1 Samuel 8: Rejecting God as King

"And the LORD said to Samuel. . . 'They have rejected me from being king over them.'" 1 Samuel 8:3

When's the last time you rejected the kingship of God? The Bible tells us that God is king over all creation both now and forever (Psalm 93), but what does it look like when we reject this reality? The Israelites in 1 Samuel 8 give us a pretty good idea.

1 Samuel 8 is a chapter all about how Israel requested to have a human king rather than a divine king. In the beginning of Israel's time, God stated that they would be a theocracy with God as their only king and ruler. However, a few hundred years later, this did not fly with the Israelites. Rather than obeying God's command to have him as their only king, they desired to be like everyone else (1 Sam. 8:20). In response to this, God says that they rejected him as their king (see verse quoted above).

Now before we go throwing the Israelites under the bus, let us consider ourselves how often we reject God's kingship. Although the Lord has not commanded of us a theocratic government [Don't worry, this isn't a lesson on politics.], he has commanded lordship over our lives (Romans 10:13, the entire Bible). This means that God calls us to be fully obedient to him in every situation. Thus, whenever we are disobedient, we do in fact reject God's kingship just as the Israelites did. When we disobey God's commands, we make ourselves the king of our own lives rather than God the king of our own lives. We plea for a new human king just like the Israelites did, only the new human king that we plea for is ourselves.

So, let me rephrase my opening question. Rather than, "When is the last time you rejected the kingship of God?" perhaps I should simply ask, "When is the last time you disobeyed God?" For surely both have the same answer, beause they are the same question. So, stop rejecting the kingship and lordship of Yahweh. Stop making yourself your own king, and submit to the King who created the earth and saved your soul from the pit of hell. Amen.