1 SamuelSample

Devotional:

The desire to fit in and be like the other kids starts early for most people. For some, you want to blend in and not be noticed. For others, it's about being enough like everyone else to fit in and be accepted. That is what comes to mind when I read 1 Samuel 8:19. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations." Israel saw the nations around them being ruled by a human king, and they wanted to be like them. The problem is that they were never meant to be like all the other nations. They were called to be set apart, different, to display God's glory to a dark world (Genesis 12,15.) The warning God gives them through Samuel could not be more clear. The phrase "He will take" is repeated six (6) times in just a few verses (1 Sam. 8:10-17.) It stands in stark contrast to the king they were meant to follow. God warns that a human king will take from them, but He gives abundantly. Samuel even reminds them of their deliverance from Egypt, yet they choose to reject Yahweh in favor of the model set by the nations around them. Unfortunately, as the past indicates, rejection of divine rule over Israel is closely followed by idolatry or rather rejection of true worship. 

I don't think today we would ask for a king. Instead, we try to reign over our own lives. Instead of submitting our lives to the perfect rule and reign of the better King Jesus, we want to be in charge. Just like Israel, ultimately, our lives display what we think about God's authority. It is hard to trust that God is for us and has our best interest in mind. It is hard to believe that God's way is better than our way.

Looking back at the Word

1. Read 1 Samuel 7:3-6 and 8:19-20. How is the attitude of the Israelites different between these two sections? Given what happened at the end of chapter 7, why is it ironic that they request a king who fights their battles?
2. Read 1 Samuel 10:27. How do some people respond to Saul being anointed as king? What do you learn from that?

Questions to Consider:

1. Why is it difficult to trust God's authority and control in your life? What areas of your life do you hold tightly to control?
2. What do you seek from God? Do you seek His rule and reign or for Him to rule and reign as you would choose?
3. What could it look like for you today to submit your life to the rule and reign of Christ? Get really practical!
4. Whom could you tell about what you have learned this week? Make a plan to do this.

Let's Pray:

Father, your ways are better. Your ways are best. I confess that I want to be the one in control, and it is hard when I don't get my way. Forgive my arrogance and help me to submit my life to you. Help me to believe and trust that your rule and reign over my life is better than anything I would choose.