Havasu Christian Church
Series in I Samuel
June 9, 2024
I Samuel 8:1-22
“Be careful what you ask for…. You may get it!”
INTRO: Did you ever get something you thought you REALLY wanted, only to find out that it was a terrible thing to have? A kid I knew was out shopping and ran across something he simply had to have. It was a Nintendo Virtual Boy game console. His parents tried to talk him out of it, but he had his own money and was bound and determined to buy it.. It was on clearance… which should have told him something. It came with only one game… Mario Tennis. Yes, it was just as lame a game as it sounds. The game screen was all in red, and you had to put your face against the screen like you were a submarine captain using a periscope. He never was able to buy another game cartridge to go with it either. (They only even released a few in the USA) Besides all that, it ate batteries like cotton candy!
The people of Israel made a similar mistake. They demanded a KING! Let’s read about this.
1 Samuel 8:1–22 (NASB95)
1 And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel.
2 Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba.
3 His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah;
5 and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.”
6 But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD.
7 The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.
8 “Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.
9 “Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them.”
10 So Samuel spoke all the words of the LORD to the people who had asked of him a king.
11 He said, “This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen and they will run before his chariots.
12 “He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
13 “He will also take your daughters for perfumers and cooks and bakers.
14 “He will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants.
15 “He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants.
16 “He will also take your male servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and use them for his work.
17 “He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.
18 “Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
19 Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall be a king over us,
20 that we also may be like all the nations, that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the LORD’S hearing.
22 The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice and appoint them a king.” So Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”
- The people of Israel did have a problem.
- Samuel’s sons weren’t too hot!
- They were CROOKS!
- They “turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice.”
- You would think that after seeing what happened to the sons of Eli, Samuel would have raised his sons to be followers of God.
- Perhaps he did.
- Not always to children do what they should, especially after they are adults.
- Free will is a very dangerous gift!
- The Elders went about solving their problem the wrong way.
- The Elders come to Samuel with their “solution.” It’s actually, more of a demand!
- “Give us a king!”
- To judge us. (vs 3 & 20)
- To fight our battles. (vs 20)
- They wanted to be like the nations around them.
- They had no idea what they were asking for.
- With God as their King, they had it good!
- They had low taxes.
- The tithe… 10%
- It was the original “Flat Tax!”
- The rich paid it, the poor paid it.
- The tithe went to the tribe of Levi.
- They provided Priests for the temple, judges for settling disputes, and teachers of the law.
- The Levites also paid a 10% tax (tithe) that went to support the care for the Tabernacle. (Later the temple.)
- They had no standing Army to support.
- Every male citizen could be called on, but if they were serving God as they should be, victory was assured.
- God had Samuel warn them and they still wanted to be like everyone else!
- You will work for your king.
- There will be a standing army
- He will own fields and have people plant, care for and harvest them for him.
- He will take ten percent of your harvest!
- He will take some of your servants for his own.
- He will take some of your livestock for his own.
- He will take some of YOU as his own.
- He will take some of your sons and daughters!
- While you do your own cooking, he’ll live in luxury while you do the work.
- Cooks, bakers, and perfumers.
- You’ll be sorry!
- But it will be too late!
- Even after all this, they want a King!
- “We want to be like everyone else!”
- He can Judge us.
- He can lead us in battle.
- God instructs Samuel to give them what they asked for!
- Kind of like a kid who insists on buying something you know is dumb!
- They would have occasional good kings, but for the most part, their kings were terrible!
- Saul? Pretty bad.
- David? Pretty good.
- Solomon? Pretty good.
- Solomon’s son Rehoboam, an idiot!
- After the divided kingdom, the people of the North, Judah, never had a good king.
- The people of the South, Judah, had a few kings that were good!
What can we learn from their mistake today?
- Trust God!
- God could and would have worked things out for them, if they remained faithful!
- God had already raised up Samuel, I’m sure He would have found a replacement for Samuel’s sons.
- Look for Godly wisdom in every situation.
- Samuel spoke to them for God!
- He told them what a mistake they were making.
- Be careful in the way you handle your free will.
- It is a dangerous gift!
- With it, we can do great good or great harm!
- When People reject God’s leading, don’t take it personally!
- Verse 6 But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD.
- Samuel was offended, as though they were rejecting him!
- People will reject the Lord, we are to love them anyway.
- When people reject the Lord, it is our job to warn them of the consequences of what they are doing!
- Reject me, no big deal.
- Don’t get angry, keep trying.
- Reject Jesus? BIG DEAL!
- Again, keep trying!
