1 Samuel 8:10-18
10 So Samuel spoke all the words of the Lord to the people who had asked him for a king.
11 And he said, “This will be the practice of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and put them in his chariots for himself and among his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots.
12 He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to do his plowing and to gather in his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
13 He will also take your daughters and use them as perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
14 He will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.
15 And he will take a tenth of your seed and your vineyards and give it to his high officials and his servants.
16 He will also take your male servants and your female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and use them for his work.
17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.
18 Then you will cry out on that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you on that day.”
The Practice of the King
The sacrifices the people must make
The people of Israel asked for a king, but they did not understand how severe a king’s demand towards the people could be. Therefore, Samuel fully conveyed the word of the Lord and clearly explained the sacrifices the people would have to make. (1) The king would conscript their sons to serve as soldiers. (2) The king would take their daughters to serve in the royal palace. (3) The king would impose new taxes. This would be a separate tax from the tithe they already give to the temple. The people would suffer heavy taxation. (4) The king would take the best of their servants and livestock for his own work. (5) The freedom the people had would be considerably restricted.
What’s done cannot be undone
In the future, there will be evil kings among those who rule. When such evil kings appear, the people, unable to bear the oppression, will cry out to the Lord for help. However, the Lord will not respond to their cries because they, by their own will, chose to transition to a monarchy. Anyone who are discouraged with being a Christian or serving the Lord and desiring to live a life according to their own desires, just like others, they should learn from this passage. (1) Moving away from God means entering into the bondage of the devil, who rules over us without restraint. (2) The devil promises us freedom and joy, but what we actually receive are bondage and despair. (3) If we walk away from God, we forfeit many blessings, such as the power of prayer, the joy of praise, the satisfaction from worship, fellowship with brothers and sisters, and the hope given in times of trials. The Bible teaches, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years approach when you will say, ‘I have no pleasure in them’” (Eccl. 12:1). Now is the time. Today, let’s establish the main direction of our lives.
Today's prayer
Our Creator, You are my King and Savior. I give thanks to You for the power of prayer, the joy of praise, the satisfaction that comes from worship, and the fellowship with brothers and sisters. I pray in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.