1 Samuel 8:1

1 Samuel 8:1 says, And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.  After Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel.  We are not told that God directed him to do this.  Of course, there was more of an ascendancy to the priesthood by family in those days, but Samuel had not become a prophet and judge that way, but really by quite the opposite.  We cannot assume that just because a person is a preacher today that their children are going to be, although sometimes they are called by God.  Verse two adds, Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beersheba.  Verse three continues, And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.  His sons, Joel and Abiah, did not walk following the LORD, but turned aside from His ways for money and perverted justice.  I know many people believe that justice can be bought today, but it should never be for sale by those who are followers of Christ.  Verse four states, Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,  Verse five adds, 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.  The elders of Israel came to Samuel and told him what he already knew.  He was old, and his sons did not walk in the ways of the LORD.  They then demanded that he make them a king to judge them, like other nations had.  We are always going to fall into trouble if we as followers of Christ want to be like the people of the world.  Once again, we are not told that they consulted God about this decision, nor had they asked Samuel to do so.  We need to always ask God first before we implement any plan.  Verse six declares, But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.  Samuel was displeased by their demand or request, and at least he  recognized the fact that God should be consulted about this decision.  I believe Christians should always seek God's guidance in any matter, especially those related to the church or the nation.  Verse seven adds, And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.  God told Samuel to grant what they were asking, and that by what they were asking, thay weren't rejecting Samuel, but they were rejecting God.  God had been their ruler since they left Egypt, and as long as they were obedient to Him, they had always been triumphant, defeating nation after nation that had a king.  Now, they wanted an earthly king, instead of being obedient to the Heavenly King. Verse eight continues, According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.  God pointed out that since leaving Egypt the people of Israel had been rebelling against Him time after time,and now they were doing the same thing to Samuel.  We need to do our best to avoid these cycles of faith in our Christian walk today. Verse nine says, Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.  Verse ten adds, And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.  God again told Samuel that it wasn't Samuel's rule that they were rejecting, but the rule of God Himself.  God told Samuel to protest solemnly to them, but then see what manner of king they would choose, and Samuel told the people what God had said.  Ultimately, all we can do today is tell people what God's word says, and then it is up to them how they respond.