A King Like The Nations
1 Samuel 8 (ESV)
1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4 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. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of 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 orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”
Problem 1: Samuel is old
Point 1: Faithful in the small things, in the long game
Problem 2: Samuel’s succession plan is bad
Point 2: True spirituality cannot be “handed down.”
Point 3: The Elders rightly identify the problems, but try to solve it on human terms.
Point 4: Aligning our “feelings” with Truth through prayer.
The King will TAKE:
“The king will take your sons…”
“He will take your daughters…”
“He will take your fields, vineyards and olive orchards…”
“He will take a tenth of the produce…”
“He will take your male servants…”
“He will take your female servants…”
“He will take a tenth of your flocks…”
Did God want the Israelites to have a king or not?
Genesis 17:6 (ESV)
6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.
Genesis 49:10 (ESV)
10 The scepter shall not depart from Judah,
nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
Deuteronomy 17:14–15 (ESV)
14 “When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ 15 you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose.”
My take on God’s heart:
“When you ask for a king to be like the other nations, I will allow it. But make sure your king is not a king like the other nations.”
Not an authority separate from God, but ruling under and submissive to God.
Point 5: Our ideas and solutions may be perfectly rational, politically wise, expedient, prudent and pragmatic…and utterly Godless.
The Story being told over and over again.
B. GROUP DISCUSSION
1) Read all of I Samuel 8. What are all the things? Who stands out to you? Where are the emotions? What is the posture of Samuel and the Elders? Is Samuel hurt for God or Himself? How would you know?
2) Talk a bit about spiritual leadership and succession. What do we care about most in a spiritual leader, and how many of those qualities are from the Bible, or our culture? Why is it so important to make “room” for true spiritual leaders to emerge and not be a hereditary plan?
3) Sometimes we have strong feelings about what is right or wrong. How do we know if those feelings are aligned with God or culture? In what ways are our prayers to God, through scripture, aligning events.
4) Why do human kings (all kings) take more than give? Why do crowns on humans always fail?
5) “Our ideas and solutions may be perfectly rational, politically wise, expedient, prudent and pragmatic…and utterly Godless.” So, how would we know? How can we utilize our brains without failing to follow a spiritual path? What is the difference between the wisdom of “man” and the wisdom of God?
6) In what way is Jesus THE Prophet, Ark, Priest, Sacrifice, Tabernacle, Judge and King? Talk about each role He fulfills!
7) Prayer and praise