Friday Devo
Scripture:
1 Samuel 8:1-22
8 As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. 2 Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. 3 But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.
4 Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. 5 “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”
6 Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. 7 “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. 8 Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. 9 Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”
Samuel Warns against a Kingdom
10 So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. 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.”
21 So Samuel repeated to the Lord what the people had said, 22 and the Lord replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home.
8 As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. 2 Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. 3 But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.
4 Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. 5 “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”
6 Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. 7 “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. 8 Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. 9 Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”
Samuel Warns against a Kingdom
10 So Samuel passed on the Lord’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. 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.”
21 So Samuel repeated to the Lord what the people had said, 22 and the Lord replied, “Do as they say, and give them a king.” Then Samuel agreed and sent the people home.
Commentary:
The collective decision of the community was taken seriously. There are ‘movements’ in society which need to work themselves out; here the people of God found themselves in tension between the traditional and the new, but in the case of the monarchy the new was not to be rejected. ‘The time was ripe for the king, i.e. for the development of a state, even though the manifold dangers which could now cause theological chaos were seen all too well.’ This is the kind of dilemma in which Christians all too often find themselves. The ideal is not an option, because it would not find support, so another way has to be chosen which involves a compromise. The Lord, like a master chess-player, achieves his objective despite human plans and policies that temporarily impede what he wants to do.
Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 93.
Joyce G. Baldwin, 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary, vol. 8, Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1988), 93.
Questions:
When Israel asked Samuel for a king “like all the nations,” they weren’t just asking for a different kind of government. They were asking to become more like everyone around them. God had rescued them from slavery and called them to something completely different: they were His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5–6). They were meant to belong to God in a way that made them distinct from the nations around them. But Israel became uncomfortable with being different. They looked around, saw what everyone else had, and decided they wanted the same thing. They traded consecration for conformity.
That temptation hasn't disappeared. Follow Jesus on Sunday while allowing the culture around us to shape what we value, pursue, celebrate, and tolerate the rest of the week. We start measuring success by the same things everyone else does. We let our conversations sound like everyone else's. We make decisions based more on fitting in than on following Jesus.
But Jesus has called us to belong to Him alone.
Jesus calls us “the light of the world” and compares His people to a city on a hill that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). Our lives are meant to point somewhere. Peter takes the very language God used for Israel and applies it to followers of Jesus: we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9).
By being set apart means we are allowing Jesus to shape our lives so deeply that our priorities, relationships, words, and choices begin to reflect the King and the kingdom we belong to. And if Jesus is truly our King, our life won't look like the world around us.
That temptation hasn't disappeared. Follow Jesus on Sunday while allowing the culture around us to shape what we value, pursue, celebrate, and tolerate the rest of the week. We start measuring success by the same things everyone else does. We let our conversations sound like everyone else's. We make decisions based more on fitting in than on following Jesus.
But Jesus has called us to belong to Him alone.
Jesus calls us “the light of the world” and compares His people to a city on a hill that cannot be hidden (Matthew 5:14). Our lives are meant to point somewhere. Peter takes the very language God used for Israel and applies it to followers of Jesus: we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation” (1 Peter 2:9).
By being set apart means we are allowing Jesus to shape our lives so deeply that our priorities, relationships, words, and choices begin to reflect the King and the kingdom we belong to. And if Jesus is truly our King, our life won't look like the world around us.
- Where do you feel the strongest pull to fit in with the people around you?
- Think about everyday choices: what you pursue, scroll, talk about, spend time on, or prioritize. Which ones most clearly reflect the values of Jesus' kingdom? Which ones have been shaped more by everyone around you?
- Is there an area where you already know Jesus' priorities are different from your own or from the people around you? What makes it difficult to surrender that area to Him?
- Jesus calls His people to be the light of the world. Who notices that you belong to Jesus? What do you hope your life communicates about his kingdom?
Prayer Topics:
- Confess the places where you've followed culture over following Jesus.
- Ask God to show you any values you've adopted without stopping to ask whether they belong in the His kingdom.
- Ask the Holy Spirit for courage to live distinctly without becoming self-righteous, remembering that your goal is to reflect Jesus, not draw attention to yourself.
- Thank Jesus that He has called you out of darkness and given you a new identity.
- Ask God to make your everyday life a clear reflection of the kingdom you belong to.
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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