1 Samuel Session 2
Notes
Transcript
God as King
God as King
Only God is worthy of being acknowledged as the Ruler of His people and of His creation.
1 Samuel 8:4-9, 19-22
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah.
5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not follow your example. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.”
6 When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord.
7 But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their king.
8 They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to Me, since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning Me and worshiping other gods.
9 Listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them and tell them about the rights of the king who will rule over them.”
19 The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us.
20 Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles.”
21 Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord.
22 “Listen to them,” the Lord told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Each of you, go back to your city.”
EXPLORE THE TEXT
A KING DEMANDED (1 Samuel 8:4-5)
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah.
5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not follow your example. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.”
The basis for the elders’ approach of Samuel was his advancing age and the dereliction of duty by his sons. Samuel’s sons didn’t walk in his ways and practiced self-serving leadership (see 8:1-3). Although some Bible students question Samuel’s appointment of his sons as judges, he may have done so from both practical considerations and obedience to the law. They served in Beer-sheba, located some distance away in the southern part of the nation. As Samuel aged, travel may have become more difficult for him. He needed assistance in discharging his duties. God’s plan has always involved multiple leaders (see Deut. 16:18-20). The problem was that Samuel’s sons didn’t live up to God’s standard for leaders.
The elders, who represented the thoughts and desires of the people as a whole, drew an erroneous conclusion from the deficient leadership of Joel and Abijah, the sons of Samuel. They likely feared what might happen after Samuel died and his sons assumed leadership. Although this may have been a legitimate concern, the elders’ conclusion possibly revealed a lack of faith in God on their part.
What about their request for a king? Was that a sinful request? After all, didn’t Moses make provision for a king in the law (see Deut. 17:14-20)? The key to understanding this dilemma is found in the words of the elders: “the same as all the other nations have” (1 Sam. 8:5). Their request wasn’t an attempt to deepen their obedience to the law, thereby fulfilling their covenant responsibilities to God. Rather, it was an inordinate desire to be like the other nations around them.
In their request the elders were admitting something about themselves. They wanted to be like the other nations in spite of the fact that the Israelites were called to be distinct and different. Exodus 19:5-6 says they were to be God’s “own possession out of all the peoples” of the world, a “holy nation.” In Leviticus 20:26 God said He had set them apart from all the rest of the nations to be His own people. Yet they weren’t interested in being that. In asking for a king over them, the elders were revealing that they wanted to be like all the other nations. In so doing, they were actually rejecting God’s rule over them by seeking a human king. Sometimes we can put so much faith in another person that we completely dishonor God.
Q. How does a desire to be like other people affect a person’s values and character? How does that desire cloud a person’s decision making?
REJECTION DECLARED 1 Samuel 8:6-9
6 When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand sinful, so he prayed to the Lord.
7 But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected Me as their king.
8 They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to Me, since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning Me and worshiping other gods.
9 Listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them and tell them about the rights of the king who will rule over them.”
God had appointed and called Samuel to lead the people as His representative. To reject the Lord’s messenger and prophet was to reject the Lord Himself. Therefore, it’s surprising to read that the Lord then told Samuel to grant the people’s wish instead of rebuking them for their disobedience. Sometimes the greatest act of judgment on God’s part is to simply give people what they seek. Conversely, when God says no to His children, it can be one of the most gracious things He does for them.
God told Samuel that the people’s response to him was akin to their disloyalty to the Lord. Samuel had aged, and the people thought he was either no longer sufficient for the task of leadership or no longer relevant for the times. They were wrong on both counts. God’s ability to lead and provide for them hadn’t diminished at all.
While Samuel was instructed to give the people what they wanted, the Lord also instructed him to warn them about the dangers of an earthly king. While they were crying out for a king, God knew someday they’d cry out because of a king (see v. 18). In verses 10-17 Samuel used the word take six times to describe the way coming kings would rule the people. While the people’s focus was on what they’d receive by having a king, God painted a picture for them of what they’d lose. One danger for any human ruler is the sinful tendency to exploit one’s position for personal gain. As our Shepherd, Christ contrasted Himself with a thief who comes to take, not give (see John 10:10-13).
Q. What does a believer lose by relying on a human authority more than Christ? How can we determine when we should rely on a human entity and when we shouldn’t?
REBELLION DETERMINED (1 Samuel 8:19-22)
19 The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us.
20 Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles.”
21 Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord.
22 “Listen to them,” the Lord told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Each of you, go back to your city.”
Samuel’s warning didn’t deter the people; their hearts were set on having a human ruler. The level of intensity in their quest increased. The selection of a king moved from being preferred to becoming a necessity: “We must have a king over us” (v. 19). Their true inclinations were exposed in their admission that they would become like all the other nations. Originally, they’d simply asked for a king as all other nations had. In response to prophetic warnings, their true spiritual colors emerged.
Q. What do the descriptions of the desired king in verse 20 reveal about the people’s hearts?
Specifically, the people wanted a king to do two things: judge them and fight their battles. They were abdicating their responsibilities as citizens in God’s community while simultaneously seeking to dislodge the Lord God from His role as Israel’s champion in battle (see Deut. 20:4; Judg. 4:14). In their eyes the battle was no longer the Lord’s but theirs. Such is typical of human beings. Sometimes we seek to be less than what God calls us to be, and on other occasions we overreach and try to replace the true God.
Eventually, Israel would be given a king who would recognize that the battle belonged to the Lord (see 1 Sam. 17:47). David would become a model for what a true human king of Israel should be. Even in the face of the defiance of His people, God was still merciful and would eventually bring forth good from the evil in the hearts of His people.
Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the LORD. “Listen to them,” the LORD told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Each of you, go back to your city.”
In contrast to his earlier prayer, Samuel simply repeated the words of the people to the Lord. When disbelief prevails, chaos sets in. While the people should have listened to their prophet, the Lord instead instructed Samuel to obey the voice of the people. Such turbulence is the inevitable result of a failure to see God alone as the Ruler and King. Likewise, when people today fail to acknowledge Jesus as the King of kings and Lord of lords (see Rev. 19:16), personal chaos will be the inevitable result.
Q. What does God’s allowing Israel to have a king teach us about God?
Some people speculate about why Samuel sent the people home instead of immediately initiating the process of finding a king. There’s no need to imagine that Samuel was trying to delay the inauguration of a king. However, his behavior contrasted with that of the people. The selection of a king would need the guidance and direction of the Lord, and as the Lord’s messenger, Samuel would wait on God for counsel. Confessing God as Ruler is one thing, but it’s something else to trust Him enough to wait on His guidance.
Reflection
Q. Who or what do you turn to first when you face fear, anxiety, frustration, and so on?
Q. Can you identify fears or anxieties that threaten your trust in the Lord’s guidance and provision?