JUL 29

1 Samuel 8
Memorise 1 Samuel 8:7
“they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me”

After the death of Joshua, Israel came under what is known as a theocracy. They did not have any main central leader, but God was supposed to have been their leader. He was their Lord and King, and they were to obey His laws. He was personally involved in caring for them – ready to help and raise up judges to deliver them when they cried out to Him, but also to chastise them when they disobeyed. This system would have worked if the Israelites had remembered God and kept His commandments. However, they did not. Instead every man did that which was right in his own eyes. They were happy as long as Samuel would be their judge and lead them. However, his sons were wicked and ill-suited to rule. As a result, they demanded a king to judge over them, just like all the nations around them.

Realize that a request for a king was not wrong per se. It was God’s intention that Israel would one day be ruled as a monarchy, to have a king over them. In fact, God even made laws with regard to this king: of how his reign ought to be like, and what duties he would have (Deuteronomy 17:14-20). What was wrong about their request was their reasons and motivations. In seeking for a king, they gave no spiritual reasons, only carnal ones. They were not looking for a strong, spiritual leader who would help them keep close to the Lord. They wanted a king only because it was what all the other nations had. They wanted to be like the world, to emulate the success of the world, which was precisely the opposite of what Israel was supposed to be. They were supposed to be a nation separate, set apart for God. Yet they wanted a king because it seemed like a trendy, useful thing to have, and so they insisted on their request, despite the many warnings that Samuel gave them. In so doing, they rejected their real king – the Lord Jehovah. They failed to remember that as a nation, they would be far more successful than any other nation, if only they would submit to the rule and authority of God and His Word. Their worldly wisdom and covetous eyes thought that once they had a king, then they would “be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20). In so doing, God told Samuel that “they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them” (1 Samuel 8:7).

Thought: God on our side is better than a thousand kings of man.
Prayer: Lord I pray that You will help me to never reject You as the Lord and Master of my life.