The Children of Israel Reject God

Through a careful reading of the Law, we discover overt hints that it was God’s desire that the children of Israel be a demonstration of God’s Kingdom upon the Earth (Exodus 19:6). You shall be to Me a Kingdom - a people under My authority, demonstrating My rule, My authority, and My blessing.

Of Priests: those who can each come to Me, minister to Me, and minister on My behalf.

The children of Israel never realized this desire of God. A chapter later, (Exodus 20:19) we see them declaring to Moses that they want no part of a relationship with God, they only want commands to obey. They abandoned their priestly Kingdom position.

In the story of Samuel, we find a very interesting development in our study. The children of Israel ask for an earthly king to be just like the nations around them. They wanted not a spiritual head - the Lord God - but an earthly head. This deeply angered the Lord and His response to Samuel was, “They have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them” (1 Samuel 8:7). It is clear from the Lord’s response that already He saw Himself as King in the midst of His people developing a Kingdom of priests upon the earth, but the Israelites had chosen law over a King and a Kingdom.

Reflection Questions:

• Why does law appear to feel so much easier to choose than a relationship?
• Is it actually easier though?

The temptation to control and see tangible results for things we can do on our own will always deny faith. Our relationship with Him has to be first if true obedience is going to be established. Humility is choosing to come under His authority, by faith, in order for the right order to be established in our lives.