Verse of the day: 1 Samuel 8:4-5, Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
Here is a sad pattern I still see today, even within Christianity. The people of Israel turn their backs on God because of the behavior of Samuel’s sons. God had been a Faithful Shepherd to His people. Unfortunately, Israel had men who were not faithful in leading them. When we read this passage carefully we see the absurd logic in their decision-making. However, before we criticize the Israelites, we have to take an honest look in the mirror and realize that many of us have done the same exact thing. Corrupt men led Israel, while God remained faithful, but rather than trust and turn to God, the people requested that Samuel find them another man to lead them, as if there were no possibility that an earthly king would be just as corrupt. How often have we gotten discouraged by the actions of other Christians, especially those in leadership, and decided that we were going to leave the fellowship of the local church? We hop from one local church to another, looking for the church with the perfect people. I have a bit of news for us. We will not find one, and even if we do, the moment we walk in, it is no longer the perfect church; because we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:10). Our feelings or pride are hurt by other Christians and we get bitter toward God, as if it were God’s fault. We stop going to church, reading our Bibles, and even stop praying. Israel already had the perfect King, the Lord Himself, King of kings and Lord of lords. Yet, they allowed their feelings to guide their decision making. Psalm 18:30 says, “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.” If we believe this, why would we allow what man does influence whether or not we are going to continue trusting and following the Lord? Some of us may say, “Well, I’m not turning my back on God, I just don’t want anything to do with Christians and the church.” What did God say to Samuel when he brought the matter before Him? Verses 6 and 7 read, “But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ So Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, ‘Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.’” Many of us Christians have left the church because a pastor has stumbled and fallen into sin, rather than stay and be a part of the process of bringing healing and restoration back amongst the church family. We leave being bitter because of what the pastor did and take it out on God. We forget that everyone, including the leadership, is human and susceptible to falling. If we spent more time clinging to the Lord and praying for each other and the leadership, we probably would not have as many instances of the devils having the victory over our families and godly leaders God has placed in our midst. Ultimately, when we forsake our Christianity because of the actions of men, we are turning our backs on God. We must not let others be the determining factor of whether our relationship with God runs hot or cold. Jesus, His love, and faithfulness should be what keeps us seeking Him and serving Him and others. The losers in this proposition to have a human king lord over them was Israel. They already had a perfect and faithful King taking care of them, but it was their own stubbornness and lack of faith that led them down this path to choosing man over God. If any of us have drifted away from the Lord, was it because of someone else’s actions or attitude? If so, I ask, “What fault does God have in man’s imperfections, when it was man’s choice to sin against God?” We need to take our eyes off of man, and put them back where they belong, on our Lord and Savior.
Today, God extends an invitation to you to accept His gift of salvation (Rom 6:23). Will you accept it? Anyone who calls on Jesus, by faith, in repentance, confessing your sins, will receive eternal life. Do not put off calling on Him, and receive Him and His gift of salvation today (Rom 10:13).
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