Like the Other Nations: 1 Samuel 8:1-9
When we turn to the world and look upon it with envy or jealousy, we demonstrate a lack of interest in being set apart and holy for God’s purpose. To walk with God requires humbleness as we submit to His will. We follow Him and His ways.
Samuel grows old, having judged over the Hebrew people for several decades. He sets up his sons to take his place, but they are not just. They took bribes, perverting justice in selling it to the highest bidder.
Samuel is frequently considered the pinnacle of the judges. He spoke to God, following where God led. He was a righteous man and people respected him. However, Samuel’s righteousness doesn’t imply his sons followed his footsteps. Children have free will every bit as much as their parents. Some children follow their parents guidance; other children rebel and strike out on their own. Bad apples fall from good trees. Sometimes it happens.
When the Hebrew people come before Samuel, they demand a king. They want a stronger formalized government. They want what the world around them is in the process of developing.
The people are impatient. They demand a king. They don’t pause to seek God’s will; they make demands believing they know what is best. Instead of demonstrating humility, they demonstrate their arrogance.
The Hebrew people want to be like the other nations. The cities around them were banding together and forming kingdoms. They centralized government, formed standing armies, traded organized leadership for taxation. The Hebrew people feared becoming insignificant as the other nations progressed. It is the proverbial keeping up with the Jones’.
At the beginning of this story, the elders appear wise because they turn away from Samuel’s sons and their unjust leadership. Unfortunately, their motivation is out of envy, not wisdom. They reject Saul’s so to become like the world around them.
Genuine spiritual leadership finds a way to bring the world into proximity with God. Poor spiritual leadership makes our time with God more worldly. The genuine leader might point to the world and even reference the world’s ways, but it is done to connect the world with God. The poor leader looks to the world and thinks by making our time with God more worldly, we make it more appealing to the world.
By their words, the spiritual leaders reject God as their true king. God tells Samuel as much when He directs Samuel to grant their request. When the elders declare their desire to be like the world, they inherently declare their desire to stop being God’s people. God calls us to be different, or set apart. That is what the word holy means. When the elders declare they want to be like the other nations, they no longer desire to be set apart. When we turn to the world and look upon it with envy or jealousy, we demonstrate a lack of interest in being set apart and holy for God’s purpose.
