1 Samuel 8:7
" And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice
of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they
have not rejected thee: but they have rejected
me, that I should not reign over them."
Like Eli, Samuel neglected to discipline and teach his sons properly. Perhaps, like servants of God today, he was away from home too often, and to occupied with helping others. Just like the personal failures of individual ministers lead many to reject the whole concept of the Church, the failure of Samuel's son's lead the people to reject their authority as judges, as well as to reject God.
So the Israelites request for a King is condemned by God. What is it that made the request a sin? God knew that someday Israel would desire a King. In Deut. 17:14-20, He had given guidelines that were to be followed by the people and by the Kings that would reign over them, Gen. 17:6, 16; 35:11. It seems equally clear that there was nothing wrong with the time of their request. The Kingdom would not be proper until the coming of the Messiah, so it seems that the motive of the people making the request was what made their actions sinful: though on the surface their motives seem to be justified: they wanted to avoid further military losses and to be rid of the corrupt leaders of the future, the sons of Samuel and Eli.
Samuel saw their request to be a rejection of himself, but God affirmed that they had actually rejected Him. They rejected God because they wanted to be like the other nations, not a peculiar, set apart as the chosen ones of God. What they wanted was a visible deliverer, a man that they could trust. They wanted to walk by sight, not by faith. My friends let us always place our trust in our Lord and walk by faith and not by sight.
Amen!
Reading: 1 Sam. 8:1-22
Ref: HG SB
So the Israelites request for a King is condemned by God. What is it that made the request a sin? God knew that someday Israel would desire a King. In Deut. 17:14-20, He had given guidelines that were to be followed by the people and by the Kings that would reign over them, Gen. 17:6, 16; 35:11. It seems equally clear that there was nothing wrong with the time of their request. The Kingdom would not be proper until the coming of the Messiah, so it seems that the motive of the people making the request was what made their actions sinful: though on the surface their motives seem to be justified: they wanted to avoid further military losses and to be rid of the corrupt leaders of the future, the sons of Samuel and Eli.
Samuel saw their request to be a rejection of himself, but God affirmed that they had actually rejected Him. They rejected God because they wanted to be like the other nations, not a peculiar, set apart as the chosen ones of God. What they wanted was a visible deliverer, a man that they could trust. They wanted to walk by sight, not by faith. My friends let us always place our trust in our Lord and walk by faith and not by sight.
Amen!
Reading: 1 Sam. 8:1-22
Ref: HG SB
May God Bless You
And Your Family
Minister Robert A. Lail Sr.
The Cross Life Ministry
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