DEVOTION – DAY 135

1 Samuel 8:19-22 “Ignoring God’s Warnings”

 

1 Sam.8:19-22 “But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said, “We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

 

God had set aside the nation of Israel as His nation, and its people, the Israelites would be His people. God wanted Israel to be different from the rest of the nations. Other nations were to be led by kings. But Israel would have no kings, they would be led by God, Himself. But God is Spirit and the people wanted a physical king just like the other neighboring nations.

God through Samuel warned the Israelites that their request for a king was foolish because the king would conscript their men to serve in his army. Their king would claim the best of their fields, olive groves and vineyards as his own. Their king will take their servants and the best of their herds as his own and they may even be enslaved to their king. Despite these warnings, the Israelites refused to listen to Samuel. In the above verses, Samuel reported their demands for a king to God. God told Samuel to give the people what they wanted. In other words, God would let the Israelites suffer the consequences of their actions since they had rejected His warnings and His good plans for them.

It reminded me of an old friend of mine. We shared some common interests but there is one habit he has that I disliked. My friend likes to smoke. He learnt how to smoke after he finished his A levels. He thought it made him more sophisticated. He thought it was in keeping with the kind of trendy crowds of young people about town he was mixing with. And I saw less and less of him as I seemed old fashioned and dull since I neither smoked nor socialized like he did. When he offered me a cigarette to try, I declined and told him cigarettes were bad for health. He would laugh suggesting that I was missing out. Years later, my friends’ smoking habits caught up with him. He developed lung cancer and he got progressively worse until he died two years ago. He knew the risks of smoking, but chose to ignore it. He chose to enjoy his addiction to nicotine. He preferred to live for the present and did not care about the consequences of his actions. By the time he found he had lung cancer, it was too late. He suffered and regretted what he did. He was like the Israelites who chose to ignore God’s warnings about wanting a king. When the Israelites finally had their first King, King Saul made demands on Israel exactly as God had warned them.

Let us pray: Dear Father, may we always heed your gracious warnings given to us through your Word so that we avoid what is not good for us. May we never rebel against your Will for us. In the mighty name of the Lord Jesus, we pray. Amen.

 

Questions

  1. What warnings have you or others chosen to ignore because you or others thought you knew better? Discuss.
  2. During Covid-19 pandemic, have there been warnings that you have chosen to ignore even though the warnings were for your good? Discuss.
  3. Why do you think God gives us warnings in the Bible? Why do people sometimes choose to ignore God’s warnings?
  4. What does this devotion teach you about God’s warnings?