A Dad's Life ...

from DBR 051014

1 Samuel 8:1-22 (NLT) [1]  As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel.
[2]  Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba.
[3]  But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. 
[4]  Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel.
[5]  “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”

E. Duguid(Extravagant Grace) says that God ordains sin. I am not so sure about that. At times I totally disagree. But here I find myself wanting to wrestle with just that kind of thinking. This is not just a subtle passage in the whole of Scripture. This is one of those monumental turning points of history, all of history. What begins happening here is a point which changes Israel's leadership
       Did God ordain such a time as this. Or did God just use such a time as this?
        Samuel was such a great leader for Israel. He brought in David ... God actually used Samuel to “introduce” David to the nation, and in reality, to all the world. David is listed several times in the book of Revelation. David is a man’s name we will hear forever. (Not superior to Jesus, but because of all that God did to bring His work and plan to be in Jesus).
But when you really study this passage of Scripture Samuel was a great judge, but a “not-so-good” father. And it was because of his “bad” sons that David comes on the scene. It will not be for another 40 years until David officially begins to reign, but at this point the stage is being set. The nation is beginning to ask for a king.
        Charles Shwab in his work on Judges, argues that one of the purposes of Judges was to make a case for David's leadership over that of Saul.
        Either way, Israel's history is in the making.