The temptation to seek after the visible and temporal rather than the invisible and eternal is not new. Looking at 1 Samuel, we see that the Israelites struggled with this temptation in regard to their rulers. They sought after a visible king rather than trusting in the invisible King. They longed to be like the other nations, forgetting that God had set them apart and chosen them to be holy like Him.
A Visible King
The Israelites yielded to the temptation to have a visible, earthly ruler despite the fact that doing things in their own strength had never worked out for them. They also ignored the warnings in Deuteronomy 17:14–20 about the behavior for the human king. That king was supposed to avoid multiplying wealth, wives, and horses. In other words, the king was to avoid the temptations of money, sex, and power.
It doesn’t matter what your background is or where you are from—human nature doesn’t change. We fall prey to the same temptations, which is why Scripture is brutally honest about our morality. We are depraved, and as a consequence we face these temptations. But God gives us warnings to turn away from these temptations. We have a choice to obey or not to obey, and He invites us to walk in obedience to Him.
The Israelites did not look for a king who would obey the Lord. Instead, they were focused on the outward appearance. Like us, their natural tendency was to look at the visible.
Trusting the True King
Part of the reason we run into trouble when we look at the visible instead of the invisible is due to our hastiness. When we rush ahead into decisions without consulting the Lord, we will miss out on what He has for us. Consider Isaiah 30:15: “In repentance and rest you will be saved, in quietness and trust is your strength.” In everything, we need to put our trust in God and in His timing. He is faithful to guide us in every decision.
The One we serve is the One in control of all things. He is sovereign over space and time, and His plan will be accomplished. Would it not be better to trust Him than to trust in ourselves? We, after all, are constrained by space and time. Our vision is limited.
Samuel demonstrated this trust in God’s timing; he brought everything before the Lord. God was faithful to speak to Him and lead Him. Even though the people of Israel were unfaithful and tired of waiting for God, choosing the visible instead of the invisible, God was still faithful to them. He spoke to Samuel and was even then implementing His plan. After all, although the kingship of Saul points to the fallacy of choosing the visible over the invisible, God would use the kings of Israel and Judah to point to the true King, the coming Messiah.
This teaching is based on Ken Boa’s Handbook to Scripture. This devotional is the perfect gift or tool for anyone wanting to dive into Scripture and learn how to study its key themes and chapters. To receive this devotional tool daily in your inbox, sign up for Daily Growth.
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