Are You Sure?

1 Samuel 8:4,5, 10-22
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 walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have."
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 do: 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 menservants and maidservants 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, and the LORD will not answer you in that day."
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."

We humans can be so stubborn! There are times when we set our minds on what we want so that we can't hear the warnings...the consequences that may or will result from the choice we make. I'm sorry to say that not even Christians are exempt from this behavior.

There is an old saying that most moms have used at one time or another. I know I did! "Just because all your friends jump off a bridge it doesn't mean you should!" Teens always want to follow the crowd...well not just teens but adults too. For some reason we just blind ourselves to the adverse effects of "following the crowd." All we see is what we want...we covet.

Things were no different back in the time of Samuel in the Old Testament. He was the Judge of Israel and the Jews came to him begging for a king...just because everybody else had one. They wanted to be like everybody else. They forgot they weren't like everybody else. God had set them apart to be His "Chosen People" so that everybody else would want to be like them.

Samuel made no bones about it and told them exactly what would happen. As you read the words from this passage you see Samuel gave them the message from God along with telling them what they would get in addition to a king. They didn't get it. They didn't see past the "But I want."

And God gave them what they wanted. How this broke His heart! God wanted the best for His chosen people. His people chose the worst. They got what they asked for.

How often do you and I choose our own way and not God;s? I can say for myself it has never turned out well. But the times I rested in His will for me there was always blessing. I may not have recognized it at first but it was there.

We ARE children of the KING and He wants His best for us. Why would we choose the worst thing when our Father in heaven knows exactly what is best for us? Maybe the next time we are in a battle of wills we need to just remember Samuel and the people of Israel and their poor choice. It's always easier to let go of our will and follow the will of the Lord.

Are you sure you want what you are asking for?

MaryAnn

MaryAnn and John Kiernan have been married for 36 years, have 2 grown/married sons and are the proud grandparents of three grandsons and one granddaughter! She serves at America's Keswick as a Biblical Counselor and also as Intake Coordinator for the Colony of Mercy. Her life verse is Romans 8:28.