(The Cost in Being) Like Everybody Else

Introduction

Today we’re going to examine a message that is very profound and applicable to us today here in 1Sam. 8.

I’ll explain some more of the backstory here in my first point, but whenever I’m in this book I want to make sure to explain the Governmental system that is setup. It’s extremely important to understand it for today’s message.

God used a man named Moses to bring the COI out of Egypt. Then after that, God used a man by the name of Joshua to bring them into Canaan’s Land. These men weren’t kings, presidents or prime ministers. They were simply Prophets of God. An instrument utilized to bring deliverance unto the people.

Once established in Canaan’s Land, the operating Government was administered not by men - but by God Himself. God had given the Law to which they would be governed by - and the Grace that they would be saved by. God was their King - and there was no other.

But as you’ll see in this message today, that was not good enough for them.

They didn’t want to be special

They didn’t want to be different

They desired to be just like everybody else.

But church, there’s a cost to being just like everybody else.

You know, we Christians are supposed to be different. The Bible tells us the manner to which we are to ascend:

Tit. 2:13-14 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”

1Pet. 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:”

You and I (Christians) are suppose to be different. We’re not supposed to be like everybody else.

We have been born of a different seed

We have been given Salvation and a Seal

Our eyes have been anointed

Our ears have been unstopped

We have been given a new song

We should ACT different

LOOK different

Have different priorities

Have different desires

But all too often, we Christians don’t want to be different - we want to be just the same as everybody else. Well I’m here to tell you - there’s a cost to being just like everybody else.

The first thing that I want to notice today is Their Situation (The COI)

I. Their Situation

Their Past

Their Disobedience

In times past, the COI would follow the desires of the flesh or the dependence upon self.

When Joseph was over Egypt and the famine came, the COI sought refuge in the land of Egypt. Instead of seeking God’s providence in Canaan’s Land, they sought provision in Egypt. They depended on themselves during this trial instead of God. Of course, God used this for their good & His Glory by reuniting Joseph with his family.

Once God brought them out of Egypt, the COI lived under the Kingship of God Himself. God enabled & provided for them in Canaan’s Land.

Their disobedience is better shown in how they responded to God’s Leadership once back in the land during the times of the Judges. The beginning of this cycle that we’re examining is illustrated best by Jg. 17:6 “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.”

God not being a taskmaster, did not stand over them and force them to obey. This led to the flesh of the Israelites leading them to stray from God

We see their Disobedience, after which we saw God’s Discipline

God’s Discipline

There’s a difference between forcing a begrudging servant to do what is commanded, it’s another to disciple them once they have gone astray. Like a good Father, God will discipline His children when they go astray - and that’s what God did for the COI.

When the COI would turn against God, God would bring chastisement down. We see an illustration of that in Jg. 2:13-15 “And they forsook the Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth. And the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of spoilers that spoiled them, and he sold them into the hands of their enemies round about, so that they could not any longer stand before their enemies. Whithersoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was against them for evil, as the Lord had said, and as the Lord had sworn unto them: and they were greatly distressed.”

God would bring Discipline - which in turn would bring about Repentance from the COI

Their Repentance

We see this play out with Othniel, the first Judge specifically mentioned in Jg. 3:7-9 “And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and served Baalim and the groves. Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia: and the children of Israel served Chushan-rishathaim eight years. And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.”

Notice the word ‘when’ - WHEN they cried out, God would deliver

Once they Repented, God brought Restoration

Their Restoration

Continuing on Othniel’s time: Jg. 3:10-11 “And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rishathaim. And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died.”

So we see their past. Whenever they would turn away from God, God brought about Judgment from an outside source - such as the Mesopotamians, Philistines and the like.

So we see their past, next let’s look at their Present

Their Present

God at this point has went through the time of the Judges - close to 300 years of the back and forth, and we’re getting down to what would be the finality of this time period known as the time of the Judges.

An Unwise Decision (v1)

(By an otherwise wise man). Samuel was called of God, followed God, served God - but was like you and I, just a man with full ability to make mistakes. This was one of them.

The reason being is that it wasn’t Samuel’s place to make his sons Judges. That was God’s doing. (Remind them of the order of their past - they’d sin & GOD would raise up a Judge).

(This situation was like unto the apostles choosing Mathias in Act. 1)

So the COI are dealing with an unwise decision by their leader (Ill. we all here know what that’s like - if you don’t, just turn on the news).

It was an Unwise Decision that led to an Unjust Situation

An Unjust Situation (v3)

So in other words, the sons were taking bribes to rule in their judgments unjustly.

(Ill.) Imagine how you’d feel if you had to take someone to court - let’s say someone stole your cattle & sold it. Then to escape punishment, paid off the judge. They sell your cattle and make money, pay a little to the judge and you have no cattle and no justice. That would certainly make you mad!

Nothing was right about what was going on with this situation. And I bring this up just to point out that the people had a right to be upset. They had reason to be concerned - as this wasn’t a judgment from God as they had certainly deserved in the past. This wasn’t an outside force that God was using to bring them to repentance, this was trouble from within.

So the COI have found themselves in a bad Situation. Not something that they were responsible for. Next we’re going to see where they went wrong with Their Solution

II. Their Solution

Was a Reaction to their Situation (v5a)

Understand this: Their situation wasn’t fair. It wasn’t right - but it happens to everybody! Mat. 5:45b “...he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.”

You’ll find yourself in situations that are not ‘fair’. That will happen - but how we react to those situations is what will determine how our lives end up.

Part of their solution was to react to the injustice before them.

Understand: Whenever we are faced with decisions in this life, we have oftentimes several choices: 1) We can do nothing. 2) We can do something, or we can 3) Stand still and let God move. Now the COI Reacted to the Situation, but I submit to you that it’d been better had they either did nothing or best yet Stood still and sought God to move in this situation. They had in Moses’ writing: De. 32:35 “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence; Their foot shall slide in due time: For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things that shall come upon them make haste.”

Sometimes we must act - but we should only do so when we have sure Biblical basis for it. Otherwise, we should wait on God.

Their solution was reaction - and it resulted in a Rejection of their Saviour

Was a Rejection of their Saviour (v5b; 7)

Not only did they react, but their course of action was going to make things worse instead of making it better.

(Ill.) Their situation was one of ‘I don’t like the taste of this beer, I think whiskey would be better’.

What they wanted would be worse for them and would drive them further away from God! Because what they wanted was to find a Carnal answer to their problem. They thought the answer to their problem would be found in man. They thought that their life would be better by looking to man to solve it instead of God!

BTW, this is nothing new:

God gives us instruction - but oftentimes we think we know better

God gives us guidance - yet we’ll listen to our ‘friends’ opinions instead

God’s Word is a ‘Lamp unto our Feet & Light unto our Path’, but instead we seek our wisdom from the Internet

God tells us to ‘Go and Tell’, but the kings of this earth say it’s a waste of time

God tells us to ‘Pray Alway’, but this world tells us it unnecessary

God tells us to be Different, but Contemporary Christianity tells us it’s better to be the same

Church, when we choose this world, we reject God! When we seek worldly ways, we are rejecting God’s ways. And there’s a Cost.

We their solution led to rejecting their Saviour.

We see the COI Situation and their Solution. Next, we’ll look at God’s Counsel

III. God’s Counsel

God tells Samuel to tell them ‘You can choose what you want, but it’s going to cost you - and this is what it’s going to cost you’

And if you get nothing else from this message, please get this. Whenever we allow this world to lead us - to be ‘our king’, there’s a price that we will pay.

Six times in this next few verses we see a phrase repeated over and over. ‘He will take’.

That’s what this world does! It takes! You can invest in this world, and it will take! You can follow the kings of the earth - and they will take!

Before we proceed, I want you to understand what I mean by the term ‘earthly kings’. When I say ‘earthly kings’, I’m not speaking of a person necessarily. I’m speaking of the things of this world that we devote ourselves to. When we devote our Time, Talents, Tithes, Attention to the things of this world and let them rule our lives, then we are serving earthly kings instead of our Eternal King. It’s the concept of looking to the world for their providence, peace & protection & satisfaction rather than God.

Earthly Kings will Take Your Possessions (v14)

Whenever we follow after Earthly kings, whenever we spend our Time, Talents on the things of this world, we have only hope of making a temporal impact and temporal treasures.

Yes, we could amass ourselves a fortune upon this earth, but what good will that do us when we’re gone? Jesus said of the man who did so Luk. 12:20-21 “But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”

Earthly Kings will Take your Possessions - but not our Heavenly Father! Jesus said: Mat. 6:19-20 “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:”

Earthly Kings will Take Your Possessions

Earthly Kings will Take Your Potential (v15)

‘of your seed’ - A seed is something that has unrealized potential. A seed can do nothing on it’s own, but once it’s planted, it can begin to reach it’s potential - the reason for it’s existance.

God has a purpose for you. And in you, there is such great potential! But earthly kings rob us of our potential. The seed that is our life and the potential to do great things for God is robbed from us by earthly kings.

All too often I see Christians who could do so much! God could use them in mighty ways, but their potential is being robbed by the cares of this world!

Earthly Kings will Take Your Potential

Earthly Kings will Take Your Power (v16)

‘menservants, maidservants, etc.’ When you strip a man of his entourage, you diminish his power.

Whenever we seek after Earthly Kings and devote ourselves to them, we are robbed of our power.

The Power of our Testimony

The Power of it’s effect on others

(Ill.) In my teaching on Eternal Security, I mention that the problem with people believing in Eternal Security is not because of lack of Scriptural proof, it’s because of what they see in Christians. They see people professing Christ yet living like Hell - and there’s no power in a testimony like that! There’s no power in the testimony of one who lives no different as a Saint of God than a Sinner!

Investing in Earthly Kings will Take Your Power

Earthly Kings will Take Your Praise (v17)

Sheep being used as offerings, by those earthly kings confiscating them, they were in effect taking their ability to Praise the LORD.

Carnal Christians - those who’ve invested in earthly kings have no problem praising their favorite ball team on Saturday, but can’t hardly muster up an Amen on Sunday. They can sing Bon Jovi in the shower, but too embarrassed to sing the hymns in church.

Earthly Kings will Take your Praise

Earthly Kings will Take Your Peace (v18)

Jesus said this: Joh. 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

Church, if we’re in the boat with Jesus we can have peace - regardless of weather

Church if we’re in the Lion’s Den with Jesus we can have peace - just ask Daniel

If we’re in the fiery furnace with Jesus we can have peace - just ask S,M,A

If we’re in the innermost prison with Jesus we can have peace - just ask Paul & Silas

These examples weren’t invested in earthly kings, therefore they had peace!

Christians worry so much - when we shouldn’t worry at all! Php. 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

When we’re devoting ourselves to earthly kings, they’ll rob our peace.

(Ill.) Over the course of the last two years, there were so many Christians struggling with worry. The reason is simple: They were more invested in what Dr. Fauchi was saying than what God already said! They were more concerned about what Covid could do to them than what God would do for them.

Earthly Kings will Take Your Peace

Earthly Kings will Take Your Posterity (v11-13)

Lastly - Investing in, seeking & devoting our time, talents & treasures in Earthly Kings will rob you of your Posterity. I’m speaking about your children.

Make no mistake - the odds of your children out-growing you Spiritually is slim to none. If you want your children to seek after & serve a Heavenly King instead of earthly kings, then they must see that devotion in you.

We want our children to be Godly, but we don’t want to do what it takes to give them the best shot at living Spiritual.

AND I’M TELLING YOU - MARK MY WORDS: YOU WILL LOSE YOUR CHILDREN TO EARTHLY KINGS IF THAT’S THE KINGS YOU SEEK!

Earthly kings TAKE and TAKE and TAKE. They will Take your Posterity.

We see the COI Situation and their Solution. We’ve looked at God’s Counsel & finally, we look at their Choice

IV. Their Choice

They Chose to Ignore God’s Caution

God spoke through the man of God and said this is what it’s going to be like.

Church, I don’t claim to be a Samuel, but I do claim to speak the truth from God’s Word! And as God’s Word as my basis I give unto you this message here today. And you’re going to do one of two things with it: 1) You’l l heed the warnings, or 2) You’ll do as they did and ignore God’s Caution.

‘Nevertheless’ it says. They chose to Ignore God’s Caution.

They Chose to be Like the Crowd

They decided it would be best not to be different. That they could be just like everybody else.

Might I remind you that the Bible says: 2 Cor. 6:17 “Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,”

God gives us a choice - just like He gave the COI in that day: We can be separate and serve Him, OR we can be like the Crowd.

However, their Choice would prove to be Costly.

Their Choice would Prove to be Costly

As you know - God’s words did come true. Just like they always do.

Conclusion