“All the elders of Israel… came to Samuel and said.., ‘Appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.‘ But the thing displeased Samuel… And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 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. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you…’
“So Samuel told… the people, ‘The king who will reign over you… will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. He will appoint… commanders of thousands and fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest… He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and vineyards and give it to his officers and servants. He will take… your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 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.”
“But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. They said, ‘No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.’” 1 Samuel 8:5-8,10-12,14-20
The people of Israel wearied of a king they could not see. Sensing Samuel’s impending death, they compared themselves with the heathen nations around them whose gods they served, and pined to be like them. Deceived by false security, they whined for a king who would physically fight their battles. The Lord let them have their way. They would one day see their folly of trusting fallible man over a covenant God.
It takes commitment and fortitude to know the Almighty and obey His commands. It takes faith to worship the Unseen Immortal and trust Him to lead in conquest and vanquish our enemies. It takes a long view to handle with patience the broil of now and press of peers. Rich rewards are deep relationship with the Divine and eternal security of soul. (Psalm 119:7-11; 1 Timothy 1:17)
But shortsightedness skews perspective and plays on what we think we need. Immediate ease and social standing preempt long term stability and peace. The tangible is valued more than promises, present pressure a tyrant against future hope and steady obedience. We choose what we want now over what is supreme.
Which lifestyle do we espouse and desire? Are we more focused on the urgent than realities of the future? Do we settle in fog rather than expectancy of what lies beyond? What foolish decisions and habits will we confess and set aside for the wisdom of consistent abiding and sure hope?
My King, please expose foolish desires, correct perspective, and secure joyful hope in You.
As the rain and snow 