This is how the ministry of Samuel began to unravel. At the end of his life, when it became obvious that his sons weren’t going to be the kind of selfless rulers that he was, Samuel got what felt like rejection from the people. Even after he tried to explain that earthly kings take advantage but God had always looked out for them, they wouldn’t change their minds.
It’s striking that the people feel this way after God delivered them from the Philistines, as detailed in the previous chapter. Despite God’s amazing acts, they wanted to be like other nations. They wanted a king to fight their battles.
What blindness! God had fought their battles, many of them! Most recently, he scared the Philistines into running away with the sound of his loud thunder. What king could possibly do better?
We expect too much from earthly leaders and not enough from God. We want easy lives and plentiful blessings and freedom from risk. But Eli and his sons couldn’t do it, and Samuel’s sons couldn’t either. And all of Israel’s kings wouldn’t either, in the long run. And even though God had, it wasn’t enough to make his people loyal.
I’m prompted to examine my own attitudes toward leaders. Do I look to them as a place to put my hope instead of God? If I do, then won’t God do whatever he needs to in order to get my attention once again? If I don’t, then why do I expect such impossible things?
Putting my hope in government officials or church leaders is a sure path to disappointment. Putting my hope in God is a sure way to be fulfilled. I know that. Why don’t I act like I know it?
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