ANOTHER BEGINNING. 1st Samuel 8. The aging process brings problems for which there is not always a way to prepare. It may be an unexpected chronic illness that affects us constantly. Financial problems arise when we realize that the value of the money we have labored so hard to earn has decreased by half or more. Family ties we thought were strong and expected not to change do change because of distance, differences of opinion regarding convictions, other ties from other family connections, and/or the economic necessities that young people face, which older people never had to deal with.
When we view life only from the perspective of the natural man who doesn't know God and may not even believe there is a God, we may find ourselves tempted to conform to everyone else. Standing out alone like a sore thumb because of our convictions and commitment to biblical principles means we will be considered "odd," "old-fashioned," "out of date," and "eccentric."
The elders of Israel told Samuel that their reasons for wanting a king were Samuel’s old age and the unsuitability of his sons, who had been appointed to take his place. His oldest son, Joel, means “The Lord is God.” Abijah, the second son, means “The Lord is my Father.” Their names did not suit their lives. Bribery and other evil actions were forbidden in Israel, and they were both guilty of those things.
The real reason was that the Israelites wanted a king like other nations, rather than being ruled by God through the judges He appointed. They wanted human leadership instead of God leading them and winning their battles. Israel, as a nation, had settled comfortably among the nations and now wanted to be like them. Being under the guidance and control of an unseen "King" who is "The Lord of Hosts" wasn't what everyone else around them did. They wanted to be independent when they chose and the kind of leadership they could blame when things went wrong.
Natural man does not like being under the authority of God, whom they cannot see but who is with us at all times and in all circumstances. For some reason, people think that if they are only under the authority of someone they can see, then when that person or one who represents him is out of sight, they can act independently and do whatever they want without fear of repercussions. Unbelief and independence are not too far apart when it comes to guiding practices in life. Our ethics, integrity, and honesty are basically controlled by the belief that there is one who sees and knows what we do and that I am accountable to Him.
Unfortunately, many of God's people who began with quiet, confident faith in God look around and see how other places are well attended, with much activity that draws people to their "church." When we compare them with us, the contrast seems so stark that we think something is wrong with us and that we must change. Doubtless, there is failure in leadership, at least to some degree, and we are not doing what many people think we should be doing. Leadership that the Holy Spirit has appointed is not always perfect because we are not perfect people.
To "keep up with the times," some people think we must change to make our teaching and practices more "seeker-friendly." Many people who once held the truth want innovations that make God, our commitment to the Bible as our only source of authority in belief and conduct, and the Gospel message more popular. But we need to recognize that adapting to the ways of the religious world to appeal to the people of the world is rejecting God. Corrections may be needed, but abandoning biblical principles should never happen. The world's politics and the world's religion follow the same pattern.
At Ramah, Samuel received a delegation of elders who wanted him to resign from leadership because he was old. Aging is inevitable, and it is possible that when a man grows old, he cannot reason well or make wise decisions in the present circumstances. But being old does not disqualify a person. His cognitive ability and his ability to communicate truth make his leadership relevant. The charge these elders brought against Samuel's sons was true. Samuel’s sons were not fit leaders. They were not like their father. They didn't believe like their father. They were crooked judges who didn't care about what was right.
It is part of man’s sinful nature to resist being ruled by the will of God. Unbelief and self-centered independence are part of our fallen nature. It began when “one man’s sin entered into the world and death by sin,” but every human being is infected with the same deceitful and wicked heart. Parenthood is an awesome responsibility. However, when our children are grown, they are no longer our responsibility, so feeling guilty if they are not following God is pointless. The twelve tribes of Israel were not united. Each had its own leader and territory, but Israel wanted to be like the nations. It wasn’t wrong for them to want a king. The problem was that they were rejecting God as their leader.
Samuel did not do right by designating his sons as judges with his authority. He also failed his sons by being "soft" on wrongdoing. However, the elders of Israel were not right either when they used the failures of Samuel's sons to make a "guilt trip" on him. They essentially said, "Your failure has created our problems. We want the same kind of government as every other group in the world (system) has." The voice of the people said one thing, "You are the cause of our problems," but it really meant another, "We want to be like everyone else." True, Samuel had made a mistake in his old age by appointing his sons as judges. He must have wanted to be sure the people of God were taken care of after he died. Samuel's decision was a failure on his part. The elders argued that it was only a step further to do what they wanted done; after all, they were the elders.
It would have been a heartfelt blow to Samuel in his old age. He knew his son's behavior and how far the nation would stray from God's leadership if it had a king. He may have felt he was a failure, and to add insult to injury, the elders more or less put the knife in and twisted it. He felt the ingratitude of those he had spent his life serving. All he had done in his life was for the benefit of God's people. Even greater was the hurt that he could see they had left fellowship with the Lord and wanted to be "like all nations."
Older servants of the Lord feel the same way today as we see a drift away from biblical principles and practices. When what we have invested our lives in shifts toward some "new approach to the Bible and church practices," we feel like failures if we look only at ourselves. All we can do is maintain a consistent attitude in our contacts with them and consistent practices in our labors for the Lord. Others may ignore that our strength lies in our differences from all around us, not in being the same as everyone else. Instead of being a "peculiar people" and a "peculiar treasure," like the children of Israel, some want to blend in. We do not correct evil by changing laws and abandoning what is right to suit ourselves. We may temporarily escape some consequences, but "payday comes someday."
The end of an era in which God was the only leader of His people had come. Samuel did not try to vindicate himself or to show his displeasure and sorrow of heart. He went to the Lord, whom he knew personally, because He knows all - the end from the beginning. In prayer, Samuel received comfort from the Lord, counsel on how to deal with the issue at hand, and the support from God that he needed. This unhappy nation was severing its unique connection with the invisible God who had given them all their victories. Now, they would win or lose battles, for the most part, just like other nations under the leadership of the flesh. Samuel was left alone, standing by faith and "protesting solemnly to them" regarding their choice.
When we have committed ourselves to stand for the truth of God as it is revealed in the Bible rather than in the books of men, we will find ourselves in a very great minority, "few there be that find it," and on some occasions, standing all alone before men - but with our unseen Lord. There is disappointment when we realize that those we love and long to see following the right ways of the Lord tell us we are finished. When that happens, we need only to rest in the Lord and pray that they will learn from the word of God and correct their choices. We cannot correct the failures of others who choose a path we know is wrong. In times like that, we refuse to follow that way and stay in fellowship with the Lord in whatever capacity we are found. That is when we cast our burdens upon the Lord, knowing that He will sustain us despite what others may do.
The elders' attitude and decisions were not what God wanted. God was their true leader, yet they rejected God as their leader. They wanted to run the nation by human strength rather than divine empowerment. They needed unified faith, not unified rule. If Israel had submitted to God’s leadership, they would have thrived as promised in Deuteronomy 28. They refused to listen to the negative consequences. Samuel described the beginning of a monarchy in detail when he told the elders, "The manner of the king." But "men love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil." A king after man's heart contrasts greatly with a man after God's own heart. Often, we let others' values and actions dictate our attitudes and behavior. Samuel warned them of the problems they would face with a king.
A king would take control of the homes and take the best people and things from the homes for himself. Their young men would be drafted into the army at the king's demand. Young men would have to run in front of the king’s chariot because he wanted to put on a show for himself, and, if necessary, would make slave laborers of their families. A king would take control of the land God gave them as an inheritance from Him and use it as he chose. He would take the best fields and vineyards for his own use and use their property for the king’s gain. More than that, a king would demand ten percent of their flocks and harvest from the seeds they plant, the animals they raise, and the fruit from their trees and vineyards. A king would take a tithe equal to the tithe that belonged to God to sustain His work and workers. From then on, a king would take control of all the people who would be considered his servants. This was the new beginning.
When we turn aside from biblical teaching and practice to be like every other group of people who gather as a "church," we lose our character and our liberty in Christ. We lose our privilege of the public practice of priesthood, including offering sacrifices and offerings to God, being led by the Spirit in worship and service, and enjoying "oneness in Christ," that is, "without respect of persons." The king's yoke is very tight, and his burden is heavy. How much better for those who "labor and are heavy laden" to take the yoke of our unseen Lord upon us by our choice, for "My yoke is easy, and My burden is light."
The people of God rebelled against the Lord, who had brought them from Egypt and, through good and bad times for hundreds of years, had remained true and faithful to them despite what they had done to Him. In this new beginning, they set out on a course that still leaves Israel today uncertain and tenuous, because the children the Lord had nourished and brought up had "rebelled against Him." Millions of the people of Israel have died unhappy because they made a bad choice one day when the elders took their grievances to Samuel, wanting to be "like the nations." They will have to accept the consequences of those bad choices, as do all other nations, until the One reigns over the nations of the earth from Jerusalem, who is "King of kings, and Lord of lords."
What is wrong with a king? Is leadership wrong? The problem in those days was that they wanted a king in place of God, and that was what was wrong. Not only did they want visible leadership, but they also rejected what God said. We must learn this lesson because God has not changed what He says or who He is. All around us are those I know, not strangers, who, for some reason, think God’s will is subservient to theirs. How sad God must have felt when Israel rejected Him and wanted a king like the evil nations around them. We wouldn’t have been surprised if He rejected them, but He cared for them even when He identified Saul as the kind of king they wanted.
God’s grace is evident and experienced in many ways, even when we have ignored and rejected Him. I pray that I will always listen to Him, follow His instructions, and never take for granted all the ways His unfailing grace has blessed me.
We must learn that when we set our minds and hearts on something, we must be sure it is what God wants, because every action has lasting consequences. We must be very sure it is in God's mind and will. If our desire is wrong but we insist, He may give us what we ask for, and we will have to live and die with the consequences. The first seven chapters of First Samuel are mainly about Samuel and Eli and the events connected with those two men. The next eight chapters of First Samuel deal with Samuel and Saul and their effect on the people of God.