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Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, ‘You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.’ But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to govern us.’ Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to 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. Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.’So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 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; and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plough his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 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.’ But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said, ‘No! but we are determined to have a king over us, so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.’ Samuel said to the people, ‘Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship.’ So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal. There they sacrificed offerings of well-being before the Lord, and there Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly. (1 Samuel 8:4-20; 11:14-15)
We have a lot to be thankful for, don't we dear Friend? We have life, we have a new day before us, we have faith, hope, and the joy of God's love through our salvation in Jesus Christ! Let's make the best of that as we share what we have back with God, and with those in need.
I'll start with a word of personal privilege: Thank you dear one for your prayers for Nellie yesterday. It was a nervous start of a day as she faced surgery. I thank God for texts, calls, cards, and the presence of two dear pastors in my life, Rev. Bill Henderson of Austin, and Rev. Virgilio Vasquez Garza of San Antonio, and his lovely wife, Acacia. These two awesome pastors and both former district superintendents, spent all morning and part of the afternoon with us, praying and providing comfort to Nellie, our daughter Nellie, and myself. The operation went well, and as soon as my nursing skills improve, I can be a better nurse to my dear wife. God is good!
And I should say, whether we reject Him or not, God is King. This passage was an eye-opener to me and to my students in my Old Testament classes back at Pan American University. The thought of a people rejecting God was a shocker. Even in light of the warnings God gives to Samuel as a reality of what a king can do, and does, with the power given him. "We still want a king!" First, the rejection Samuel felt was real. Not too long ago we studied of his life, of his mom's faith, and how she returned him to God after he was weaned and how God called him three times in the night to set him apart as a prophet. Now, sadly, we read that history repeated itself in the lives of his own sons. They turned out just like Eli's sons. Israel was truly not far behind in their own lack of obedience to the Lord; but in that disobedience they cried out to be just like everyone else. They soon forgot the role God had given to them, to be a light to other nations; an example of what a nation governed by God could look like. But they, like us, sometimes get lured by what others have, and we sometimes will stop at nothing to get the same thing; ultimately realizing we were better off with what God had given us than what we wanted.
This is the first time in the Bible we read of conscription (the draft). A king has the authority to take our sons and make them soldiers. Our country still, I believe (The year I turned 18 was a LONG time ago!) still requires men to register on their 18th birthday or 30 days within that time with the US Selective Service. We have not had an actual draft for many years, but if we needed one, the country has the names of those who can be taken into military service. God warns Israel that our daughters too would be taken as perfumers, cooks, and bakers. The king could take most of their property, including slaves. And God warns, "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." Still, the people refused to listen and still cried out for a king.
How often have you and I rejected God and God's teachings to be just like everyone else? Can the unsaved world see the difference between the sanctified people of God and themselves? Do we model a better life in the way we live and treat others? Or, do they simply say, "Why should I? You're just like me?" Ouch. John Wesley, as he sought to define the new movement that God started through the people called Methodists said: "What may we reasonably believe to be God's design in raising up the Preachers called Methodists? A. To reform the nation and, in particular, the Church; to spread scriptural holiness over the land." Wesley opposed simply shallow advertising in place of true evangelism in order to recruit new members for our churches. He truly believed that with a sold theology should come solid living, which would provide the example of "scriptural holiness." I still believe that. Christ has commanded us to make disciples, not copy-cats of shallow and worldly practices; but true believers and doers of God's word.
It may be we have long ago rejected God in favor of a life that is comfortable and non-challenging. But, here's the good news: God still welcomes us back.
PRAYER: Loving God, thank You for second chances. May we take advantage of what You offer so that we can offer that to those still lost in the world. Forgive us for choosing the easy over the tasks at hand, the joys of comfort over the challenges of sacrifice, and the "everyone is doing it" mentality that easily slips us further away from You. Help us become what we need to be. This we plead in Christ Jesus' awesome name, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Accept God and God's way of life today in all you do!
Eradio Valverde
