Kings: A Journey Through Samuel

1 Samuel 8

"[Give us a king so that] we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." 1 Samuel 8:20 (ESV, Emphasis Added)

I often come back to this chapter. A people rejecting God and turning to the State for help and salvation is both a theme now as it was then. The cry, the warning, and the allowance to stumble causes me to see an immaturity in society that has never seemed to wane. However, going back to this passage, as much as they wanted a king, they simply didn't trust God anymore.

... or perhaps they let their problems get bigger than God.

• Identity: What do we look like to all the other nations?
• Authority: Who is going to lead and judge us Spiritually when Samuel is gone?
• Leadership: Who will be our leader? We need someone to follow.
• Protection: Are we going to get attacked again? Who will lead our army?

I don't really think things have changed all that much.

• Identity: Am I going to look odd or offend someone else by being a Christian?
• Authority: What is going to happen if he/she gets elected and our candidate does not?
• Leadership: I didn't really like that sermon. I didn't like the band today. I don't think my pastor is as dynamic as that one I listen to on my podcast. What church should I go to now?
• Protection: When will the next terrorist attack happen? Am I safe in this country?

These questions of identity, authority, leadership, and protection are all provided by God should we trust in Him. We need to learn to embrace our identity, and trust in His authority, leadership, and protection. Storms will come, and the waves will pound on the doors and perhaps break a few windows, but He is bigger than any storm, and better yet, He alone can calm it.

Are some things frightening? Yes. Are some things challenging to make a stand? Yes.

However this world will not overcome us, because we are His, and He overcame this world.

Stand Strong,

~Matt