The Truth Behind our Actions

In 1 Samuel 8:7, after the Israelites had demanded a king to rule over them, God agrees to give the people what they have requested. In their request though, God reveals the true nature of the request. Verse 8 reads, “’Do everything they say to you,’ the Lord replied, ‘for it is me they are rejecting, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer…’” The request of the nation of Israel for a king was no less a rejection of the rule of God in their lives. I assume that somewhere in their logic, they thought it would be easier to be under the rule of a human king than that of the Lord. Even after all that God had done for them, they were no longer interested in what God’s desires were for them. I can’t help but wonder, in light of this passage, how often we too might reject the Lordship of Christ in our lives by our own seemingly innocent requests. I’m sure that if asked, the people of Israel would have said, “We are rejecting the leadership of Samuel,” or “We don’t want a judge anymore, we want our king just like everyone else.” But behind the request, at the very heart of the matter, was a rejection of the leadership and lordship of God. They were more interested in their own agenda and desires than they were in what God had in store for them. Are we the same? Do we make requests and demands in our own life that at the heart of the matter is nothing more than a rejection of the Lord? May we live lives in complete surrender to the One who holds all things in his hands.