4/30 1 Samuel 8:18

¹⁸ 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."

Samuel was a godly judge, but he had the same problem that Eli had before him. His sons became corrupt. Because there are godly fathers does not always mean there will be godly sons. The people saw the corruption and asked Samuel to appoint a king to reign over Israel so that they could be like the other nations. That did not sit well with Samuel. He took it to the LORD.

The LORD told him it was because they had rejected the LORD ruling over them. He had Samuel warn them about how the king would treat them: taxation, conscription, annexation, and other abuses. When man reigns, selfishness and power mongering become evident. The greater the power, the more they will abuse that power. Our verse today was the final warning. They could choose a king, but they shouldn't expect God to run to their rescue when they faced the consequences of that choice. Still, the people insisted on a king.

Sometimes we wonder why God is not helping us in our distress. It could be because we are facing the consequences of what we have insisted upon doing. We may have had a check in our spirits, or even had someone warn us, but we went ahead and did what everyone else is doing. Then we wonder why God doesn't run to rescue us from the consequences.

In spite of the warning, God did often aid Israel when they cried out to the LORD over an abusive king. He will often help us as well. Just realize it is an abundance of grace and mercy that helped us out of the mess we chose, and learn the lesson. Ultimately, obedience is the easier road.

Consider: Man always looks for a hero, whether a politician or a warrior; but we already have the greatest hero of all, Jesus! He is the King of Glory!