The Changing of Government
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THE CHANGING OF GOVERNMENT
1 Samuel 8:1-9 (ESV)
1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah
5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for 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 to the LORD.
7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you.
9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
During the late 1800s, General William Booth became so burdened about the spiritual condition of the church of Jesus Christ and the United Kingdom that he earnestly prayed for a revival. As he prayed and challenged God's people to return to God, he listed six dangerous reasons why they needed revival:
Religion without the Holy Spirit – Although religion was everywhere, the tragedy was that people settled on a religion without the power. The Gospel of Jesus Christ was not transforming people.
Christianity without Christ – Yes, there was Christianity, but their Christianity has left the Christ of the Bible. They were teaching Jesus Christ, but not the Christ taught by the apostles.
Forgiveness without Repentance – Although they were teaching that God would forgive, they were not emphasizing the need to abandon their sins. True repentance always involved departing from sins being committed.
Salvation without Regeneration - There cannot be genuine salvation without regeneration. This doctrine has been one of the criticisms of mass evangelism, that people have followed others without being moved upon by the Spirit of God.
Politics without God - Politics can become thoroughly corrupt when God is left out. When Christian men enter public life, whether locally or nationally, they can do great good, so long as they follow God's call and walk in the light of God's Word.
Heaven without Hell - The Bible maintains that God is the Judge and a loving Father. Yet the typical attitude today is to deny the gravity of sin and explain it away. Universalism is widely held and taught that all men will ultimately be saved. The reality of hell is ignored.
When I read this list, it is evident that William Booth also describes our present times. I'm convinced that if there's a prayer we need to ask the Lord, we desperately need to cry out for a revival in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ and in our country today. Would you agree?
This morning, as we continue our studies in the life of Samuel, we will find a tragic time in the history of the nation of Israel when God's people openly rejected God's leadership over their nation. Ironically, if you read the previous chapter, the nation experienced a great revival after the Lord helped them to be victorious against the Philistines. The latter decided to attack them in Mizpah. Notice what happened:
1 Samuel 7:7-13 (ESV)
7 Now when the Philistines heard that the people of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. And when the people of Israel heard of it, they were afraid of the Philistines.
8 And the people of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry out to the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines."
9 So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the LORD. And Samuel cried out to the LORD for Israel, and the LORD answered him.
10 As Samuel was offering up the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the LORD thundered with a mighty sound that day against the Philistines and threw them into confusion, and they were defeated before Israel.
11 And the men of Israel went out from Mizpah and pursued the Philistines and struck them, as far as below Beth-car.
12 Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer; for he said, "Till now the LORD has helped us."
13 So the Philistines were subdued and did not again enter the territory of Israel. And the hand of the LORD was against the Philistines all the days of Samuel.
Now, come chapter 8, the very same people who experienced the mighty hand of God delivering them from their enemies would go to Samuel, rejecting God's leadership over them. To understand the narrative better, let's examine at least three essential sections in the text:
I THE REQUEST FOR THE CHANGE (vs. 1-5)
As you read our main text, the elders of the nation of Israel came to Samuel at Ramah, asking him to appoint them a king. The reasons they gave why they felt this was necessary were two-fold:
A. Samuel Was Old (v.5)
At this point, the prophet Samuel was about 60 years old and was probably slowing down as far as carrying out some of his responsibilities that required physical activities. However, to make Samuel feel that he was no longer profitable in the service of the Lord was truly heartbreaking. Although he may have some physical limitations because of his age, his experiences as a judge of the nation must have made him wiser. Besides, many judges and prophets were allowed to serve until God took them home. Moses was about 120 years old when God ended his ministry, while Joshua led until he was 110. If he is old, he has gotten old in the service. And it was unkind, ungrateful, and unjust to cast him off when he was old, who had spent his days doing them good.
B. Samuel's Succession Plan Failed (vs.3-5b)
When you read verse 1, Samuel appointed his sons as judges even though they were not spiritually qualified. Verse 3 plainly stated this truth – "Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice."
Unfortunately, making his sons' judges gave the people an excuse to ask for a king. If you remember, at the beginning of 1 Samuel, the High Priest Eli was also removed from his office because he tolerated the sinfulness of his sons (1 Samuel 2:12-36). So, in a way, Samuel also tolerated the wickedness by appointing them as judges in Beersheba. It would be essential to note that during the Old Testament, the priesthood was hereditary, while for judges, it was not. God Himself appointed judges for His people. So, with the sinfulness of Samuel's sons, no one was going to lead the nation once Samuel had died. Perhaps, this was the primary concern of the people.
How do these excuses translate for us as God's people today? Well, I'm thinking, is it possible that we are struggling to maintain an intimate relationship with God because we are using other people as an excuse? Is it possible that we are using spiritual leaders or the moral failures of other believers to move away from God's leadership over our lives? If you are, the Bible is quite clear that we should only focus our eyes on Jesus because He is the only One that matters as far as our faith is concerned. Hebrews 12:2 declares:
2 looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.
II THE REAL REASON FOR THE CHANGE (v.5)
When the elders came to Samuel and verbalized their two-fold reasons for asking for a King, God knew that those two were not the actual reasons for their request. The real reason can be seen in the second sentence of verse 5 -"Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations."
The real reason is found in words, "a king to judge us like all the nations." When the nation of Israel compared itself with other nations, they realized that everyone had a visible King. He can physically rally and lead the nation's army to fight against their enemies. So they wanted to see a king who could go to war on behalf of their nation.
If you examine the covenant God made with Abraham regarding the future of Israel, giving them a king was part of His plan. Examine these verses:
Genesis 17:6, 16 (ESV)
6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations, and kings shall come from you.
16 I will bless her, and moreover, I will give you a son by her. I will bless her, and she shall become nations; kings of peoples shall come from her."
Notice God told Abraham that part of the blessings He would give him and his family is that kings shall come from his family. However, God qualified this truth by saying in Deuteronomy that He was the One who would have to choose their king.
Deuteronomy 17:14-15 (ESV)
14 "When you come to the land that the LORD your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, 'I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,'
15 you may indeed set a king over you whom the LORD your God will choose. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother.
Therefore, having a King was not the problem because God would give them a king. But they should wait for God's timing. Besides, it has worked out pretty well for Israel to trust the Lord to lead them. Here are some extraordinary times that God delivered them:
God delivered Israel from the hands of the pursuing Egyptian soldiers by opening the Red Sea (Exodus 14).
God broke the Jericho walls to allow the nation of Israel to begin conquering the Promised Land (Joshua 6)
God sent them twelve judges to lead them and deliver them from the hands of their enemies (Book of Judges)
God just defeated the Philistines through the help of Samuel (1 Samuel 7).
With all these examples, it is evident that they didn't have to worry about their security because God has been more than sufficient for them. However, the sad reality is that the pressure of becoming like everybody else was significant to these leaders.
After this meeting with the elders, Samuel, a great prophet as he was, went to the Lord disappointed because the people made this request. Then, the Lord responded by saying:
"And the LORD said to Samuel, "Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them."
These words should serve as a reminder to us – The Lord knows whether or not we want Him to lead us or not. And He would not insist on leading us if we don't want anything to do with Him.
III THE REGRETS FOR THE CHANGE (vs. 7-9)
When God's people are not careful with their decisions, they will often suffer the consequences. After Samuel told the Lord about the request of the elders to have a king, the Lord was willing to concede to their request but made sure that Samuel warned the nation about the direct results of setting up a king over them. Bear with me as I read the verses of what they should expect as a nation:
1 Samuel 8:10-18 (ESV)
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."
While reading, did you notice the repeated phrase? The prophet said six times (6X), "He will take." God is giving them a strong warning about their desire for a king because the human king will not only reign over them but also take from them what is precious to them – their sons, daughters, fields, vineyards, servants, etc. So then, don't miss verse 18. He warns them they will eventually cry out to God in their distress, and the Lord will not hear them.
Do you think God's people will heed the warning? Absolutely not! Listen to these verses:
1 Samuel 8:19-22 (ESV)
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."
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."
How prideful and foolish God's people can be? Yet, despite the clear warnings, they still insisted on having a king. So fast forward, God would allow them to have their king by giving them, King Saul. But as it would turn out, God gave them King Saul to punish them for rejecting Him. Listen to these words in Psalm 106:15 (NKJV):
15 And He gave them their request, But sent leanness into their soul.
In this verse, the Psalmist reminds them of an occasion during the wilderness wandering when God's people complained about the Manna from heaven because they were craving meat to eat. Indeed, they got what they wanted, but it resulted in a curse than a blessing. Warren Wiersbe puts it best:
"The greatest judgment God can give us is to let us have our own way."
-Bishop Jeremiah Lepasana