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Love Jesus. Love People. Make Disciples.

Pastor Tom Weaver

We Must Obey God Rather Than People.




 

1st Samuel Part 15


Titanic Disaster

On the night of April 14, 1912, the watchman assigned to the crow’s nest post atop the Titanic had a problem. The binoculars he needed to keep an eye out for large obstacles (icebergs, say), were inside a locked locker—and the key was missing. Right before the ship left port, the cruise company made a last-minute decision to replace the ship’s second officer David Blair with Charles Lightroller. In his haste to make the switch, Blair forgot to hand over the keys to the locker.



 


1st Samuel 8:10-22

10 Samuel told all the Lord’s words to the people who were asking him for a king.


1st Samuel 8:7-9

But the Lord told him, “Listen to the people and everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected me as their king. 8 They are doing the same thing to you that they have done to me, since the day I brought them out of Egypt until this day, abandoning me and worshiping other gods. 9 Listen to them, but solemnly warn them and tell them about the customary rights of the king who will reign over them.”


The people were told:

  1. You are rejecting God’s plan for you

  2. You have been rejecting me since Egypt

  3. You have chosen to worship idols which I hate

  4. The King you want will take advantage of you


11 He said, “These are the rights of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and put them to his use in his chariots, on his horses, or running in front of his chariots. 12 He can appoint them for his use as commanders of thousands or commanders of fifties, to plow his ground and reap his harvest, or to make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. 13 He can take your daughters to become perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 He can take your best fields, vineyards, and olive orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He can take a tenth of your grain and your vineyards and give them to his officials and servants. 16 He can take your male servants, your female servants, your best cattle, and your donkeys and use them for his work. 17 He can take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves can become his servants. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out because of the king you’ve chosen for yourselves, but the Lord won’t answer you on that day.”

  • The King will take what he wants, and you will not have a choice

  • You will cry out to me, but I will not answer you

  • Be careful what you ask for


19 The people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. 20 Then we’ll be like all the other nations: our king will judge us, go out before us, and fight our battles.”

  • The people desperately wanted to be like their neighbors

  • God has just told them what a King will do. The people do not listen and choose to believe a very selfish narrative


Psalm 81:11-12

“But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel did not obey me.

12 So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own plans.

  • Stubborn (imagination, hardness)


Proverbs 29:1

One who becomes stiff-necked, after many reprimands will be shattered instantly—

beyond recovery.

  • Stiff-necked (to be dense, also to be cruel)


21 Samuel listened to all the people’s words and then repeated them to the Lord. 22 “Listen to them,” the Lord told Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.”

Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Each of you, go back to your city.”


Romans 13:1-7, says we are to obey our government

1st Peter 2:13-17, To submit to human institutions


Acts 5:28-29

“Didn’t we strictly order you not to teach in this name? Look, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching and are determined to make us guilty of this man’s blood.” 29 Peter and the apostles replied, “We must obey God rather than people


Romans 6:16

Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?


John 14:21

Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”


Deuteronomy 11:1

“You shall therefore love the Lord your God and keep his charge, his statutes, his rules, and his commandments always.

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