National Authority: Lessons From Israel

1 Samuel 7:2-5 (NASB)

²  From the day that the ark remained at Kiriath-jearim, the time was long, for it was twenty years; and all the house of Israel lamented after the LORD.

³  Then Samuel spoke to all the house of Israel, saying, "If you return to the LORD with all your heart, remove the foreign gods and the Ashtaroth from among you and direct your hearts to the LORD and serve Him alone; and He will deliver you from the hand of the Philistines."

⁴  So the sons of Israel removed the Baals and the Ashtaroth and served the LORD alone.

⁵  Then Samuel said, "Gather all Israel to Mizpah and I will pray to the LORD for you."

1. Beware Of Sinful Solutions & Worldly Conformity

1 Samuel 8:4-9 (NASB)

⁴  Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah;

⁵  and they said to him, "Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations."

⁶  But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD.

⁷  The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.

⁸  "Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.

⁹  "Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them."

1 Samuel 8:1-3 (NASB)

¹  And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel.

²  Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba.

³  His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice.

2. Avoid Loosing What You Have, To Gain Something You Don’t Need

1 Samuel 8:7-8 (NASB)

⁷  The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.

⁸  "Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.

1 Timothy 1:17 (NASB)

¹⁷  Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

1 Samuel 8:6 (NASB)

⁶  But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD.

Colossians 1:13-16 (NASB)

¹³  For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,

¹⁴  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

¹⁵  He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.

¹⁶  For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created through Him and for Him.

3. Consider The Consequences Of Choices Carefully

1 Samuel 8:10-18 (NASB)

¹⁰  So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who had asked of him a king.

¹¹  He said, "This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots.

¹²  "He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.

¹³  "He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers.

¹⁴  "He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants.

¹⁵  "He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants.

¹⁶  "He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work.

¹⁷  "He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.

¹⁸  "Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day."

1 Samuel 8:18 (NASB)

¹⁸  "Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day."

1 Samuel 8:19-22 (NASB)

¹⁹  Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, "No, but there shall be a king over us,

²⁰  that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles."

²¹  Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the LORD'S hearing.

²²  The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice and appoint them a king." So Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Go every man to his city."