that threatens to
destroy us is chaos. A king promises to bring order out of chaos. Whatever we
are afraid of in this world, there is a king to tell us why we don’t need to be
afraid. For Christians, our king is Jesus. He came to give us the protection we
need in the form of a restored relationship with God.
The
Israelites wanted a king for three main reasons. First, all of the surrounding
nations had kings, so the people of Israel wanted a king too. They were
influenced by the world and were no longer listening to Samuel. Second, the Israelites were concerned about
who would lead them after Samuel died. You see, Samuel’s sons were leaders in
other parts of the country, but they weren’t very good leaders. They made
crooked politicians look good! Third, the Israelites wanted a king who would
represent power and security and lead them into battle.
Deuteronomy
17:14-15 gave the Israelites the right to have a king as long as they chose a
king from among themselves and not a foreign king. This same passage places
restrictions on the king to prevent some of the abuses Samuel outlined. The
king was not to have many horses or wives or great amounts of silver and gold,
and he was not to exalt himself above the people. Human nature being what it
is, these restrictions were largely not observed, and sometimes they are not
observed today.
The
problem the Israelites had was two-fold-wanting to be like other nations and
forgetting about God. God saw the Israelites’ desire for a king as a rejection
of him and everything he did for them. They forgot (as we sometimes do) that
God must be first and foremost in our lives. God can and does go along with
demands that are not in our best interests in order to teach us a lesson.
The
people were wise in that they saw an upcoming leadership void. Samuel was
getting old and the people knew that his sons would not be capable of assuming
the leadership role. They didn’t see a succession plan, and they certainly
didn’t see God’s plan for succession. They made their decision with their
hearts and not with their heads. They did not think things through. They made
an emotional decision and not a logical decision.
We
are the same. We often look at things through an emotional filter when we make
decisions. For example, if we do not make our funeral arrangements and pay for
our funerals before we die, our families have to make the necessary
arrangements at a time when emotions are running high and might cloud their
judgment.
Samuel
might have taken the Israelites’ request as a rejection of his leadership, and
perhaps they did. After all, part of their reason for wanting a king had to do
with justice and good governance-something that they weren’t getting from
Samuel and his sons. In his response to their request, he apparently does not
recognize their concern, either by defending his sons or explaining past
injustices. Or, perhaps he is deflecting their legitimate concerns by making it
about him!
Samuel
knew that the decision to appoint a king was a rejection of God’s authority,
and the decision would lead to dire consequences for Israel. To make matters
worse, Samuel knew that his sons were not fit to succeed him. God warned the
Israelites that most of the kings would pervert justice, levy taxes and help
themselves to the best of everything in the land. In fact, Israel had 43 kings
over 450 years, and only 8 of them followed God. Most of the human leaders
created more problems for the Israelites than they solved.
The
same situation exists today. While we do have some good human leaders, there
are leaders who start with good intentions but over time they become concerned
only for themselves and their supporters and friends. We only have to look at
the current Senate expense scandal here in Canada to see that this is the case.
This
story is about the doctrine of free will. God gave us the ability to choose
between right and wrong and then suffer the consequences. Sometimes we choose
the lesser of two evils, especially during an election, and sometimes we choose
between the better of two good. God limits his power to allow for us to make
decisions, but he also shows his power of grace by sometimes allowing good
things to happen from our poor decisions. One example was the dynasty of King
David, which had a historical significance beyond measure.
We
have been called by God to do good works. We have to be on guard against
anything that would hinder that work. One enemy of good works is pride. We must
remember Samuel’s words in this passage. God has called us to specific
situations, and not anyone else. When we live in the world, we are influenced
by the political and cultural environment more than we realize. Consequently,
we often lose our ability to distinguish between what comes out of our
environment and what comes out of our relationship with God. When we turn from
God in sin, our worth is downgraded, but God does not stop loving us.
Samuel’s
sons abused their power just like some modern-day politicians and CEOs abuse
their power. God warned the Israelites that most of the kings in their future
would abuse their power. The people wanted stability and security, but they
left God out of this desire. Sometimes we leave God out of our desires and
plans also. We must always go to God for guidance, especially when we face
life’s challenges. Our desire to imitate the world may seem righteous at first,
but it will result in destruction. We need to ask God to give us the courage
and conviction we need to stand apart from the sin-filled world. We need to
stop the conversations that begin and end with, “I’ll have what she’s having!”
and pour out our souls to God in honest prayer, seeking his heart, his plans
and his will. When we do, the Holy Spirit will give us the tools we need to
trust that where he leads and what he allows is what is best for us.
1.
Jeremiah, Dr.
David: The Jeremiah Study Bible, NKJV (Brentwood,
TN: Worthy Publishing; 2013)
2.
Butch Odom,
“Proper 5/Ordinary 10 for 2015-1 Samuel 8:6-7”. Retrieved from comment-reply@wordpress.com
3.
Butch Odom,
“Proper 5/Ordinary 10 for 2015-1 Samuel 8:4-5”. Retrieved from comment-reply@wordpress.com
4.
Chafin, K.L.
& Ogilvie, L.J.: The Preacher’s
Commentary Series, Vol. 8: 1,2 Samuel (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc.;
1989, pp. 67-72)
5.
Stanley,
C.F.: The Charles F. Stanley Life
Principles Bible, NKJV (Nashville, TN: Nelson Bibles; 2005)
9.
Roger Nam,
“Commentary on 1 Samuel 8:4-11(12-15), 16-20 (11:14-15).” Retrieved from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2472
10.
Karla
Suomala, “Commentary on 1 Samuel 8:4-11(12-15), 16-20 (11:14-15).” Retrieved
from www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=1342
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