The first few books of the Old Testament tell us how God delivered His people from Egypt, and brought them to the promised land.
Because of their disobedience, Israel wandered around the desert for 40 years. Moses, and most of the generation that had fled Egypt, were not allowed to enter the promised land, and many died in the wilderness.
Shortly after Moses died, Joshua lead the people across the River Jordan into the promised land.
With God’s help, Israel quickly conquered much of the promised land. Things were looking up! Israel was so confident, that they divided up the land amongst the tribes before they had even captured it all.
But then Joshua died, and the Israelites lost their way. They started doing the exact opposite of what God had told them to do. Instead of slaying the wicked inhabitants of the promised land, they started intermarrying with them, and began to worship their false gods.
The next 300+ years were tumultuous. This was the time of the Judges. Over and over the following pattern repeated:
- Israel rebels against God.
- God punishes them, allowing the surrounding nations to oppress them.
- Israel cries out to God for help.
- God sends a “Judge” to deliver them.
- Israel turns back to God for a generation or two.
- Israel starts getting friendly with the neighboring nations and their false gods… and the cycle repeats.
Lesson learned?
When we get to the book of I Samuel, Israel has reached an inflection point in their history. Samuel is destined to be the last Judge of Israel. The people have decided they want a king instead. They want to be like the nations around them.
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.”
I Samuel 8: 4-5
Samuel knows this is not a good plan. Israel is supposed to be different from the nations around them. They are God’s chosen people. God is their King. Samuel warns them, and explains what will happen if they insist on having an earthly king.
“This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots.
Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment.
The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him.
He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials.
He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants.
He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use.
He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves.
When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the Lord will not help you.”
I Samuel 8: 11-18
Now you would think, after all that Israel has been through… after centuries of ups and downs, rebellion and consequences… that they would heed this warning.
Nope!
But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said.
“We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will judge us and lead us into battle.”
I Samuel 8: 19-20
Did you catch that? “EVEN SO, we still want a king.“
It’s easy to read that and think, “Come on! They know this is going to end badly. Why in the world would they go through with it!?” But we shouldn’t be too quick to judge.
When we sin, we know there will be consequences. We know because we’ve been warned by God’s Word. Even so, we sometimes decide that we want our own way, no matter the cost. But the bill always comes due. We pay a price for our sin; we bear the scars.
Even so, God loves us. When we repent, He forgives us and delivers us, just as He did for the Israelites.
Again and again he rescued [Israel], but they chose to rebel against him, and they were finally destroyed by their sin.
Even so, he pitied them in their distress and listened to their cries.
He remembered his covenant with them and relented because of his unfailing love.
Psalm 106: 43-45
A better, “even so”.
Our daily challenge as Christians is to make our “even so” look something like this:
“I’m tempted to [insert sin that you struggle with here]. I really want to! Even so, I choose to obey God.”
This isn’t easy, but it is doable through the power of the Holy Spirit. Remember this promise:
No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.
I Corinthians 10:13
