Word of Encouragement (08/24/2023)
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, "Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations." 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. (1 Sam. 8:4-6)
At this time, Israel’s trouble arose from a surprising source—Samuel! The elders of Israel came to see Samuel at Ramah and told him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways…” (v. 5). Was this just a personal attack on Samuel for his bad parenting? Yes and no. The problem the elders had was not the moral failures of Samuel’s sons, per se, who “took bribes and perverted justice” (v. 3); it was the position of authority he gave to his crooked sons. We read in v. 1, “When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.” This sounds shockingly familiar, doesn’t it? What was going on with Eli and his two wicked sons was happening in Samuel’s household!
To their credit, the elders had the right assessment of the situation. In this regard, they judged the situation with greater clarity than Samuel the judge. But while accurately assessing the problem is crucial in coming up with the right solution, it doesn’t automatically lead to it, does it? All of us are much better at pointing out the problems than coming up with a good solution. Having a king like the other nations was certainly a possible solution to the problems they were facing. But did they think about what this meant for their relationship with God and with Samuel? Samuel felt that they were rejecting him. God told him that they were rejecting not so much Samuel but their God. If they heard that, they might have said that they did not mean to do that. But it was like interrupting someone in his midsentence, saying, “Sorry, I’m not trying to interrupt you but…” and going on to say what you want to say.
The request of the elders showed what was in their hearts. They did not come in humility to ask their judge what should be done (granted that the problem involved him and his sons, Samuel was still accountable to God). It doesn’t seem like they cared for Samuel and his sons too much. To them, the problems, which Samuel’s sons caused, were just a golden opportunity to advance their own agenda. So, the solution they proposed was more problematic than the problem they brought up. Do you see the irony of this situation? By asking for a king, they were rejecting God, their true King. And they were asking God (through Samuel) to give them the very thing that would replace God!
But is this not what we do often? Think about what you are praying for. Why do you desire it so much? Is it something that will draw you closer to God or will it be a crutch that you will rely on instead of God? To put it bluntly, are you asking God to grant you an idol? We all know how easy it is for us to turn God’s blessing into an idol. Let us examine our motives for our desires. As we do so, may the Lord show us how HE is our greatest Treasure above all comparison!