1 Samuel 7 & 8

LINK:1 Samuel 7-8

BACKGROUND
Chapter 7 is an "up" in the up-and-down cycle of Israel's devotion to the Lord. The episode with the loss and return of the ark seems to have inspired in the Israelites a resurgence of concern for their relationship with the Lord. A contributing factor might also have been that they were desperate to get the Philistines off their backs, but in any case, they "mourned and sought after the Lord" (verse2) and confessed, "We have sinned against the Lord," (verse 6) and God allowed Samuel to lead them to victory over the Philistines. That peace lasted throughout Samuel's lifetime as he served as judge over Israel.

Chapter 7 reads like a "same song, different verse" installment in the history of Israel, another summarization of a small portion of the good judge/bad judge, peace/war, faithfulness/unfaithfulness cycle so often repeated up to this point. Chapter 8 continues the theme when Samuel grows old and passes the baton on to his sons, who line up in the "bad" column with Eli's sons. At that point, the people of Israel have apparently had enough of this cycle and ask for a change. They want "...a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have" (verse 5). The people may have seen this as an admirable solution to their problem of finding reliably good judges, but Samuel and the Lord know there's more to it than that.

The Lord tells Samuel, "It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king." This was not a tiny little change in mode of government, it was a rejection of God as king. In a "you reap what you sow" response, God tells Samuel to allow them their king but to warn them that having a king would cost them dearly, not only in taxes and service, but also because he would not bail them out this time. Samuel warns the people, "...you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day." Their answer, in effect, was, "We don't care. We'd rather have a king to fight our battles and to be like the other nations than to be led and rescued by God."

REFLECTION
The Israelites made a bad deal here. What they wanted, I think, was a strong visible leader who would deliver the security and prosperity they hoped for. They were tired of having to trust in a God they couldn't see or understand or control and who wouldn't behave as they saw fit. They preferred to take their chances with a human. Maybe they were impressed with the leaders of their enemies. Maybe the ancient world had its own version of "star power" politics, and the Israelites were looking for change and someone to put their hope in. Probably they thought they could have it all--they could stay on God's good side AND gain the benefits of an earthly king. Maybe they thought having a good, honorable, moral leader with good ideas and a strong army would be the best way to secure God's blessings. They apparently didn't realize that they were replacing God, even when Samuel laid it on the line for them. But the fact of the matter was: they were replacing God.

It will be interesting to watch how God responds to this rejection. Stay tuned!

APPLICATION
How have I replaced God? With what have I replaced him? What do I put my hope in that isn't God? How does a desire to be "like the other nations" affect my choices and feelings and priorities?

PRAYER
Lord God, forgive us for choosing to be ruled by things other than you. Open our eyes to your compassionate, generous, righteous leadership and teach us to be content to follow you. Amen.