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1 Samuel 8: God tells Samuel to give the people a king. He warned them what a king would do to them, but they did not listen to God’s Word. (This is the same thing that will happen when we do not do what God’s Word requires.) We are warned, but many times, we do our own thing.
In verses 18-22, we read, “When the day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you. But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.” So Samuel repeated to the Lord what the people had said, and the Lord replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.”
*Many times, we think we know what is best for us, even if it is against God’s Will and Word. The sinful nature in us wants what we want, even when we know it goes against God’s Word. Samuel tells the people, this is what will happen, and remember the Lord will not help you.
*Many times, we often want to be just like the world and not be different from the world. We look at the world and think, they have everything, and I am trying to live for the Lord, and I have all these problems.
The Lord then told Samuel to give them what they wanted. Sometimes, we will only change when we face the consequences of our choices.
Dr. Richard Dobbins said, “Until the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change, people will not change!”
Lord, help me listen to and obey You because Your way is always the best for me!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Pastor Ronald Squibb has been the International Christian Church (ICC) Lead Senior Pastor at Staten Island, New York, since 2011. He draws many experiences from his over 40 years as a pastor and significant emotional life experiences.
His new book, Following the Journey with Jesus, which he co-authored with Daniel McNaughton, was recently published and is getting rave reviews. His daily devotional appears in this publication.
