1 Samuel 15:17-23

The Israelites asked Samuel to give them a king so they could be like everyone else.  Not only did they get what they asked for but this simple request drove them deeper and deeper into themselves and away from the living God.  They already had a king – the Lord God – the just did know it or didn’t want to live with that fact.  They wanted something more familiar, more comfortable.  One of the reasons people hesitate to come to the Lord  - even when the weight of their sin is unbearable – is that they are more comfortable with the known quantity of their pain than the unknown quantity of freedom in Christ.  As Ecclesiastes says, “there is nothing new under the sun.”

 The question that the Israelites should have asked themselves – and the one we should ask ourselves everyday – is who do I want ruling my life?  Do I want someone who sees the end from the beginning and who is unaffected time and tide, or do I want someone like me – broken, selfish, fearful?  When the Israelites rejected Yahweh as king, they got Saul.  When we reject Jesus as king we get ourselves.  In neither case do we get what we need – thought usually we get what we deserve.

 When Saul is confronted over the behavior of his people he responds by laying the blame at their feet.  He takes no responsibility for them ignoring God’s directives.  The truth is that the people would have misbehaved anyway, but it is clear from Saul’s behavior that they are not seeing a life of faithfulness and righteousness being modeled from the top.

 When Jesus is king of our lives we will still misbehave but at least we know we have a King we shows us the right way and who has the power to forgive us along the way.  The only real question is will we follow in His way?