When God’s House Is Corrupted
Daily Renewal
When Samuel grew old, he appointed his two sons as Israel’s leaders. The name of his first born was Joel and the name of the second was Abijah, and they all served at Beersheba. But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
So all the leaders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.
They said to him, “You are old and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”
But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.”
So all the leaders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.
They said to him, “You are old and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.”
But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.”
I Samuel 8:1-7
Samuel led Israel to repentance and turned the nation back to God. He was a godly and sincere leader of unimpeachable integrity. The people revered his word because he listened to God. But all was not well with Samuel’s household. His children whom he appointed to lead Israel after him, did not follow his godly example. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
This turn of events in Samuel’s old age prompted the Israelites to approach Samuel and insist on having a king to lead them, “such as all the other nations have.” Even though Samuel was displeased with the idea, God told him to listen to the people. God gave Samuel a rather interesting insight: “It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” There is so much insight that could be gleaned from this turn of events in Samuel’s life and Israel’s history and relationship with God. Both God and Samuel felt rejected by the people.
What my mind is fixated upon is the reason behind the turn of events. It is obvious that the corruption of Samuel’s sons who were now Israel’s leaders was the immediate precipitating factor to Israel’s craving for a king to lead them “like all the other nations have.”
When the house of God is turned into a den of corruption, the people of God turn to the world for answers. They are tempted to follow the examples of “all the other nations” which ultimately is a rejection of God because God does not want His children to live like “all the other nations.”
God wants His house to be a place of impeccable integrity. It is no wonder that Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers and whipped them out of the temple declaring that they had turned the house of God into a den of thieves and robbers instead of a house of prayer.
May we, as God's appointed leaders, serve God’s people with absolute integrity because when the house of God is led by corrupt leaders, the consequences for the lives of God’s people can be quite devastating.
This turn of events in Samuel’s old age prompted the Israelites to approach Samuel and insist on having a king to lead them, “such as all the other nations have.” Even though Samuel was displeased with the idea, God told him to listen to the people. God gave Samuel a rather interesting insight: “It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.” There is so much insight that could be gleaned from this turn of events in Samuel’s life and Israel’s history and relationship with God. Both God and Samuel felt rejected by the people.
What my mind is fixated upon is the reason behind the turn of events. It is obvious that the corruption of Samuel’s sons who were now Israel’s leaders was the immediate precipitating factor to Israel’s craving for a king to lead them “like all the other nations have.”
When the house of God is turned into a den of corruption, the people of God turn to the world for answers. They are tempted to follow the examples of “all the other nations” which ultimately is a rejection of God because God does not want His children to live like “all the other nations.”
God wants His house to be a place of impeccable integrity. It is no wonder that Jesus overturned the tables of the money changers and whipped them out of the temple declaring that they had turned the house of God into a den of thieves and robbers instead of a house of prayer.
May we, as God's appointed leaders, serve God’s people with absolute integrity because when the house of God is led by corrupt leaders, the consequences for the lives of God’s people can be quite devastating.