GIVE US A KING TO JUDGE [lead] US
1 NOW IT CAME TO PASS WHEN SAMUEL WAS OLD THAT HE MADE HIS SONS JUDGES OVER ISRAEL.
2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
3 BUT HIS SONS DID NOT WALK IN HIS WAYS; THEY TURNED ASIDE AFTER DISHONEST GAIN, TOOK BRIBES, AND PERVERTED JUSTICE.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
5 and said to him, “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.”
6 BUT THE THING DISPLEASED SAMUEL WHEN THEY SAID, “GIVE US A KING TO JUDGE US.” SO SAMUEL PRAYED TO THE LORD."
1 Samuel 8:1-8 (NKJV)
An important matter when it comes to leadership is found in our text; the people of Israel came to Samuel, telling him that his children who he appointed to leadership positions, to judge the people of God, were depraved or debauched, thus, they would not want them to be their leaders after he, Samuel, might have departed from the earth (1 Samuel 8:1-5).
Leadership is not all about dishing out order for the people to follow or obey but about setting up good standards or examples for the followers to learn and emulate (1 Peter 5:3).
It is even graver or significantly serious If It was a ministry or kingdom leadership, because those who lead the people of God would receive a stricter judgement If they did wrong (James 3:1).
One thing that should be learnt in the life of Samuel is, though when he was told by the people, the Israelites, that they would not want his children to lead them, that he should appoint a king for them to lead them; he was not pleased with their request but he took it to God in prayer anyway (1 Samuel 8:6).
The lesson to learn from it is; whatever is brought as a request or demand by the people you are appointed or assigned to lead; whether you are pleased with it or not, always take it to God in prayer (1 Samuel 8:6).
READ: 1 Samuel 7:9
In a similar case in the wilderness when the Israelites were journeying to the promised land, the daughters of Zelophehad brought a matter to Moses which he had to take to God before he could give them an answer (Numbers 27:1-5).
A leader of the people of God should emulate this, cultivate the habit of taking the people's matter to God in prayer. Nothing should be done out of flesh, human idea or notion, because a good idea of human is not God's idea (Isaiah 55:8,9).
Another thing is, whoever would serve in the ministry leadership should be a person of integrity, honour and honesty. The children of Samuel failed the moral test that made them not qualify for the leadership positions—they were rejected by the people because they could see their shortcomings—unethical life they were living (1 Samuel 8:3). The admonition in the Book of 2 Timothy 2:19-21 is:
19 NEVERTHELESS THE SOLID FOUNDATION OF GOD STANDS, HAVING THIS SEAL: “THE LORD KNOWS THOSE WHO ARE HIS,” AND, “LET EVERYONE WHO NAMES THE NAME OF CHRIST DEPART FROM INIQUITY." 20 But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also of wood and clay, some for honour and some for dishonour. 21 THEREFORE IF ANYONE CLEANSES HIMSELF FROM THE LATTER, HE WILL BE A VESSEL FOR HONOUR, SANCTIFIED AND USEFUL FOR THE MASTER, PREPARED FOR EVERY GOOD WORK."
Another important thing to learn there is; the people should not have made the decision of asking for a king by themselves. If they did call the attention of Samuel to the wrong things the children were doing, they should have allowed God to decide the replacement of Samuel's children by Himself; either to appoint a judge or a prophet or a king as He deemed fit and had been doing. We got to know that God was not pleased or happy with their request because in His answer to Samuel, He said they have not rejected Samuel but Him, God:
7 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. 8 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" (1 Samuel 8:7,8 NKJV).
This shows us that whatever a leader or minister has done wrong, the change or correction or discipline of the leader should be left to God (Romans 14:4). Demanding for a king by the people of Israel was not pleasing to God at all (1 Samuel 12:16-19).
If the Israelites did allow God to choose a king for them, He probably could have done differently. They specifically demanded for a king but God probably could have wanted them to still be under His rulership, being ruled by Himself—theocratic rule or government—as He had been doing all along.
Up till that point, they were being ruled by God; appointing someone as His representative who He uses as His front person or stooge—giving directives or instructions to the person for the people to follow or obey.
It would have been better if the Israelites did allow God to continue with the theocratical system of government but they were too forward to demand for a king, all because they wanted to be like other nations: " . . . NOW MAKE US A KING TO JUDGE US LIKE ALL THE NATIONS" (1 Samuel 8:5).
Believers should be careful in trying to persuade God to do things for them in order to be like other people, particularly the people of the world—unbelievers.
Believers are expected to be unique and not to be like the people of the world. If there is anything to be learned or emulated, It should be the unbelievers trying to learn from us, the believers—the kingdom people: "BUT YOU ARE A CHOSEN GENERATION, A ROYAL PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, HIS OWN SPECIAL PEOPLE, THAT YOU MAY PROCLAIM THE PRAISES OF HIM WHO CALLED YOU OUT OF DARKNESS INTO HIS MARVELOUS LIGHT" (1 Peter 2:9 NKJV).
• Believers' lives should be envied by the people of the world, making them to want or desire to be like us, the believers.
• Believers' lives should appeal to an average unbeliever, giving them a desire to be like us and serve our God. And not the other way around, when believers are now trying to emulate the unbelievers, trying to be like them in all things.
The Israelites wanted to be like other nations, so do the contemporary believers and this is not consistent with the Word of God, the Bible; It is obnoxious to God: (1 John 2:15-17).
Peace.