Costly Choices

And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 1 Samuel 8:7 ESV

The people of Israel wanted to be like the nations around them, so they asked Samuel to appoint a king over them. In so doing, they weren’t just rejecting the judges God had appointed over his people, they were rejecting God’s lordship and leadership. So Samuel delivers God’s response:

“This is the way the kind of king you’re talking about operates. He’ll take your sons and make soldiers of them—chariotry, cavalry, infantry, regimented in battalions and squadrons. He’ll put some to forced labor on his farms, plowing and harvesting, and others to making either weapons of war or chariots in which he can ride in luxury. He’ll put your daughters to work as beauticians and waitresses and cooks. He’ll conscript your best fields, vineyards, and orchards and hand them over to his special friends. He’ll tax your harvests and vintage to support his extensive bureaucracy. Your prize workers and best animals he’ll take for his own use. He’ll lay a tax on your flocks and you’ll end up no better than slaves. The day will come when you will cry in desperation because of this king you so much want for yourselves. But don’t expect God to answer” (MSG).

Wow! It never ceases to amaze me that, despite God’s dire warnings, the people of Israel insisted on having their own way. They rejected God’s rule – the one thing that made them unique and distinguished them from the other nations around them – to pursue their own strategy.

Now before I get too holier-than-thou, I must remember that I am prone to make the same mistake. Because of my limited vision and understanding, my heart is inclined to place too much value on my personal desires. The danger lies not in entertaining dreams or aspirations but in clinging to them so tightly that they overrule God’s leadership over my life.

Which leaves me with this final question: Is that one thing I’ve set my heart on turning me towards God or away from Him? If it negatively affects my walk with God then it’s better left at the foot of the cross. Nothing this world affords is worth more than my relationship with Jesus.

Prayer: Lord, place a guard over my thoughts and my ways. Oftentimes, they are far different than yours. Into your hands I surrender all that I am, from my deepest yearnings to the path my feet tread each day. May I always be listening to your voice guiding me, showing me which way to go – even if it means surrendering those dreams I hold so dear. In your name I pray, Amen.