I Samuel 8:5-22

“Last Chances & The Mercy Of God!”  9.18.07  Autonomy, Authority & The Man Of God, Session ^#2

Intro.

- We left the Israeli people in a bind of their own making last week.

- They seem unaware of what they have asked for, and are certainly unaware of the consequences of their actions.

- They wanted a King, visible and strong, just as the other nations had.

- What we are looking at this week is the response of the Lord to this request.

 I Samuel 8:5-9 : “But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ So Samuel prayed to the Lord. 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. 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. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”

- For most of the rest of chapter 8, Samuel instructs the people how things will be under the new leadership.

- There will be a war machine that will require mandatory service. (v.10,11)

- The house and lifestyle of the King will require heavy contributions to maintain. (v.12-17)

- Samuel makes it clear that they are making a bed that they will regret! But his thorough presentation falls on deaf ears.

• I Samuel 8:19-21 : “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, ‘No, but we will have a king over us, 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.’”

- The people of Israel are resolute in their action, decisive, unfortunately for their sakes, in the wrong direction!

- It’s not going to go well! God sees this and has given them every mercy. But then comes the scariest verse to me in the whole chapter.

• I Samuel 8:22 : “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.’”

- There are big lessons for us here as we examine this portion of scripture.

- This is a textbook look at the mercy of God and how patient His mercy is.

- We’ll note in this order, how His mercy played out here.

I. He Sent His Servant (v.9)

II. He Gave His Word (v.11-17)

III. He Gave Them Their Desire (v.22)

Text

I. He Sent His Servant (v.9)

• I Samuel 8:9 : “Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” : God first sent His faithful servant.

- Here, His prophet and judge, Samuel.

- He tells Samuel to “solemnly forewarn them.”

- The older versions of the Bible employ the word “protest!”

- The sense of the word is to repeatedly, fervently protest what is about to take place.

- Samuel’s job was not to dissuade them from this disastrous decision.

- He is to give them information and paint a realistic picture of what they were asking for and what that cost would entail.

- A King like those from the nations had beautiful palaces and great armies.

- God wanted them to be able to make a clear choice based upon reality.

- They would be responsible for their clear choice and none could appeal to ignorance.

- It is a function of God’s mercy to send such men into our lives at key junctures.

- We are called to such action implicitly and explicitly in God’s Word.

- God asks a rhetorical question to Cain. “Where is your brother?” Cain’s answer was “Am I my brother’s keeper?” The answer is yes!

• Galatians 6:1,2 : “Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

• James 5:19,20 : “Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.”

- Part of loving one another is to stand watch over each other!

- In this chapter, the first mechanism of God’s mercy is to send His servant.

II. He Gave His Word (v.18)

• I Samuel 8:18 : “And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”

- Again, in chapter 8, verses 11 and following, outline precisely what any King would require.

- Here, Samuel prophecies that their reaction will be one of great sorrow.

- The words “cry out” refer to “calling upon” the Lord for help and relief.

- Samuel tells them that they are choosing something that God will not assist them in.

- It is a road that excludes Him.

- This is a perfect phrase which microcosmically emphasizes a truth seen throughout scripture: There is a road that leads to blessing and one that leads to a cursed condition!

- This is God’s Word for each of us. Let me offer you a few select verses that make this point.

- Consider the last sermon of Moses to the people of Israel, just prior to entering Canaan.

• Deuteronomy 30:15-20 : “See, I have set before you today life and good, death and evil, in that I command you today to love the Lord your God, to walk in His ways, and to keep His commandments, His statutes, and His judgments, that you may live and multiply; and the Lord your God will bless you in the land which you go to possess. But if your heart turns away so that you do not hear, and are drawn away, and worship other gods and serve them, I announce to you today that you shall surely perish; you shall not prolong your days in the land which you cross over the Jordan to go in and possess. I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live; that you may love the Lord your God, that you may obey His voice, and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days; and that you may dwell in the land which the Lord swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give them.”

- Consider the writing of David, in the first Psalm.

• Psalm 1:1-4 : “Blessed is the man Who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful; But his delight is in the law of the Lord, And in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree Planted by the rivers of water, That brings forth its fruit in its season, Whose leaf also shall not wither; And whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, But are like the chaff which the wind drives away.”

- God clearly puts before us two roads. One leads to peace and His loving presence.

- The other road leads to strife and His presence is a judgment upon our actions!

III. He Gave Them Their Desire (v.22)

• I Samuel 8:19-22 : “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, ‘No, but we will have a king over us, 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.’ And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the Lord. 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.’” : Here we see the scariest part of God’s mercy.

- God, instead of destroying them as they deserve, instead gives them what they ask for.

- The people had come to a place of solid rejection. Their hearts were set against the authority of the Lord.

- The would not heed the servant, nor the express Word of the Lord.

- The only thing left was to give them what they desired.

- We might call this God’s merciful passive judgement, where He allows a course of action to take place, but is not part of His plan. This is plan B!

- As we mentioned last week, it was always God’s plan to provide a King for the nation.

- 400 years earlier, just about the time of their entry into Canaan, God had spoken through Moses in Deuteronomy 17:14-20 about the King that He would provide

- Maybe they thought that they were asking according to God’s will, but certainly not in His time!

˚ “Sometimes, when we insist of having something bad, God will allow us to have it, and then learn the consequences.” Pastor David Guzik

- It’s interesting, because I see a dangerous road in this. The Bible tells us in Genesis that God will not strive with man forever. (Genesis 6:5)

- His mercy will plead and plead for us to make the right choice, and choose His authoritative rule over our lives.

- When we decide to walk away, God allows those desires to be a curse, for we won’t enjoy them as we think!

- Along that line, there is a compelling story in the book of Numbers

- The mixed multitude was giving into their cravings and calling out for meat.

- Both Moses and God were displeased by their demands.

- God made a promise that He would give them meat not for one day or even one week, but rather an entire month, “until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you.” (Numbers 11:20)

- Then God delivered on His promise.

• Numbers 11:31-35 : “Now a wind went out from the Lord, and it brought quail from the sea and left them fluttering near the camp, about a day’s journey on this side and about a day’s journey on the other side, all around the camp, and about two cubits above the surface of the ground. And the people stayed up all that day, all night, and all the next day, and gathered the quail (he who gathered least gathered ten homers); and they spread them out for themselves all around the camp. But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was aroused against the people, and the Lord struck the people with a very great plague. So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving. From Kibroth Hattaavah the people moved to Hazeroth, and camped at Hazeroth.”

- Do you know what Kibroth Hattaavah means? It means literally “Graves Of Craving!”

- In the economy of God, His mercy allows us the choice. Then, He lets our choices and their consequences do their work of breaking us and calling out for the mercy we so willingly set aside!

Conclusion

- There are so many lessons here. Let’s break them down like this:

- First, God’s Mercy Begins With His Own Kindness! Paul tells us in Romans chapter 4 that God’s kindness is meant to lead us to repentance. God is eternally kind to His children and His heart toward them is always love and goodness.

- God wants us to submit to His authority, but we must choose it.

- Second, God Calls Us Men To Stand Ready For Service To Our Brothers. Today, we might serve as God’s gentle reminders of mercy to someone. We want to do so humbly, recognizing our own weakness, but we stand ready nonetheless.

- We want to involve ourselves in the ministry of calling men to submit to God’s authority.

- Finally, God’s Authority Is The Only Safe Choice. If this chapter teaches anything, it would be that we would choose His will, willingly and pray, “God, give me a heart to choose only that which pleases you!”

- Only there will we find our safety and blessing.