Today’s reading: 1 Samuel 8:1-22
“Be careful what you wish for because you just might get it.”
There’s a lot of wisdom and truth in this well-known statement, and it certainly describes the scenario taking place in 1 Samuel 8. After years of God’s protection and provision with Samuel judging Israel, once again, the people’s hearts have turned away from fully following God. They want to be just like the ungodly nations around them. So they demand from Samuel that he appoint a king to rule over them. Samuel is discouraged, but following God’s instructions, he authentically warns the people about the significant troubles that will accompany being ruled by a king. The lengthy and straightforward warning falls on deaf ears, and the people flat out refuse to follow Samuel’s advice. As chapter 8 concludes, God instructs Samuel to go ahead and give the people exactly what they think they want. (If this were a movie, you’d be hearing some music like the theme from Jaws right now. Bad things to come.)
What does the example of the Israelites reveal about our spiritual journey and following God? Identify two or three common things that draw and/or pull us away from godly thinking. When, or in what kind of situation, are you most likely to take your focus off of God and be influenced by the world? Tami
Source: Tami’s Blog
