1 Samuel 8:6-8 Rejected Me!

 ”But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he 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, but they have rejected me as their king. 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.“ ‭‭

1 Samuel‬ ‭8‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NIV‬‬

a. The thing displeased Samuel: No doubt, Samuel was stung by the rejection of his sons. But more than that, Samuel saw the ungodly motive behind the elders’ request for a king.

b. So Samuel prayed to the LORD: This is the right thing to do whenever we are displeased. We should never carry such troubles with us. Instead, we should do what Samuel did when he prayed to the LORD.

i. “Surely it is the mistake of our life, that we carry our burdens instead of handing them over; that we worry instead of trusting; that we pray so little.” (Meyer)

c. Heed the voice of the people: God told Samuel to fulfill the people’s request. This was not because their request was good or right, but because God would teach Israel through this. Sometimes when we insist on having something bad God will allow us to have it and then teach us through it.

i. In many ways this was a matter of timing. God knew Israel would have a king, but He wanted to give the king in His timing. Because Israel demanded a king for bad and carnally minded reasons, God will give them a bad and carnally minded king. Israel will get what they want and will hurt because of it.

d. They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them: God had a purpose in not giving Israel a king up to that point. It was because He did not want them to put an ungodly trust in the king instead of a godly trust in the LORD. Now, Israel rejected God’s plan and declared they did not want the LORD God to reign over them.

i. In the words they have not rejected you, we sense God comforting Samuel. It is as if God says, “Samuel, don’t take it personally. They are not rejecting you, but Me.”

e. They have forsaken Me…so they are doing to you also: In fact, Israel forsook God by asking for a king. When the elders of Israel asked for a king, they thought that better politics or government could meet their needs. But if they had just been faithful to their King in heaven, they would not need a king on earth.

i. This strikes us as simply unfair. Didn’t God show Himself to be a worthy King? Didn’t He demonstrate His ability to lead the nation, and demonstrate it over and over again?

ii. There is a sense in which their rejection of God as their king is prophetic. When Jesus stood before Pilate the Jewish mob declared, we have no king but Caesar (John 19:15). Jesus was a rejected King. (Guzik)

Rejected Me!

We have a lifetime to accept Gods grace and the gift of salvation but most people will reject the message and end up like the rich man.

“……..The rich man also died and was buried. In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side.“

‭‭Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭22‬-‭23‬ ‭NIV‬‬

For the full story of The Rich man and Lazarus read Luke 16.

”“He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”“ ‭‭Luke‬ ‭16‬:‭31‬ ‭NIV‬‬

”“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it.“ ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭7‬:‭13‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Will you enter through the narrow gate or have you rejected Him?

Blessings