May 10th, 2013, day 130
Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. "Look," they told him, "you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have." Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. "Do everything they say to you," the Lord replied, "for it is me they are rejecting, not you. They don't want me to be their king any longer. Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them." (1 Samuel 8:4-9 NLT)
Today we read about one of the most heart-breaking moments in the history of the nation of Israel. In our passage today we read about how this nation, the nation chosen by God to be His people, decides that they do not want God to lead them anymore, and that they want a king. The problem is not so much the leader, the problem is this statement: "Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have." We want to be like them? Are you kidding me? You want to be like these pagans who bow down to and sacrifice their children to, a carved piece of stone or wood or metal? Excuse me? You have the author of life leading you, but you want to be like everyone else? The sad truth about this story is that We (the Church) are exactly like Israel. We want to be like everybody else. We don't want to stand out, we don't want to be the light that breaks through. Sure we might say that we do, but where is the boldness, where is the action? I realize that I don't step out with the light like I should. I hold the very keys to the kingdom of God, yet I hold back when I have opportunity. I fall short. We all do. We want to be part of the world. But we are not creatures of this world, we are aliens here and we should get used to the idea that we will always be different. That is the way we are made. We need to stand out in a crowd, not blend in!
Sent from my iPad
No comments:
Post a Comment