Sometimes God Gives You What You Ask For

When the Children of Israel began the occupation of their Inheritance, the Promised Land, they were ruled by God through the judges. Samson was a judge, as was Gideon, Othniel, and Shamgar. Many attribute Samuel to be the last judge. Samuel had two sons and as they became older he gave responsibilities to them. However, they were wicked men. The people decided they wanted an earthly king rather than rule by God.
First Samuel 8:5-6 “And (the people) said unto him (Samuel), Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.”
This was to be a fundamental change in the way Israel would be governed. Instead of the Law of God, they desired an earthly king.
God encouraged Samuel in the following verses in First Samuel 8:7-9 “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. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.”
It’s amazing to me for a people to have witnessed within one generation all that God did for them in the Exodus…God judged Egypt, performed miracles in the desert of water from the rock, manna from heaven, and flocks of quail easily caught and prepared for eating. God defeated their enemies, gave them the Law which is just and right, gave them shade of a cloud by day and a pillar of fire at night, and the list goes on. Yet, in all that, and more, they rejected God. They wanted an earthly king.
As God instructed Samuel, he outlined what an earthly king would demand. From the chair where I sit it doesn’t look good to me. First Samuel 8:11-17 “And he (Samuel) said (to the people), This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.”
Hum, this sounds like a modern day commentary on today’s politics.
You would think, after experiencing the generosity and blessings of rule by God, the people would have second thoughts. Not so. God even issued a stern warning should they decide they want the earthly king. First Samuel 8:18 “And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”
Now tell me, how hard-headed do you want to be? Sometimes we are not satisfied with the blessings of God because we do not see the value they provide. We are observing the spiritual from a temporal point of view rather than the eternal view. Case in point, there are some who pursue riches to the point they sacrifice precious family time with their children, they ignore the value of quiet time with God, and become spiritually greedy with their gifts to the church. They ignore the need to nourish the eternal spiritual man for the sake of temporal riches on this earth. Jesus said in Mark 8:36 “For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?”
Samuel, I believe, did his best. However, the people gave their resounding answer in First Samuel 8:19-21 “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us; 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 Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD.”
The LORD God created man with the ability to choose. God will allow you to make the choices for your life, whether or not they be according to the Will of God. It’s your choice to attend church, to give a love offering to the work, to do something on your own to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s your choice to spend quiet time with God and His Word. It’s your choice to make God the Sovereign of your life or to reject Him.
Be warned, there are consequences for rejecting God. The ultimate consequence is forfeiting an eternal life in heaven with Him. Sometimes, after your decisions, God will give you what you asked for.
See you in church. ---Bro. Louis