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1 Samuel 8:1-22 And it came to pass, when Samuel was old,
that he made his sons judges over Israel. 2
Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they
were judges in Beersheba. 3 And his
sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and
perverted judgment. 4 Then all the
elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him, “Behold,
thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make 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 unto the Lord. 7 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.”
The difference between Chapter 7
& 8 is a matter of years, not months.
·
National
unity is non-existent.
·
The 12
tribes are scattered over a wide area, connected by very few roads.
·
When hostile
nations attacked a tribe, other tribes were indifferent.
·
In addition,
Samuel’s sons were dishonest politicians.
Before beginning our message in 1 Samuel 8, I want to make
some important observations that weigh heavily on the way we understand and
apply our text.
1. When
God delivered Israel from Egypt and gave them His law, He established Himself
as their King. Ex
15:18 “The LORD shall reign
forever and ever.”
2. When God delivered
Israel from Egypt, He knew they would one day ask for an earthly king. Deut 17:14-15 “When thou art come unto the land… and shalt
say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about…
3. A chief emphasis in
chapt 8 is on the high cost of having a king (v 10-18).
4. The demand for a
king does not come from the elders of Israel only (v 4) but from all the people
(v
7, 10, 19, 21-22).
5. The passage does
not suggest Samuel is another Eli (See Prov 22:6).
· Joel = Jehovah is
God | Abiah = my father is Jehovah.
· Hophni = my first,
fisty | Phineas = mouth of pity.
6. Israel’s reason
for wanting a king is not because of Samuel’s age and the vice
of his sons; the reasons run much deeper…
The problem was
with their wrong reasoning…
God
says,
“My thoughts are not your thoughts, Neither
are your ways my ways, saith the Lord.
9 For as the heavens are
higher than the earth, So are my ways higher than your ways, And my thoughts
than your thoughts.” Isa 55:8-9
1. They desired the governance
of a Finite man over that of the Infinite God.
·
They no longer trusted God whom they could
not see – they wanted someone they could see.
2
Corinthians 5:7 “For
we walk by faith, not by sight.”
Luke
18:27 Jesus said, “The
things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”
·
Only God can… Create
out of nothing; Save
from sin; Deliver
from judgment; Love
completely.
2. They wanted to be like
everyone else, though God had called them to be different (v 5). The people said to 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.”
·
We just want to be like everyone else! We want to have parades, palaces and
progress. We’re tired of being different!
·
In order for us to fulfill God’s eternal
purpose – we must be different.
Leviticus
26:3-9 “If ye walk in my statutes, and
keep my commandments, and do them; 4
Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase,
and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit… and ye shall eat your bread
to the full, and dwell in your land safely. 6 And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie
down, and none shall make you afraid:… neither shall the sword go through your
land. 7 And ye shall
chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you… 8 five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of
you shall put ten thousand to flight:… 9
For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish
my covenant with you.”
2
Corinthians 6:14-18 “Be ye not unequally yoked together with
unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and
what communion hath light with darkness?...
17 Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith
the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, 18 And will be a Father
unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”
3. They wanted a man to remedy
what only God could (v 3). Samuel’s “sons
walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and
perverted judgment.”
·
They became dissatisfied with God because
their eyes were on men. This
was not a government problem – it was a
sin problem!
·
Samuel’s sons were corrupt and needed to be
replaced…
-
In order for
a bribe to be received, one had to be offered
first.
-
They wanted renovation instead of transformation.
-
They wanted revenge instead of peace.
4. They wanted a man to do
what God had done previously (v 20). “That our king may judge us, and go
out before us, and fight our battles.”
·
While God went before them and gave them
great victories, He also allowed them to suffer defeat in response to their rebellion
and sin. There is an
unalterable law called “The Law of sowing
and reaping.”
·
Their demand suggested God’s judgment was unfair
and they were not pleased with His plan for their life and future.
·
They were saying the battle is theirs and not
God’s. They wanted to have more say
over their boundaries and allegiance.
·
They were suggesting God did not always have
their best interest in mind.
CONCLUSION: When God is in control…
· All things
work together for good to them that love God,.. (Romans 8:28).
· What is
impossible with men is of no concern, because “with God all things are possible”
(Matthew
19:26).
HE MAKETH
NO MISTAKE
My
Father’s way may twist and turn,
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I’m glad to know,
He maketh no mistake.
My heart may throb and ache,
But in my soul I’m glad to know,
He maketh no mistake.
My
cherished plans may go astray,
My hopes may fade away,
But I’ll trust my Lord to lead
For He doth know the way.
My hopes may fade away,
But I’ll trust my Lord to lead
For He doth know the way.
Tho’
night be dark, and it may seem
That day will never break,
I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.
That day will never break,
I’ll pin my faith, my all in Him,
He maketh no mistake.
There’s
so much now I cannot see,
My eyesight’s far too dim;
But come what may, I’ll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.
My eyesight’s far too dim;
But come what may, I’ll simply trust
And leave it all to Him.
For
by and by the mist will lift
And plain it all He’ll make,
Through all the way, tho’ dark to me
He made not one mistake.
And plain it all He’ll make,
Through all the way, tho’ dark to me
He made not one mistake.
-- By A.M. Overton
