And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba. And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 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. But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. (1 Samuel 8:1-6)
I don’t know if you’ve ever encountered an entitled child. These children constantly demand things from their parents and never appear satisfied with what they are given. They need to be disciplined and understand the issues with their actions and attitudes.
This reflects how the people of Israel appeared when they demanded that God give them a king. They were completely ungrateful. They had forgotten God’s faithfulness during their time in the desert and in escaping from Egypt. Ungratefulness, or ingratitude, can harden our hearts toward God and lead us to overlook all the wonderful things He has done. It can result in poor decisions, just as Israel’s ingratitude caused them to reject God’s guidance.
Samuel went to prayer immediately to seek God’s thoughts and guidance. Prayer aligns our hearts with God’s will and allows us to surrender our emotions to Him. When we pray, we invite God to work in our situations and provide us with wisdom to respond in faith.
However, God’s answer was not to instruct Samuel to persuade the people or to tell them, “No!” Instead, God instructed Samuel to go ahead and heed the voice of the people, even though their request displeased Him. This reveals an important truth: God respects our free will, even when we make poor choices. God allows us to make our own decisions, yet He remains faithful to guide, correct, and fulfill His purposes—even through our failures.
Practical Application
What is your level of gratitude? Try this exercise: Take a piece of paper and write down the things for which you are thankful to God. Don’t stop until the page is filled. By the end of the exercise, you will reflect on all that you can appreciate and view your current issues in a new light.