1 Samuel 8

Intro: Last week we saw a “rescue”. We saw God thunder and save His people from the Philistines coming to kill
them. The people were in repentance and they turned back to God. Samuel brought them to Mizpah to offer sacrifices
and prayer to God. The Philistines heard about everything that was happening and came to stop it. They knew how
powerful God was, and they didn't want His people turning back to Him! They came close and began the attack.
Israel cried out to the Lord, Samuel offers the sacrifice and the Lord thunders! He rescues His people from their
danger, the Philistines are beaten back. And the end of the chapter we see a beautiful scene. Samuel is traveling a
circuit around Israel and judges the people. God's judgement has entered back into the land. ==> last week we
climbed a mountain top and saw the glory there. Here in chapter 8 we are journeying down again. And this journey
begins with Samuel.

1-3: Samuel had become old. The common thought among the Jews is that he died at around 52years old. But that
age is not called old by the Jews. A man is called old by the Jews when he is about “60” and grey headed when he is
“70”. But a man under 60 may be called old if the infirmities of old age come upon him sooner. So Samuel may be
around 60years old now, or if not, the labours, cares and burdens he has carried since childhood have taken their toll
on him. The result is now he has appointed his sons as judges over the land.
1. But there is a problem here. These sons do not walk like there father. They don't walk in Samuel's ways,
instead they have turned aside after gain. They took brides and perverted justice. Beersheba was traditionally
the extreme south of Israel. It was there that Jacob stopped and prayed to God before entering into Egypt to
see his son Joseph. Samuel's sons do not live in Egypt but their hearts do.
1. What is their sin? They do not walk in the ways of God like their father, they walk after gain. They only
care about what they can get! And worst of all they are representing God's judgement as something which
is perverse!
1. A minister who walks after gain represents God as perverse. A covetous minister has perverted God!
Illustration:
1. People will look and say “His God must like that kind of stuff too!”. And this is what the people
do, they recognise something is very wrong!

4-5: The elders of the people come to Samuel. They see the problem and come. “Behold, you are old and your sons
do not walk in your ways... (you can't fool everyone, sin will be found out!) ...now appoint for us a king to judge us
like all the nations”. The problem is pretty simple in their eyes as well as the solution. The appointed judges aren't
working so appoint us a king instead! But this just doesn't seem right to Samuel.

6-9: Samuel is displeased with the request of the people. He prays to the Lord and the Lord's response is astounding!
Remember God sees the secrets of men's hearts. He not only sees what you do but also the motivation behind it! Now
here, God sees the people's hearts.
1. God tells Samuel that the people have not rejected him but have rejected the Lord from being king over them.
This is the same as when they forsook God to server other gods in the wilderness even after God had rescued
them. They are doing the same thing now. God had just rescued them from the Philistines, his judgement had
been restored in the land under Samuel. But now the people are turning away, rejecting God from being king
over them.
1. A minister who is chasing gain will lead people away from God! This is a warning for us. It was the judges
who perverted God's judgement in the land. They had gone after gain. Their desire was for what they
could get. They were coveting gain. Now the people have rejected God as their king! A minister who is
chasing gain will lead people away from God! That is the warning we have. The question for us who are
ministers is, what are we chasing?
2. But getting back to the people. What was their sin? “Give us a king.... like all the nations”. They are coveting
as well!
1. Coveting is wanting what your neighbour has. They want their kings. God says here that they have
rejected Him.
1. Coveting is a rejection of God. It is idolatry!
1. Col 3:5. Paul calls coveting idolatry and lists it with sexual immorality, impurity, evil desires....
Paul says these sins are the very reason God's wrath is coming, that these deeds belong to the old
man which is corrupt. The scary thing is that these people's coveting hearts were hidden beneath an
appearance of spirituality... they said “your sons do not walk in your ways” - they don't follow the
Lord... therefore appoint for us a king...”!
1. A covetous heart is one which wants what his neighbour has, it has rejected God to worship an
 idol, and it will hide itself under spiritual excuses. But you can not hide your heart. God knows
it, He sees it, He feels it beating against Him. Here, now, God sees the hearts of these people
and He reveals their hearts to Samuel.
3. In vs9 we see something. God tells Samuel “Obey their voice”.
1. God has just shown Samuel that their hearts are not right, but He tells Samuel to obey them. God is not
going to stop them. Then he says “...only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the
king....” To “solemnly warn” is a legal expression. It means to give someone full knowledge of an action.
1. These people can go down this path if they choose to, but God wants them to know where this road
will lead them. Here God tells Samuel to warn them, to make it clear that they know where this road
will lead them.

11-18: Samuel gives the description of the king which will reign over them. Samuel is giving them full knowledge of
where this road will lead them. Samuel repeats the words “He will take...” 5 times. He shows them the cost dividing it
into 5 groups.
1. He will take their sons. They will be his soldiers, His commanders, his farmers, his builders.
2. He will take their daughters. They will be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
3. He will take best of their land. Their fields, vineyards and olive orchards will be given to his servants.
4. He will take their food. A tenth of their grain, and vineyards will be given to his officers and servants.
5. He will take their animals. A tenth of their flocks.
1. The result of this is “they shall be his slaves”.
1. Look at what their sin gives them. A coveting king! Look at what it takes from them. It takes
everything they have. Look at where it leads them. It leads them into slavery!
1. A coveting heart leads men not only away from the Lord, but into slavery! They may get what they
want, but they will lose what they have and will become it's slave.
Illustration:
1. What are you chasing after? Are you prepared to lose everything to get it? Are you ready to
become it's slave? Pursuing after your neighbours possessions will lead you into slavery.
1. But this is not the scariest thing. The scariest thing is in vs18. “And in that day you will cry out because of
your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
1. God says that they will cry out because of the king whom they have chosen for themselves. This is the
same word used in 1 Samuel 7:8 - “And the people of Israel said to Samuel, "Do not cease to cry out to
the LORD our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines.”
1. The people will cry out to the Lord because of their king. It is a call for help, to rescue them. But the
bibles words are “the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
1. What does this mean? It means no rescue will come. The thunder they heard when God rescued
them from the Philistines will not be heard in that day.
1. This is a warning. They are free to chose what they want to do. But God will warn them. He
shows the end of the road. A man who rejects God has no hope of salvation. He can only
expect a bitter end. And this is what God is saying.
1. Those who reject the Lord have a fearful expectation of death.
Illustration:
1. You will never see the bible giving a hopeful future to a person who is willingly
walking away from God. Rather, the bible will only give a dark, bleak future to that
person, a future of death and darkness.
2. A warning is not a condemnation, it is an act of grace!
Illustration:
1. Why would God warn these people? Because He does not want this to happen to them!
He does not want them to go this way. He has not thrown them away. He has not
abandoned them. He is reaching out His hand to them. He doesn't want them to go
down that road. He wants them to live! God's warnings are acts of grace! They show He
is reaching out to you!

19-22: Here we see the conclusion of chapter 8. The people were warned. But they refused to obey Samuel's voice.
Notice their desire is now full blown. They refuse to listen and instead tell Samuel what will happen. They want a
king like the other nations. They want their own king who will judge them, and fight for them. They don't want the
Lord to judge them and fight for them.
1. Sin will blossom in your heart.
Illustration:
 1. Their coveting hearts had been hidden when they first came to Samuel, but now they are at full bloom.
The Lord has revealed their sin to Samuel, and taken away their cover. Now it is open. But they still won't
listen. The people have rejected God in their hearts for a king like all the other nations.
1. The chapter ends with God telling Samuel to obey their voice and Samuel sending them each to their
own city. But the story is not over yet. Turn to John 19.
1. Here Chapter 8 is a transition. It is the beginning of the change from “judges” to “kings”. Here the
start of the kingdom is marked by a rejection of the LORD for a king like all the other nations. In
John 19, we see it again. Here the Jews have rejected Jesus, the Lord, for Caesar, the king of
nations. The beginning of the kingdom is marked by rejection of the LORD and the end leading up
to AD70 is marked by rejection of the LORD.
1. God has a king to give!
1. God had a king for Israel, it was not a king like all the nations. A glimpse of Him was seen
in David, who was a man after God's own heart. God had promised to raise up for them a
King after His own heart, a King like David, an eternal King. This king was Jesus! But
Jesus died! Did God fail His promise? No! God raised up for them a king! He did it
literally, by raising Jesus from the dead, fulfilling His promises, proclaiming Him as King
and Lord of all!
1. The resurrection was not a trying to fix a mistake. ...oops, Jesus died, better raise Him
from the dead... NO! The resurrection is the even when Jesus is proclaimed king! He is
the king whom God has raised up! In His name is forgiveness of sins and salvation for
all!

Conclusion:
1. Tonight we have seen the dangers of a coveting heart. A minister who walks after gain represents God as
perverse. A minister who is chasing gain will lead people away from God! A heart set on gain rejects God. A
coveting heart will hide itself under spiritual excuses. It will lose everything and become the slave of what it
wants - Beware of the heart that is set on gain. God sees our hearts, we can't hide them before Him. He warns
us. Walking down this road will only lead to slavery and bondage. There is no hope on that road. We even saw
that the Jews desire for a king like all the nations led them to crucify Jesus who was God's king for them.
1. What can be done? What must be done? There is only 1 answer to a heart which is set on gain. It must die.
The desire will not be quenched by fulfilling it, but by ending it. The coveting heart must be put to death.
1. How can we do this? By coming to Jesus. By finding your life in Jesus. This is repentance and faith. A
turning from the old way to embrace Christ. The bible calls it putting to death the old man and raising
up the new. We agree with God. This sin will only lead me to death, guilt and condemnation. But in
Christ I am given life, forgiveness, and the hope of glory. Therefore we place our hope in Christ. We
find our life in Christ. In this act we put to death our heart and live in Christ.
1. In Christ is life! In Christ is forgiveness. In Christ is the hope of Glory! In Christ is resurrection
from the dead! In Christ is every blessing in the heavenly places. Find your life in Him. Live in
Him. There is no life in following the nations, there is life in Him! Hold on to Him!