When The People Cry Out For A King

When The People Cry Out For A King

I Samuel 8:1-22

(Listen online at www.Stockdalebaptist.com)

Intro: A stretch limo full of politicians was taking a back route down a two-lane country road late at night. The limo ran into a bad storm, and slid off the wet pavement at high speed. It flipped over a few times, and finally crashed into a tractor in the middle of a field. The owner of the farm heard the noise and went out to see what happened. After checking out the scene, he used his tractor to bury the passengers. The next afternoon the county deputy was passing and saw the wrecked limo, which had been reported as missing. He asked the farmer what happened, and the farmer let him know he’d buried all the politicians. The deputy asked, “Were you certain they were all dead?” “Well,” said the farmer, “a few of them claimed they weren’t, but you know politicians, you can’t believe a word they say.”

It has been said that if you want to keep your friends, avoid talking about politics or religion. As a Pastor, that is near impossible for me. And today's topic involves both. I hope when I am finished, we can all still be friends! The task I have been assigned requires me to walk a very fine line. While I will discuss the current state of our nation, my ultimate goal is to exegete this portion of scripture in a relevant way that will benefit us during the upcoming months. If you have turned on your TV recently, you know we are in an election year. The first few primaries and caucuses have already taken place and here in Alabama we vote this Tuesday.

I am not here to promote or endorse a republican, a democrat or an independent. That is not my place. But I do believe that the Word of God will give you all of the answers that you need when choosing a leader.

Christians in America have a very unique opportunity. We live in a country where we have the right to vote for our leaders on a local, state and national level. One of the founding principles of this great nation is our freedom of religion. And another is the right to vote. During the primary season the candidates are more "religious" now than they will ever be. Some of them will attend more church services and religious events over the next few months than they have in the past 2 decades. I do not mean to imply that this is the case for all of them. I know none of the candidates personally and I hope some truly are devoted servants of Christ. But I am sick and tired of politicians who profess to be Christians when it is politically expedient and then govern like the devil when they are elected.

There are certain things that we all desire to see in our next President. We all would love a President with Character, Integrity, Honesty, Ability and Experience. Unfortunately, as we look at the current political landscape it seems that finding Bigfoot or Jimmy Hoffa would be an easier task.

During this process I would like to encourage you keep the proper focus. Don't put your hope in a specific party or candidate. Never forget that no matter who is elected... as a Christian, YOU ARE A CHILD OF THE KING!

There was a time in Israel where the people of God lost sight of who they belonged to. Things were rough and they cried out to God for a king. Through Samuel God warned them that they did not need a king. The people refused to listen and continued to demand a king. And God in His infinite wisdom gave them what they wanted. In the end, they learned that God was right and they should have listened to Him all along. I hope we can learn from their error. Join me in our selected text as we see what happens "When The People Cry Out For A King".

At this point in history, Israel was facing turbulent times. Their leaders were corrupt and this instigated a desire for a change. Consider:

I. THE INTENSE FRUSTRATION AMONG THOSE WHO CRY OUT FOR A KING - v1 ¶And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. 3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.

At this time Samuel was getting older and could no longer handle all of the duties in the region. So he delegated some of his duties to his sons in the southern districts of Palestine. But his sons were not righteous and honorable like their father. They were greedy, they accepted bribes and they perverted justice. (sounds similar to many politicians in our day!)