First Samuel 8 is a painful chapter. We learn in the first few verses that Samuel’s adult sons, who became judges, were more interested in money than serving God. They took bribes and perverted judgment.
It hurts to read this. It is like history is repeating itself – in the previous generation, Eli’s sons were wicked, and things did not end well for them. Now the people want to do away with the whole system. They want a king like the other nations! They want to change course, but not in a good way.
Unlike Eli, however, Samuel was not passive about the situation. He went right to the Lord about the problem (verse six). Whereas God had rebuked Eli harshly in his apathy (I Samuel 3:11-14), the conversation with Samuel was much different.
Here is how the Lord responded to Samuel in I Samuel 8:7-9, “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. (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.”
Why did God respond so differently to Samuel than He had to Eli? It was not really about the sin of their sons. When children grow up, they have free choice, just like everyone. If they choose to disobey God as adults, that is on them – except when it becomes Dad’s business. Here’s what I mean. Eli was wrong because he knew of their sin, was totally passive about it; did nothing about it in his role as a father or priest, and still allowed his sons to be in positions to pervert the sacrifices. If he had done all that was in his power, it would have been different.
With Samuel, on the other hand, when we first see the problem identified in Scripture, we also see him go straight to the Lord for a solution. The sin of the sons of Samuel was also different than that of Eli’s sons. Eli’s sons had caused the sacrifice to be abhorred, and they were involved with gross immorality. Samuel’s sons received bribes, and when Samuel was told about it – he went to the Lord.
The people, in response to Samuel’s sons being corrupt and receiving bribes, decided that they wanted to change their form of government to be like all the other nations. They wanted a king! After all – what are you going to do with such corrupt leadership?!
God said that, in their response, the people had rejected Him, and referenced the time all the way back to their miraculous deliverance from Egypt. You see, God’s desire had always been to have an individual, personal walk with His people. Gradually, systematically, they had gotten away from God, until now, it was just easier to blame the “corrupt leadership” and call it a day. In their mind, it was time to change course – completely away from having any direct input from God. Separate church and state. Have a king like the rest of the world, and stop being an embarrassment.
Here is what they failed to factor into their equation: it takes two to bribe. Samuel’s sons were receiving bribes, but the people of Israel were just fine with paying them. If you want to stop being oppressed, stop paying the bribes, and stop taking part in actions that require justice to cover her eyes. Return to the God that sees the oppressed and allow Him to fight for you!
It is not difficult to serve God, but it requires consistency. It is not complicated, but it requires the difficulty of swallowing one’s pride and depending on the still small voice of the Lord, step by step. It requires acknowledging that you cannot do it – not on your own; you need the strength of the Lord.
Samuel was instructed to give the people what they wanted. He was also instructed to protest. He was to warn them about what they were really getting. Sadly, they were about to go from bad to worse.
Instead of complaining about the “corrupt leadership” around us, have we considered our own contributions to that corrupt leadership? Sometimes leadership becomes corrupt because we expect leaders to do everything, and the burden is too great. A pastor, for instance, is not supposed to be the only source of spiritual food for church members; nor is he supposed to make the spiritual decisions for his members. If this is the expectation for your pastor, you will soon find that he will crumble under your wrong expectations. Instead, you should dig into the Word of God yourself, develop your walk with God until you can hear from God yourself, so that you are doing your part to walk along side leadership in a healthy way.