INTRODUCTION
• SLIDE #1
• The nation of Israel did not have an earthly king for many years, they were under the guidance of God. Men like Samuel were God’s intermediary between God and the people. Samuel was the last of the Judges of Israel (1 Samuel 7:15).
• The nation of Israel was to be like no other nation on earth, they were meant to be a model for the rest of the world to see. (Lev 20:26; Deut 4:6-8)
• Samuel had a long career of being God’s representative of the people, but Samuel was getting old and so he appointed his sons to help him, and they were not good guys, they were rotten kids as we will see from the text.
• The great complaint this week comes to us from the people of Israel, they demanded that Samuel appoint them a king so they would be like all the other nations.
• So, what is there in this complaint for us today? This is the question we will answer as we look at this fascinating exchange between the Elders of Israel and Samuel, and Samuel and God.
• We will see a lot of connections between what the nation of Israel was wanting and what many folks are seeking today.
• As Christians, we too are to be an example to the world of what it means to be guided by God, but just like the nation, sometimes we fight the Lordship of God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in our lives.
• The world should see something different in us.
• The story of Israel’s rejection of God is a cautionary tale for us today.
• Let’s turn to 1 Samuel 8 as we dig into our message, Give us a King!
• SLIDE #2
• 1 Samuel 8:1–8 (CSB) — 1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. 2 His firstborn son’s name was Joel and his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beer-sheba. 3 However, his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest profit, took bribes, and perverted justice. 4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and went to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Therefore, appoint a king to judge us the same as all the other nations have.” 6 When they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” Samuel considered their demand wrong, so he prayed to the Lord. 7 But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected me as their king. 8 They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to me, since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning me and worshiping other gods.
• SLIDE #3
SERMON
We want a new King because of…
I. The desire to conform to the world. (1-8)
• Samuel was getting old, so he appoints his sons to help him Judge Israel, the problem is that the sons are scandalous young men.
• Verse 3 tells us that his sons did not walk in his ways—they turned toward dishonest profit, took bribes, and perverted justice.
• Files this in your mind as we ponder another thought that was brewing in the background.
• The sons were scandalous, no doubt, much like Samuel’s Eli, his sons were terrible people.
• However, given that the sons were not taking over, I wonder why the Elders of Israel did not simply ask Samuel to remove the sons from their position?
• There is something deeper going on here.
• Based on the actions of the Elders, one could conclude that over a period of time as they say the splendor of the Kings of the nations around them, that they were jealous that they did not have a shiny toy leading their nation.
• Later in verse 20 that we will get in a bit, they stated they wanted a King he could judge them, and go out before them and fight their battles.
• Let me ask you a question? Why would they want an earthly king when God was their King?
• I believe the answer lies in the fact that they secretly yearned to be like the rest of the world along with the fact that they wanted someone else to do the work of staying free.
• They watched the glorious pomp and circumstance that surrounded the Kings of the other nations, so for them, God was not good enough.
• The situation with Samuel’s sons simply provided the opening for the Elders to express their true heart.
• For these people, God was not enough for them.
• Now let’s bring this to where we are today.
• Based on how we live as Christians, I have to wonder if we possess a secret desire to reject the Lordship of Jesus in our lives?
• I mean, we want to benefit of the relationship, but we seem to be aloof when it comes to developing the relationship.
• In the church, we have a buzzword we use, the word is RELEVANT!
• Now, I am not AGAINST being relevant as long as relevant does not include changing the message to conform to our society.
• I do not have a problem with being RELEVANT if it means that we teach and preach the message in such a manner that connects with folks.
• When RELEVANT means to alter or reject the message and Lordship of Jesus Christ, then we have an issue.
• The Word of God is RELEVANT in all ages and cultures without any need for it to be modified or changed.
• Samuel is very upset over the request. He feels like the people are rejecting him; however, God reveals the real truth to Samuel in verses 7-8.
• 7 But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected me as their king. 8 They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to me, since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning me and worshiping other gods.
• God understood what was really happening here, His Lordship was being rejected.
• As Christians, we need to be careful not to look for loopholes in our faith that allow us to remove the Lordship of Jesus from our life.
• When you belong to God, why would you want to have anyone or anything else be first in your life?
• Next we see…
• SLIDE #4
II. The consequences of rejecting God’s Lordship. (9-18)
• There are always consequences that follow the choices we make. As I read verse 9, I want you to notice something about God.
• SLIDE #5
• 1 Samuel 8:9 (CSB) Listen to them, but solemnly warn them and tell them about the customary rights of the king who will reign over them.”
• One thing we should notice is that God does not take away our free will to make decisions, even if they are not good ones.
• Notice that God told Samuel to listen to the people, but also to warn them of what will happen if they choose to want an earthly king to rule over them.
• God wanted to the people to have all the information before they made their final decision.
• The consequences were grave.
• When you examine verses 11-18 we find that the people were going to be the slaves of the new King, the new King would have absolute control over the lives of the people.
• The list is staggering of what the King would do to the people, quite a price pay to be like all the other nations.
• When one cedes the Lordship of Jesus in their lives, they will face a slavery of a much worse manner.
• The Bible lays out for us two paths of life we can pursue, the path with Jesus as Lord and the path without Him.
• We have the consequences before us, yet what do we do, we yearn for the slavery to sin.
• The people were going to lose all of their freedom to a king, when they had true freedom with God.
• When one chooses to reject the Lordship of Jesus in their life, they are not free, they are enslaved to sin.
• SLIDE #6
• Galatians 5:1 (CSB) For freedom, Christ set us free. Stand firm then and don’t submit again to a yoke of slavery.
• Think for a moment of a sin that does not enslave you and hurt you in some manner?
• The people wanted a king so bad they were willing to give up everything for that king.
• Some folks today so badly want to be their own king or have something else they put a head of God that they will give up everything to have it.
• People will lose their family over putting a job first, or by pursuing another person.
• People will put their economic security at risk for that shiny new car or that big house they probably do not need.
• When we reject the Lordship of Jesus Christ in ANY part of our lives, we will suffer loss for it.
• Samuel concludes in verse 18 with the following.
• SLIDE #7
• 1 Samuel 8:18 (CSB) When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you’ve chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you on that day.”
• What God is says is that He will allow the people to make the choice, but it will a choice they will have to live with.
• God will allow you to choose who your Lord will be, but you will have to live with the consequences of that choice.
• Well, Samuel explains to the people what God had told him to share with them.
• SLIDE #8
III. Be careful what you ask for. (19-22)
• Have you ever been so blinded by your desire, that you ignored all the warning signs, only later to regret your choice?
• Look at verses 19-20 with me. The people have been given all the information, yet listen to this.
• SLIDE #9
• 1 Samuel 8:19–20 (CSB) The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles.”
• I can see the people jumping up and down, GIVE US A KING! GIVE US A KING!
• We want a shiny king so we can have what the other nations have and we want him to judge us and go out before us and fight our battles!
• Samuel tells God what they say and God says, let them have it!
• It amazes me that the nation wanted to trade God in for corrupt man, it amazes me that the nation wanted to trade God in for sinful man.
• It amazes me that today, people will reject Jesus for sinful and for sin.
• In Romans 1, Paul explains how mankind has decided to worship the creation instead of the creator.
• SLIDE #10
• Romans 1:21–25 (CSB) — 21 For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. 22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. 24 Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.
• The nation would have been much better off accepting God as their King, we are much better off when we embrace the Lordship of Jesus Christ in our life!
CONCLUSION
• God loved the people enough to allow them to decide who they were going to follow.
• God loves you enough to afford you the same choice.
• When you choose to reject Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are throwing away a great gift that God has offered to you.
• As much as we bemoan this world, why would we not want what God offers.
• Blessing in this life and eternal life in heaven were there are no more tears, no more pain, no more suffering.
• Whenever we lose a loved one, no matter what, we talk about them being in a better place.
• Well, that better place is a fact for those who accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior!
• What are you waiting for, come forward today accept god’s gift of salvation through Jesus!
