1 Samuel 8:4-5
“Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and
came to Samuel unto Ramah, And said unto him, Behold, thou art old,
and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us
like all the nations.”
I must readily
admit that the entire mental, moral, and spiritual condition of our
great nation concerns me. I am disturbed as we continually
degenerate into the cesspool of sin and call it progress. I watch as
we trade the value of life for the value of the dollar! To say that
we are living in troublesome times would be an understatement. While
our nation is in trouble, we are not the first. In I Samuel 8,
the nation of Israel faced similar circumstances. Their solution to
the putrefying mess was to “change it at the polls;” and “let’s have
a change in leadership and get us a king!” If you were to listen to
the outcry of some today, their answer is the same as that of
Israel. “Change it at the polls!”
I thank God for
the privilege to be an American where I can go to the polls and cast
my vote for the individual of my choice. Going to the polls is not
only my privilege but is my duty as an American and a Christian.
While casting a vote for the best individual will help, it is not
the answer to our problem. It was not the answer for the corrupt
nation of Israel, and it is not the answer for the USA.
If one will
look closely at the plight of Israel, there are certain truths and
principles that will enlighten as well as aid our great nation. May
our hearts and minds be open to the Word of God, for it is within
the pages of this Blessed Book that medicine for our malady can be
found!
(I) The
Nation’s Mistake
The nation of
Israel was mistaken in thinking they could solve a spiritual problem
with a physical answer. Listen to the problem, “And his sons
walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took
bribes, and perverted judgment” (I Samuel 8:3). Thank God the
elders of Israel realized they had a problem. I am afraid that we in
America have become so intoxicated by our sin and the pleasures of
our wealth that we have become blind to our condition. We have
embraced the mentality that the end justifies the means!
The elders
believed that establishing a physical form of government like that
of all the other nations would solve their problem. That did not
happen! Their answer was not in man but in their Maker. The nation
had a spiritual problem, and the only effective solution had to be
one that was spiritual. There had been a turning away from God. God
was to be the Sovereign ruler of the nation of Israel and was now
only so figuratively. I am fearful that this is the condition of our
great land. We call ourselves a Christian nation. We place “in God
we trust” on our money. We are only fooling ourselves. We have
relegated Jehovah God to a figurative position.
If we, or any
other nation, are to be healed from the maladies of sin, we must
submit to the rule of God. We have this promise of blessing!
“Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD; and the people
whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance” (Psalm 33:12).
America has a spiritual problem, and the only solution is one that
is spiritual. Our hopes cannot be placed in man but in our great God
and Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.
(II) The
Nation’s Misunderstanding
As the elders
and people looked at the sons of Samuel, they saw a deplorable state
of affairs. It was easy for them to see the corruption and ugliness
of sin in these men’s lives. Because they hated what they saw, they
cried, “Change it at the polls” and “Let’s get rid of this
administration.” What the elders and the people had failed to
understand was that the leadership was a direct reflection of
themselves. Listen to the words of the Lord as He conversed with
Samuel, “Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they
say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, 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 unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and
served other gods, so do they also unto thee” (I Samuel 8:7-8).
Had Joel and Abiah rebelled against God, and were they not living in
open sin? Yes, they were but so was the entire nation! The
corruption of the nation of Israel had only manifested itself in the
leadership because it was before the public eye.
Before we start
casting stones and crying “change it at the polls, we need to take a
good look at ourselves. Remember the words of our Lord when they
brought the woman taken in adultery, “He that is without
sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her” (John 8:7). Am
I condoning what has and is taking place in the leadership of this
great land? No! Yet, individuals blinded by beams in their eyes are
not qualified to inspect the eyes of others for sawdust (see
Matthew 7:3-5). While the deplorable state of our nation and its
leadership upsets me, it makes me even sicker to have to admit that
it is only a reflection of what we have become as a people. Our
first look of investigation should be personal rather than
political.
(III) The
Nation’s Misery
The cry of the
elders of Israel was, “Change it at the polls.” They continued to
want an earthly solution to a spiritual problem. God told Samuel to
hearken unto their voice but first tell them the misery they were in
for as a nation. Samuel told the people of three impending miseries
that awaited their nation if they persisted in this course of
action.
In verses
11-13, God said that the people would become the servants of the
government rather than the government serving the people. “This
will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will
take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and
to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots” (I
Samuel 8:11). Note that the text reads, for himself, his
chariots, and his horsemen. I don’t believe I need to make
application to our day! Verses 14-17 speak of taxation which
they had never known. Their property would become that of the
government. The government was to take the best they had (see
verse 14). The most miserable result of all was the silence of
heaven (see verse 18). If they did not respond to the voice
of God, He would be silent in the day of misery when they cried out
to Him.
What was the
response of the elders and the people to the forecast of such
misery? “Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of
Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us” (I
Samuel 8:19). Will we learn from the mistakes of the nation of
Israel? We have the same forecast of misery if we persist in seeking
the ways of man rather than turning to God for help. How long will
we live in the misery of this repulsive state of sinfulness?
Israel’s answer
to their sick problem was “change it at the polls.” The real answer
to our malady is not so much a change at the political polls but a
change in the people! If there is ever to be a healing of the social
and spiritual ills of America, it must begin within the hearts of
its people. Each must cast a vote for a theocracy rather than a
democracy. If we are to change it at the polls, it must first begin
at a personal poll before we go to the political polls. Our first
choice is not that of Republican, Democrat, or Independent but that
God may rule as Lord of our lives. It is only then that we can help
lead others to make the same choice. Who will you choose? The polls
are now open!
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