Scripture

“We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”

Observation

In his old age, Samuel appoint his sons as judges over Israel. His two oldest son’s, Joel and Abijah, are not like their father, and they accept bribes to pervert justice.

The Elders of Israel meet with Samuel and demand that Samuel appoints a king for them. Samuel is displeased with this request, but the Lord tells him that it is the Lord they are rejecting not Samuel.

So Samuel warns them of the tyranny they can expect at the hands of the king. There will be taxes, conscription, and forced labour.

The people demand to have a king so they can be the same as other nations. Samuel takes it to the Lord, who gives him permission to appoint a king.

Application

The book of 1 Samuel shows us how bad it is to pass on an office to sons who lack the character to fill the role. First it was Eli’s son’s who failed, and now Samuel’s sons fail to live up to the expectations placed upon them.

The response of the people to this problem is to demand a king, which is ironic. The very heart of a monarchy is a system where the sons inherit authority regardless of their character .

The people of Israel wanted to be like all the other nations. It was not enough to have the Lord as their King, they wanted a proper king like everybody else.

Christians often want to be like the world. We want the lifestyle of the unbelievers while holding onto the assurance of salvation. Church leaders sometimes think that embracing the opinions of the world on issues like abortion and homosexuality will make them more popular and effective.

God has called us to be holy, that is different to the world. We must never think that we can take on worldly values and be a witness to the world.

Prayer

Holy Father, I confess my tendency to seek the ways of the world. Please show me any areas of compromise in my life and help me to repent from them. Amen.