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Is It Okay to Want to Be Great?
As a sophomore in college, I remember having the opportunity to eat dinner with a wise man. This man was a teacher who taught only one class at the college: biblical hermeneutics. Although he only taught one class on campus, he also taught full-time at a local high school. In other words, he had devoted his life to teaching. He spent his days helping young people learn how to think, how to read, how to understand the Bible, and how to live the Christian life. One day, I saw him eating by himself in the school cafeteria, so my friend and I went over to join him. I remember trying hard to think of some impressive question to ask. After all, here was a man who seemed to possess the kind of wisdom you only get from years of walking with the Lord. Surely, I should ask him something profound.…
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Why Was God Upset that Israel Wanted a King in 1 Samuel 8?
1 Samuel 8 is an interesting passage of Scripture because both Samuel and God seem displeased that Israel asked for a king (1 Sam 8:6-9). The reason this is initially surprising is that God had promised Abraham that kings would come from him (Gen 17:6), and that same promise is repeated to Jacob (Gen 35:11). Furthermore, God’s revelation to Israel foretold a king who would come from Judah (Gen 49:10; cf. Num 24:7, 17). Not only was there to be an expectation of a king of Israel, but in Deuteronomy 17:14-20, God had given Moses specific guidelines about installing a king once Israel was in the land of Canaan. So, Israel had prophecy creating the expectation of a king, and they also had laws given by God to help their king govern. So, why was God upset that Israel asked for a king? Why did both Samuel and God view…