June 11, 2015: 1 Samuel 8:4-11, 16-20

1 Samuel 8:4-11, 16-20

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the Lord, 7 and the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to 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. 8 Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

10 So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots;  

16 He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 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.”

19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, “No! but we are determined to have a king over us, 20 so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.”

Reflection
When I was younger my mom would always ask me, “If the other kids jumped off a bridge would you jump, too?” I always wanted to have the things that other kids had. I wasn’t content with my own clothes or my own stuff. I always wanted something more because my friends looked like their new stuff made them so much cooler or happier than I was.

In this passage Israel wants a king to rule over them because the other nations have a king. They think that a king will give them more security and stability. God says, however, that a king will give them more trouble. It’s the opposite of what their worldly wisdom expects from a king. Sometimes we get so caught up in the external that we neglect to remember the provision that God has given us in the past.

Questions
Morning: What has God brought you out of? It’s only in remembering and re-living our stories that we can appreciate God’s provision. Give thanks to God for it!

Afternoon: What are some things that you would really like to have right now to make you feel more secure. Talk about it with God.


Night: Take into consideration the first two questions of the day. How has God reminded you today that God will take care of you?