Oh how the people moaned because of how every nation surrounding Israel had elected kings to rule over them and all they had was a judge named Samuel. Since taking the responsibilities as a judge over Israel after the death of Eli the Lord God chose Samuel to Judge His people. Rather than giving the responsibilities over to the sons of Eli who had turned away from God, God chose Samuel.
The people were never really with God, they wanted to be with the world and its own people. Therefore, whenever God raised up a judge for His people, the people were safe and protected because God was with the judge. However, when that judge died, the people suffered at the hands of their enemies because God was not with the people just the judge over the people.
Now Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life and when he had become old and his sons Joel and Abijah did not follow the Lord’s commands the Elders came to Samuel and demanded that he appoint a king to judge the people like other nations surrounding them had kings to judge and protect them from their enemies. When Samuel prayed the Lord told Samuel to obey the voice of the people because it wasn’t Samuel who they was rejecting as their judge but the Lord God from being King over His chosen people.
Samuel tried to reason with the Elders telling them that having a king would be a bad idea and how the appointed king would take your family members to build his army and how a king would take from your barns to feed himself and his family. Despite his best effort the people would hear none of that and continued to demand for a king.
The same can be said when centuries later a man came to assume the responsibilities of all the judges and all of the kings on the earth to Himself rule as one judge and one king. He too was rejected by the people the same way Samuel was rejected by the people.
The difference between Samuel and Jesus is the very same God the people rejected in the days of Samuel who the people could not see is the very same God that the people can see in the man Jesus (the Son of God) and yet the people still would not accept Him.
However, both Samuel and Jesus (being the Son of God) are judges sent to the world by God Himself and when the people listen and follow who is sent form God they are protected from the world even though they live in the world. And when they do not and choose to go their own way they are attacked and forced to be like those who have chosen the leaders of the world rather than God’s chosen leader for the world.
Unlike Samuel, Jesus was physically removed from being a judge over the people of God. The people so despised God’s chosen that they rejected Him, beat Him, spit on Him, denied Him, and crucified Him. They did not then and does not now want whom God has chosen to be a King over them.
The foolishness of man in the belief that his power was power tried to send the gift of God back to God with the note attached: ‘Return to sender.’ Be so stupid to believe that God would not be victorious over mankind’s foolishness.
It was the third day and it was still dark and suddenly there was an earthquake and an angel from heaven came and opened the tomb where they believed that God’s gift was only to find out it was an empty tomb and the gift of God in fact is very much a gift and is alive and doing well.
In our day the message of Jesus and the Presence of Almighty God is as present in today’s modern advancements like it was in the ancient world as His presence has always been in this world.
To sum it up there is a choice: Are you to serve the god of the age in the present world who will be judged, or are you to serve the God and Creator of the world who will bring with Him on that day the judgement of all mankind.
It is better to know Him before you met Him…
His name is Jesus and He is the Christ, Judge, and King.