Aug 26, 2024
Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 8:1-9
For almost 1,000 years, beginning with God's covenant with Abraham, there had been no king in Israel. That is to say that there had been no human king. God Himself had been their king (1 Sam 12:12).
During the end of the life of Samuel, the last great judge, the people clamored for a king, like they had seen in other nations (1 Sam 8:5). This request was a "great wickedness" (1 Sam 12:17). The people were showing an extreme ingratitude for all that God had done for them. Though the request was yet another form of rejecting God (1 Sam 8:7), God granted their desire.
The result would be an eventual divided kingdom and 450 years of most wicked kings, leading the people away from the living God to serve lifeless idols.
There are profound lessons to be gathered from this account. One reminder, from this story, is the natural tendency we all have … even now, as Christians … toward ingratitude. How thankful we should be, every day, for God's abundant goodness toward us.
A second lesson is the merciful grace of God toward rebellious people. God still held out His mercy toward the people who were rejecting Him. In His grace, God has saved us, drawing us away from the darkness of our rebellious hearts.