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With New Testament Eyes: 28 - Give us a King

By Henry Mahan


      1 Samuel 8:1-22

      Samuel, Hannah's son (whose name means 'asked of God'), remained with Eli, the priest and prophet of God, and ministered unto the Lord before Eli (1 Sam. 2:11; 1 Sam. 3:1). Eli was quite old and had failed to discipline his sons; therefore, God slew them (1 Sam. 3:10-14). Samuel became God's prophet and judge in Israel (1 Sam. 3:19-21). Samuel was a faithful prophet of God all the days of his life (1 Sam. 7:15-17). When he was old, Samuel made his sons judges over Israel; but, like Eli's sons, they perverted judgment, took bribes, and displeased the Lord (1 Sam. 8:1-3). The elders of Israel came to Samuel and requested that he establish a KING over Israel, like the nations about them (1 Sam. 8:4-5).

      This matter had risen before during the days of Gideon (Judges 8:22-23); and Gideon had wisely replied to their request, 'I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you; the Lord shall rule over you.' The people of God have no king but Jesus Christ, the Lord (Matt. 23:8-11). Christ is King of kings and Lord of lords (Acts 2:36; Rom. 10:9-10; Phil. 2:9-11).

      The request of the elders displeased Samuel, and he knew it to be evil. But he took the matter to the Lord in prayer, and the Lord revealed what was really behind their request. 'They have not rejected you, Samuel, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them' (1 Sam. 8:6-8).

      Thomas, the disciple, summed up the faith and submission of all believers when he said, 'My Lord and my God.' Christ is our King by the Father's design and decree; he is our King by his death (He died that he might be Lord of the dead and the living); and he is our King, by our submission. It is his crown rights that men refuse to own. 'We will not have this man to reign over us' (John 19:15). He was delivered to Pilate, charged with saying, 'He himself is Christ a King' (Luke 23:1-2). The soldiers mocked him as 'King of the Jews' (John 19:1-3). Over his head, nailed to the cross, was the charge against him, 'Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews' (John 19:19). And it is as prophet, priest, and KING that believers recognize, receive, and bow to the Lord Jesus, not just as 'personal Saviour.' There are those in modern religion who talk of accepting Jesus as their Saviour but not as their Lord. This is an impossibility! One knows nothing of the saving mercy and merits of Christ who does not bow to Christ, the Lord! Israel was glad to receive God's blessings, but not his reign! They never refused his benefits, but they refused his sceptre! One noted evangelist often said, 'Christ will be Lord of all or not Lord at all.' Christ said to his disciples, 'Ye call me master and Lord; and ye say well; for so I am' (John 13:13). Redemption is the enthronement of Christ in the heart. A man cannot serve two masters. Our Lord demands total submission and surrender to his Lordship of those who would be his disciples (Matt. 10: 34-39).

      The Lord told Samuel to tell the people what to expect when they reject his reign and make a man to be king over them (1 Sam. 8:9-18). But the blind and foolish people only cried out the more, 'Nay. but we will have a king, over us' (1 Sam. 8:19-20).

      Samuel heard their words and rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord, and the Lord said, 'Make them a king' (1 Sam. 8:21-22; 1 Sam. 10:18-19).

      The first order of business of the new king, Saul, after he had reigned but two years, was to usurp the authority of the priest, reject God's way of atonement, and offer a sacrifice himself to God (1 Sam. 13:1, 8-14). The people reject Christ the King, and then Christ the Priest and sacrifice.

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See Also:
   Foreward & Acknowledgements
   1 - The Fall
   2 - Abel's Offering
   3 - The Ark Of Noah
   4 - Sarah and Hagar; Law and Grace
   5 - The Lord Will Provide
   6 - A Bride for the Heir
   7 - Bethel - The House of God
   8 - Peniel - The Face of God
   9 - Joseph Opens the Storehouses
   10 - Joseph and His Brothers
   11 - Shiloh
   12 - The Passover
   13 - The Manna
   14 - Water from the rock
   15 - The Blood Before the Lord
   16 - The Ram of Consecration
   17 - The Day of Atonement
   18 - Caleb - The Faithful Dog
   19 - The High Priest Intercedes
   20 - The Brazen Serpent
   21 - A Prophet Like Moses
   22 - The Cities of Refuge
   23 - Joshua
   24 - The Scarlet Line in the Window
   25 - The birth of Samson
   26 - The Kinsman Redeemer
   27 - The Song of Hannah
   28 - Give us a King
   29 - Saul's Great Sin
   30 - David and Mephibosheth
   31 - Why God Permitted David to Fall
   32 - Comfort from God's Covenant
   33 - I Will Not Offer to God that which Cost me Nothing
   34 - The Queen of Sheba Comes to Solomon
   35 - Three Examples of Faith
   36 - Where is the Lord God of Elijah?
   37 - Empty Vessels Filled
   38 - Naaman, the Leper
   39 - Open his Eyes that He may See
   40 - Four Lepers Teach us a Lesson
   41 - Nehushtan--A Piece of Brass
   42 - Bringing Back the Ark
   43 - Uzziah's Great Transgression
   44 - Four Things Learned in Trouble
   45 - How Can Man be Just With God?
   46 - Three Vital Questions
   47 - I Know that my Redeemer Liveth
   48 - Now Mine Eye Seeth Thee
   49 - The Psalm of Messiah the King
   50 - God's two great books
   51 - The Psalm of the Cross
   52 - The Lord is my Shepherd
   53 - True God - True Israel - True Redeemer
   54 - Eight Great Precepts
   55 - My Hope is in Thee
   56 - Many, O Lord, Are Thy Wonderful Works
   57 - A Song of Love
   58 - The Sinner's Prayer
   59 - My Rock and my Salvation
   60 - Our Lord's Sufferings for Our Sins
   61 - Mercy and Truth are Met Together
   62 - The Victory of the Messiah
   63 - Bless the Lord, O my Soul
   64 - Let the Redeemed of the Lord Say So
   65 - The King-Priest
   66 - The Chief Cornerstone
   67 - The Observer and the Observed
   68 - Praise the Lord O my Soul
   69 - Wisdom in Christ
   70 - The Conclusion of the Whole Matter
   71 - Remember Now Thy Creator
   72 - My Beloved is Mine and I am His
   73 - What is Thy Beloved more than Another Beloved?
   74 - The Lord Our Righteousness
   75 - The Believers Hope
   76 - From Nothing to Everything
   77 - Lost, Driven Away, Broken, Sick
   78 - Can These Bones Live?
   79 - Four Things God Taught Nebuchadnezzar
   80 - Thy God Will Deliver Thee
   81 - Hosea--Type of Christ
   82 - A Famine to be Feared
   83 - Salvation is of the Lord
   84 - A Fountain Opened for Mourners
   85 - The Messenger of the Covenant

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