When I became a dad, I made an important decision — I was not going to say certain things that my parents had said to me. Things like, “Because I said so,” “Money doesn’t grow on trees,” and “Stop crying or I’ll give you something to cry about.” And the classic, “If Jimmy jumped off a cliff, would you jump off a cliff?”
At one point as a parent, I took inventory and realized I had said every single phrase I’d promised myself never to say. I especially used that last one.
We want to do what others are doing and have what “everyone else” has. We don’t want to stand out among the crowd, especially if it means missing out on something. Wanting to be like everyone else, though, rather than following God’s will, leads to poor decisions and tough consequences.
In 1 Samuel 8, the people of Israel wanted to be like everyone else, which brought them trouble. Their story shows us that sometimes God allows us to make our own choices, even bad ones, and we suffer the consequences. Even in those times, though, he gives us grace, and his plan for our lives moves forward.
After the Battle of Ebenezer (1 Samuel 7:12), Samuel led Israel as judge and prophet for nearly thirty years. In his old age, he appointed his two sons as judges in his place. The sons, however, didn’t follow in Samuel’s ways. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. They must have reminded the older crowd of Eli’s sons from years earlier and how disastrous that was. Or maybe the people decided they were not going back to the failed cycle found in the book of Judges.
Whatever the reason, the elders of Israel gathered before Samuel to make a simple request: “Appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations” (1 Samuel 8:5). The people demanded a king. It seemed like a reasonable request, but Samuel knew the truth.
God had a king in mind for Israel, and he outlined the requirements for a king back in Deuteronomy 17:14-20. But it wasn’t God’s timing. Plus, the people weren’t thinking of Deuteronomy when they spoke to Samuel. They wanted to be just like all the nations around them. That was disobedience. Israel was never to be like all the nations around them. They were supposed to be set apart (Leviticus 20:26). Instead of wanting to be the nation God called them to be, they wanted to be just like everyone else, and following the crowd instead of God always brings problems.
When Christians want to live like unbelievers, trouble is usually not far behind.
Have you ever made a poor decision because you wanted to be like everyone else? You didn’t want to be different, so you went along. This is why I always prayed that my children would choose friends wisely, because it’s easy for us to allow the values of friends to pull us away from God and how he wants us to live.
Be intentional about who you allow to influence you, whether friends, culture, role models, or whatever voices you listen to. Make sure to surround yourself with people who lead you closer to God, not farther away.
When it comes to making decisions, examine your motives. Am I making decisions to please God, or just to fit in with the crowd? Choosing to be set apart may be uncomfortable, but obedience is far more important than blending in. Ask God for the courage to follow his will instead of everyone else’s opinion.
Israel failed in that and requested a king so they’d be like everyone else. Samuel went to God in prayer. That was his go-to response in situations like this. It should be ours as well. I think Samuel was surprised by God’s answer.
And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey 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. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” (1 Samuel 8:7-9).
“They’re not rejecting you, Samuel,” God said, “they’re rejecting me. They don’t want me as their king. They’d rather follow a man than the One who made them into a chosen people. Do what they ask,” he said, “but tell them the consequences.”
I believe the people’s request broke Samuel’s heart. He had ministered to and led these people as a prophet and judge for over thirty years, and they’re as spiritually immature as the day he started. I believe he had to wonder if he’d made any difference at all.
I’ve been there. I’ve poured out my heart and soul, and I look at the results and wonder if I made any impact. In those times, the only thing that revived my spirit was knowing this: every Christian who surrenders to the Lord and serves him faithfully, though certainly never perfectly, makes a difference.
Samuel obeyed God and let the people know what life under this king would be like. “The king will take your sons by force and put them in the army. Other sons will be forced to work the king’s fields or make weapons for the king’s army. The king will take your daughters and force them to work for him. He’ll take your land and your livestock, and you’ll be servants of the king.” Samuel says that one 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.” (1 Samuel 8:18)
But the people wouldn’t listen to Samuel. They didn’t want a kingdom with God as their king; they wanted a human king. They said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:19-20)
Then God said to Samuel once again, “Give them a king.” Let them learn the hard way that there are consequences for not obeying their God.
Sometimes God allows us to make poor decisions and experience the consequences. He doesn’t force us to obey him, but we are always better off when we do.
There is a glimmer of hope in this story, though we have to understand the big picture of the Bible to see it. Even in their disobedience, God shows Israel grace. Oh yes, their first king would be just the way Samuel described him. But the second king would be a godly man and a mighty leader, and through his descendants would come the Messiah. Even as the people turned their backs on God, his plan was full of grace and his will would be done.
When we stumble, God gives us grace as well. When we fail, he’s not done with us. God will sometimes allow us to make poor decisions and suffer the consequences. But as our Father, his love for us never falters or wanes. He never gets tired of dealing with us and our rebellion. He gives us his grace, and his plan for our lives continues.