Be Careful What You Wish For

1 Samuel 8:10-22
Robert Ross, Associate Pastor

Big Idea: Humble yourself before the Lord as you seek His will and trust Him for the answer to your request.

I. The Desire of an Earthly King (8:10-18)
1 Samuel 8:10-18
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.”

a. Samuel outlines the consequences of having a human king – a king who will take from the people. This warning emphasizes the importance of considering the consequences of our requests.

b. This desire to conform to world norms can lead us away from God’s wisdom and guidance.

II. The Burden of an Earthly King (8:19-20)
1 Samuel 8:19-20
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.”

a. Israel’s refusal to heed Samuel’s warnings reveals stubbornness in their hearts.

b. Be aware of our own stubbornness and the allure of the visible in our decisions.

III. God’s Faithfulness Despite Human Failings (8:21-22)
1 Samuel 8:21-22
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.”

a. Despite Israel’s stubbornness, God grants their request for a king. Sometimes God’s “yes” to our requests may be a form of discipline to help us grow.

b. God doesn’t abandon us in our mistakes; He is faithful even when we choose not to follow His will.