I Samuel 8:5 “And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
Sometimes one of the most disappointing things in life is getting what you ask for. For instance, take the picture menu at a restaurant. How cruel it is to sell my taste buds on food that can never live up to the picture! Cooking a meal is far easier on a computer than on a stove. When you get what you thought you wanted, you are often disappointed and figure out that you didn’t really want it after all!
In I Samuel 8, the people of Israel came to Samuel and demanded a king. What they thought they wanted more than anything else was a king like everybody else. Did you know that God knows more about what you actually want than you do? Generally, what I want is only a means to an end, not the end itself. It is not so much what I want as it is the thing I think my “want” can provide me (peace, contentment, etc.).
In the end, God told Samuel to give the people what they wanted (verse 9). Samuel listed consequences of what they wanted (verses 11-18), but the people said, “Nay; but we will have a king over us.” Sometimes the worst thing that could happen is to get your way! Here are some short lessons we can learn from their example:
Be careful what you ask for-it may cost you more than it gives you.
Be careful what you ask for-it may be harder to lose than it was to gain.
Be careful what you ask for-it may not change your situation, only reframe it.
Be careful what you ask for-it may take God’s place but will not replace Him.
Having a king did not solve Israel’s problems; it actually brought on a whole new set of problems. Like the children of Israel, we can easily find ourselves wanting and asking for something that will only disappoint us. Find your contentment in God, not from God. The peace, contentment, and good things you desire are to be found in God, not in the things you can get from God.