19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles."

1 Samuel 8:19-20



As Samuel grows old with no one to succeed him, the Israelites ask for a king who will represent them, lead them, protect them and fight for them.

Israel was meant to be set apart from the world - to be the antithesis of the worldly mentality and show that there IS a God worth worshiping.

They forgot that it is God who leads, protects and fights our battles. It is in Him whom we find and validate our identity. Not a man.

This is the tragedy of our human state: we eagerly listen to and believe the empty, unreliable, hopeless, doesn't-feel-quite-right-but-it's-all-i-can-do-i-guess claims of security and identity the world has to offer instead of the voice of the only one who can ACTUALLY live up to and exceed our highest expectations...because we can.