SOAP {Scripture, Observation, Application, Prayer}:ABOUT SOAP
God appointed Samuel as Judge over Israel, just as he had Moses. When Samuel was old, his sons were tapped to replace him as Judges over Israel. But the people of Israel were unhappy with Samuel's sons. Samuel's sons weren't like Samuel. Israel was also jealous of other nations, and wanted to have a king like their neighbors. They asked Samuel for a king. Samuel consulted with God. At God's direction, Samuel told Israel what they could expect from a king. But the people of Israel still wanted a change. They still wanted a king.
11 He said, "This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 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. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 1 Samuel 8:11-15 [MSG]
Israel received their king in Saul.
13 Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the LORD has set a king over you. 14 If you fear the LORD and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God -- good! 15 But if you do not obey the LORD, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers. 16 "Now then, stand still and see this great thing the LORD is about to do before your eyes! 17 Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call upon the LORD to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the LORD when you asked for a king." 18 Then Samuel called upon the LORD, and that same day the LORD sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the LORD and of Samuel. 19 The people all said to Samuel, "Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king." 20 "Do not be afraid," Samuel replied. "You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. 21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. 23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 25 Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away." 1 Samuel 12:13-25 [MSG]
And with Saul, Israel received a warning: to stay true on the path of obedience to Him, or the Hand of God would be against them. But with change comes more change. As a king, Saul went on to displease the Lord, and was removed from his throne by God.
When Israel chose to change kings -- from the Lord of all to the man Saul -- Israel suffered.
Our great American nation has chosen a new "king," of sorts -- in the election of our new president. In just over 100 days into his administration, we have seen an alarming rate of change that we, as Israel did, will likely suffer with for years and decades to come. Taxpayer funded stem-cell research. Taxpayer funded international abortion assistance. The nationalization of two-thirds of the American auto industry and the entire banking industry. And what next?
Now, more than ever, is the time for us to turn back to the One True King. For only by obeying and serving God can we have any hope for the future.
The history of liberty is the history of resistance. The history of liberty is a history of the limitation of governmental power, not the increase of it. When we resist the concentration of power, we are resisting the powers of death. Concentration of power precedes the destruction of human liberties. -- Woodrow Wilson
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Joe
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