"The all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said unto him, look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, give us a king to judge us. So Samuel prayed to the Lord." 1Sam.8:4-6
There is always a fine line between what got us where we are, and what we need to do to go farther. Often we find that the past can become the obstacle to the future. Add to this mix the fact that the leaders of any movement will grow old and they run the risk of being out of touch with the future. And what's more, add to all of this the God card and we feel that it is evil and rebellion to even think about making a change to anything.
I find it interesting that the people and the leaders of Israel had begun to think about having a king like any legitimate nation would have. They were not asking for a change of doctrine or new gods. They were wanting the status that being a nation afforded them. They had grown up and they were not a loose confederation of tribes anymore. From this point on into the future Israel would have a king. But this was not an easy decision to make.
The past can often be the enemy of the future. Samuel was old school. Samuel was the way it used to be done. The nation was ready to move on to bigger and better things. And this displeased Samuel. We've always done it this way stands in the way of let's try something new. Samuel felt that he was being rejected. He was. The mystery is why God also felt like he was being rejected. He wasn't. God rules as the great king in Heaven. God understand kings better than anyone.
Being old fashioned and different than the world can make us stand out. It can also make us irrelevant. This is where we need wisdom so that we do not throw out the baby with the bathwater.
You cannot go forward while looking backwards. Find out what is carved in stone and stick to it. Find out what is negotiable and consider making changes as needed.
Samuel did do one thing that showed his status as a spiritual leader. He prayed. And that made all the difference.
