Spiritual Practices: Keyword Listing
Keyword listing is a method of observational Bible study. It doesn’t require any special skills, tools, or training. You can read more about the process of keyword listing here. You can choose any word or short phrase to study using keyword listing. For this passage, we suggest the following keyword(s) to start your study.
Starting Points
Keyword listing is a method of observational Bible study. It doesn’t require any special skills, tools, or training. You can read more about the process of keyword listing here. You can choose any word or short phrase to study using keyword listing. For this passage, we suggest the following keyword(s) to start your study.
Starting Points
- Samuel (and related pronouns) - Explore Samuel's interactions with with God and with the people of Israel
- Lord (and related pronouns) - Explore what God says to Samuel and to the people
- King (and related pronouns) - Explore what Samuel tells the people about having a king and why the people want one
Exploring the Text: Seeking God’s will instead of our own
Here we go again. We are in for another round of Israel’s disobedience. This story is all too familiar. Israel sins, God warns them to repent, they continue, God judges, finally they repent, and God blesses. Soon they fall into sin again. This has happened over and over again. In this particular situation, God tells Samuel that it has been since they were brought out of the land of Egypt (1 Samuel 8:7-8).
In this instance, the Israelites wanted a king to rule over them. The main issue is that they wanted to be like the other nations around them. In reality God was their king. They needed no one else. Who could be a better king than God himself?
God was so fed up with their whining that He finally gave into their request. They were warned by Samuel of the consequences of such an action. However this was a lesson that they had to learn from experience. As we sometimes say, “they had to learn it the hard way.” God allowed them to have their way, but look out because disaster was coming!
It is easy to read this passage and realize how stupid the people of Israel were being. Could they not see their mistakes? Why wouldn’t they just listen to God and obey Him? What is wrong with these people?
The reality is that they are merely human. Sin overtook them. In their prideful ways they thought that they knew what they needed better than God did.
The sad thing is that people today are the same way. If not careful, we can get into a confrontation with God where we are begging Him for what we feel is best, not listening or caring what God has to say about it. Sometimes God allows us to have what we want in order for us to see the errors of our way. Then our eyes are opened to God’s will instead of our own.
So how do we avoid this “slippery slope” with God? We can seek His will and be willing to listen when He gives direction. Sometimes our humanity gets in the way, but we must set that aside and realize that His will is always best. We can find His will through prayer and studying the Word of God. We can bring our hearts in line with His will through fasting. Let’s seek God and His plan for us (Proverbs 3:6).
Rick Heinrich
Here we go again. We are in for another round of Israel’s disobedience. This story is all too familiar. Israel sins, God warns them to repent, they continue, God judges, finally they repent, and God blesses. Soon they fall into sin again. This has happened over and over again. In this particular situation, God tells Samuel that it has been since they were brought out of the land of Egypt (1 Samuel 8:7-8).
In this instance, the Israelites wanted a king to rule over them. The main issue is that they wanted to be like the other nations around them. In reality God was their king. They needed no one else. Who could be a better king than God himself?
God was so fed up with their whining that He finally gave into their request. They were warned by Samuel of the consequences of such an action. However this was a lesson that they had to learn from experience. As we sometimes say, “they had to learn it the hard way.” God allowed them to have their way, but look out because disaster was coming!
It is easy to read this passage and realize how stupid the people of Israel were being. Could they not see their mistakes? Why wouldn’t they just listen to God and obey Him? What is wrong with these people?
The reality is that they are merely human. Sin overtook them. In their prideful ways they thought that they knew what they needed better than God did.
The sad thing is that people today are the same way. If not careful, we can get into a confrontation with God where we are begging Him for what we feel is best, not listening or caring what God has to say about it. Sometimes God allows us to have what we want in order for us to see the errors of our way. Then our eyes are opened to God’s will instead of our own.
So how do we avoid this “slippery slope” with God? We can seek His will and be willing to listen when He gives direction. Sometimes our humanity gets in the way, but we must set that aside and realize that His will is always best. We can find His will through prayer and studying the Word of God. We can bring our hearts in line with His will through fasting. Let’s seek God and His plan for us (Proverbs 3:6).
Rick Heinrich