In many ways I can’t blame them. Even though I cringe at what they did, and even more at why they did it, I can kind of relate . . . can kind of connect with their thinking. But, I guess, that’s the problem . . . it was their thinking . . . their reasoning . . . their solution. Rather than seek the mind of God . . . rather than believe His ways were the right ways . . . rather than determine to work through it God’s way . . . the people of Israel came up with their own plan . . . a “plan B” . . . “Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations”.

Under Samuel there had been a measure of revival. The complacent and ineffective priesthood of Eli (1Samuel. 3:13) had passed . . . the corrupt and licentious priesthood of Eli’s sons (2:12, 22-24) was no more. The ark, which had been captured by the Philistines, had returned . . . the glory of God, in some measure at least, was back in the land. And, through Samuel, the word of the Lord, which had been rare for so long (3:1) was again heard in Israel. People were being called to return to the Lord with all their heart . . . to put away foreign gods and direct their hearts to the Lord and serve Him only (7:3). God’s justice and wisdom were again known in the land (7:15-17a) . . . and worship was known again in heaven (7:17b). Yes, there had been revival under Samuel, but . . . “When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. . . . Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice” (8:1-3).

Okay, so I don’t what happened there. Saddens me that Samuel’s boys would put on a facade for their father, but not embrace the faith of their father. And, as their true character became known in Israel, that they did not walk as had their father . . . that they were more motivated by the almighty buck than Almighty God . . . you can’t blame the people for being concerned. It was deja vu . . . the sons of Eli all over again. So, what do you do, when God’s way doesn’t seem to be working? One of the things you can do, it seems, is look at the world’s way and try and make that work.

“Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, ‘Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations . . . there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.’ ” (1Samuel 8:4-5, 19-20 ESV)

We want to be like the nations around us . . . give us a king . . . that’ll work. Really? That’s what will make the difference? It’s about the form? It’s about a structure? It’s about following the pattern of people devoid of the light and knowledge of God? Again, not that I can’t understand their fear . . . but what about faith? I get that Samuel’s sons were corrupting God’s model . . . but it was still God’s model. To devise a “plan B” of their own making based on the ways of a world that lived in darkness was, in fact, to reject God. That’s what the Lord said to Samuel, “They have rejected Me from being king over them” (8:7b).

There’s a lesson here for me. When times get tough, I need to resist the temptation to devise a “plan B” based on the ways of the world. Instead, I need to trust in the Lord with all my heart . . . lean not to my own understanding, even when things seem to be going south . . . in all my ways acknowledge Him above the ways of this world . . . and believe that He is faithful and that He is Sovereign and that He will direct my paths according to His will . . . in His way . . . in His time (Prov. 3:5-6).

Yeah, in many ways I can’t blame them. But, but God’s grace, I don’t want to imitate them. By God’s grace, no plan B for me!