Give Us a King

It’s interesting to note that in every circle of influence across the world, there are leaders and there are followers.

I don’t think the circles of influence with which we are associated offer much distinction in our desire to either lead or to be led. The choice to fix and keep our eyes on God is difficult as we watch our culture fix its eyes on people who have been placed in esteemed positions of power and/or authority

Without our full awareness, we are prone to find ourselves looking for a person to lead us and to fight our battles for us.

The good news is, as we bury ourselves in the Word of God, He gives us perspective as we learn from those who have gone before us facing the same struggles.

One of many examples is Samuel. 

Samuel was a man with a very unique background.  His mother, Hannah, was barren and pleaded with the Lord for a son.   Hannah promised the Lord that if he would honor her desire that she in turn would give her son back to him for all the days of his life.  God honored Hannah’s desire and Hannah honored the Lord, taking her son Samuel to Eli, the priest of God, to be raised in the temple.

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel.  However, his sons did not walk in his ways.  All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel saying, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” (I Sam.8:5)

Samuel prayed to the Lord and the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected as their king, but me. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.” (I Sam. 8:7-9)

In an unforgiving culture, it can be difficult to follow the True King.  When we take our eyes off of God for a moment to look around at what everyone else is doing, we may stumble into idolatry. 

In what becomes a crisis of belief, each person is left to decide for himself or herself whether or not they will serve God or an idol.  An idol, as defined by Merriam Webster, is a “greatly loved or admired person; a picture or object that is worshipped as a god; a false god; pretender or impostor.”

Samuel was deeply displeased when the Israelites demanded: “Give us a king to lead us.” (I Sam.8:6) God’s words to Samuel convict my soul in my own struggle not to worship false idols: “It is not you they have rejected as their king, but me.” 

When the lines of black and white become muddied shades of grey, we must determine to honor the Lord our God with all of our hearts, all of our souls, all of our minds and all of our strength. 

Christ died on a cross to atone for our sins and to point us to the one true King. Therefore, let us enter the Throne Room and determine to worship Him alone.

Stay the Course...

Sheila