Counting The Cost Of A King Series

It is tragic when we give something more priority than we give God. Sporting events can develop character and teach young people positive lessons but if that sport ever came between that person and God, it is wrong. Even humanitarian projects which are serving human need in a ministry, if they become more important than your relationship to God, it's time for some deep evaluations.

The nation Israel faced a choice. I if they made the wrong choice they will be forced to live with their bad decision. God gives people freedom to make a choice and they don't always make the right choice.

One man who now serves the Lord, was the baseball star of his college. He was popular, but away from God. He thought what he did against the will of God was going to be OK. He was drinking and driving 90 mph and hit a telephone pole. God forgives him. His family still accepts him, but he will always live with slurred speech and a terrible limp. His bad choices have real consequences.

God grants people freedom to make choices, but people face consequences for their wrong choices. The nation Israel faces a choice that could damage their relationship with God. If they make the wrong choice, they live with the consequences.

First Samuel chapter 8 is the story of transition. It's the transition from the period of Judges to that of the monarchy, having a king. Israel thought a change in government would solve their problems. In reality their problems were spiritual problems.

There were reasons that Israel wanted a King:

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” (1 Samuel 8:1-5)

The current system of government for Israel before the kings was known as the period of judges. God was king and the nation was loosely bound together as twelve separate regions. They had a common heritage, a common religion, and a shared belief in Lord God Almighty.

God was head of this Government. This system was a Theocracy. The dictionary definition of Theocracy is, “A system of government in which priests’ rule in the name of God. The commonwealth of Israel from the time of Moses until the election of Saul as king.”

Samuel was the 16th judge of Israel and this system had been in place for hundreds of years. Samuel was a good judge, but he was growing older, and a new leader was needed. His sons Joel and Abijah replaced him. They were corrupt leaders. They did not share the values of their father Samuel.

Samuels son’s Joel and Abijah were more interested in bribes than in ruling Israel fairly. The nation Israel used these bad judges as an excuse to reject God as King. Israel looked to the other nations, and they saw their organization and their military machinery and that the King bound their nation together.

Israel did not like the style of judges like Gideon battling large armies with 300 men. They wanted a vast external display of power everyone could see like the other nations had. It was a kind of peer pressure. Their desire to be like others was stronger than their desire to follow God.

There is a tremendous power in peer pressure. It is not limited to young people and fashion trends. There was a call for a new order to follow the pattern of the other nations. This new order was going to be centered around a king. They told Samuel, give us a king.

Samuel went to God about the situation. God reassured Samuel. They are not rejecting you, but they are rejecting me.

But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. (1 Samuel 8:6-7)

Samuel was to warn Israel what would be the consequences of what they were asking. If they went forward in their decision to have a king, then a king would make harsh demands on them. God spoke to Samuel to warn Israel.

Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.” (1 Samuel 8:9)