God tells prophet Samuel:
1 Samuel 8:9
King James Version
9 Now therefore hearken unto their voice:
howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them,
and shew them the manner of the king
that shall reign over them.
What happens when people think they know better than GOD?
What happens when they prefer to choose their own king?
GOD has an apt response for His ungrateful people:
"shew them the manner of the king
that shall reign over them"
Always, GOD will have the last word.
He will give them EXACTLY what they want.
Here's what God told Samuel to EXPECT from their new ruler:
1 Samuel 8:10-18
King James Version
10 And Samuel told all the words of the Lord
unto the people that asked of him a king.
11 And he said,
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.
12 And he will appoint him captains over thousands,
and captains over fifties;
and will set them to ear his ground,
and to reap his harvest,
and to make his instruments of war,
and instruments of his chariots.
13 And he will take your daughters
to be confectionaries,
and to be cooks,
and to be bakers.
14 And he will take your fields,
and your vineyards,
and your oliveyards,
even the best of them,
and give them to his servants.
15 And he will take the tenth of your seed,
and of your vineyards,
and give to his officers,
and to his servants.
16 And he will take your menservants,
and your maidservants,
and your goodliest young men,
and your asses,
and put them to his work.
17 He will take the tenth of your sheep:
and ye shall be his servants.
18 And ye shall cry out in that day
because of your king
which ye shall have chosen you;
and the Lord will not hear you in that day.
And what was the people's response, despite the dire warnings from God, through His prophet, Samuel?
As expected:
1 Samuel 8:19-20
King James Version
19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey
the voice of Samuel; and they said,
Nay; but we will have a king over us;
20 That we also may be like all the nations;
and that our king may judge us,
and go out before us,
and fight our battles.
Samuel tells God their response.
1 Samuel 8:21
King James Version
21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people,
and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord.
The LORD expected that from His ungrateful people, and tells His prophet:
1 Samuel 8:21
King James Version
22 And the Lord said to Samuel,
Hearken unto their voice,
and make them a king.
And Samuel said unto the men of Israel,
Go ye every man unto his city.
What God says He will do, He does.
Again, the Bible is replete with such instances.
What happened to Israel, and their chosen king?
You can read the colorful details from these chapters:
God won't declare, "I told you so."
By the fruits of their actions, God has been vindicated.
But He has plans for an appointed king, which will be on the next post.
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