The Importance of Obedience

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Until this point in time, Israel had been very different from other nations. They had been set apart, by God, to be different and to be his chosen people. In fact, they were not even governed like other nations. They ruled by judges, led by prophets and devoted to God at times. However, we see a pattern that developed among them dating back to when God first set them apart. There was a pattern of disobedience and then obedience followed by more disobedience. Perhaps they believed this pattern existed because they had no true leader or King. However, their disobedience was a condition of their heart not their government.

They demanded a king. This was a decision the prophet Samuel warned them would bring with it it’s own problems. In today’s passage we see these problems begin to unfold.

1. Both Obedience and Disobedience Have a Ripple Effect in Our Lives (13:1-7, 13-14)

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Impatience Can Undermine Obedience. ()

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Disobedience Leads to Oppression ()

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1. Samuel appears to have learned Eli’s model of child-rearing since his sons were also unreliable, yet Samuel still placed them in positions of authority. One key difference seems to be that Samuel was not held responsible for his sons’ indiscretions. This perhaps may be due to the distinction that they were judges in other villages away from Samuel’s direct authority, while Eli’s sons were priests operating in his presence and under his direct authority.

2. God had always planned for Israel to have a monarchy. Moses gave stipulations for the king (list those in an explore). But this was not the right time for the monarchy. Most likely, David would have been Israel’s first king, very likely ushered in following the defeat of Goliath (which would have happened regardless if Saul was king or not). But the peoples’ insistence on a king at this time only brought hardship on the nation and on its future king. God’s will was accomplished in David becoming king, but it brought more problems on the nation and David as a result of the peoples’ impatience.

3. Discuss provisions of the law that warned of the consequences of disobedience and how that was manifested in the current situation: no national peace, no security, no benefit of the fruits of their labor, limited use of the land, etc.