1 Samuel 8

Hey, hey, good morning. Good morning. Welcome to coffee and devotions this morning. We're gonna be at 1st Samuel chapter 8. 1st Samuel chapter 8. We're gonna find out Israel's asking for something and Samuel tells them it's not gonna be good. So let's have some coffee. We'll pray and we'll get into God's Word. Be careful, be careful. Oh, you just want to warm your hands? Okay, let's pray.
Father, we thank you so much for the blessing of spending time together this morning. We thank you for your word. And we pray that as we read your word, that your Holy Spirit would teach us. Father, help us to walk in your ways and to love you always. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.
Here we go. 1 Samuel chapter 8. You want us to read it? Judges over Israel the name of his firstborn was Joel the name of his second Abijah They were judges in Beersheba, but his sons did not walk in his ways They turned aside after a dishonest game game took bribes and perverted justice
All right. So what's it saying there? His sons weren't very good judges like Eli's sons. Yes, his sons turned out like Eli's sons. Hmm.
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, Look, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. 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.
So Samuel told all the words of Jehovah to the people who asked him for a king and he said, this will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you. He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen and some will run before his chariots. He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties. will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will make your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. And He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves and give them to His servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage and give it to His officers and servants. And He will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys and put them to His work. He will take a tenth of your sheep and you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves. And the Lord will not hear you in that day.
Nevertheless, the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel, and they said, No, but we will have a king to rule over us, that we may also be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles. And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated to them in the hearing of Jehovah. And Jehovah said to Samuel, Heed their voice and make them a king. And Samuel said to the men of Israel, every man go to his city. All right, so we got our three questions. A, what is this? B, what's the... Best first to summarize. And C, what are we... Called to do.
All right, so what do you think this is about? That the people of Israel want a king because Samuel's kids aren't being very good judges. Okay. And they want to be like the other nations. Alright, so they want to be like the other nations. Is it reasonable for them not to want Samuel's sons as their judges? Yeah, totally reasonable, right? But what does it show about really what's going on in their hearts? They just want to be normal like the other nations. Yeah, they want to be like the other nations, right?
And how does the Lord respond to this when Samuel says it to the Lord? Do what they're telling you to, but It's not going to be good. Yeah, well notice what he says. Are they rejecting Samuel? But they're rejecting God. Yeah. He had the voice of the people and all the day they say to you for they have not rejected you but have rejected me that I should not reign over them. That's actually what I have underlined in my Bible as the best verse.
Alright, so Samuel goes and he tells them But what does he say to them? The king, if they really want a king, this is what it's going to be like. He's going to take your sons and going to put them to war and to work. Yeah. To war and to work, right? So instead of them being at home to work your fields, whose fields are they going to work? And so if your daughter's being at home and getting married and having children and having good lives in the family, what's he going to make the women do? Make their daughters do? Be like cooks. Cooks and perfumers and etc, etc, right? Essentially, you don't know the heavy tax that's about to come on you with this. He's going to prefer his life, his finances, his management, his wealth. He's going to be more about himself than he is about you.
And what do the people say? Okay, but we still want a king. Yeah. And so what does Samuel do with that information? And so he tells, he repeats the words to the Lord. And the Lord's like, I'll make them a king. So he was like, okay, everybody go home. And we'll find out what he does after that, right?
So summarize this whole thing in your own words. What is this about? Israel wants a king. Samuel asks the Lord and the Lord says make them a king. Samuel tries to explain the tax that's going to be on the people but they still want a king and God says make them a king so he sends them all home. I might say Israel continues in its hard-heartedness by asking for a king.
So if you had a, so I told you what I have underlined in my Bible, what would you underline in your Bible as the best verse? Probably what you have underlined. Yeah. Not the, he will take their daughters. No. Okay. Uh, okay.
So let's, let's go to see calling. What are we called to do? And how does this show us Jesus Christ? Um, he's the he's the only king that won't that won't like tax us for his own gain Yes, I think it points us to how gracious the Lord was with them versus now what they want to do. And that reminds me of even the freedom I have in Christ.
You know what, this makes me think of this whole idea of this king who's going to be all about his own, etc. Reminds me of what we studied last night. with Jesus who is the exact image of the invisible God who is above all rulers and principalities, thrones and powers and in him the full deity dwells and he's the one who has redeemed. So this reminds me of like, hold on, we have a better King. We have Jesus, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. And even though the people are sinful here, They want to be just like the other nations. Yet we are blessed through it somehow.
The Lord uses this messy, ugly, sinful situation to bring about Saul and then David and from David eventually Jesus. Who is the king who doesn't treat his people like this. But instead lays down his own life for his people.
Are we done? Would you like to pray or do you want me to pray? You want me to pray? Okay.
God, we thank you so much for giving us your son, Jesus Christ. Lord, we thank you that though we may live at times under governments who desire to take, take, take, who value their own life and their own comfort more than the comfort of the people.
Lord, yet we know that that is not the case with you. For you have shown us your great love in sending us your son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us. And you have called us your people. And you are the head, even of the church. And you are the one who established and rules over all thrones and lordships and principalities and authorities.
Father, please teach us to trust in you and walk in your ways in Jesus' name. Amen.
May the Lord bless you. May you trust in Jesus Christ, the King of kings. And we'll see you next time. Bye. Bye.