“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.'” — 1 Samuel 8:7
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Once upon a time, God ruled His people as their King and they had no earthly ruler on a throne. God protected and provided for His people. However, the people rejected God as their ruler and demanded a king. But it wasn’t their demand for a king that was concerning; it was their motivation for a king that ended up being alarming: “Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have” (1 Samuel 8:5b).
The problem with motivation based on what others have is that comparison is the thief of contentment. There will always be someone who does something better, has something newer, or has an opportunity you’ve coveted. If we live with others in mind, we can never be content with what God has given us.
The truth is that we make demands of God that don’t glorify God, but satisfy our earthly desires. The desires of the Israelites were being shaped by the world, and then they demanded that God give them their desires. The king they got proved to be a poor choice for a king, until God appointed David.
Sometimes God gives us over to our demands, but He never gives up on us, like with the Israelites. When we let our desires dictate our demands, it typically leads to our demise. A good question for us to ask ourselves is whether our desires are being shaped by God or by the world?
— Reza Zadeh, Denver Broncos chaplain
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