God’s way or man’s way, which will we choose? 1 Samuel 8
Will we give our lives to serving a loving God or fickle men?
Samuel’s sons, like Eli’s before them, didn’t walk in his ways and thus provoked a leadership crisis in the nation of Israel. Some people have a call on their lives and when they refuse to meet the demands of that call the results can be far-reaching. (King Edward VIII 1936 abdicated to marry a divorced heiress and caused a constitutional crisis in the U.K.)
But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 1 Sam 8:6
Samuel, like David, took the matter to the Lord in prayer – better to talk to God first, before man. Many believers today do the opposite. Samuel then listened to hear God’s reply!
The verses that follow are a sad reflection on human fickleness or disloyalty to a loving Father;
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 out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 1 Samuel 8:7,8
God told Samuel to warn the people what the king they wanted will do to them, the consequences of rejecting God for an earthly ruler.
This is what the King who will reign over you will do: HE WILL TAKE your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses… Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties and others to plough his ground and reap his harvest and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. HE WILL TAKE your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. HE WILL TAKE the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys HE WILL TAKE for his own use. HE WILL TAKE a tenth of your flocks and you yourselves will become his slaves. 1 Samuel 8:11-17
Kings and men in power usually TAKE AND KEEP THE BEST FOR THEMSELVES. We need to remember this. God told Israel when this happened and they came to Him for relief He wouldn’t answer their pleas. God has given us free choice and if we choose our way over His way, He may let us live with the consequences.
When David sinned against God and was given three options by the prophet Gad, his answer was;
David said to Gad, “I am in deep distress. Let us fall into the hands of the Lord, for his mercy is great; but do not let me fall into human hands.” 2 Samuel 24:14
David turned to God for he knew God was merciful and so it proved to be, even in punishment.
We serve a good and faithful God, there’s none better to care for us today.
God bless and keep you in this time of Covid. Our God reigns, Hallelujah.