1 Samuel 8:1 – 22 “When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepted bribes, and perverted justice. So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. “Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations.”
But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight of Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king. Just as they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them, but you must solemnly warn them and show them the manner of the king who will reign over them.”
So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to his own chariots and horses, to run in front of his chariots. He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, to make his weapons of war, and to equip his chariots.
And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and grape harvest and give it to his officials and servants. And he will take your menservants and maidservants and your best cattle and donkeys and put them to his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will beg for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day.” Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to judge us, to go out before us, and to fight our battles.”
Samuel listened to all the words of the people and repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. “Listen to their voice,” the LORD said to Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Everyone must go back to his city.”
Samuel was probably one of the holiest prophets Israel ever had; yet, his sons were a terrible disappointment. Why? Samuel was an honest man who never took bribes or extorted money from anyone. There is nothing to indicate that Samuel’s family suffered in any way, and it’s likely that God provided for Samuel’s family. But Samuel’s sons obviously felt that Samuel was stupid and foolish. Here Samuel could have been getting rich all these years and he had steadfastly refused. Samuel’s sons had no regard for God whatsoever! When Samuel’s sons, Joel and Abijah, got their chance, they immediately tried to make up for lost time by getting as much money as possible as quickly as possible. The results were predictable; the Israelites rejected Joel and Abijah. But the Israelites ignored one thing: until now, the Lord had been their king. Had the Israelites cried out to God, He could have easily removed Joel and Abijah, but they didn’t. Instead, the Israelites demanded a king “so we will be like all the other nations, with a king to judge us, to go out before us, and to fight our battles.” No, there was more going on here than merely rejecting two corrupt judges.
To say the Israelites were confused would be a gross understatement. Rejecting Joel and Abijah as judges? No problem. But demanding a king? Where would this king come from? What guarantees that a king would behave any better or any more wisely than Joel and Abijah? Joel and Abijah had limited power and authority while a king would have ultimate power and authority. If the king turned out to be corrupt, what would happen then?
Samuel’s first reaction was to feel hurt and aggrieved; however, God quickly pointed out that these demands were merely a continuation of the Israelites’ rejection of Him. “And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king. Just as they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking Me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.” What God was telling Samuel was that nothing had changed with the Israelites in a few hundred years. The Israelites really didn’t want to bother with God or His commands; after all, they couldn’t argue with the God who had made them. The Israelites thought it would be much easier to have a human king. God already knew what would happen and ordered Samuel to warn the people.
“He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to his own chariots and horses, to run in front of his chariots. He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, to make his weapons of war, and to equip his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and grape harvest and give it to his officials and servants. And he will take your menservants and maidservants and your best cattle and donkeys and put them to his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will beg for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day.” Joel and Abijah might have been demanding bribes, but they certainly weren’t going this far! Such demands were way beyond them!
APPLICATION: The Lord God, the Almighty One, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, had been the King of Israel. God had performed all kinds of signs and wonders, miraculously delivering the Israelites from Egypt, guiding them and providing for them in the Wilderness, and bringing them into the land He had promised. But the Israelites ignored everything God had done for them in their desire to be like all the other nations. None of these nations knew the One True Living God; however, most of the Israelites really didn’t know Him either. Only God knew how many Egyptian statues, amulets and charms the Israelites carried out of Egypt and only God knew how many Israelites had embraced the worship of Baal and the Ashtoroths. This is why God told Samuel that the Israelites had continually rejected him ever since they left Egypt.
Did God’s predictions regarding the king’s abuse of power come true? Absolutely! Under King Solomon, every single prediction Samuel made came to pass, including the use of Israelites as forced labor, essentially as slaves.
We read this account and shake our heads. How could the Israelites be so foolish and so short – sighted? But what about us? Are we willing to have the One True Living God as Lord over our lives, or do we want some corrupt human to serve that role instead? We are two generations away from the events of the Jonestown Massacre that took place on November 18,1978. On that date, a total of 918 people died, either through cyanide injection or by voluntarily drinking poisoned Kool – Aid. All these people were members of the Peoples Temple, a pseudo – religious socialist cult that began innocently but that progressed to the point that all those involved came completely under the control of their leader, Jim Jones. As a result of this horrific event, the phrase “drinking the Kool – Aid” came into being. According to Wikipedia, “Drinking the Kool-Aid” is an expression used to refer to a person who believes in a possibly doomed or dangerous idea because of perceived potential high rewards. The phrase often carries a negative connotation. It can also be used ironically or humorously to refer to accepting an idea or changing a preference due to popularity, peer pressure, or persuasion. In recent years, it has evolved further to mean extreme dedication to a cause or purpose, so extreme that one would “drink the Kool-Aid” and die for the cause.”
The members of the Peoples Temple were good, intelligent, well – intentioned and highly – motivated. But Jim Jones employed classic brain – washing methods, including extreme sleep deprivation, to gain control over these people. Those who managed to drop out of this destructive movement testified to the high character of those who remained. But in the end, it was not God but Jim Jones whom his followers were worshiping, and they and their children paid the ultimate price.
Who is your King? Whom do you worship? Joshua’s challenge is still as valid today as it was when he uttered it to the Israelites: “ But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:15
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow hard after YOU all the days of our lives. Help us not to be ashamed of You or to betray you for the sake of political expediency. In the matchless Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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