We are continuing our study in the Book of 1 Samuel.
We are now in chapter 8 - we are studying one chapter at a time.
Every chapter has a spiritual application for all of us if we only know how to look for them.
Today, we are going to talk about asking God in prayer.
Do you know that one of the privileges of being a Christian is that we have the assurance of answered prayer?
God wants to answer our prayers because He loved us.
We are His children and He is our loving Father.
He wants to give the best to each one of us.
In fact, the Bible says:
Matthew 7:7 - "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
This is what I call the triple promise for a triple request.
John 15:7 - If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you."
The main requirement for an answered prayer is to remain or abide in His Word.
Are you remaining in Him?
John 16:24 - Until now you have not asked for anything in my name. Ask and you will receive, and your joy will be complete."
We have a God who love to answer our prayers.
He wants our joy to be complete as we receive His abundant blessings each day.
And so, we are encouraged to keep on asking God through prayer.
Story of a person who went to heaven.
He saw in one room a lot of wonderful gifts that were not yet delivered.
When he asked the angel why those gifts were not yet given out, the answer was: "Because they have not yet asked."
He wants the best for all of us.
However, we have to be careful of what we ask for because we have the tendency to be selfish.
We have the tendency to abuse our privileges in prayer.
We have the tendency to insist on our own.
We have the tendency to ask for something on what we don't really need.
We have the tendency to be impatient when we ask God for something.
We can't wait for God's proper timing.
Ecclesiastes 5:2(NIV) "Do not be quick with your mouth, do not be hasty in your heart to utter anything before God. God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few."
This verse tells us that we have the tendency to be quick in uttering things out of the impulse of the heart without even thinking about it carefully.
The verse says - Don't.
Because God is heaven and we are on earth.
There is a vast difference between the two.
God sees everything from His heavenly perspective, but or earthly outlook is very much limited.
And so, let your words be few.
When we pray, we only have to be brief, specific and direct to the point.
Story:
When the desk top computer was first released, I was in Bacolod and was the pastor of the church.
At that time, everyone was talking about the capability of a computer for the ministry.
I thought it would be good to have one as well.
And so, we prayed and raised funds and pull some shoulders to buy us one.
At that tine, the introductory price of a top of the line computer was - around $50,000 a piece.
But there was one pastor friend who told me - don't buy yet.
Because they keep on changing for new models every six months.
What you have now will be obsolete after one year.
I ignored the advice.
We bought our first computer at a high price and true enough, it was no longer useful after one or two years.
We were not able to think about it carefully.
We were so hasty in making a decision.
So far, we learned last week about the greatest spiritual revival that took place in Israel when all the people turned back to God.
They have repented from their sins, they took away their idols or graven images, they also committed themselves wholeheartedly to God and decided to serve the Lord.
It was a great turning point for Israel as a nation under God.
But while Samuel was preparing the burnt offering before the Lord, they were attacked by their fiercest enemy - the Philistines.
Instantly, fear gripped them.
It was then that they cried to God for help and because of their spiritual restoration, God heard their prayers.
God fought their battles.
God subdued the Philistines by a loud thunder.
Several territories that were previously occupied by the Philistines were returned to them and for many years, they lived in peace under the leadership of Samuel as their prophet and God as their King.
There as peace in Israel when God was their King.
But something happened that broke that peace here in chapter 8.
We will study three things:
1. Israel's Request for a King
2. The Lord's warning regarding this requests.
3. Israel's stubborn heart
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE EIGHT CHAPTER OF 1 SAMUEL
1. ISRAEL'S REQUEST FOR A KING
I Samuel 8:1-5 (NIV) “
When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. 4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 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.”
Many years have passed by and Israel enjoyed peace and prosperity all over the land because God was their King.
During the course of time, Samuel grew old, he had a wife and two sons.
Their names were Joel - the firstborn while the second was Abijah.
As they grow older, Samuel decided to appoint his sons as Israel's leaders.
He wanted them to follow his footsteps but it did not happen.
You see, just because you are a son, it does not mean you will follow your father's footsteps.
As they grow older, they learn to make their choices and pursue their own destiny whether to live a godly life or not.
Many times, because of the strong temptations we face in this world, we tend to make wrong choices.
We tend to deviate from God's will.
That is what happened to the sons of Samuel.
His intention was for them to serve the Lord but ultimately, they made a wrong choice.
We could not be blamed when they make wrong choices.
We could only pray for them and hope that they will do what is right.
And so, we found in verse 3 that the sons of Samuel turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
That means they chose the wrong path, just like the sons of Eli.
They were wicked and dishonest in serving the people.
Look at the three descriptions of their wicked characters.
1. They turned aside after dishonest gain.
2. They accepted bribes
3. They perverted justice.
Example:
As priests, they will wait in the temple courts to accept the offerings from the people so that their sins would be forgiven.
These sacrifices can in the form of animal sacrifices such as bull, sheep, goat or pigeons for those who are poor.
There are cases that the worshiper has not brought any animal when he enters the temple.
These animals however can be easily accessible for sale at a much higher price in the marketplace near the temple.
And usually, these stalls are owned and managed by the priests themselves for their own profits.
And so, instead of selling the sheep at a regular price of $5 each, for instance they would offer this at $40 for a much greater margin.
Hence, the priests turned aside from their regular duty in order to pursue dishonest gain without due regard of the poor Israelite worshiper.
God knew about these and the entire nation of Israel knew all about the evil things that Samuel's two sons were doing.
And so, one day, they decided to do something about this.
This is what they demanded to Samuel in verse 5.
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.”
Notice several things about this request.
They first presented the problems: "you are old and your sons do not follow your ways."
Then, they came up with their own solution to this problem: "Appoint a king to lead us."
They told him the reason behind this request: "so that we can be like all the other nations around us."
Actually, they were not there to seek the help of Samuel in solving the problem.
They were there to tell him what to do.
They were there with a fixed solution in hand.
They were there to present their own plan of changing the form of government.
And that is how they treated God - they were not there to ask God to help them.
They were not there to seek His counsel and wisdom.
They were there to tell God to change the form of government from theocracy to monarchy.
They wanted to overhaul the entire system because they thought it would never work.
In the same manner, we need to be careful with what we ask for.
Because ...
GOD'S WILL IS FOR US TO BE DIFFERENT.
Leviticus 20:26 (NIV) 26 “You are to be holy to me because I, the Lord, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be my own."
We are not to be like all the other nations on this world.
We ought to live holy lives because God is a holy God.
We have been set apart from all the nations of this world.
We must maintain our distinct identity and our distinct calling.
GOD'S WILL IS FOR US TO BE TRANSFORMED. Romans 12:2 (NIV) 2 "Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then, you will be able to test and approve what God's will is - his good, pleasing and perfect will."
Not only should God's will be done in our lives different but we have to be transformed from the inside out.
It must start with the mind, with the heart, with the words and then with our actions.
And so, I encourage to always pray in accordance to His will and purpose for our lives.
2. THE LORD'S WARNING REGARDING THIS REQUEST
1 Samuel 8:6-17 (NIV) "6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord.
7 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. 8 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. 9 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.” 10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants.
15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day."
Upon hearing the request of the people, Samuel took it personal.
He felt that his leadership was being rejected by the people.
And so, he was hurt and he was displeased with the people's request.
But notice that he did not release his anger directly to the people.
He presented his emotion to God through prayer.
That was the good thing about Samuel that we could learn.
What do you do when you are hurt or displeased or felt rejected by the people you are serving?
You could either get angry, be depressed or felt betrayed.
But those are the immature reactions to rejection.
The best way to respond is to offer our emotions in prayer to God.
Tell Him how you feel and ask Him what you need to do next.
He will understand you better.
In this manner, you will be able to avoid those emotional outbursts that does not fit a mature Christian.
In verse 7, we find the Lord explaining to Samuel the real issue behind the request of the people.
God told Samuel to listen carefully to what these people are saying because behind those words are rejection against God and not against Samuel himself.
It was their way of saying that they refuse the authority of God in their lives, in their families and in their nation.
And when they do that, they are allowing themselves to be governed by wicked leaders instead of a holy and righteous God.
And that is what we need to avoid as well.
There is big difference between being governed by God and being governed by man.
When we allow God to govern our lives, we submit ourselves to His will and His direction upon our lives.
But when allow human leaders to govern us, we submit ourselves to their leadership.
In verse 8, God reminded Samuel how from the very beginning, God ruled Israel as a nation.
They were slaves in Egypt before but God brought them out from bondage to give them a land and to rule over them justly.
But they refused to listen to God's direction and instead served those idols made of stones.
And in so doing, they are now requesting for a king to rule over them.
They were not rejecting Samuel but they were rejecting God Himself.
God was their king and they were asking for a substitute.
It was not wrong to ask for a king, but Israel's motivation and timing were wrong.
Actually, God has already predicted this request from Israel even before they enter the Promised Land.
God told Moses in Deut. 17:14 (NIV) " When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, "Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us."
But they were impatient.
They were not willing to wait for the right moment when God would give them a king.
They were asking for the wrong kind of king and at the wrong time.
They wanted a king now.
If they waited and been patient, God would have given them a different kind of king in His time.
Instead of a king like all the other nations, he would have given them a king like David, after God's own heart.
In the same manner, we must learn to accept His perfect timing in our lives so that we will not settle for something less.
WHEN WE ARE PATIENT, WE WILL RECEIVE WHAT WE ASK FOR.
Hebrews 10:36 (NLT) "Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God's will. Then you will receive all that he has promised."
Patient is important in having answered prayer.
The text says that what we need is "patient endurance"
It means to wait as long as possible according to His will and timetable.
While waiting for an answer to our prayers, we continue to do His will in other areas of our lives.
And so, we wait and we endure until we receive God's answers.
WHEN WE WAIT UPON THE LORD, WE RENEW OUR STRENGTH.
Isaiah 40:31 (NIV) "But those who wait (wait) in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not faint."
And so, if you want your strength to go back and be restored unto you, you must learn to wait patiently for the proper time when God answers your prayer.
Waiting will always bring eternal benefits to us.
Then, in verse 9, we read of God's instruction of what Samuel had to do.
He must warn them and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.
Verses 10 - 18 are all part of the warnings that Samuel told Israel regarding the King's claim of his rights.
Notice how many times he used the word "take" in these verses.
It was used 6 times - verses 11, 13, 14,15, 16, 17.
What are the things that the king will take? their sons, their daughters, their fields, their tenth of grain, their tenth of flocks, their male and female servants.
Virtually all their possessions will be taken by the king and declared as his personal property.
Monarchy is a takeover of one man upon a nation.
God warned them that their king would be a taker as compared to God who is a giver.
God has given them the promised land, God has given them children in the land,
God has given them abundance of food, God has given them peace and safety from their enemies.
God has been giving them manifold blessings all these time and yet they missed the source of all those things.
They still wanted a king who will rule over them as a taker.
They still wanted to be enslaved under a monarchy rather than to live in peace and prosperity under God's authority.
They had to be careful of what they asked for because in the end, it might not do them any good.
In the same manner, we must be careful with what we pray for.
We might be asking for something when we have not yet carefully enjoyed the many wonderful things that God has blessed us with in this land.
You see, God is a giver not a taker.
He has blessed us with prosperity in this land.
He has blessed us with children, with great opportunities, with freedom and with peace.
We cannot ask for more.
And so, we must not replace Him with other gods in our hearts.
Only God should rule in our hearts.
And so, we must pray according to His will and we must pray while willing to wait.
3. ISRAEL'S STUBBORN HEART
1 Samuel 8:19-22 (NIV) 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us.
20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town."
Here in verse 19 we learned that the people had been warned but still, they refused to listen to Samuel.
"No," they said, "We want a king over us!"
They were fully determined and they were blinded to the consequences of their request.
All they could see was that they wanted to be like all the other people around them.
They thought that it was the solution to all their problems when in fact, they were putting themselves into much more problems.
It was actually a rejection to God's authority over them.
It was a rejection to all the many blessings that had been given to them by God.
This rejection signifies the stubbornness of their hearts.
Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?"
Many times, when we are controlled by our heart's desires, we could no longer think properly.
That is what the Scriptures says - it is very deceitful indeed and beyond cure.
Only Christ's precious blood shed at Calvary's cross could cure our ailing hearts.
That us why, we need to surrender our hearts to Christ so that we could prevent our hearts to become stubbornly wicked.
GOD WILL DISCIPLINE US IF WE HAVE A STUBBORN HEART.
Psalms 81:11-12 (NIV) "But my people would not listen to me; Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices."
Look at the two reasons why the Lord put forth his displeasure upon Israel's stubborn heart.
His people would not listen to Him.
His people would not submit to Him.
The result was that God gave them over to their stubborn hearts.
God gave them over to follow their own sinful desires.
This is the same thing that God said to Samuel in verse 22 - "Listen to them and give them a king."
He was giving them over to their stubborn hearts in order to discipline them.
We must not wait for us to be disciplined by God.
We must soften our hearts and obey Him right away.
GOD WILL ANSWER OUR PRAYERS IF WE PRAY ACCORDING TO HIS WILL. 1 John 5:14-15 (NIV) "14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him."
When we pray, we need to have confidence as we approach Him.
We must see to it that we are praying according to His will.
Then, we know that He hears us.
Let us summarize the three things we have learned about prayer from this chapter 8.
We must be careful of what we ask for.
We must be careful with the state of our hearts.
What is the right kind of prayer that pleases God?
It should be a PRAYER ACCORDING TO HIS WILL.
When we are faced with a problem, we do not tell God what what He needs to do, we seek His will on how to solve the problem.
When we pray, we ask God to help us be transformed not to be conformed to this world.
We must not impose upon the Lord our own plans and programs, but submit to His will upon us.
It should be a PRAYER THAT IS WILLING TO WAIT.
When we pray, we must not be in a hurry for an answer to our requests.
When we pray, we must be patient and submit to His Lordship in our lives.
When we pray, we must remember that God's perfect timing is different from our timetable.
It should be a PRAYER OF HUMILITY.
When we pray, we must humble ourselves before the Lord.
This includes confessing our sins to Him so that our stubborn hearts would be softened and tamed.
END.
