1Samuel 2:30 – 15:35
Overview
20 days into reading the Bible, we read that Samuel is raised in the temple by Eli. God reveals the destruction of Eli & his sons to Samuel. The Israelites lose a battle with the Philistines and they capture the arc of the Lord. Eli’s sons are killed in a battle and when he hears the news, Eli falls back in his chair and dies. The Philistines have plagues because they have the Arc so they send it back to the Israelites and Samuel fights and conquers the Philistines. Samuel Judges Israel for many years until he was old. The people then asked for a king to lead them instead of the Lord. God calls Saul to be the king and Samuel anoints Saul. God Spirit is with Saul and Saul’s heart is changed. Samuel says goodbye to the people. Later he rebukes Saul for sinning against the Lord. Samuel tells Saul that his kingdom will not endure and God has already selected a replacement for him. He disobeys God again and Samuel tells Saul that since he rejected the word of the Lord, the Lord will reject him.
Scripture – 1Samuel 8:19-20
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
Observation
When the nation of Israel saw that they were being threatened by other nations, they cried out for a King like the other countries had. God had wanted them to be different. He was with his people from Egypt, through the wilderness and into the promise land. God displayed his mercy and forgiveness to his people over and over. He protected them and kept his promises. Now, the people have once again fallen away from God and want to live their lives just like the other countries. These countries served other gods and also had a king that they were subject to. The Israelites new what it meant when they asked Samuel for a King. They were rejecting God and asking for a man to lead.
Application
Just as God had set apart Israel from the world to be his people, we too are to called to be set apart for the Kingdom of God. God was the King of his people and they rejected Him. We do the same thing when we don’t allow God to be the center of our lives. Instead, we fill our lives with other things that command our attention and pull us away from our Heavenly Father. We try and live life on our own without God. Sometimes, like the Israelites did, we actually tell God “we don’t want you in our lives”. When we do that we are sinning against our creator, denying His authority and missing out on many blessings.
Prayer
God let me allow you to lead. You are my God, my shield and my strength. Thank you for your love and guidance in my life. Help me to never try to live life on my own without you.
