Be What You Wish For Careful
By: Wayne Gill
Every so often my Bible reading plan gets interrupted by a verse that grabs my attention and demands that I stay put and allow it to marinate.
I’d like to reflect on two such verses, 1 Samuel 8—verses 5 and 20.
1 Samuel 8:5-20 NIV
5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead[a] us, such as all the other nations have.” 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
They both relate to Israel's demand for a king to rule over them. Up till this point, Israel had been ruled by judges who were raised up by God and served under His anointing. The people decided they knew better than God and insisted the Prophet Samuel appoint them a king so that they "may be like all the nations."
To be fair, part of the stated reason for their request was because their current judges (Samuel's sons) were corrupt.
So, it was understandable that the elders wanted a change in leadership. But the reason for the desired change had little to do with corruption. It was all about being like the surrounding nations. "What's wrong with that?" you may ask. The answer is, just about everything! But it’s also a reminder (1) how important it is for believers to stay near the heart of God, (2) to guard our hearts from straying and (3) to take our eyes off the wrong target–other people. The elders complained about internal corruption, but the surrounding nations who they sought to copy were beyond corrupt. They worshiped hand-made gods and even sacrificed people in their rituals. In fact, it's likely that some of the corruption the elders supposedly sought to correct in their own leaders were learned or mirrored from the very people they were now wanting to be like! Eventually, Israel would get their king, but he was a complete disappointment. Appointing him did not end corruption or accomplish anything more than further isolating the people from God.
"Be careful what you wish for," the old saying goes.
38 | Hope Is Now Magazine
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