You Really Don't Want That

Background to passage: Israel has come off of a defeat to the Philistines, gotten the ark back, but things still aren’t to their liking. Immediately after pledging themselves to God in renewal, they reject him as their king. Well played.

1 Samuel 8:1–9 ESV

1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. 4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

Opening illustration: to my turkey, “well-played”

Main thought: This morning we will see Israel take a big step away from God. “Give us a king!”

1) Why a king? (v. 4-5)

1 Samuel 8:4–5 ESV

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

1) Why a king? (v. 4-5)

Explanation: The Israelites give three reasons they want a king: 1) to be like all the other nations, 2) to have someone lead/rule/judge, 3) and someone to fight their battles. We can somewhat understand just wanting someone to lead (although God was their leader). We can somewhat understand wanting someone to lead into battle; their record had not been so stellar.

But the most illegitimate reason for a king was to be like all the other nations. Think about the other nations. God had determined they were wicked and destroyed them, made a public spectacle of their kings, burned their cities, constantly idolatrous, burning their children, obliterated by flood, fire from heaven, hailstones, the angel of the Lord, ten plagues...

John 17:14–16 ESV

14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. 16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

Colossians 3:1–2 ESV

1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

1 John 2:15 ESV

15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

James 4:4 ESV

4 You adulterous people! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Illustration:

Application: Human flourishing requires leadership, some kind of governing authority to maintain order, reward good and punish evil. War, offense and defense, always needs leaders. But why do we always want to be like others. We are always comparing ourselves to others, human condition. We want what others have. Our self-centeredness calls our for more stuff, more security, more ease and comfort, more freedom, more pleasures, more power, more control, more satisfaction, better looks, better churches, better business, better education. Richard Gere said in Pretty Woman, “I know about wanting more. I invented the concept.” We think more is better. We think that the easy wide way of the world is the best.

We want, consciously or unconsciously, we want to be like the world, like everybody else. Becoming like the world is the opposite of our goal.

2) Why does the Lord give a king (v. 7-9)

1 Samuel 8:7–9 ESV

7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

2) Why does the Lord give a king? (v. 7-9)

Explanation: The providence of God is a wonderful thing and a mysterious thing. God told them in the law that this would happen. The clear teaching here is that their desire for a king is a rejection of God’s desire for their nation; a rejection of God as their king. There are purposes that God has for establishing a monarchy related to covenants, individuals, judgment, and the Messiah that are not fully know at that time. God says to Samuel, give them a king...and a warning.

Proverbs 21:1 ESV

1 The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord; he turns it wherever he will.

Proverbs 16:9 ESV

9 The heart of man plans his way, but the Lord establishes his steps.

John 17:12 ESV

12 While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

Illustration:

Application: This is good reminder to us that God will let us drift into sin, into worldliness, away from him, even rejecting him for his purposes. We can trust the sovereignty of God even with his allowance of sin. We know that he could have changed the minds and hearts of every person in the nation, but he didn’t. God still has the ability, but if he doesn’t use it, then there is design. Sometimes God just gives us what we asks for and uses it for our long-term good.

3) Why they really didn’t want a king (v. 10-18)

1 Samuel 8:10–18 ESV

10 So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of 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 orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 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.”

3) Why they really didn’t want a king (v. 10-18)

Explanation: God told Samuel to grant their request, but to give them a warning. Spoiler alert: they are not going to like the reign of most of the kings. The warning is very straight forward. A king will take you sons and put them to work in the military and his land that he takes from you. He will take your daughters to serve him and his administration as common laborers and more in his palace. The land that he does not keep for himself (the best of your land) he will give to his friends and political leaders. He will levy taxes. He will take your servants and your flocks. Establish a bureaucracy.

The worst part is that when the children of Israel cry out to God about the king they have chosen, he will not answer.

Numbers 32:23 ESV

23 But if you will not do so, behold, you have sinned against the Lord, and be sure your sin will find you out.

1 John 3:9 ESV

9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him; and he cannot keep on sinning, because he has been born of God.

Micah 3:4 ESV

4 Then they will cry to the Lord, but he will not answer them; he will hide his face from them at that time, because they have made their deeds evil.

Illustration: the girls deciding they didn’t want to parasail that bad, Ernő Rubik wanted to build a 3D puzzle that would teach his architecture students about spatial relationships. He finally solved his own invention after weeks of frustration, and it became a global phenomenon, selling hundreds of millions of toys. He wanted it to be an educational tool, but it turned into a massive commercial machine that completely dominated his life—constant media, licensing deals, travel, lawsuits. He later said he almost regretted creating something that took over his entire existence.

Application: There is a difference between inadvertent sin and presumptuous sin. When we know that God does not want us doing, having, desiring, pursuing, enjoying something or someone and we do it anyway, our judgment is greater. Most of us have areas in our lives where we live in known disobedience to the revealed will of God. Let this be our warning; the consequences of sin will be bad, but not having a God who will answer in those moments of pain due to our own design is worse.

Maybe it is pornography for you. Maybe it’s the language you use. Maybe it’s the racism in your heart. Maybe it’s the way you speak to spouse, children, or brother-in-law. Maybe it’s the hypocrisy you hide because you are not who you are in private that you put on like you are in public. Maybe it’s the way you ignore your neighbor, or the poor, or the powerless, or the widow. You know it, God has convicted you about it, you have read it in scripture, yet you continue.

The consequences will come. And the Lord may turn away his ear. So get it out. Known sin short-circuits your walk with Christ, your relationship with others, and your relationship with the church.

Closing illustration: Jack Whittaker won over three hundred million in the Powerball back in two thousand two. He was happily married, with a granddaughter he adored. He was already rich from his construction business, but he took the lump sum—three hundred fourteen million after taxes. Suddenly he had everything he thought he wanted: private jets, a new mansion, fancy cars. Within a couple years, his granddaughter died of a drug overdose, his daughter died too, he lost his marriage, and he was robbed multiple times. He told reporters later that if he could do it over, he’d have torn up the ticket. Money amplified every problem he already had, and the ones he didn’t see coming.