Dear John, it's not you, it's me. I regret to inform you. No thanks. Your services are
no longer required. Your application has not been successful. You're fired.
Let's just be friends. I don't know how you feel when you hear these words, but I'm sure we will all
have faced rejection at some point in our lives, whether it's in relationships, sports, work, or
education. Tonight we are looking at a passage that involves rejection and hurt. Rejection hurts.
Let me pray. Lord God, Heavenly Father, High King of Heaven, I ask that through the teaching of your
word and the work of the Holy Spirit, we would have the joy of seeing lives transformed, of people
coming to faith and being baptized, of seeing passion for you being reignited and our wayward lives
brought in line with you. Speak to us, we pray. Amen.
Now, I wonder when you were listening to the passage being read earlier, whether you picked up on a few
things. I wonder if you picked up on history repeating itself. I wonder if you picked up on
who was being rejected and who the rejection hurts.
So let's look at our passage just now. We'll be looking at some other verses from the Bible,
but they'll be on our screen. Our main focus will be on the passage. So if you can have that open in
front of you, I think that would be a good idea. And let's first look at the rejection and the request.
And here we will see the first bit of history repeating itself. In the first three verses of chapter
8, we see that history has repeated itself in Samuel's sons. Samuel's sons have turned out
like Eli's sons. Samuel made his son's rulers like himself, but they did not follow in their father's
footsteps in how he governed. But instead, they went after dishonest gain, taking bribes and letting money
decide how justice would be done. This leads to the people rejecting their rule, which seems fair enough.
Why would they want to be governed by Samuel's corrupt sons?
But instead of looking to God, seeking his will, and trusting that God would provide
another judge like Samuel to rule and guide them, they look to the nations around them and think,
well, why can't we have what they have? They all have kings. We should have a king.
I'm sure Samuel feels hurt. He feels rejected. Hadn't he led the people well?
Why should they be turning on him now? Wasn't it Samuel who in the last chapter we saw had got the
Israelites to rid themselves of their foreign gods and had cried out to the Lord on Israel's behalf?
And the Lord had answered him and subdued the Philistines so that they stopped invading
their land. Hasn't Samuel improved the Israelites' lives immensely? And here they are telling him that
he's old, turning against him and his leadership and asking to have someone completely different
to him and who'll do things in a completely different way to him. A king. What is Samuel to make of this?
What should he do? How many leaders would have seen this as a rebellion that needed to be crushed?
How many times have we seen that happen throughout history and even around the world today?
When one person is the ultimate authority and then their leadership is challenged,
even peacefully, things can turn nasty very quickly. Just look at Syria as a heartbreaking example of this.
But Samuel is not the ultimate authority in Israel. No. And he knows this. And he does exactly the right thing.
He does what we should do when we face rejection. He turns to God, to Yahweh, the ultimate authority in Israel.
And when we face rejection, for whatever reason it may be, we should turn to God, the ultimate authority.
And if you are a Christian or are thinking about it, then you should know that as a Christian,
you should expect to face rejection for your faith.
Jesus himself was rejected. And we see in John 15 that he told his disciples this.
So we can expect to be rejected.
And when that comes, we should first and foremost take it to God in prayer.
And in verse 6 of our passage, we see Samuel praying to God and telling of the elders' request.
Now concerning the request, it should be said that the concept of kingship in Israel is not in and of itself necessarily a bad thing.
And I don't think that we should be said that.
And I don't think that we should be using this passage to try and argue one way or the other about our own constitutional monarchy.
Back in Genesis, God said to Abraham that he would bless Sarah, his wife.
I will bless her.
Of priests and a holy nation.
In Deuteronomy, God even predicts the elders' request.
Deuteronomy 17.14 says,
Some people have suggested that if Israel hadn't asked for a king at this point,
then God would have later gone ahead and appointed David as king when the time was right.
So we've seen the rejection of Samuel and the request for a king.
Let's now look at the repeated rejection and the response.
You see, the problem with the elders' request is that it comes from a repeated rejection of God as king.
God tells Samuel,
Listen to all that the people are saying to you.
It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.
As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day for seeking me and serving other gods.
So they are doing to you.
This is more history repeating itself.
And here we see that it is not really Samuel that they are rejecting.
It is God himself they are rejecting.
In the Psalms, we see the place God should have.
The Lord is king forever and ever.
The Lord is enthroned as king forever.
And when we go back to Deuteronomy 17,
we see the place that a king of Israel should have in relationship to God.
When he takes the throne of his kingdom,
he is to write for himself on a scroll a copy of this law taken from that of the Levitical priests.
It is to be with him and he is to read it all the days of his life
so that he may learn to revere the Lord his God
and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees
and not consider himself better than his fellow Israelites
and turn from the law to the right or to the left.
This human king would be subject to God as king
and fully dependent on God's word as the law of the kingdom.
The ultimate king of Israel would still be the Lord
and the human king would be serving as his deputy
in a similar fashion to Samuel's leadership.
But the elders of Israel reject this plan
by asking to have a king like all the surrounding nations.
This king would be the ultimate authority, not the Lord.
This is why God himself assesses their request by saying,
They have rejected me as their king.
They are rejecting him just as they had done many times before.
Ever since they became an independent nation
when God rescued them from Egypt.
If you know the story of Exodus,
then you know that it wasn't long
after being rescued that the people were worshipping a golden calf.
The nation continued to look to other nations
and to copy their practices
and worship their false gods.
Yet God was faithful.
In verse 20 of our passage,
we see the other reason
the people have for wanting an earthly king.
They wanted a king who would be physically on the battlefield,
leading them and fighting their battles.
They have a lack of trust in God and his protection.
Even though throughout their history,
there have been many times
when they have called out to God,
turned to him,
and he has won the battle.
And I wonder how often
these kind of things are a problem for ourselves.
How often do we see what others have
and want that for ourselves?
How often does the grass look greener
on the other side?
In the age of social media,
it seems increasingly difficult
to escape this trap
with friends, acquaintances, celebrities,
all projecting an airbrushed version
of their lives onto our devices.
And where is our security?
Is it in physical things?
Our houses?
Our savings?
Our families?
Or maybe you feel totally insecure.
Can I just say that real contentment
and true security
can only be found in God
through Jesus.
And if you are already a Christian,
it is so important
that we remind ourselves
of that every day.
So, given that this request
is a repeated rejection of God,
why does God allow
this situation to occur?
And why does he respond
by telling Samuel
to listen to the people
and to grant their request?
Well, this is a classic example
of God using people's sin
to accomplish his own good
and perfect plans.
we see this concept clearly
with Joseph,
who was sold as a slave
by his brothers
and was used by God
to rescue his family
and all of Egypt
from famine.
Joseph tells his brothers
in Genesis 50 verse 20,
you intended to harm me,
but God intended it for good
to accomplish
what is now being done,
the saving of many lives.
I can think of how this has happened
in my own life
and how I ended up
in Edinburgh
when I was in secondary school
and thinking about
which university to go to.
I wasn't really asking God
about where I should go.
I was happy just to not think
too much about it
and take the easy option,
go to Queens
in Belfast.
Easy.
But I ended up
in a relationship
with a girlfriend,
which after it was all over,
I could see
was not particularly healthy.
I can now see
that the way that I lived
at the time
showed that this relationship
was more important to me
than my relationship with God.
I can see
that I was putting
my own temporary happiness
above being obedient to God.
It was clearly wrong,
but God used it
to accomplish his will
in getting me
to Edinburgh.
You see,
my girlfriend
was absolutely set
on going to St. Andrews.
And it was this
that caused me
to look
at Scottish universities
and to find
somewhere near St. Andrews
where I could study
electrical engineering.
And so,
I ended up in Edinburgh
and becoming part
of this church
and eventually
finding my wife.
So,
although I regret
that relationship,
I can see
how God used it
for good.
We also see
the same concept
with Jesus
who was innocent
yet became a victim
of an evil plot
to kill him.
However,
this horrendous act
was part of God's
good plan
to rescue us.
So,
we have seen
the repeated
rejection
of God
and the response
of God.
Let's now take
some time
to look
at the results
and the refusal.
In verses
11 to 18,
we see the results
of rejecting
to the people
what the consequences
will be for Israel
if the elders'
request
is to be granted.
Having a king
like all the other nations
will lead to the people
being slaves.
slaves serving
the king
and his desires.
He will use
the people's sons
to run
in front
of his chariots.
Their main purpose,
I think,
being just to make
the king look important.
He will take
their sons
to be commanders,
others to work
his land,
and yet more
to make weapons
of war.
The king will take
some of the people's
daughters
to make perfume,
some to bake,
and others to cook.
He will also
take the best fields,
vineyards,
and olive groves,
and give them
to his attendants.
He will take
a tax
on their produce
and give it
to his officials
in attendance,
and take
a tenth
of their flocks,
and he will make
the people slaves.
take,
take.
This human king
will be a taker
in sharp contrast
to God,
the giver
and provider.
Israel's desire
for a human king
like all the other nations
will be costly.
and if we look
at verse 18,
we see what will
happen
when the people
see the results
of their rejection
of God
and their request
for a king.
When that day
comes,
you will cry
out for relief
from the king
you have chosen,
but the Lord
will not
answer
you
in that day.
Notice the words
cry out.
These are the same
words
that appear
in the book
of Judges
when the people
are under
a foreign king's
oppression
and they call
out to God.
God would then
hear them,
would raise up
a judge
to rescue them
and free them
from the bondage
and oppression
of this foreign king.
Another set
of recurring words
that you find
in the book
of Judges,
particularly towards
the end of the book,
are the words
in those days
Israel
had no king.
Everyone did
as they saw fit.
So it's kind
of ironic
that they
will be
crying out
to God
because of
the oppression
of their own
king
who they
have requested.
But they
will have
made their
beds
and they
will have
to sleep
in it.
They will
not be
able to
escape
these
consequences
consequences.
And no relief
will come
from God
this time
when they
call.
Samuel
clearly warns
the people
on God's
behalf.
But what
is their
response?
It is a
refusal
to listen.
No,
they say.
we want
a king
over us.
Then we
shall be
like all
the other
nations
with a
king to
lead us
and to
go out
before us
and to
fight our
battles.
They
refused
to listen
and will
have to
face the
results
of rejecting
God
and the
refusal
to listen
to God.
So hopefully
we have
seen the
results
that people
had from
rejecting
God.
What about
us then?
There too
are
results
or
consequences
for us
rejecting
God.
Potentially
eternal
consequences.
rejection
hurts.
Rejecting
God
hurts
us.
If like
me
and you
are already
a Christian
then you
should be
living
with God
as your
king.
But like
me I'm
sure
there will
be areas
of your
life
where God
is not
in full
control.
can I
encourage
you to
confess
your
sin
to
God
and
to
a
trusted
brother
or
sister
in
Christ
so
that
you
may
be
freed
from
that
sin
and
its
earthly
results.
If you
are not
yet a
Christian
then
can I
ask you
to pay
special
attention
to our
last
little
bit.
We're
going to
have a
look at
a thing
called
Two
Ways
to
Live.
If you're
already a
Christian
then
you can
just
have a
little
snooze.
Okay
I'm
honestly
joking
but I
know
there is
a
temptation
to
switch
off
at
this
point.
So
can I
just
encourage
you
to
think
maybe
about
learning
this
simple
style
of
sharing
the
gospel
and
to
think
and
to
pray
about
who
you
could
share
it
with.
So
two
ways
to
live
you
can
find
it
quite
easily
by
searching
the
web
there's
also
an
app
that
you
can
download
for
Android
or
Apple
devices
and
it's
just
a
simple
way
of
sharing
the
gospel
in
just
six
simple
steps
with
some
very
simple
drawings
that
hopefully
anybody
should
be able
to draw
for
themselves.
So
here
we've
just
got a
circle
a
stick
man
and
a
crown
and
here
we
see
the
world
and
the
crown
representing
God
is the
loving
ruler
of
the
world
he
made
the
world
and
he
made
us
rulers
of
the
world
under
him
revelations
411
says
you
are
worthy
our
Lord
and
God
to
receive
glory
and
honor
and
power
for
you
created
all
things
and
by
your
will
they
were
created
and
have
their
being
but
is
this
the
way
that
things
are
now
no
we
have
all
rejected
the
ruler
God
by
trying
to run
life
our
way
without
him
but
we
fail
to
rule
ourselves
or
society
or
the
world
Romans
3
says
there
is
no
one
righteous
not
even
one
there
is
no
one
who
understands
no
one
who
seeks
God
all
have
turned
away
so
what
will
God
do
about
this
rebellion
God
won't
let us
rebel
forever
God's
punishment
for
rebellion
is
death
and
judgment
Hebrews
9
says
man
is
destined
to
die
once
and
after
that
to
face
judgment
God's
justice
sounds
hard
but
because
of
God's
love
God
sent
his
son
into
the
world
the
man
Christ
Jesus
always
lived
under
God's
rule
yet
by
dying
in
our
place
he
took
our
punishment
and
brought
forgiveness
Christ
died
for
sins
once
for
all
the
righteous
for
the
unrighteous
to
bring
you
to
God
but
that's
not
all
God
raised
Jesus
to
life
again
as
the
ruler
of
the
world
Jesus
has
conquered
death
and
now
gives
new
life
and
will
return
to
judge
the
world
in
his
great
mercy
he
has
given
us
new
birth
into
a
living
hope
through
the
resurrection
of
Jesus
Christ
from
the
dead
so
where
does
that
leave
us
it
leaves
us
with
a
choice
two
ways
to
live
there's
our
way
reject
the
ruler
God
try
to
run
life
our
own
way
but
the
result
will
be
we
will
be
condemned
by
God
we
will
be
facing
death
and
judgment
then
there
is
God's
way
to
submit
to
Jesus
as
our
ruler
to
rely
on
Jesus
death
and
resurrection
and
that
will
result
in
being
forgiven
by
God
and
being
given
eternal
life
let's
pray
Lord
God
Heavenly
Father
High
King
of
Heaven
thank
you for
sending
your
Son
Jesus
who
was
rejected
and
killed
for
our
sake
thank
you
that
you
brought
him
back
to
life
and
that
he
is
now
reigning
with
you
Lord
help
us
to
submit
to
his
rule
and
to
rely
only
on
his
death
and
resurrection
for
us
to
be
saved
thank
you
that
if
we
are
trusting
in
Jesus
you
are
willing
to
forgive
us
and
have
promised
us
eternal
life
in
Jesus
name
Amen