The Bible shows us the consequences of people’s decisions when they go against the will of God and choose to do things according to their own ideas or in their own timing.
But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” 1 Samuel 8:6-9
The Israelites grumbled and demanded to have a king over them just like all the other nations. Centuries prior, the Lord had already proclaimed to Abraham that kings were going to come out of his lineage. The Lord wasn’t against a king who would have a heart after Him. However, not all kings were going to follow the Lord, and a carnal king would have had a devastating affect on His people.
The Lord told Samuel that Israel was rejecting Him not Samuel. He directed Samuel to give them what they wanted but to warn them of the consequences of their actions (See 1 Samuel 8:11-17). Despite the terrible consequences of an earthly king, the people still chose to have one.
Sometimes we want something so badly, that we are not willing to hear the consequences of our actions or don’t believe those consequences would happen to us. Worldly ideas seem great from a distance until we get very close, and then we find out, they were not what they appeared to be. For example, some Christians marry an unbeliever and go against God’s counsel in the Bible (See 2Corinthians 6:14). In God’s eyes, marriage is much deeper that just two people loving each other. It is a covenant between two individuals and between them and God. Therefore, it does not make sense to make a covenant with someone whose understanding of marriage is limited and they are not in a covenant relationship with God. Marriage is already hard work, but those who choose to go in that direction, will find that their marriage and parenting will be a lot more challenging.
The Lord permitted the Israelites to have kings. The Lord gave them what they asked for and Israel’s history showed that until Jesus came, many kings had issues and the consequences that Samuel described to them did come pass.
If God is not for something, there must a good reason for it, and we should take heed and pay attention to it. Let’t thank God for His loving boundaries. He is a parent who is always available to counsel and guide us in the right direction. Ignoring or rebelling against Him, hurts us and does not bring about any good fruit. Praise God that He gives us the power to make our own choices, but let’s choose to glorify Him!
