Losing Your THread

1 Samuel 7 & 8

I love this story.

I wonder how something like this could happen, that the ark of the covenant could sit in relative obscurity in someone’s house for 20 years.   How could you lose track of something significant like that?  

It was a long time, 20 years in all, that the ark remained here and all the people of Israel mourned and sought after the LORD. 

There was revival under Samuel.  The people listened and held onto his words.  Samuel had communion with God and interceded for the people and brought God’s Word to them.  

They listen and applied God’s Word.

And it changed their lives.  

And there were periods of peace

And God’s hand was against the Philistines. 

The power of a Godly praying leader

Repeatedly led to periods of peace

But it was not sustained.

Samuel’s sons Joel and Abijah did not follow in his footsteps.

They turned to the left and to the right,

“after dishonest gain, and accepted bribes and perverted justice. “ (Ch8:3)

The elders of Israel demanded that Samuel appoint a king to lead them

“Such as all the nations have.” 

The notion of a king has been floating around since the days of Moses

And that day has arrived.

Samuel disagrees and prays to the LORD about it. 

Ch8:7 And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.  As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me, and serving other gods, so they are now doing to you. “

God tells Samuel to give the warnings and the personal costs Israel will pay for a monarchy.  Warnings that would come to fruition before Saul’s reign even gets fully off the ground.

So at this crossroad

The people get what they want

And they want to be like the nations around them.

Not set apart

And be consecrated or holy

Not different

Ruled by God in their midst

But blending in and following.

Trading more for less, excellence for mediocrity.

I wonder if this is Israel seeing the comparative ease of life and the success in war of other nations and wanting to try that on for size, because all the cool kids are doing it. 

And we strap ourselves in for the ride that’s coming.

God knowing this part of the journey.

You know He has a plan in all this

And a purpose

And that Jesus is coming. 

 Some days I’m so glad that we already know the ending.

And that it ends in our favour.