Saturday, February 6, 2010
Left to Your Own Devices
(I Samuel 8:18-22)
Some folks are their own worst enemy. The damage their worst foe couldn’t do, they do to themselves by unspiritual, willful decisions. Israel’s desire for a king was just such a case. Attitude frequently leads to undoing, and sometimes the most poignant chastisement comes when we face the consequences of our own actions.
Israel’s attitude toward Samuel was one of outright contradiction—“Nay, but we will have a king over us” (19). The voice of the prophet failed to get their attention. Perhaps the younger generation viewed Samuel’s adherence to the old ways as anachronistic. Whatever the reason, though Samuel argued vigorously against a monarchy, the people persisted until they got their own way.
The elder’s revealed their motive for desiring a king in verse 20. Their frustration was not so much with Samuel’s failed sons as it was from envy of other nations. Rather than fulfill their calling as God’s unique people ruled directly by Him, Israel desired to conform to the standard of the heathen nations encircling her. Whenever God’s people use cultural conformity as a motive for decision making, the results are wholly and tragically unbiblical.
To his credit, Samuel would not bow to the people’s pressure until God instructed him to do so (22). When instructed by God to relent, Samuel agreed to acquiesce to the people’s wishes, knowing full well that the nation’s future would be bleak indeed.
When warnings don’t work, chastisement begins. And sometimes the most powerful chastisement comes when God simply leaves us to suffer the consequences of our own poor choices.
