1 Samuel 8:7
The Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.
I am reading through Samuel and I recently came upon an interesting idea. The Israeli nation was constructed such that God was their king and He led them through His prophets. Samuel was one of those prophets, but in 1 Samuel 8, the Israelites demand a king to replace him as leader of the nation. They had looked around at all of the other nations and, in seeing their kings, request a man to lead them into battle and rule their land. Samuel, insulted that they have rejected his leadership, comes before the Lord. The Lord’s response is that they have not rejected Samuel, but instead Himself.
As I began to think about these sinful Israelites and wonder why they would want to have someone rule over them as a king would, the question came to mind, “Who is my king?” Is God truly the King of my life, as He is supposed to be? Or is He the King of my life only when I’m at church? I think if I were to consider this question, I would have to remind myself of all of the people I aspire to be like and model my life after. We live in a culture of icons and we seem to have a love for heroes. When I see a supermodel or a pop star and long to be like them, they have become my king and I serve the idea of one day being like them- rich, famous, beautiful. Even in Christian circles, I have found myself wanting to please spiritual mentors more than God. I want them to be proud of me and to praise me. The problem is that if I seek praise or approval from anyone but God, I am dethroning Him and allowing myself a worldly king. I reject God for an unholy, insatiable master.