Overview of: 1 SamuelToday's Reading:
1Sam 10:9 – 11:14
"Saul Is Made King"
Focus Verses: 1 Samuel 10:17-19, 25
17 Samuel summoned the people of Israel to the LORD at Mizpah 18 and said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.' 19 But you have now rejected your God, who saves you out of all your calamities and distresses. And you have said, 'No, set a king over us.' So now present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans." - - - 25 Samuel explained to the people the regulations of the kingship. He wrote them down on a scroll and deposited it before the LORD. Then Samuel dismissed the people, each to his own home.
Insight:
Rather than seeking God or listening to Samuel, the people were sure they needed a king. They thought that would make them like other nations and fix everything. They imagined a king who would fight their battles and solve their problems. They were unwilling to heed any warning of how a king could actually make their life worse. And since they would not listen, God gave them what they wanted (see also 1 Samuel 8:19-22).
Response and Action:
How many times do I look to something other than God to solve my problems? It is so easy to look at the world around me and think that if I did things the way they do them, my life would be better, easier, or safer. Rejecting God and his ways is never the way to go--even if God is willing to let me go that way. Getting my own way may not be what is best, what I need, or what I want. I will be careful to seek God with my whole heart, listen, and always turn to him first for the direction I need.
O God, help me to keep my eyes on you. Help me to not envy the wicked or put my faith in the ways of man. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are God, my savior, and my hope is in you all day long. Through Christ, I pray. Amen.
New Testament for Today: Colossians 3:2
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
In Context: Colossians 3:1-17
Proverb for Today: Prov. 19:2
"It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way."
Resources:
The Prayer God Longs For
by James Emery White
