Slices
Prepare
Do you know anyone who is having to make a difficult choice in life? Listen out to what God is saying.
Bible passage
Israel asks for a king
8 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, ‘You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.’
6 But when they said, ‘Give us a king to lead us,’ this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: ‘Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.’
10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, ‘This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: he will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plough his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for 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 groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.’
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. ‘No!’ they said. ‘We want a king over us. 20 Then we shall be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.’
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, ‘Listen to them and give them a king.’
Then Samuel said to the Israelites, ‘Everyone go back to your own town.’
Explore
Do your sympathies lie with Samuel, the elders of Israel, or even God? We are so used to God’s people turning away from doing right, that it is easy to immediately condemn them for asking for their own king. But their motives are understandable – who would want one of Samuel’s sons to succeed his father (v 3)? Neighbouring monarchies appear an attractive option (v 20). Samuel, however, knows of the weaknesses of the judges’ era when there was no hereditary leadership. He has effectively combined spiritual with civic leadership, but his sons have not absorbed that model. He can’t see this and feels rejected (v 7).
God knows his people have only ever been faithful to him intermittently (v 8). In his great wisdom, he allows them to have their own king, insisting that they are made fully aware of the dangers. The reigns of King David, Hezekiah and Josiah are evidence that kingship would not be a total disaster. This is an example of God graciously giving his people a choice.
Like God’s people we can make requests to God with mixed or confused motives. We may choose the way of compromise, or simply make mistakes.
Respond
Ask God to help you live in awe of him, so that you’ll not only enjoy his compassion but make right decisions.
Deeper Bible study
‘I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name for ever and ever.’1
A lifetime has passed. Samuel is old and will soon no longer be able to lead. His sons are showing signs of the same corruption as Eli’s sons.2 One imagines that this must have been a bitter disappointment to Samuel. How was it possible, given that they had such a godly father? Was he away, engaged in ministry, too much,3 so his family was somewhat neglected? It’s a reminder to those in public ministry in our churches today to have a healthy balance between family and work.
Interestingly, Israel noticed and people were concerned about the situation. Perhaps by now they realised that they needed leadership that could help rather than hinder their worship? And surely that was down to Samuel’s ministry among them! So were they right to ask for a king? Had Samuel been right to appoint his sons as judges, when all along it had been God himself who called people to leadership?
Apparent spiritual highs often contain mixed motives. Israel’s desire for a king reflected not only their dissatisfaction with Samuel’s sons, but also their desire to be like everyone else (vs 19,20)! It is so hard sometimes to stand out from the crowd and be different! God responded to Samuel’s prayer about it by telling him to listen to the people and go along with their request – but he also pointed out that they were rejecting their real King. Evans helpfully summarises: ‘On the one hand, kingship could be seen as a rejection of God’s own kingship, an unnecessary intrusion into the relationship between God and his chosen nation. On the other hand, it was a gift from God, a model and a channel through which God’s relationship with Israel could be illustrated and strengthened.’4 So who was right?
How do we respond in ambiguous situations? Pray for leaders you know who are faced with this kind of choice.
1 Ps 145:1, ESV 2 See 1 Sam 2:12–25 3 Cf 1 Sam 7:16 4 Mary Evans, 1 and 2 Samuel, NIBC, Paternoster Press, 2000, p 41
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Isaiah 3–5; 2 Timothy 1
Pray for Scripture Union
Please pray that God will continue to sustain all those involved in SU’s mission for time to come, so that many more children and young people can explore the difference Jesus can make to the challenges and adventures of life. This week's prayers relate to this article.
