I Samuel 8--Israel wanted a king. Since coming into the Promised Land, they had fought many battles to gain possession of their inheritance. They had won many, but they had lost some too. The battles that they had lost could be attributed to one thing: in some way they had not fully followed the commands of God. When they were obedient, God's favor was upon them and God routed many of the people from the land without Israel fighting a battle. But when they were disobedient, God's favor was removed and they fought alone. Ultimately, they lost these battles because they tried to fight without God.
Now they wanted a king. Their perspective of what a king would mean to their nation was in direct opposition to what God's perspective and plan was. Israel wanted 3 things as seen in verses 5b and 20:
- They wanted to be just like all the nations around them
- They wanted a man to judge them, not the Holy God
- They wanted to just live their lives, without having to fight for their land
God wanted just one thing from His chosen people. Verse 8 reveals the heart of God. He desired the trust and loyalty of Israel. But His heart sounds like it is breaking again when He recalls their past, saying, "According to all the deeds that they have done, even to this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you."
By desiring a human king, Israel was forsaking their God who had made them a people when they were not one, who brought them out of bondage in Egypt, who walked with them in the wilderness, who brought them in to their new land, and who had helped them dispossess the wicked people who lived their. Having done all of that, they now had grown independent of their God, and wanted a king in who they would completely rely on, a king who might not judge them so harshly, and who would take his armies to battle. But most importantly, they just wanted to be like everyone else. They no longer wanted to stand out; they wanted to blend in.
Anything that we use to dethrone and replace our Lord will have a negative effect on us, just like it did Israel. God tells Samuel to warn the people about asking for a king. Samuel tells Israel all that a king will take from them. But his critical last sentence to them in verse 18, regarding replacing God with an earthly king, was a stern warning, a warning we would be wise to pay close attention to:
"And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day."
I cannot read these Old Testament stories of God's people without thinking about my own life as a Christian. How often do I turn to a 'king' in my life, depending on that particular idol so that I can blend in and be more like the world, so that I won't stand out so much? How often do I turn to the 'kings' in my life who will not judge my sin as harshly as a Holy God? But it is the last category that hits home the hardest for me. What 'kings' do I allow in my life for the sheer comfort of being an idle Christian? You know the ones I speak of, don't you? They are the 'kings of laziness and sloth' that I sit under so that I don't have to do the hard work of evangelism, ministry, engaging with people, acts of love, crucifixion of my flesh.
These sinful 'kings' lead me down the path of unrighteousness, and they weaken my faith. They are replacements for the one true living God, and they are, moment by moment, causing me to blend in instead of stand out. Today my heart must answer the question: Will I be a regular paper clip or will I be the only bright colored one in the bunch? How will you answer that question?
