Thursday 14th March 2019 - Daily Reading:
1 Samuel 8 - Kings by Becky White
“It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.”
These are some of the saddest words in the whole Bible. God’s own people, created by him, chosen by him, rescued by him time and time again, would rather have a frail, sinful human to rule over them than God himself.
‘Be careful what you wish for’, the saying goes, and it certainly applies here. God would give his people the king they demanded, but he did not leave them ignorant about what it would eventually mean for them to be ruled over by a man. They couldn’t say they weren’t warned.
How often have God’s people rejected the things of God in favour of the things of man? How often have we, ourselves, done that very same thing? How many have fallen away, in pursuit of success, wealth, pleasure, a relationship, or even just an extra hour in bed, or a particularly good film on TV?
Sometimes, the very worst thing God can do for us is to give us our heart’s desire. Sometimes, he does it anyway, so that we can learn the foolishness of trying to live our lives according to our own priorities, pursuits and passions. When we exchange the things of God for worldly things, we always, always make a bad bargain.
“The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever” (1 John 2:17). Jesus taught us that where our treasures are, there our hearts are also. May our treasure always be found in Him.