“We want a king, Samuel. Away with you and your ungodly sons! We need a king right now. Today. Just like other nations,” the people yelled daily before the old Oracle of God.
It was the yearning of people who had experienced or heard of the evil deeds of Prophet Samuel’s children. The sons of Samuel had desecrated the altar of God with their coveteousness, bribery and injustice. The elders had had enough, and they demanded a radical change. Truly, their complaint had a solid biblical basis, but their demand was quite a stretch.
Prophet Samuel understood that the people wanted relief from the abuses his children had caused. Their pains required urgent attention and a solution. However, the long-term consequences of the solution they demanded were hefty. God’s chosen servants (Samuel’s sons) have given the people of Israel a reason to box God into a corner.
Humans value the short-term validation and gratification of our feelings. We want our pains to be attended to as we want, even if that may not be the best strategy. If we search for evidence, it’s merely to support our preconceived notion. Most scientific studies begin with a hypothesis, and strive through experiments to prove it. Rarely, and pleasantly, I must say, we run in the wild, allowing the experiment to lead us to undiscovered terrains that we never set out to discover.
The demand displeased Samuel and saddened God’s heart. In a last-ditch effort at reconciliation, God told Samuel to warn them concerning what leadership under the new king would cost them – forceful conscription of their sons, daughters turned to the king’s servants, repossession of lands, crops, and livestock, etc.
The people of Israel heard all the terrifying consequences but were defiant. They preferred to look like other nations instead of like the peculiar nation of God (1 Peter 2:9). When Samuel reported back to God, God reluctantly told him to consent to their demand.
In the future, the consequences of their choice caught up with them, and they cried unto God for help, but it was already too late. Theocracy had given way to monarchy, and the people bore the brunt.
Dear reader, value long-term effects over short-term feelings. Your feelings are valid, but making permanent decisions based on temporary pain, without carefully considering how these alter the trajectory of your life, is dangerous.
You don’t need to be like the others – you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation and a people of His own.
Tell God the pains, but remain under His kingship. Like a good friend once said, “It is better to be marred in the hands of God than to be whole elsewhere.”
Scripture Reference: 1 Samuel 8:9-22
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