Refusing to Listen

The people refused to listen to Samuel, “No!” they said, “We must have a king over us.” 1 Samuel 8:19

I am fortunate to have five grandchildren. All of them are three years of age and younger. Three of them are one year old and are at the age where they are getting into everything. They are exploring their world. We have to keep an eye on them at all times in fear they will get into something they should not or break something. We can say “No” and move them away from something that might be harmful to them, but they will immediately crawl or walk back to the object regardless of our warnings. This represents our sinful nature as humans – we like what we are doing and do not want to yield to the warnings. We often continue to return to our sinful behavior even when it causes us pain and suffering.

The Israelites were determined to have a king rule over them regardless of the warnings that Samuel gave them. They seemed to be blinded to the truth. That is the way Satan often works in our lives. He blinds us to the truth so we will keep pursuing the sinful behavior in opposition to God and that for which He stands.

Challenge: When have you been stubborn and demanded “I must have”? God will allow you to make poor choices, but you must understand that poor choices results in poor results. Don’t demand your own way. Seek God’s way and follow His leadership in your life.

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