Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 8:11 - 20
11 “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. 12 Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. 13 The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. 14 He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. 16 He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. 17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.”
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. 20 “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”
11 “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. 12 Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. 13 The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. 14 He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. 16 He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. 17 He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.”
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said. 20 “We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”
Commentary:
ISRAEL CANNOT BE dissuaded; their course is set. Having heard what they can expect from such a king, they persist in their demand and elaborate on their motives. The desire to be “like all the other nations,” is repeated (8:5, 20). To this is added, “with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” The lust for territorial security is stated in general terms here. But we can assume the long-standing Philistine threat has taken its toll on Israel. Later, in his farewell address, Samuel gives the further detail that the elders are concerned about Nahash the Ammonite, who comes into the story shortly after Saul becomes king (1 Sam. 11; see 12:12). This being the case, Israel is worried about the Ammonites to the east and the Philistines to the west. Their meager military resources are to be tested on two fronts. Apparently, the people of Israel have not learned sufficiently enough from the genuine repentance and glorious victory over the Philistines recorded in chapter 7.
Bill T. Arnold, 1 & 2 Samuel, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), 152.
Bill T. Arnold, 1 & 2 Samuel, The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2003), 152.
Questions:
Israel wanted a king who would fight their battles. They told Samuel, “Our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20). They wanted someone who would stand between them and their enemies and make sure those enemies were dealt with.There was nothing wrong with wanting protection. The problem was what they wanted their king to do with it. They wanted a king who would take up their causes, fight the people they considered enemies, and make sure their side won.
We may never ask God to send an army after someone who has hurt us, but many of us carry a list of people who have wronged us and hope God will make things right on our terms. We want Him to defend us, vindicate us, and make the other person understand exactly what they did. But God doesn't exist to carry out our personal battles.
Joshua learned this when he encountered the commander of the Lord's army and asked whether he was for Israel or for their enemies. The answer was, “No” (Joshua 5:13–14). God wasn't looking for Joshua to recruit Him to Israel's side. Joshua needed to understand that he was called to get on God's side.
When Jesus came as King, He didn't establish His kingdom by destroying the people who opposed Him. He went to a cross and gave His life for people who opposed Him. Romans 5:10 says that while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son. That includes us. The King we follow has already shown us what He does with His enemies. He moves toward them with mercy.
We may never ask God to send an army after someone who has hurt us, but many of us carry a list of people who have wronged us and hope God will make things right on our terms. We want Him to defend us, vindicate us, and make the other person understand exactly what they did. But God doesn't exist to carry out our personal battles.
Joshua learned this when he encountered the commander of the Lord's army and asked whether he was for Israel or for their enemies. The answer was, “No” (Joshua 5:13–14). God wasn't looking for Joshua to recruit Him to Israel's side. Joshua needed to understand that he was called to get on God's side.
When Jesus came as King, He didn't establish His kingdom by destroying the people who opposed Him. He went to a cross and gave His life for people who opposed Him. Romans 5:10 says that while we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son. That includes us. The King we follow has already shown us what He does with His enemies. He moves toward them with mercy.
- Think about someone who has hurt, disappointed, betrayed, or frustrated you. When you picture that relationship being made right, what are you actually hoping happens to them?
- Israel wanted God to fight their battles, but Joshua was reminded that God was not looking for someone to recruit Him to their side. When you are hurt or in conflict with someone, how easily do you begin asking God to validate your side? What might you be overlooking when you are focused on proving that you're right?
- Jesus did not wait until we deserved His mercy before He moved toward us. Romans 5:10 says we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son while we were still His enemies. How does remembering the mercy you have received from Jesus challenge the way you think about the person who has hurt you?
- Forgiveness is often less about excusing someone else's actions and more about surrendering your right to personally settle the score. What part of this situation are you still holding onto, and what would it require for you to place that person and the outcome in God's hands?
Prayer Topics:
- Confess the times you have held onto resentment or wanted someone to experience the consequences you believe they deserve.
- Ask God to search your heart for the ways you have asked Him to take your side instead of asking Him to help you follow His ways in the conflict.
- Ask God for grace to forgive and for wisdom to respond with both truth and love where boundaries or difficult conversations are needed.
- Thank Jesus for moving toward you with mercy when you were far from Him, and for giving His life to reconcile you to God.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
3. Why did Jesus have to die on the cross? Since “all have sinned” and the “wages of sin is death,” Jesus had to die on the cross to pay the fine for my sin so I could be right with God.
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
(Romans 3:23, 5:8, 6:21-23, 2 Corinthians 5:21; Ephesians 2:1-6; Colossians 1:13-14, 21-22)
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