This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you in that days. - Samuel the prophet when Israel asks for a king (1 Samuel 8:10-18)
But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 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)
Sometimes I wonder this is the same way we got on board with having
God as our king. We asked for his reign hoping he’d “lead us” where we’d
want to go, “go out before us” and do the dirty work before we get
there, and ultimately “fight our battles” for us so we can sit back and
relax.
And for a while it seems to works because God is a merciful and
loving king. So healing comes easy. Grace comes cheap. Peace on demand.
For a moment, it might be easy to think that it is we who are kings.
And then we meet the real king, an unrelenting one who refuses to bend his will before ours.
Suddenly healing no longer comes on our terms, but with demands of repentance and obedience.
Suddenly that grace we once felt entitled to comes with the stern call of discipleship.
Suddenly peace is as good as a dream to any who refuse to bend the knee in unconditional surrender.
"How dare this king take as he pleases without consulting my plans and desires?"
The king has claimed his rights.
Remember, you asked for this king. And this king will do what is right and good at the expense of even your personal rights.
