The Empty King

Welcome

Today, we’ll be continuing on through the book of 1 Samuel. What I love about this book is that we can clearly see throughout the whole book different things like God’s sovereignty, examples of both good and bad leadership, we see the consequences of sin, and we see God stick to his covenant promise. For today’s passage, I hope that you’ll focus in on God’s sovereignty, the examples of good leadership from Samuel, and ultimately God’s faithfulness to His covenant promise.

As we begin, I’d like for you to. . .

Imagine a Kingdom

a. Imagine a Kingdom. A perfect bastion of everything you might need. Every house inside this kingdom has a perfect view, it feels like there is constant celebration, feasts upon feasts, it is the perfect balance of the feeling of staying home and the feeling of being on vacation. And the best part of this kingdom is the King himself. He is the perfect ruler and judge. Fair and just and loving in all things. This King has put in place some judges who are there to help guide the day to day affairs of the people in this kingdom and all things seem to be going well. This is the ideal kingdom.

b. Yet within this kingdom you notice an unwelcomed character who speaks of the greener grass on the other side of the wall. This character points you to the window in the wall where you see in the far distance what looks like another kingdom and from what you can tell it looks pretty good. Then you notice another kingdom and another and another all in other directions. And you start to notice some similarities that all of those kingdoms share and you realize that they are very different then yours. You start to wonder, “Are they better?” “could there be something better than this?” You start comparing what they have to what you have. You have a judge over you, they don’t. or at least not in the same way. Your King is high above all things and there is no one else in the Kingdom like Him, they have a king who is just like one of their own, in fact there really isn’t any difference between their people and their king and some of them don’t just have one king, all of them are kings! Could they have something better than what you have? You start to believe this character who tells you they do. And so you get all of your friends and family together and you organize yourselves and come up with a plan and you go to the judge to let him know that you are considering leaving, more than that, you have one foot out the door!

The Complication

This is The Complication that we see in 1 Samuel 8:1-5. The passage says…

a. In verse 1, we see that Samuel is old. Samuel had been Judge over Israel for some time and was now an old man. For a while now, Israel has been operating under a fairly specific form of government where the leaders were mediators for the people to God and who judged the people based on God’s law for them. And in similar fashion to those who have come before him, Samuel has put his two sons in charge as judges.

b. In the next two verses we see his sons Joel and Abijah are in charge as judges over a region called Beersheba but the text tells us that they took bribes and perverted justice. Things that were so contrary to God’s law, the very law they were supposed to be upholding. His sons did not walk in his ways. Samuel’s way was to follow God’s law, to obey God in all things, glorifying God and judging well. A stark contrast to his two sons who were taking bribes and perverting justice. Here we see a glimpse of God’s heart for truth and justice. That is God’s ways and as such that is the way in which Samuel was walking and that is the opposite of what Joel and Abijah are doing.

c. And so verses 4 and 5 tell us that the leaders of Israel gather together and came to Samuel and asked him to appoint a king to rule over them who will judge them “like all the nations.” What is interesting to note is the fact that there is a part of this that makes sense! All throughout the biblical narrative up to this point, whenever Israel followed God, things went well for them, whenever they “did what was right in their own eyes..” things didn’t go well for them. So seeing that the two judges they did have were disobedient to God’s ways may have encouraged some of the leaders to take matters into their own hands and to come up with a succession plan. What would happen when Samuel dies? Who will lead them? And we know that there is precedent for them having a king. God’s own law gives instruction to them on how a king should live, right in Deuteronomy 17. And so I think the problem here is not that Israel wanted a king to rule them, the problem is that their reasoning for a king was fundamentally against the part of God’s call for them as a nation to be set a part! That was in part the reason for the nation of Israel in the first place! They were to be set a part. In Leviticus 20:26, God says, “You shall be holy to me, for I the LORD am holy and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine.” And again in Numbers 23:9 we read “For from the top of the crags I see him, from the hills I behold him; behold, a people dwelling alone, and not counting itself among the nations!” The issue was not them wanting a king, the issue was their desire to be like all the other nations and that they wanted a king in their own time and by their own means. Robert Bergen writes, “The people’s demand for an earthly king represented the political manifestation of a spiritual problem.”

d. The people want to be just like all the other nations. These nations that they wanted to be like where the very nations that God had been driving out from among them.

i. At this point, reading this story, many of us may stop and act surprised. How could they be so hard hearted towards this God! I would never do something like that! Right? But if we stop and think a little longer, how often do we look at those living outside of God’s law or contrary to God’s commands and we get tempted be more like them. Maybe not in overt ways, but maybe in how we handle our finances? Or how we raise our kids? Or what sort of things we listen to or watch? Or maybe its just in the fact that we often look and act and sound exactly like the rest of the world. Romans 12:2 is a popular verse to quote “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” We as followers of Jesus Christ are called to be set a part and different. What might it look like if we as followers of Jesus today truly truly lived this out? How might the world come to see the true King of Glory?

Back in the kingdom

a. You start to pack up your things and you start the trek towards this far distant kingdom. You and all of the people with you. The judge is shocked and hurt and upset! He goes directly to the King to see what he should do and that’s when he finds out the harsh reality. This problem that the judge is dealing with is nothing new. The King tells the judge that sense the beginning of the existence of the kingdom, the people have rebelled. They’ve complained and grumbled constantly, they’ve snuck out of the kingdom gates and acted like a dog escaping the yard to chase after the squirrel across the street. The dog doesn't paying attention to the cars racing down the road, the dog is merely concerned with the the chase that will ultimately not end well. So too, the people have run towards their broken desires not thinking of the consequences of their actions. The King has no choice left but to let these people go. He wants them and their love but knows that He cannot force it nor does He want to. He tells the judge to let them go. To give them what they want.

The Explanation

This is The Explanation that we see in 1 Samuel 8:6-9. The passage says…

a. In verse 6 we see that Samuel is displeased. Yet he illustrates the right way to respond when displeased by what we experience. Again, this is the part where we start to see the good leadership of Samuel. What does he do when displeased and dismayed? He goes to God. Remember, Samuel’s ways were to follow God. He does not make the mistake of responding in anger, he doesn’t try to persuade the people to stay, he doesn’t try to solve the problem by himself, he simply goes to God and in so doing, he illustrates his wisdom.

b. Yet in verses 7-8, we see the deeper problem. It is not Samuel nor his office as Judge that the people are rejecting, it is the LORD who they are rejecting. It is no surprise to us that they are rejecting God. If you’ve read the story up to this point. Israel was constantly walking away from God and constantly looking to worldly things, following and worshipping other gods. After seeing all the miracles in Egypt, the Red Sea literally split apart for them, and manna and quail rain down to feed them, it only took Israel 40 days while Moses was gone to not only stop following God, but make a golden calf to worship in His place!

i. Again, at first glance we wonder how Israel could EVER reject such a good and gracious God. But then we have to stop and ask ourselves, how do we reject God? I know that I have seen and experienced God personally in so many ways and but it sadly does not take much to distract me from Him. Sure, maybe we don’t worship a literal golden calf, but what about worshipping our phones or our hobbies or our sports team? What do you or maybe I should ask, what are you currently putting above God as the idol to worship? Because in so doing, we are rejecting God in the same way that Israel was rejecting God.

c. So in verse 9, The LORD gives the people what they want and tells Samuel to obey their voice but to also warn them of what will come. Robert Bergan again writes, “Thus was set in motion the events that gave Israel a king who was far more “like all the other nations” had than anyone could have imagined.” At this point, I would encourage you all to reread Deuteronomy 17 so that as you continue on in the narrative in the weeks to come, you’ll have a clearer picture of just how worldly and lacking the next king is.

Back in the kingdom

a. The people were making their mass exodus of the perfect and good Kingdom that they had been inhabiting for some time now, the judge comes running back from the his meeting with the King to yell out one final warning to the people. Maybe the judge was thinking that this warning would serve to bring some of them back, but more than that, this judge was obeying the King and offering a prophetic word of what the consequences of their actions would bring about. From atop the wall of the kingdom, the judge tells the people that when they arrive at this new kingdom, they can expect the king to take their sons for his armies, to drive his chariots and ride his horses into war, their new king will put them in his military service, their new king will use them as slave labor to farm his land and make his instruments of war. Likewise, their daughters will have to serve in his kingdom as perfumers and cooks and bakers. They will have to give to the king the best of their own crops and they all will be slaves in this new land. Perhaps the worst thing that will happen is that there will be no relief for them. They are going to cry out to the true and right King but he will not answer them. They will have forgotten the way back to their true kingdom.

The Ramifications

These are The Ramifications of Israel’s desire for an earthly king to rule over them that we read about it 1 Samuel 8:10-18

a. First, it is important to note that Samuel obeys the LORD in verse 10. Again, he is illustrating what it looks like to walk in the ways of the Lord. He not only goes to God first before responding, the text here shows us that Samuel relays all of the words of the Lord. How easy would it of been for Samuel to at this point just give up and give part of the message. We see something similar if you’re familiar with the story of Jonah who when he finally goes to Nineveh half-heartedly shares the word of the Lord to the people. Here, Samuel gives the full report of what has been given to him from the Lord.

b. A king will take their sons and make them soldiers for his own army, they will have to plow and reap for the king and build for the king. The king will take their daughters to work for him as perfumers and cooks and bakers. The best fields will be for the king and on top of that, they will still have to give a tenth of what they have to the king. They will loss their sons and daughters to the king. They will lose their possessions to the king. They will lose themselves to the king

c. They will be putting themselves back into slavery. And that really gets at a deep truth that is sometimes difficult to come to grips with. There are really only two options when it comes to slavery: You can be a slave to sin and death or, as Paul says in Romans 6:18, you can become slaves to righteousness. And at this moment in the narrative we see Israel choosing to become slaves to sin and death by seeking for themselves a human king to rule over them.

d. But perhaps what is more difficult to imagine in this specific part of the story is verse 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.” This may seem strange considering how far God has already gone to keep His people. He has constantly forgiven them of their sin and unfaithfulness and accepted them back. Why now would Samuel warn them that now, when they cry out because of the king that they themselves have chosen, would God not answer them? And I think we learn two things from this. First, the rejection of God the rejection of His rule over their lives was no small thing. It is not as though they are disobeying one aspect of the law, they are essentially rejecting the law-giver Himself. Second, I think that this was an opportunity for Israel to see just how bad things are when they strive to live apart from God. God, in not answering their cries that will come, will be allowing Israel to experience the deep agony of their sin.

i. Immediately, I am reminded of a parent/child relationship. I myself am not a parent, but I am someone’s child. Growing up, I can remember a number of times that I would choose to do something, my parents would tell me not to, I would disobey, and as soon as the consequences would arrive, I would go to parents and ask for forgiveness, and they would forgive me and my first thought would be “Great! I don’t have to experience the consequences!” And I am pretty sure that my parents would laugh, in fact I can picture my mom laughing at me, “Of course you have to experience the consequences! You made your bed, now you have to sleep in it! How else will you learn?” As a young adult today, I am thankful for my parents forgiveness for my many mistakes, but I’m also thankful that they allowed me the opportunity to truly learn and grow from my actions. God, in not answering Israel’s cries, is illustrating His deep care for His own and is allowing them to experience the consequences of their desires before ultimately responding by putting in place Jesus as King. As the writer in Hebrews states in Hebrews 12:6 “For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives.”

ii. What has happened to you when you wander away from the Lord? Do you experience His loving discipline as a way to bring you back? If so, I hope that you would be encouraged knowing that He disciplines those he loves. Your present struggle may be the result of some sin in your life and it may be that God is teaching you’re a valuable lesson while you go through it. So persevere on. On the flip side, if you know you are living contrary to God’s law, or even if you just aren’t intentionally walking in His ways, and are not experiencing some sort of repercussions for your actions, it may be a sign that you are not actually one of His. Perhaps you need to first cry out to God in repentance and seek His face. If that is you, then my encouragement is that God is faithful and just to forgive us when we call out to Him.

Back in the kingdom

a. While the Judge is on the wall calling out to the people all of these terrible warnings, offering the people an opportunity to return to the King, the people simply yet boldly respond, “We are going the way of the world around us and will find someone like us to fight for us!” The Judge was dismayed. Yet another opportunity for the people to return and the almost seem more emboldened in their decision. The judge goes to the King and the King repeats his earlier sentiment. Give them what they want. The Judge allows the people to continue on and the you watch as the people walk away.

The Completion

This is the Completion of their actions that we see in the final part of the passage in verses 19-22.

a. Samuel again obeys God in relaying the message, but here we see in verse 19 and 20 the response of the people. Samuel warns the people and they still emphatically respond by wanting a king to rule them so that they can be like all the other nations. The want a king just like the rest of the world to rule over them and judge them and to go before them and fight for them. Those are the same things that God Himself offered to them. In Deuteronomy 1:30 Moses writes, “The LORD your God who goes before you will himself fight for you, just as he did for you in Egypt befgore your eyes.” And again in Deuteronomy 31:8 “It is the LORD who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed.” The very things they wanted were the things that God has not only promised for them, but actually done for them time and time again! But they weren’t satisfied in what the Lord had for them.

b. Verses 21 shows us yet again the correct way to operate when Samuel takes the word of the people to LORD one final time in this passage. I wonder if at this point, if Samuel was so angry and upset at the peoples response that he was ready for them to experience God’s wrath. Did he just want them to feel the weight and consequences of their sin? Or was he approaching God yet again heartbroken at the fact that God, in his grace, has given so many opportunities for the people to repent and come back and yet the people still desire something else. Was he pleading in his heart that they would return?

i. How do you respond to rejection to the good news of the Gospel?

c. The final verse of the chapter, verse 22, is a somber conclusion to the chapter. The Lord commands Samuel to obey their voice and make them a king and Samuel dismisses the people. The final sentence of the chapter is like the dimming of a once bright light. Samuel simply instructs the people to go home. I wonder what it was like as the people all walked away to their homes. Were there shouts of joy as they walked away in anticipation for what they had hoped would be something good? Did some of them really believe that what they were doing was right? Or was there already regret in the air, like a faint hint at something that wasn’t supposed to be. How do we respond when we finally get our way? I know the times that I want something that is contrary to what God wants for me and I know it’s probably not the right thing and yet still seek out, still allow myself to give into temptation, I immediately have a sense of guilt and shame and brokenness.

d. The chapter leaves us feeling hopeless. And we almost walk away feeling a little sad or disheartened or just generally hurting. How could a people so close to God, who have experienced His miraculous nature, who have seen Him win battles for them, have walked away so easily. This chapter ends and yet the story continues. We actually see later in scripture a reference back to this story how God used this to bring about His will for all of humanity. In Acts 13:21-23, Paul in giving a short synopsis of Israel’s history says, “Then they asked for a king, and God gave them Saul the son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, for forty years. And when he had removed him, he raised up David to be their king, of whom he testified and said, ‘I have found in David the son of Jesse a man after my heart, who will do all my will.’ Of this man’s offspring God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised.” God truly the sovereign God full of grace.

What a King we have in Jesus

Today is Palm Sunday, the Sunday that the church historically remembers Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem.

a. What a unique day it is to go through a chapter of Israel wanting a king to rule over them. I wish we had time to dive deep into this passage but I’d like to read John 12 verses 12-16. It says,

“The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” And Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, just as it is written, “Fear not, daughter of Zion; behold, your king is coming, sitting on a donkey’s colt!” His disciples did not understand these things at first, but when Jesus was glorified then they remembered that these things had been written about him and had been done to him.”

b. Even to the time of Christ on earth, Israel was looking for a king. One that they did not recognize. They still wanted a king like all the other nations who would rule and judge go before them and fight their battles. They didn’t recognize that Jesus was the perfect King and that He is still the perfect King. They didn’t recognize that He is the one to judge them perfectly and to go before them and to fight their battles, just not in the way that they would expect. Not in their way, but in His own. His own way that is so much better.

c. I think that deep down inside all of us, there is still a desire for a king to rule. We may not use that language all the time, but I think that the human condition leads us to desire some sort of ruler over us. Back then, it looked like a king. Today, it often looks like inaugurating ourselves as our own person king. I get to judge what is good and right for myself and you get to judge what is good and right for yourself.

d. The good news of the Gospel message is that Jesus Christ died on the cross and rose again from the grave conquering death and granting new life to all those who believe in Him. The good news of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ is the King. And one day soon our King will come again and He will show us Himself as the way back to that good and perfect Kingdom.

e. There is a song by the band The Gray Heavens called Far Kingdom and one of the last verses says:

There is a far, far kingdom

There at the end of the sea

Where they know my name

And until that far, far kingdom

Calls me home

Oh, my soul, I will wait.

f. Today and forever more, I pray that we will be people who are waiting and longing for that far Kingdom to come for we know that when it does it means that we will dwell with our King and all will be well again.

Let’s pray.