1 Samuel 8: 1 – 22
Ministers Wayward Children
8 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. 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. 9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.” 10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king. 11 And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. 16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. 18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.” 19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. 22 So the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”
The last two judges of Israel were Eli and Samuel. Interestingly, both of them had the same problem: wayward children.
Children who grew up to be men and who, regardless of genuine examples set by their fathers of living a righteous life and of being faithful and just, willfully chose to go in the opposite direction.
Though Eli and Samuel lived their entire lives in dedicated service to God, their sons did not. The difference between Eli and Samuel is that the former did not “restrain” his sons from their evil ways; whereas, the scriptures indicate that when Samuel grew old, his sons decided to “turn aside” and pervert judgment.
When preachers’ kids, so-called PKs, walk away from the faith in which they have been brought up, it is a sad thing and a poor testimony to the truth of Christianity. Although true Christians cannot lose their salvation, many, including some raised in the homes of pastors and ministers of the gospel, can and do walk away from the faith, at least for a period of time. By the grace of God who gives the gift of faith to His own, those who are truly in the saved will return (Ephesians 2:8–9).
Preachers’ kids who leave the faith may do so for a variety of reasons. Many preachers’ kids are deeply hurt by the way church members treat their parents. Young people see the anger and conflict that can arise in even the best of congregations, and they conclude that the “religion” these people profess can’t be real. Young people see these conflicts as hypocrisy. They then begin to question their own faith.
Preachers’ kids are often under a lot of pressure to be perfect, or at least to act like it so they won’t disgrace the family and the church. So they try to live up to everyone's expectations, and this can lead them to practice the very hypocrisy they see in others. Especially in smaller churches, the pastor's family is put on a pedestal with everyone watching their every move.
The children of clergymen often believe the church is stealing their father’s time away from them. Pastors typically work 50-hour weeks, leaving their children fighting for attention. Statistically, most pastors change churches every five years. This can mean a child moves 3-4 times during his or her childhood. They experience the stress of losing their homes, their schools, and their friends, and they intuitively blame God or the religion for the upheaval. But these children often have no one to turn to. Their parents are dealing with the stress of finding a new job, the financial insecurity, and the causes for the move, which are usually negative. So, not wanting to add to the stress, kids can keep their anger and frustration hidden.
The resentment built up against God and the faith play into the natural rebelliousness of the teenage years, which is why many preachers’ kids leave the faith during that time or immediately upon entering college. They appear to “conform” to Christianity, saying all the right things and performing all the required duties. But the moment of freedom brings many to reject the hypocrisy of their own lives and their faith along with it. How often we hear sad reports of those who start out so well in the things of religion. Those children who are praised by their parents and relatives for their apparent godliness and zeal at their local church, only to leave home for the first time by going away to a university or a new job only to later return spiritually barren and cold.
What can be done to stem the tide of preachers’ kids leaving the faith? First, it’s important to realize that this is part of Satan’s overall strategy against the church. When ministers’ children leave the faith, the church loses future leaders. The families of those closest to the spiritual battles are prime targets to attack. If the world sees pastors’ families in shambles, it doesn’t speak well of the faith they profess. To counter this situation, pastors must schedule time for their families and children that parishioners cannot interrupt. When kids know that their time with Dad is a priority, outweighing all else, the sense of security they attain from it is enormous. The congregation must also be made aware that their pastor’s time with his family will make him a more effective pastor, and safeguards against incursion into family time must be strictly enforced.
The world is a hard place for Christian believers to grow up in, especially in Western societies. Materialism and all its glamour easily satisfy the senses of the carnal nature. This is all the more true for ministers’ children who have perhaps been brought up with some degree of naiveté because their parents would have them be spared the excesses of this life. Children naturally want to inquire into the things once forbidden by their parents. Therefore, it’s all the more crucial for pastors and their wives to spend time preparing their own children for the temptations they will face, and this can only be achieved by spending adequate time with them.
Perhaps the real issue is the new birth. If any man is in Christ, He is a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). Indeed, he is a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), whereby he is occupied by One who is greater than the one that is the world, the devil (1 John 4:4). As a result of this, he cannot go on sinning (1 John 3:6), although the carnal nature will “war” and “rage” against those new spiritual desires that follow as a consequence of regeneration (Galatians 5:17). A true believer may indeed fall away—sometimes for many years. Indeed, he may show no credible signs that he ever was converted, but it is God who always takes the initiative in restoration. The true child of God is never lost forever (John 6:39; Jude 24).
Finally, the importance of prayer cannot be overstated. Both pastors and the congregations they serve should make it a priority to pray continually for their pastor’s children. We must bring our pastor and his family to the throne of grace regularly, asking that they be protected from the evil one by putting on the full armor of God (Ephesians 6:10–17). By doing so, we help the children remain “strong in the Lord and in his mighty power” and not depart from the faith in which they were raised.
Samuel served the Lord from his childhood. He was a prophet, priest and judge. While Samuel was fit and well and did not miss in looking after the people they remained fully loyal to him and to Yahweh. It was a minor golden age. All fear of the Philistines had gone, and they knew the way in which they should walk, and responded to Samuel’s authority.
But as he grew older the people became wary of his appointment of his sons for he had appointed his sons Joel (or Vashni) and Abiah - to be judges, over a section of Israel in the territory of Judah which was almost due west of the southern end of the Dead Sea.
The people had had no objection to the appointment of his sons, but his sons then proved unsuitable and took advantage of their positions to further their own wealth by unscrupulous means. They turned aside from doing what was right and began accepting bribes to pervert the course of justice
When they started misbehaving, the people went straight to their father, the one they respected and honored as a real judge. Knowing that Samuel truly walked among them as an uncompromising and loyal servant of God, and would likely never respond in the same manner as Eli did concerning his sons, they approached him. Samuel! Those are your kids! You put them in there. You take them out! And give us a king!!
In contrast to Eli, Samuel was not warned about his sons. The indication is that his sons were following the example of their father until they succumbed to the temptation of acquiring ill gotten gain for themselves. The people used the actions of the prophet's sons as an occasion to demand a king. Why? -Because the Israelites wanted to be like all the nations around them. Instead of having an unseen Almighty God to fight their battles for them, they wanted to be able to boast about a visible earthly king who could wield the sword and subdue their enemies and make them a recognizable power among the nations to be reckoned with. God told Samuel to give them what they wanted.
Unknown to them Yahweh had already been planning a king for them, but as yet he was too young to take up the position, and had not yet been shaped by Him. Thus Yahweh would provide them with a king who would both teach them a lesson about kingship and would in the end have to make way for David. They could have no complaint. They had asked for a king like all the nations round about, and that was what God gave them, a kingly figure that fought well for them, but also maneuvered things to his own advantage.
8 Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel.
Samuel had been mainly responsible for judgeship in the central part of Israel, but as a prophet of Yahweh his influence would have reached much further throughout the whole of Israel. Thus when he was growing old he assigned to the judgeship of his sons the southernmost region of Israel to his sons. The fact that he did so when he had not been acting there himself would suggest the probability that the people around Beersheba had come to him asking for suitable ‘judges’ to rule over them. In response to their request he had felt that he could trust his sons. No father likes to feel that his sons cannot be trusted, and he felt that they were now ready to take independent authority. Unfortunately he was to be proved wrong. Perhaps it was because he had been neglectful over the bringing up of his own sons. Many a man who blesses many fails to be the blessing to his own family that he should be
2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba.
The names of his sons are given. His firstborn was Joel, while his second son was called Abijah. It will be noted that both names compound with the name of YHWH, Yo-el (Yah is God) and Abi-yah (My divine father is Yah), and witness to Samuel’s faith. In 1 Chronicles 6.28.
3 But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
Sadly, as so often happens, their authority went to their heads and instead of walking in their father’s ways they used their positions for their own ends. Thus they used their new positions in order to build up personal wealth. They sought to obtain ill-gotten gains, accepted bribes and perverted justice. And it was not a momentary lapse. For this to come to the notice of all Israel it must have gone on for a few years.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
The behavior of Samuel’s sons clearly had a profound effect on many of the elders of Israel who were no doubt watching to see how the sons got on. And it was seemingly that that brought them to a decision, for it was soon clear to them that the sons were not walking in the prophetic tradition of their father, and would not be able to follow in his footsteps. So summoning all the elders of the tribes together, and no doubt discussing the matter thoroughly, they 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.”
There they announced the decision that they had made. In view of the fact that Samuel was ageing, and that his sons had proved unsuitable, they wanted a king to act from now on as their judge and war-leader, a king ‘like all the nations round about’. Outwardly they were simply asking for what Moses had said that they would one day want to ask in Deuteronomy 17.14. But they were doing it in the wrong way, and in the wrong circumstances. Their request was not that Yahweh provide them with another prophetic man or a man of God, nor that He appoint a suitable replacement for Samuel. There was no spiritual basis for their request at all. Basically they were indicating that they no longer wanted to go along in the same old way of having to look to Yahweh every time they wanted a ‘judge’. They wanted something more permanent, just as the other nations had.
6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD.
Their words displeased Samuel when they said ‘give us a king to judge us’. He recognized it for what it was, an unwillingness to continue trusting in Yahweh to provide them with leadership. They wanted a more independent regime, not totally dependent on Yahweh, and to depend on a man and his descendants. And so Samuel did the only thing that he could think of. He took the whole matter before God.
It is typical of sinful human beings that they did not recognize that having a king would involve a similar experience to the one that they had already experienced. Their very problems in the past had resulted from failing successors who had followed on after successful leaders. And they should have recognized that with kings that would happen constantly. But they were near sighted, and they were revealing that Canaanite traditions had taken possession of their hearts.
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.
Yahweh knew the true heart of the people. The ‘golden age’ under Samuel had resulted in their again becoming apathetic in their attitude towards Him. They felt that things were good now, and they wanted to keep them that way, and yet not be too restricted in the way that they lived. And like many societies after them, they had a dream that once they had the right leadership in place things would continue to go well. They were naturally unaware of the adage, ‘power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely’ which might have acted as a warning to them. Thus they were rejecting their long tradition of decentralized leadership for a leader who would bind them together as one whole, but who could become corrupt
But YHWH knew what they were losing. And He knew that the reason for it was because they were rejecting the essential heart of the covenant, and in essence were rejecting His overlordship. From now on they would have divided loyalty, and God knew that in such a circumstance He would come off second best. Thus, as He reluctantly acquiesced with their request, He made clear to Samuel that it was not he, Samuel, whom they were rejecting, it was Himself. The problem was that they no longer wanted to be under His rule. They no longer wanted Him as their king. Their religious dedication was half hearted.
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.
Our Holy God pointed out that this was not new. Indeed it had been the tendency of the hearts of His people ever since He had brought them out of Egypt. Since then they had constantly forsaken Him and served other gods. And in a similar way they were now rejecting all that Samuel had brought them (‘so they do also to you’). And they were replacing Yahweh’s authority with that of a man’s. From now on their response to Yahweh would on the whole very much depend on who was their king.
9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”
So Samuel was to listen to them and grant their request. However, before doing so he was to reveal to them exactly what will be involved in having ‘a king like the nations’.
10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king.
So Samuel returned to the elders who had asked of him a king and told them all the words of Yahweh. He pointed out that Yahweh was giving them a choice, and was warning them of the consequences of making the wrong choice.
11 And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
They will become lower palace servants, again subject to his discipline, and all the temptations of a royal court.
14 And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.
All what was laid out by Samuel was hard to swallow but worse a king will want to reward his favorites. And in order to do this he will take the very best of their fields, and their vineyards, and their olive yards, and will give them to his favorite people. They will not have any choice in the matter. It will be required of them. And they will have no one to whom to appeal.
15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants.
And he will put a tax on them and require one tenth of the product of their seed and their vineyards so that he can pay his officers and reward his favorite friends.
16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work.
And he will take their servants for himself, and especially their finest young men (as he has previously taken their daughters - verse 13), and also their asses and set them to work for him.
17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants.
They will have lost their rights as free men under The Great and Merciful God Yahweh. All will be subject to the king.
18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”
And when in the midst of their distress they cry out, as they inevitably will, they will have no one to cry to. For Yahweh will no longer be their King, and will no longer answer them and interfere between them and the king. They will have chosen the rod for their own backs.
Part of what is said might not sound so bad to us. We might even compare it to our own society and look on it favorably. But we must remember that the working conditions, and the length of time that they would have to work daily, and the amount that they would be paid (if at all), would not be regulated except by the king, and scant regard would be had to many of them. And above all that they could not resign and walk away. We must measure their total loss of freedom by the freedom that was once theirs and was guaranteed to them by their Loving God, and which while they were obedient to Yahweh made life so worthwhile. All the miseries of the future are in fact being described in these words.
19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
However, the people were quite adamant, in spite of the fact that it was being made clear to them that at this time He did not desire them to have a king. They blatantly refused to listen to Samuel’s words, and said, ‘No, we will have a king over us so that we can be like all the other nations and so that he may judge us (rule over us) and go out before us and fight our battles.’
Fear of the Philistines, once Samuel was dead, may well has been partly at the root of their request. Without Samuel they were not quite so sure that Yahweh would intervene for them, whereas they could be sure that a king would always be there. They envied the sophisticated nations around them who seemed to be doing so well (they did not look at the failures. That was for pessimists) and they wanted to be like them.
21 And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD.
Having heard what they had to say Samuel went back to Yahweh and went over with Him all that they had said .
22 So the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”
Yahweh then instructed Samuel to give them their wish. If they would not listen they must learn the lesson the hard way. So He tells Samuel to listen to what they are saying and give them a king. And He no doubt already had His man in mind.
The question that as far as Samuel was concerned would now have to be resolved was as to who that king would be. Upset though he was Samuel wanted to do his best for them. So he told the elders to return to their cities while he took the matter in hand. He would consult with Yahweh on the matter.
A question to be asked is ‘What became of the sons of Samuel?’ They were disregarded and the scriptures barely make mention of them. Once Israel had their king to judge matters for them, there was no need for their "services".
