I Samuel 12:1-15
“And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.
Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.” (I Samuel 12:1-3)
Samuel was still concerned that Israel had chosen to replace God as their ruler. Unlike many leaders, he was aware of his responsibility as an example for those he led. James 3:1-2 advises, “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all…” Leaders, more than any other person, influence the attitude of their followers. Samuel wanted to be sure he had not in some way offended them, causing the m to turn against God.
He questioned whether they felt he had ever abused his position or taken advantage of them. Had he rendered a judgment they didn’t think was fair? Had he forced someone out of their home or taken any bribes? Was their anything he had done that made them think they needed a king?
“And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand.
And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand.
And they answered, He is witness.” (I Samuel 12:4-5)
The people were definite that their decision was not the result of something Samuel had done. They had simply decided this was what they wanted. They were not blaming him for any of it, and they called on God to backup their claim. While the leader has more influence than almost anyone, he is not personally responsible for people’s decisions, just for the example and teaching he has set before them. Israel was accepting full responsibility for the decision.
“And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.
When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.” (I Samuel 12:6-8)
He reminded them that it was God who had chosen them, had delivered them from Egypt, and had given them the land they lived in. Along the way he had provided their daily needs and given them victory over superior forces with better weapons and defenses.
“And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.
And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.” (I Samuel 12:9-11)
He also reminded them of the various times they had turned away from God, and had wound up oppressed by other peoples. Each time they turned back and asked the Lord for help, he had provided a leader who enabled them to break free. Why would they want to change a system that had worked so well for six hundred years?
“And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king. Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.” (I Samuel 12:12-13)
When they saw the possibility of another conflict with the Ammonites, they had chosen to have a king to lead them instead of trusting God to do what he had always done before. God had acquiesced to their demands, giving them a king as they demanded, even though it was not his will.
Today we sometimes hear about the permissive will of God. This is a prime example. Israel was sinning, going against God, but God chose to allow them to do so. It was an abuse of God’s love, doing what they wanted even though they knew God wanted something else. That God didn’t punish them immediately demonstrates how much he loved them. Anytime we insist on “God’s permissive will” rather than simply obeying what he wants we are abusing his love. We are actually out of his will, but because of his love he chooses to not stop us.
“If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.” (I Samuel 12:14-15)
There was a very real danger that they would become more concerned with satisfying the king than with obeying God, effectively putting the king in God’s place. If they would continue to follow God, the sin of making someone king would be overlooked, and they could still receive God’s blessings.
On the other hand, if they began to ignore God’s commands, even if they were obeying the king’s orders, then God would turn against them the same way he had when their fathers sinned against God. Since they were already rebelling against God, it would only be a small step over the line.
“And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.
Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.” (I Samuel 12:1-3)
Samuel was still concerned that Israel had chosen to replace God as their ruler. Unlike many leaders, he was aware of his responsibility as an example for those he led. James 3:1-2 advises, “My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation. For in many things we offend all…” Leaders, more than any other person, influence the attitude of their followers. Samuel wanted to be sure he had not in some way offended them, causing the m to turn against God.
He questioned whether they felt he had ever abused his position or taken advantage of them. Had he rendered a judgment they didn’t think was fair? Had he forced someone out of their home or taken any bribes? Was their anything he had done that made them think they needed a king?
“And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand.
And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand.
And they answered, He is witness.” (I Samuel 12:4-5)
The people were definite that their decision was not the result of something Samuel had done. They had simply decided this was what they wanted. They were not blaming him for any of it, and they called on God to backup their claim. While the leader has more influence than almost anyone, he is not personally responsible for people’s decisions, just for the example and teaching he has set before them. Israel was accepting full responsibility for the decision.
“And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.
When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.” (I Samuel 12:6-8)
He reminded them that it was God who had chosen them, had delivered them from Egypt, and had given them the land they lived in. Along the way he had provided their daily needs and given them victory over superior forces with better weapons and defenses.
“And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.
And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.” (I Samuel 12:9-11)
He also reminded them of the various times they had turned away from God, and had wound up oppressed by other peoples. Each time they turned back and asked the Lord for help, he had provided a leader who enabled them to break free. Why would they want to change a system that had worked so well for six hundred years?
“And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king. Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.” (I Samuel 12:12-13)
When they saw the possibility of another conflict with the Ammonites, they had chosen to have a king to lead them instead of trusting God to do what he had always done before. God had acquiesced to their demands, giving them a king as they demanded, even though it was not his will.
Today we sometimes hear about the permissive will of God. This is a prime example. Israel was sinning, going against God, but God chose to allow them to do so. It was an abuse of God’s love, doing what they wanted even though they knew God wanted something else. That God didn’t punish them immediately demonstrates how much he loved them. Anytime we insist on “God’s permissive will” rather than simply obeying what he wants we are abusing his love. We are actually out of his will, but because of his love he chooses to not stop us.
“If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.” (I Samuel 12:14-15)
There was a very real danger that they would become more concerned with satisfying the king than with obeying God, effectively putting the king in God’s place. If they would continue to follow God, the sin of making someone king would be overlooked, and they could still receive God’s blessings.
On the other hand, if they began to ignore God’s commands, even if they were obeying the king’s orders, then God would turn against them the same way he had when their fathers sinned against God. Since they were already rebelling against God, it would only be a small step over the line.
I agree that God's permissive will is quite scriptural. I like how you point out that if we are in God's permissive will, so to speak, we are actually out of His will.
ReplyDeleteThis doctrine, demonstrated here and many other places, does great violence to the teachings of Calvin, who insisted that there was no such thing, but that God's will was absolutely overriding in all human decision.
Excellent post, thank you.
Like a lot of others, Calvin did not want to deal with personal responsibility. The Catholic church insisted that they had the final authority, and Calvin was rebelling against that position, insisting the authority belonged to God. While God had that power and authority, he was not forced to exercise it, and chose to give man a choice as to his personal behavior. While ultimately, everything will come out according to God's plan, the individual chooses his part in it.
ReplyDelete