You Shouldn't Have. So Now What?
Samuel is stepping out of the picture in Israel. They have a king and he's about to retire. In his farewell speech he minces no words:
1 Samuel 12:12–13 (ESV) And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king. 13 And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you.
I'm thankful for the Israelite journey with the Lord through the Old Testament narrative. They show us our own faults and declare to us the greater mercy of the Lord in every stage of our growth. Here in 1 Samuel 12, it is made abundantly clear by Samuel that Israel's request of a king was the wrong move. Yet they now have a king and it is done.
Sometimes we too will make a poor choice in disobedience to God's Word. Sometimes, like Israel, we will look at the world/culture around us and adopt their values and strategies all while subtly drifting away from the Lord's Word and faithfulness.
1 Samuel 12:12 (ESV) And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you
Israel saw those kings leading other nations and they wanted to be like them. Instead of fulfilling their Divine prerogative to be distinct from the nations, they ran after their ways. This was a rejection of the Lord and a full-on embrace of the very idolatry of the nations around them. There can be no sugar coating their bull-headed mistake. Interestingly enough, "Nahash" comes from the Hebrew for "serpent." Israel is falling for that old lie of satan, God is holding out on you, take matters into your own hands.
YET, notice what Samuel says. In spite of their wrong move, there's still grace available.
1 Samuel 12:14 (ESV) If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey His voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well.
It is encouraging to hear that even in their disobedience God was willing to grant Israel mercy and lead them through their troubled experience.
Perhaps this is you. You married someone you should not have. You took the job you wish you rejected. You moved to the city you should have explored further. Now you've done it and it is not feasible to undo it. If you are not careful you will miss the beauty of this text in declaring the mercy of the Lord even when you have blown it.
God can and will still bless you and lead you in spite of the wrong choices you made. Never feel like it's too late. It's not! Here's what you do now: Listen to the Lord's voice and follow His Word. If you are married to an unbeliever, love them and stay faithful. Pray for them and trust God's power to save. If you have a job you don't want, do your best, work as unto the Lord. If you moved to that city, bring salted conversations to the table with you. Find a great church that preaches Christ and serve with them to bring Jesus to that community.
But be warned as Israel was warned. If you keep rejecting the Lord's ways after finding your life in the wrong place it will only get worse. Hear what Samuel says:
1 Samuel 12:15 (ESV) But if you will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you and your king.
Notice the explicit language. The "hand of the Lord will be against you". If after disobeying the Lord in the first place you find yourself in a troubled situation, watch for that temptation to sin further in trying to "fix things". You cannot unscramble an egg. But your current trouble is a constant reminder to fear God going forward and see Him leverage your past for a more prosperous future as you trust in Him.
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