Persons: Samuel
Theme/Event: The Beginning of the Kingdom
Symbol: Crown
1 Samuel 3:1-21, 7:1-8:22, 9:15-10:9
God raised up Gideon and other judges to guide and rule over the people of Israel. God had promised the Israelites that He would be their King and that He would raise up a king for them (1 Samuel 2:10), but the Israelites did not want to wait for God’s king in God’s timing. So they demanded a king so that they could be like the other nations around them.
1 Samuel 8:4-9, 19-22
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. 9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” …19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 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.” 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. 22 So the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”
We should always be content with the provisions that God has made for us in our lives. God has placed authorities and circumstances in our lives to glorify Him and to train us for His purposes for our lives. When we look to other people and their circumstances and wish to be like them, we will not please God and we will get into trouble. We must make sure we are waiting for God’s timing and not trying to rush ahead and take care of things on our own.
All of the kings of Israel were to point to Jesus as the King of Kings, so that when Jesus came the Israelites would recognize Jesus as their King. Jesus is the perfect King who came in God’s perfect time. We must always serve and obey Jesus as the King in our lives.
Questions:
Who was to be the King for the Israelites?
Who is the King of Kings?
How can we show that Jesus is King of our lives?
Prayer: Dear God, help us to not look to others, but be content with what you have given us. Thank you for being our perfect King of Kings.
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