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Word of the Lord to Samuel - 2

I Samuel 8:10 'And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.'

Here we can see the people came to Samuel with a complaint. When we read I Samuel 8:5 'And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now

make us a king to judge us like all the nations.' The people demanded a king to lead them and they gave many reasons for their request. But Samuel did not like their

request as it was not unsuitable. We can read this in I Samuel 8:6 'But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed

unto the LORD.' As their request was displeasing to Samuel, he took this matter to the Lord God. He did not went by his own will to resolve the issue but he took

it to the Lord. He prayed to the Lord. Right after his prayer, the Lord shares his answers and reveals his position (I Samuel 8:7-9). The Lord told Samuel how

he was rejected by the people and how it displeased him. Today, we the children of God should pray in such a way we ask what we should be doing to please the Lord. As

part of today's meditation we will see what are the things that the Lord desired from the people of Israel.

Contentment in God

I Samuel 8:5 'And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.'

In the above passage we read that the people of Israel needed a King and there is nothing wrong about it. The Lord has been leading the people by directly speaking

to them. He spoke to them by giving his direction in every single phase of their lives. He spoke through Moses, Joshua and Judges and led his people. Although the

people of Israel were led directly by the Lord, they needed a King. They did not like the direct intervention of the Lord. The people of Israel denied the theocracy and

wanted a monocracy. The people were dissatisfied with the position that the Lord had placed them. The Israelities led a dissatisfied life and they were flooded with

unnecessary thoughts. They gave three reasons for having a King to judge them. One, they said they fear concerning their future as the sons of Samuel were wicked.

Two, they compared other nations and said other nations are this way and we want to be the same. Three, they wanted a monocracy. These reasons clearly signifies they

were misled with their unnecessary thoughts. We the children of God must always be grateful to the way that the Lord leads us. We must have a sense of contentment

with our lives and we should never give room for unnecessary thoughts.

Lean on the Lord

I Samuel 8:7 'And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have

rejected me, that I should not reign over them.'

Here we see the people rejected the Lord instead of leaning on him. This would have disheartened the Lord God. The Lord expects his people to lean on him. If they had

obeyed the Lord, there would have been theocracy until today. The entire history would have changed altogether. In the above verse, we can read that the Lord goes on

to add 'Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee'. The Lord knew the people failed to lean on him and which is the reason he used such a

statement. We should understand that our Lord is a possessive Lord. TheLord expects his children to lean on him without pushing him away. When we do not accept his

will it means we are rejecting and pushing the Lord away. We the children of the Lord should think if we have not accepted certain things from the Lord. Have we

rejected our Lord ? Have we failed to lean upon him? If so, let us desire to do according to the will of the Lord. As we read in Psalm 2:12 'Blessed are all they

that put their trust in him.' Let us lean on him alone and not on worldly things.

Holding onto God

I Samuel 8:20 'That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.'

When we read the above passage, it may seem as if they were positioned in a wrong way. They spoke in such a way they are in a desperate state. But the fact is, the Lord

has kept them in a lofty place. The people of Israel were the people who were unique and received a direct intervention of the Lord. But they did not like this position

and needed a position of their will. The people failed to realize the reign of the Lord and wanted a King. They failed to hold on to the place of excellence. The Lord

had made them special but they felt it was worthless. Even in our lives, the Lord has kept his children in a place of excellence and we are unique. We should focus

on the things and the blessings that the Lord had given us. Let us not be like Israelites who failed to realize their blessed state. We the children of the Lord are

called and chosen by the Lord. We should be thankful to the Lord and we will not lose the high position.

Surrendered to God

I Samuel 8:19 'Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us.'

We see the people of Israel were so adamant and refused to obey Samuel. When we read I Samuel 8:11-18 , the prophet explained the answers he received from the Lord

for all the questions of the people of Israel. Despite of receiving the clarifications for their questions, the people still needed a King. The people did not have

their heart to listen to the Lord. They did not have a life of submission. They refused to surrender to the will of the Lord and acted accoridng to their own will.

Later, the people of Israel realized that they sinned to have asked for a King. In I Samuel 12:19 'And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the

LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.' The people realized the impacts of not surrendering to the Lord.

Today, we the children of the Lord should live a life that is surrendered to the Lord. Amen.

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Word of the Lord to Samuel - 2