Well today we are going to wrap up our series looking at the life of Samuel. If you recall in week one we looked at Samuel’s lifelong habit of telling God’s truth. And then as a Judge of Israel, in week two, we examined the 6 step process that Samuel used to return people to God. But today we come to Samuel as an old man.
In a 2006 article in time magazine in an article called "Why We Worry About the Things We Shouldn't” Jeffrey Kluger, writes:
As human beings, we pride ourselves on being the only species that understands the concept of risk. Yet we have a confounding habit of worrying about mere possibilities while ignoring probabilities—of building barricades against perceived dangers while leaving ourselves exposed to real ones.
For example, we agonize over the avian flu, which [as of December 2006] had killed precisely no one in the U.S., but have to be cajoled into getting vaccinated for the common flu, which contributes to the deaths of 36,000 Americans each year. White-knuckle flyers routinely choose the car when traveling long distances, heedless of the fact that, at most, a few hundred people die in U.S. commercial airline crashes in a year, compared with 44,000 killed in motor-vehicle wrecks.
We wring our hands over the mad cow pathogen that might be (but almost certainly isn't) in our hamburger, yet worry far less about the cholesterol that contributes to the heart disease that kills 700,000 of us annually. Shoppers still look askance at a bag of spinach for fear of E. coli bacteria while filling their carts with fat-sodden French fries and salt-crusted nachos.
We put filters on faucets, install air ionizers in our homes, and lather ourselves with antibacterial soap. At the same time, 20 percent of all adults still smoke; nearly 20 percent of drivers and more than 30 percent of backseat passengers don't use seatbelts; and two-thirds of us are overweight or obese.
In short, shadowed by peril as we are, you would think we'd get pretty good at distinguishing the risks likeliest to do us in from the ones that are statistical long shots. But you would be wrong.
The bottom line of me reading that was simply to make this point, as humans we are really quite good at making really quite bad decisions. And while we hate it when our bad decisions come back to bite us, we really hate it when we see someone we love about to make a bad decision that we can help them avoid. But what should we do when our wisdom, even God’s wisdom is ignored?
This is exactly the dilemma that Samuel found himself facing in his old age. We read about it in 1 Samuel 8 (read text)
Lesson One:
Samuel has a life time of wisdom behind him; he is a man who has demonstrated integrity throughout his ministry as judge to the Nation of Israel. But now the people have asked for something that God does not yet want to give; a king, and despite Samuel’s warning they choose to ignore it.
That’s tough isn’t it? Have you ever been in a situation where you know you’re right and yet the other party still won’t do what you say? How do you handle that? How should you handle that? Well let’s take a look at what Samuel did and what lessons we can learn along the way.
First, I’d like for us to note that Samuel had two sons, one was named “Yahweh is God” which is translated Joel, and the other is called “Yahweh is my father” which is translated Abijah. Two sons, who, according to their names, were raised to know and obey the ways of God. But we read that they “did not follow… they turned aside…” Samuel set for his sons a good example, he provided proper instruction but as they grew older they chose not to follow.
Friends, the reality is that while we can give our best advice and our finest example ultimately people will choose their own path. Their choice is not always a reflection of your influence. Some of you have children who do not yet walk with God and you blame yourself, when the reality is they chose. And self-blame is really an undeserved, torturous self-condemnation for something not within your power. And you need to know that the poor choices of children are not always a reflection of the parents teaching. I am tempted to say forgive yourself, but the reality is there is nothing to forgive because the wrong decisions of your children are not yours to be forgiven of. You do not need to carry that burden and I urge you to let it go. Lesson # 1: Bad choices on the part of others, does not necessarily mean bad leadership on our part.
Lesson Two:
Now, we see that the people of Israel come to Samuel and essentially they say, “You didn’t do such a great job in raising your kids, because they aren’t like you. And you’re getting old so we want a king to lead us.” In essence they are rejecting Samuel and he feels the sting.
But really the reasons they give for wanting a king are simply excuses, the real reason is found in their statement, “…now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” They are tired of being different; they want to be like everyone else.
Any parent knows that this is one of the oldest rationales for foolish behaviour in the book. “Everyone else is doing it, so why can’t I?” “I’m the only one who can’t, doesn’t or isn’t allowed in my whole class.” “All the other nations have an earthly king to lead them in battle, we want one too.”
Friends, there are times when following the teachings of Jesus Christ will flow upstream from the rest of culture, everyone else will be doing it and we’ll be told not to. And we will be tempted to want to be like everyone else. We will be tempted to disobey God.
When the people requested a king and rejected Samuel he did something that only years of wisdom can train us to do. He prayed first before responding. Even though he was probably sure of what God would say, before he speaks, he prays. Lesson # 2: Pray about a situation before rendering advice.
Lesson Three:
What I want you to notice is what takes place when Samuel prays and tells God about this very foolish desire and request of Israel.
First, we are told “And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you…” Here them out, listen carefully to all they are saying. Make sure they’ve had a full opportunity to clearly tell you their wishes and reasons for their request.
I don’t know about you, but I find it very easy to want to cut people off when I know, or at least think I know, what they are about to say. The truth is, even if I do know what they are going to say, they won’t feel that they have been heard until I allow them to finish speaking. And so must we, listen to all the person is saying first. Lesson #3: Listen fully to the other person.
Lesson Four:
Then notice what happens next, God says, “…it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” Friends, once Samuel hears all that the people want to say and he takes it to God, God then helps to discern the reality of what it is they are saying. You see Samuel thought they were rejecting him, but the truth is they were really rejecting God’s rule. Discernment is the needed second step.
A child can say to another adult, “I don’t want to go to my home!”, it may be rebellion or it could be fear. If it is rebellion you should act one way but if it is fear it requires that you act a completely other way.
Now, the motive for the people’s rejection of God’s rule is found in another passage, in 1 Samuel 12, Samuel is giving his farewell speech to the nation at the induction of their new king and he recounts their decision to have a king. Listen to what he says is the motive behind their request in verse 12 of chapter 12, “But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the LORD your God was your king.”
The people saw that they were going to be attacked by the king of the Ammonites and they were afraid, and fear motivated their request. They wanted a king that you could see to lead them in battle. Lesson #4: Discern their reasons prayerfully.
Lesson Five:
Now, you would think that once the motive was revealed to Samuel after he listened, he would then confront the nation with their wayward motives, but that is not what God tells him to do. Once God helps Samuel to discern the real motives and the real issue that it at stake, he tells him once more “Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly…” Samuel was to once more listen to the request of the people but this time in light of what he has discerned, and then he is to warn them.
Without reading again the warning of Samuel to the people, the basic outline is that he tells them that if they have a king they would be drafted into the military, taxed, and essentially made into slaves. In other words, the very thing they fear, being ruled by a king, is the very thing they will end up getting. Lesson #5: Having discerned their motives, warn them solemnly.
Lesson Six:
And we are told “…the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us.” Can you imagine? You know you’re right, you’ve listened patiently, you warn them solemnly and they still refuse to listen to you. So what should you do? I’ll tell you, it’s not what we feel like doing:
• We don’t continue to lecture
• We don’t punch them in the nose
• We don’t go off in an huff and get all offended
• We don’t give up on them and wish them all the best while they rot for all eternity
• We don’t go gossiping about it to others, posting it on facebook or twittering it to other twits
No, what we do is what Samuel did, “When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD.” I had an African friend in Bible College to whom I said something about another person. In a very gentle but direct fashion he said to me, “If you want to gossip, gossip to God.” That was all he needed to say. Lesson #6: Vent to God privately.
Lesson Seven:
That is what Samuel did, he told God what the people said. Now you need to realise that Samuel was the judge, he was the ruler, he could have used his authority to tell the people what they could or couldn’t do, after all he was right. But he recognized that his authority was given to him by God and was subject to God. And notice what God tells Samuel, “The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
How hard must that have been? You’ve felt that sting haven’t you? A time when you know you’re right, and everything in you wants to insist on your own way, but for the sake of peace, or unity or submitting to authorities, or love or some other godly reason you give up pressing the point even though you are right? Eating humble pie is hard enough when you’re wrong but to take a slice when your right? And yet that is what God asks Samuel to do. Apparently God does not concern Himself primarily with who is right.
Now, I want to flip over to chapter 12 once more to see what else Samuel does. Samuel has just recounted the process by which the people have asked for a king. And, as always, he has told them the truth regarding his objection, but then he says, “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will perish.”
Samuel continues to pray and teach the people what is right. He continues to provide his support even though they have a king. He doesn’t sulk, he doesn’t curse them, he continues to encourage them in following the ways of God. Lesson # 7: Support graciously
Friends, this is a very timely passage for our congregation. You see it is very easy to see others who are choosing a way which we know is wrong and to become self righteous or proud because we knew were right and then to allow them to suffer the consequences of their actions under the condemning gaze of a smug self-righteous attitude when really we should be continuing to support them and pray for then and continue to teach them the ways of God.
There is an old Movie called, the Picture of Dorian Gray. It is about a man who has a picture painted of himself that suffers the affects of his wild and foolish life decisions while his body is totally unaffected. He hides the picture up in his attic and then one day, after many years of abusive living he finds himself in the attic and he can’t fight the compulsion he feels to look at the picture. What he finds is a ghastly, monstrous, disfigured man who he knows to be his true self. The one that reflects all the consequences of his choices.
Friends, each of us have made foolish, unwise even sinful choices. Very often we make them in anonymity. Only God knows, or perhaps a close friend. Often we can make choices we know won’t please God and yet we choose them anyways. Thankfully, the consequences of these choices are not always seen. But sometimes friends, the consequences of our choices can’t be hidden.
At those times, the real quality of a community’s character is revealed in how they treat that one whose foolish or sinful choice is apparent. The hope is, that just as Samuel continued to offer prayer and support, even while not condoning the behaviour which was wrong, so too a community like ours would do the same when one of our own finds themselves in a situation where their failing is evident to all.
There is a young girl in our youth group who made an unwise choice, one she knows was wrong, and that she has repented of. But sometimes there are still consequences that follow and now she finds herself pregnant. We tell you this not to embarrass the girl, or shame her in any way, on the contrary, we tell you so that we would shame any who may want to gossip. We tell you so that we would give her our gracious support.
In fact, in a society where many young girls in her position would not hesitate to abort their child, continuing to make one wrong decisions after another, she has chosen what has taken a tremendous amount of courage – to give the child the gift of life. And so I would like to encourage us as a congregation to also do the right thing, not to condone her past behaviour, but neither to place upon her condemnation for what God has forgiven her for.
Friends, people we love will make wrong choices even though we may warn them. Let us follow the example of Samuel in these matters, if we are going to gossip, gossip to God and let us continue offer our support in prayer and teaching what is right.
So in light of this sermon, I’d like to ask Taylor to come to the front so that we may pray for her and I hope put to rest any rumours even before they start.
Let’s pray.
