1 Samuel 8:4–20 | God Responds

Introduction:

Have you ever tried to reason with a toddler? I’m not sure if there is anything more frustrating in this world than trying to reason with a toddler. Their little brains simply do not follow typical standards of reason and logic. They often insist in their own ways and doing things by themselves. “I do it myself!”

I watched my daughter struggle to put her shoes on the other morning for about 10 minutes and then she cried hysterically when I decided enough was enough, we had to go and I was going to put her shoes on. I’m sure my neighbors could hear the interaction through the walls of our house and anyone listening would’ve thought that I murdered my daughters puppy or something the way she was throwing a fit about her dad helping her put her shoes on, which although she insists she can do by herself, most days she simply can’t!

Regardless of whether you’re a parent or not, you’ve all spent enough time around kid to have had similar experiences, and let’s be honest, who in here hasn’t been that kid at one point in their lives or another? You know what I’m talking about, where your mom or dad warned you about something you were about to do. They told you, if you keep this up, here’s where you’re headed, but you knew better. Your parents, what did they know, they don’t know what it’s like to live as a teenager in these new days! They walked to school or rode a horse to school up hill both ways! They don’t know what it’s like to have an Instagram or Snapchat! What do they know!

So you heard them out, but disregarded their advice because you knew better only to discover, eventually, they were right, what they warned you, came to pass exactly as they said it would!

We’ve all been there. Some of us have learned wisdom from these experiences and we wised up, others of us continue to make the same bad choices and because of it, we continue to reap the consequences.

And this. Is. Parenting, Church. This process of offering guidance but then giving enough freedom for our kids to choose, this offering guidance and then also grace as sometimes they choose poorly, this process is a the delicate dance of parenting and discipleship. It’s the dance of guidance and grace. And if you’re not a parent here this morning, don’t check out on my metaphor. At it’s simplest, parenting is discipleship. Parenting is simply the process of seeking to help someone grow up and become mature in Jesus and this process of discipleship is something we’re all called to whether or not we have children of our own or spiritual children God has called us to “parent”.

And if you do this discipleship process of parenting for any length of time at all, eventually you’re going to discover this truth, discipleship and parenting are a delicate dance of guidance and grace with our kids.

Despite our warnings, they sometimes choose paths that lead to less than desirable outcomes. Yet, even in their rebellion, our love remains steadfast, ready to embrace them in their times of need.

Perhaps you’ve been this children or you’ve bee the parent in these scenarios having to watch your child navigate the consequences of their choices.

Today, I want you to see how God's grace mirrors the love of a parent, working tirelessly through the lives of Samuel and David, even amidst Israel's rebellion.(title screen)

Here’s our big idea for today’s message: Though our rebellious choices often lead to less than God's best, His amazing grace keeps God in our corner working all things for our good in Christ.

Turn with me to 1 Samuel chapter 8 and we’ll so the truth of this statement worked out.

The Chapter is broken in 4 sections:

In vv. 4-5 we’ll see that Israel demands a King. In vv. 6-18 God warns Israel about what they are asking for through His Prophet Samuel but in vv. 19-20 we’ll see Israel insists on God giving them a King and then in vvs. 21-22 we’ll see that God compromises with them and agrees to give them what they ask Him for while also working graciously through their poor choices to ultimately work all things together toward the perfect Kingship of Jesus Christ!

So let’s read it together and talk about it.

1 Samuel 8 (NIV)

1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. 4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” 6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 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. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.” 10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.” Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

Israel's Demand (1 Samuel 8:4-5):

Now upon first reading you may be thinking, what’s the big deal here? I mean we’re told that Samuel’s sons are bad dudes and bad leaders. So why is it such a big deal that the Elders of Israel are asking for a King?

That’s a great observation and a great question. And in fact if you know enough of the Old Testament before this passage, you know that God actually had made provision for Kingship. In Genesis 17 when God made His promise to Abraham he said that Kings would come from Abraham’s offspring. And later after God lead his people out from Egypt by Moses, Moses recorded in the book of the Law, specifically in Deuteronomy 17, provisions for Israel to choose a King to serve over them.

Which again raises the question, what’s the big deal with Israel’s demand here?

That’s a fair question. After all, is it wrong to want Godly leadership or godly folks in authority over us in government? No that’s not wrong, and in fact that’s something God invites us to pray for in the New Testament. So the demand for a King is not necessarily wrong, but as with most things with God, He’s concerned more with our hearts that with the issues that present themselves on the sruface of our lives.

Look at the reason why Israel demands a King!

V. 5

1 Samuel 8:5 (NIV)

5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”

Their desire and demand for a King is rooted in a longing to be like the nations around them and that is the problem.

And this is where it’s helpful to better understand why God chose Israel to be His chosen people to begin with. God chose Abraham, to make a nation from him that would be distinct from all the other nations of the world. Israel was meant to be a holy nation, a nation set apart unto God that showed the world the goodness of God. God desired to be their God and their King and for them to be His people.

Which was Israel’s current form of government as we find them here in our passage. God was their King. Sure, He occasionally raised up judges and prophets to speak on His behalf, but the people of Israel did not have a leader like the other nations around them. God was at the top. God did not collect taxes or conscript people into His army! What need does God have of our money or our warriors!

He lead His people and continually went with them and provided for them in miraculous ways. It wasn’t always comfortable for the people but it was effective. And this is what I want you to understand, this distinction in governmental style was purposeful. It was meant to be a living movie to the watching world. It was meant to display God’s goodness, glory and power to the watching world! As I said, this distinct form of government wasn’t always comfortable but sometimes Gods good designs and His ways aren’t that comfortable for us are they.

Think about this with me for a second. Back in the book of Joshua, we see God as King and Joshua as His general, seeking to help be God’s mouth piece and lead the people to take the promise land beginning with the fortified city of Jericho!

Now imagine you’re Joshua and this is the battle plan or strategy God wants you to present to the people. You’ve got all the men of Israel lined up like the men in their kilts of a brave heart movie, you’re face is painted, you look fierce and then you get up to make the speech to the army about the plan! Alright folks, here’s the plan, we’re going to march around the city 1 time for six days and then on the 7th day we’re going march around the city 7 times singing praises to our God and then we’re going to yell really loud and blow some trumpets and all the walls of the city are going to come down!

I don’t care if your William Wallace from brave heart, there is no way to pump up and army with this battle plan! Right, We’re gonna do some marching and sing some praise and worship warriors! They may take out lives but they’ll never take our harps! AAAAAHHHHHHH! To say this is a distinct battle plan is and understatement!

And that’s just one example. Later in the book of Judges, God raises up another general to be His mouth piece. His name is Gideon and he’s a bit of a scardy cat. Through a series of several event’s God finally cajoles Gideon into stepping up into a general role under God’s Kingship and has Gideon set out to attack the people of Mideon, who had quite a large and fierce army, but before Gideon goes to battle, God tells him, hey dude, you’re army is too big. We need to thin this thing down a bit!

Again, imagine you’re Gideon, right, you were nervous about going to war, but you put out the call and Israel actually showed up. You’ve don’t have a ton of experience, but hey at least you have numbers, but then God, the King comes to you and is like, no, no, no, there’s too many of you! I need you to know I saved you all through my strength and that you didn’t do this on your own. Church, he thins the army down to 300 men! 300 against 135,000 mideonites! Again, quite a distinct battle plan!

And you say, ok we get, God as King had Israel do some weird stuff, who cares? Why are we talking about this? Great question! At the heart of Israel’s demand for a King is a rebellion against the distinction God desires for them!

This distinction in leadership and government was not comfortable for the people. It required a high degree of trust in God, that He would show up and do miracles to protect and provide and lead His people, and even though God had proven Himself time and time again, this matter of trust and uncomfortably was too much for Israel; they longed to just be more like everyone else around them!

Wouldn’t it be great, they wondered if we could just have a King like everyone else, who would lead us like everyone else, in ways we understand and in ways that make us feel comfortable? Wouldn’t it be nice if we didn’t have to be lead by a God who is mysterious and hard to comprehend and hard to see at times? Wouldn’t it be great if we had a leader we could touch and feel and see and speak with in person who didn’t require so much trust and faith of us! Wouldn't it be better if we had a leader who made us feel comfortable and didn’t require faith from us?

Church, we are not Israel, and our situation is not theirs, but I hope you can see the parallels here of their request and their hearts’ desires to ours.

God’s good designs and His ideas for us in Jesus require a lot of trust and faith for us to walk in. His intentional distinctions for us often times leave us feeling uncomfortable don’t they! And the world around us does not make it any easier for us to simply walk by faith and take God at His word! Faith is hard, especially when we can’t see God working or don’t understand why He’s permitting certain things to happen to us in our lives! In these moments, we too like Israel, long to walk by sight and not by faith! Give us a leader! Someone we can touch, feel, see, speak with! Make us like everyone else around us! And we too like Israel consistently look to tangible things like money and government and political leaders for help rather than turning to God!

And thus, Israel demands a King, rejecting God as their King and provider in favor of something they think the world can offer to them more tangibly. And then we see God offer them a warning. Like a parent trying to reason with a toddler God offers them some sound guidecane and warning! They don’t really want what the world is selling… it’s false advertising!

God's Warning (1 Samuel 8:6-18):

In vv. 6-18 God explains through Samuel the price of what the people are asking for. If they think God requires a lot of them by way of faith and trust to follow Him as their King, a worldly King is going to ask for more!

Show of hands, who in hear likes to pay taxes! Ha! They stink right!

God gets it! He warns the people, listen if you ask for a King, he’s going to take a lot from you and your family, by way of taxes and conscriptions! He is going to severely impede upon your freedoms in a way that I never have as your King! I require obedience and faith and trust, yes, but under my rule and reign I did not tax you or take your land or your children in ways this King will! I lead you with generosity and rest and abundant provision!

And if you question that, go read Leviticus 25 and see what God intended for His people. Every 7 years, the whole nation was to take a Sabbatical, for the entire year! God promised if they did their work for 6 years, on that 6th year the ground would produce enough crop for them to take year 7 completely off from farming and not only would year 6 provide enough food to get them through year 6 and 7 when they took the Sabbatical year off, but it would also provide enough seed to plant the crop in year 8 when the cycle was to repeat! Also, after 7 years every debt was to be erased nationwide and every 50 years every proptery sold was to go back to the tribe it originally belonged to! Talk about a reign of rest and equity! None of this rich getting richer or the 1% owning 90% of the world’s wealth! Also, can we just imagine what a year off from work every 7 years would be like? Can you even imagine?

That’s the generosity and provision of God Church, but the people of Israel, and let’s be honest, us too, they’d rather have the perceived comfort or political leader they can see and a traditional form of government that makes sense to our small brains than have to walk by faith under God’s direct leadership and care!

Israel's Insistence (1 Samuel 8:19-20):

And despite God's warning, the people of Israel insist on having a king to rule over them. Their stubbornness and desire for worldly status override their trust in God's sovereignty and leadership.

The Compromise King (1 Samuel 8:21-22):

And in response to Israel's demand, God, like a good parent, offers guidance and then grace and compromises by providing them with a king like the nations. He gives the people what they want even though He knows it’s not best! The King He provides you can read about in the next 2 chapters (1 Samuel 9-10). He’s a man named Saul, who is tall and handsome and looks like a guy who would be King in any of the other nations, he has the externals but not the heart God desires and as such He starts out ok as a King, but ends up being a lousy and this compromise then leads to a less than ideal situation of oppression and turmoil. The people insisted in their own way and God warned them and offered sound guidance but in the end they persisted in their own way and then they go exactly what God said they would get.

And all of this, foreshadows for us humanity's ultimate need and longing for a more perfect King, who will eventually come to us as Jesus Christ.

Not only is Jesus the new and better King that Samuel, Saul and David were not, but He is also the embodiment of the truth that even though our rebellious choices often lead to less than God's best, His amazing grace keeps God in our corner working all things for our good in Christ.

Just like a good parent, even when our kids don’t heed our sound and wise advise, sure we let them reap the consequences of their choices so as to help mold and shape their character and maturity, but we also never completely leave them, or at least we shouldn’t! We continue to love them and to stay with them.

And if you don’t have a good model of this to look at as a parent in your life, well then I encourage you to look with me to Jesus. Not only is Jesus the King our hearts long for. He’s the Father and Mother we long for as well! He’s the Good Shepherd and parent who will never leave us nor forsake us even when we act like toddlers choosing to go our own way instead of following Him in obedience! Sure, Jesus, like any good parent, may not isolate us from every consequence of our decisions, but it does never leave us alone in them. Instead He will love us through them and He promises to work all things for the good of those He’s called according to His purposes.

In Christ and because of His work, no poor decision can separate us from Him or His love. And the only rebellion that will keep Him from working in our lives is if we persist in disbelief! That’s because, as we can see in this text, ultimately, God in His grace will give us what we want. And this can be a grace or it can be a judgement depending on what the thing is we insist on having. However if we would but turn in faith and belief back to Him, we will always find a willing Father ready and able to give us the help we need and turn whatever mess we’ve made into something beautiful and redemptive through power of Jesus Christ.

Conclusion:

As we reflect on Israel's journey in 1 Samuel 8, we see a mirror of our own struggles with rebellion and stubbornness. Yet, even in our waywardness, God's grace abounds. He remains steadfast in His love, guiding us back to Himself through the perfect King, Jesus Christ. So let us embrace His grace, knowing that though we may stumble, God is always there, working all things for our good in Christ. And I’d invite you to join me in praying this prayer: King Jesus, do not give us what our fleshly hearts desire! Give us instead what you desire for us!

Let’s pray.