As the book of Judges comes to an end, we see the desperate state of a people who have abandoned their God. Coming off the heels of Samson (who was no example himself), Israel spirals into the darkest spiritual period of its long and arduous history. The account is recorded in Judges 17-21. We won’t recount the story nor its graphic details. But the chapters are bookended by Judges 17:6 and Judges 21:25, where we read,
“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”
The solution to this problem is hinted at in these verses above. There was no king. And in 1st Samuel, we seemingly have come to the answer to Israel’s problem. In 1 Samuel 8:5, the elders of Israel say to Samuel,
“Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
But God’s response to their request for a king was not met with the same enthusiasm that Israel had, nor the enthusiasm you or I might have. In 1 Samuel 8:7, God tells Samuel,
“Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.”
Like Israel, we too often look to a man (or woman) to solve our problems. Today, we do this politically. We do this in our jobs. We do this in our families. And we do this in our churches. We want a human leader who will conquer our enemies for us and lead us to victory.
We need to acknowledge that leadership and authority, whether political, in our jobs, in our families, or in our churches, is given to us by God and is established according to His word (Ref: Rom 13:1-7, Eph 6:5-9, 1 Pet 2:18, Eph 5:22-33, Col 3:18, Eph 6:1-4, Col 3:20, Heb 13:17).
However, these leaders and authorities were never intended to conquer all our enemies and give us peace. The enemies of sin, rebellion, and depravity, no human leader can conquer. As Jesus said, they come from within, from the heart, from our sinful nature.
Israel’s problem wasn’t that they didn’t have a king. Israel’s problem was that they had strayed far from following God… from loving Him with all their heart, soul, and might (Ref: Deut 6:5). They wanted the things of the world, like all the other nations, instead of God.
What about you? What are you pursuing? And to whom are you looking to for answers?
Later in 1 Samuel 10:19, as Saul is being anointed King of Israel, Samuel reminds the people,
“But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!'”
It’s easy to forget that it is God, Himself, who saves us, and who delivers us, from all our adversities and tribulations.
Writing as both a husband and a pastor, I must admit that my leadership is peripheral at best. I am not the answer. Nor do I have any real answers, apart from God’s word. There is only one King (Ref: 1 Tim 6:15, Rev 19:16). He is the One who has gained the victory. He is the One who has been crowned. So let us not make the same mistake as Israel. As we recognize the authorities God has established, may we not lose sight of Him who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. And may we follow Him.