Follow the story of Israel's great sin of demanding a king. The following verses are taken from First Samuel and Hosea (the book about unfaithfulness). When you read the Scriptures in succession, it becomes clear how grievous this action is to the LORD. Jesus is our rightful King, and to petition for another is adultery.
“...all the elders of Israel gathered
together and came to Samuel... appoint a king to lead us, such as all
the other nations have. But when they said, “Give us a king to lead
us.” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD
told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is
not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.”
- 1 Samuel 8:4-7
“Now listen to them; but warn them
solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them
will claim as his rights. Samuel told all the words of the LORD to
the people who were asking him for a king.” - 1 Sam. 8:9-10
Read 1 Samuel 8:11-17 to hear the
complete warning about a king. In summary, Samuel told the people:
“This is what the king who will reign over you will do – He will
take your sons and make them serve in his military, make weapons and
work in the field. He will take your daughters as servants. He will
take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves (property
seizure), you will be taxed, he will take the best of what you own
for himself – and you yourselves will become his slaves!”
“When that day comes, you will cry
out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not
answer you in that day.” - 1 Sam. 8:18
“They set up kings without my
consent; they choose princes without my approval.” - Hosea 8:4
“But the people refused to listen to
Samuel. 'No!' they said. 'We want a king over us. 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'... The LORD answered, 'Listen to
them and give them a king.” - 1 Sam. 8:19, 22
“...in My anger I gave you a king.”
- Hosea 13:11
“...'you have now rejected your God,
who saves you out of all your disasters and calamities. And you have
said, 'No, appoint a king over us.'” - 1 Sam. 10:19
“So all the people went to Gilgal and
made Saul king in the presence of the LORD. There they sacrificed
fellowship offerings before the LORD, and Saul and all the Israelites
held a great celebration.” - 1 Sam. 11:15
“Because of all their wickedness in
Gilgal, I hated them there. Because of their sinful deeds, I will
drive them out of My house. I will no longer love them; all their
leaders are rebellious." - Hosea 9:15 (To grasp the horror of this
rejection and subsequent punishment, read all of Hosea chapter 9.)
“'...you will realize what an evil
thing you did in the eyes of the LORD when you asked for a king!' The
people said to Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants
so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the
evil of asking for a king.” - 1 Sam. 12:17, 19
“You are destroyed, O Israel, because
you are against Me, against your Helper. Where is your king, that he
may save you? Where are your rulers in all your towns, of whom you
said, 'Give me a king and princes'?” - Hosea 13:9-10
“...'you said...”we want a king to
rule over us” - even though the LORD your God was your king!'” -
1 Sam. 12:12
“...they do not realize that I
remember all their evil deeds. Their sins engulf them; they are
always before me. They delight the king with their wickedness, the
princes with their lies. They are all adulterers...” - Hosea 7:2-4
“The days of punishment are coming,
the days of reckoning are at hand. Let Israel know this. Because your
sins are so many...” - Hosea 9:7
“Because you have depended on your
own strength and on your many warriors, the roar of battle will rise
against your people, so that all your fortresses will be
devastated... When that day dawns, the king of Israel will be
completely destroyed.” - Hosea 10:13-14, 15
“Then they will say, 'We have no king
because we did not revere the LORD. But even if we had a king, what
could he do for us?'” - Hosea 10:3
“Return, O Israel, to the LORD your
God. Your sins have been your downfall!... Say to Him: 'Forgive all
our sins and receive us graciously...” - Hosea 14:1-2
“Who is wise? He will realize these
things. Who is discerning? He will understand them. The ways of the
LORD are right; the righteous walk in them, but the rebellious
stumble in them.” - Hosea 14:9
Verses taken from the New International Version, 1986, 1994
No comments:
Post a Comment
I understand this is a difficult subject and there are different views from folks who all value God's inspired word. I value your feedback, corrections and questions. Please leave a comment!