The King You Really Want!
Samuel had been the leader of Israel. The people noticed two things – 1. He was getting old and 2. His sons were not fit to take his place as a judge. They then asked him for a king, so we can be like other nations. This grieved God’s heart. They asked for a king, as if they didn’t have one. Samuel was displeased by their actions, but God reminded him, “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” 1 Samuel 8:7
Rejecting GOD? The one who brought them out of Egypt. The one who delivered them from enemies time after time. The one who sent plagues on the Egyptians. The one who blessed them over and over and over again. The one who provided food and drink and joy and glory and light and fire and deliverance. They rejected Him by asking for a king as if they never had one.
I have too. I have turned away from God and elevated other things to royal status in my life. I have lived searching and looking for a king. While looking for love I rejected the one who is LOVE. While looking for peace I turned my back on the one who gives peace as a gift. While looking for acceptance I pushed away the one who desired to embrace me – even while I was in sin.
They didn’t just want a king like everyone else – they wanted a new king. They were telling God that He wasn’t what they really wanted. They wanted a human. Someone they could see.
They were asking for someone who was flawed. Someone who was broken. Someone who would disappoint them and hurt them. They wanted THAT to be king!
Selecting your own king is risky. Anytime we elevate anything to the place where God desires to be in our hearts and in our lives we will surely experience debilitating disappointment, grief and heartache. They will fail us and if we follow them we will fall.
Who is your king today? If it is Christ, what is your attitude toward Him? Are you excited to praise Him and to lift Him up, or are you looking around for something similar to what everyone else has?
The truth is, we all get to choose who we make the king of our lives! Who will you choose? God will give you exactly who you ask for, even if it isn’t Him.
