A King or the Lord?

The people came to Samuel demanding a king. Samuel did not like their request, but God told him to give them a king, since they were not willing to listen to God. Samuel warned them of how a king would do things, but the people still insisted on a king. (I Samuel 8:19,20) Their reasons for wanting a king were so they would be like all the nations, so he would judge them, and so he would go out before them to fight for them. All of these reasons showed that the thinking of the people was totally wrong. The same could be said of many believers today.

Some people feel the need to have a human being to guide them and to show them what to do. This is a sign of a very weak relationship with God. They can't see how God could lead them well enough, so they think they need a person to do it. Also, some believers would rather have a human judge than having God as their Judge. Could it be that God is too strict and knows too many details? I think so. Finally, there are many believers who want others to fight their battles for them. They are afraid, and they need a leader to go before them and fight in their place. All of this is so sad. What better King could we have than God? He is gracious and merciful in ruling over us. His judgment is always accurate, and He renders His verdicts according to what will help us. He is the Only One who can fight all of our battles and win, but we have to trust Him enough to allow Him to show us the way to fight in His power. Let's decide to grow in our relationship with the Lord, so we can be assured of these things and let Jesus be the King of our life. It is so much better than what any other person could ever do.

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Tomorrow, I intend to read I Samuel 9-11.