Friday, February 5, 2010
Be Careful What You Wish For
(I Samuel 8:10-17)
It was not God’s perfect will for Israel to have a king at this juncture in their history. The elders’ insistence that Samuel anoint a king amounted to nothing more than self-willed rebellion against God. Israel had been founded by God as a theocracy, but they wanted to change to a monarchy. Though it was not God’s perfect plan, He allowed His people to “have it their way.” And, so, Israel would conform to the pattern of the nations around her—with a king “and everything!”
Notice that in insisting on a king, Israel abandoned God’s perfect plan. Her willful rejection of God did not come as a surprise to Him, neither did it thwart His ultimate purposes for the nation. God has given man a free will to chose God’s way or to reject it. Rejection of God’s way only results in human suffering; it never results in the thwarting of God’s ultimate goals. God is sovereign—never surprised. Even when man fails to meet God’s expectations, God’s ultimate purposes will be accomplished; because God’s sovereignty is not dependent on man’s cooperation. God doesn’t need man’s participation to accomplish His will. In short, He will accomplish His purposes with or without you.
By opting to crown a king, Israel would get exactly what she deserved: taxation and increased servitude. Whenever human government expands, the populace ultimately suffers. Even good government is a taskmaster.
Be careful what you wish for. God may allow you to get exactly what you want—and, sometimes tragically, what you deserve.
