“They Refused…”
“They Refused…”
Blessings folk!
The people demanded a king be appointed by Samuel.
Samuel takes it to the Lord.
The Lord tells Samuel to warn the people what a king would do.
Samuel did.
The people’s response?
1Sa 8:19-22
Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said,
“No, but there shall be a king over us,
that we also may be like all the nations,
that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people,
he repeated them in the LORD’S hearing.
The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint them a king.”
So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”
They refused to listen to Samuel, thereby, refusing to listen to God.
They doubled-down.
“No!”
“There shall be a king over us…!”
This was not mistake.
They did not misunderstand.
The were boldly rejecting God.
Why?
So that they could be like other nations…really, how were the nations doing?
So that the king may judge over them…rather than God.
So that the king could go out before them and fight their fights…kings do not fight, they send.
Samuel repeated their words to God.
God’s response?
“Listen to their voice.”
“Appoint a king.”
We are the same way.
We insist on doing things our way, rather than God’s.
Sadly, we do so in the name of the Lord.
Time to stop.