ALPHA MAAMA (A.M.)

Pulelulu Tisema 8, 2021

they have rejected Me

kuo nau li‘aki au

1 Samiuela 8 (1 Samuel 8)

(v. 6-8) Ka na‘e hā kovi kia Sāmiuela ‘a e me‘a, ‘a ‘enau pehē, ‘Omi hatau tu‘i ke fakamaau kitautolu. Pea lotu ‘a Sāmiuela kia Sihova. Pea folofola ‘a Sihova kia Sāmiuela, Fakaongo ki he lea ‘a e kakai ‘i he me‘a kotoa kuo nau lea‘aki kiate koe: he ‘oku ‘ikai ko koe kuo nau li‘aki, ka kuo nau li‘aki au mei he nofo ko honau tu‘i. Ko e anga ai pē ia ‘o e me‘a kotoa kuo nau fai, mei he ‘aho na‘a ku ‘ohake kinautolu mei ‘Isipite, ‘o a‘u ki he ‘aho ko eni, ‘a ‘enau li‘aki au, mo tauhi ‘otua kehe, kuo pehē foki ‘enau fai kiate koe.

(v. 6-8) But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to 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. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.

 

G. Campbell Morgan's Exposition on the Whole Bible

This first Book of Samuel at this point merges into its second division, which has to do with Saul. First we have the account of the clamor of the people for a king and the divine answer thereto. The occasion for the request on their part was that of the maladministration of the sons of Samuel, and their sinful practices. The real principle underlying their request was their desire to be, as they said, "like all the nations."

This is the revelation of the supreme wrong. They had been chosen to be unlike the nations, a people directly governed by God. In communion, Jehovah made plain to Samuel the real evil in their request when He declared that they had rejected Him from being their King.

 

David Guzik :: Study Guide for 1 Samuel 8

The thing displeased Samuel: No doubt, Samuel was stung by the rejection of his sons. But more than that, Samuel saw the ungodly motive behind the elders’ request for a king.

So Samuel prayed to the Lord: This is the right thing to do whenever we are displeased. We should never carry such troubles with us. Instead, we should do what Samuel did when he prayed to the Lord.

“Surely it is the mistake of our life, that we carry our burdens instead of handing them over; that we worry instead of trusting; that we pray so little.” (Meyer)

Heed the voice of the people: God told Samuel to fulfill the people’s request. This was not because their request was good or right, but because God would teach Israel through this. Sometimes when we insist on having something bad God will allow us to have it and then teach through it.

In many ways this was a matter of timing. God knew Israel would have a king but He wanted to give the king in His timing. Because Israel demanded a king out of bad and carnal reasons, God will give them a bad and carnal king. Israel will get what they want, and will hurt because of it!

They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them: God had a purpose in not giving Israel a king up to that point. It was because He did not want them to put an ungodly trust in the king instead of the Lord. Now, Israel rejects God’s plan and declares they do not want the Lord God to reign over them.

In the words they have not rejected you, we sense God comforting Samuel. It is as if God says, “Samuel, don’t take it personally. They are not rejecting you, but Me.”

They have forsaken Me... so they are doing to you also: In fact, Israel forsook God by asking for a king. When the elders of Israel asked for a king, they thought that better politics or government could meet their needs. But if they had just been faithful to their King in heaven, they would not need a king on earth.

This strikes us as simply unfair. Didn’t God show Himself to be a worthy King? Didn’t He demonstrate His ability to lead the nation, and demonstrate it over and over again?

There is a sense in which their rejection of God as their king is prophetic. When Jesus stood before Pilate the Jewish mob declared, we have no king but Caesar (John 19:15). Jesus was a rejected King.