1 Samuel

1 Samuel 8: Israel rejects the LORD as King

Begin in prayer

Before we hear the elders of Israel ask for a king like the nations, and learn that the LORD is their true King, let us pray together. Ask Him to rule our hearts, and to show us Jesus.

With trumpets and sound of the ram’s horn, make a joyful noise before the King, Yahweh.

Psalm 98:6

Father in heaven, please open our eyes as we read Your Word. Show us that You are our King, and help us to trust Your wisdom more than our own wants. Make us more like Jesus. And please bless our family as we worship You together. In Jesus' name, Amen.

See where we're going

When Samuel grew old, he made his sons judges, but they turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes. The elders of Israel came to Samuel and asked for a king to judge them like all the nations. The LORD told Samuel that the people had not rejected him, but had rejected Him as King. Samuel warned the people what a king would take from them. He would take their sons, their daughters, their fields, and a tenth of their flocks. The people refused to listen, and they said they wanted a king to fight their battles. The LORD told Samuel to listen to them and make them a king.

As you read 1 Samuel 8, look for the answers:

Reflect together

Key truth

The LORD is Israel’s true King, though His people asked for a king like the nations.

Samuel was old, and his sons, who judged at Beersheba, took bribes and twisted justice (verses 1 to 3). The elders came to Ramah and asked for a king to judge them like all the nations (verses 4 and 5). Moses had foreseen such a king and said the LORD must choose him (Deuteronomy 17 verses 14 and 15). The trouble lay in what the elders wanted, a king to go out before them and fight their battles (verse 20). Yet the LORD had just fought for them at Mizpah, and He had brought them out of Egypt. He told Samuel they had rejected Him as their king, as they had done since that day (verses 7 and 8). Samuel warned them what a king would take, but they refused to listen (verses 9 to 19). The LORD told Samuel to make them a king (verse 22), and He stayed their King even then.

How does 1 Samuel 8 show us that the LORD is Israel’s true King, though His people asked for a king like the nations?

The LORD is Israel’s King.

The LORD had brought Israel up out of Egypt, and He led them as His own people (verse 8). The elders wanted a king to judge them like all the nations (verse 5). Samuel was displeased and prayed (verse 6). The LORD told him that the people had rejected Him as the king over them (verse 7).

The people rejected the LORD’s rule.

Samuel's sons took bribes and twisted justice, and that gave the elders a reason to ask (verses 3 and 5). But they asked for a king to go out before them and fight their battles (verse 20). The LORD had just fought their battle at Mizpah. He said they had forsaken Him and served other gods since the day He brought them out of Egypt (verse 8).

A king like the nations costs the people.

A king would take their sons for his chariots, their daughters as cooks, and their best fields (verses 11 to 14). He would take a tenth of their seed and flocks, and they would be his servants (verses 15 to 17). Jesus, the true King, came to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many (Mark 10 verse 45).

Memorise

they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me as the king over them.

1 Samuel 8:7

Looking to Jesus in my life

Ask yourself in your heart, who rules my life, and am I ready to bow to Jesus as King?

The elders said, “Give us a king to judge us.” The LORD told Samuel that the people had rejected Him as the king over them.

We do the same when we want our own way and our own gods. That is rebellion against the King, and it deserves His judgment. Yet the true King came to serve. Jesus went to the cross and gave His life as a ransom for many. God raised Him from the dead, and He reigns as King of kings and Lord of lords (Revelation 19 verse 16). No one can add anything to what He has done.

Bow to Him today. Turn from your own way, and trust Jesus as your King and Saviour. He gives forgiveness to every sinner who bows to Him.

Parent's note

Tell your children that the LORD is King over all, and that Jesus is the King of kings. Please do not tell them they are saved just because they grew up in a Christian home. Call each child to turn from sin and trust Jesus, and pray that God would give them a new heart.

Pray together

Now please close your time together in prayer. Thank God that He is our King, and bring the heart question to Him. Every child can pray, so let each one say a short prayer if they want to.

For Yahweh is our judge. Yahweh is our lawgiver. Yahweh is our king. He will save us.

Isaiah 33:22

Father, You are our King, and Your ways are better than our own. Forgive us for wanting what the nations have. Thank You that Jesus is the King of kings, who came to His own people and died to bear their sin. Help us to trust You this week, and turn our hearts to Him. Amen.