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Patriarchs and Prophets
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. 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.” The prophet was
reproved for grieving at the conduct of the people toward himself as
an individual. They had not manifested disrespect for him, but for the
authority of God, who had appointed the rulers of His people. Those
who despise and reject the faithful servant of God show contempt, not
merely for the man, but for the Master who sent him. It is God’s words,
His reproofs and counsel, that are set at nought; it is His authority that
is rejected.
The days of Israel’s greatest prosperity had been those in which
they acknowledged Jehovah as their King—when the laws and the
government which He had established were regarded as superior to
those of all other nations. Moses had declared to Israel concerning the
commandments of the Lord: “This is your wisdom and your under-
standing in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes,
and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.”
Deuteronomy 4:6
. But by departing from God’s law the Hebrews
had failed to become the people that God desired to make them, and
then all the evils which were the result of their own sin and folly they
charged upon the government of God. So completely had they become
blinded by sin.
The Lord had, through His prophets, foretold that Israel would be
governed by a king; but it does not follow that this form of government
was best for them or according to His will. He permitted the people
to follow their own choice, because they refused to be guided by His
counsel. Hosea declares that God gave them a king in His anger.
Hosea 13:11
. When men choose to have their own way, without
seeking counsel from God, or in opposition to His revealed will, He
often grants their desires, in order that, through the bitter experience
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that follows, they may be led to realize their folly and to repent of their
sin. Human pride and wisdom will prove a dangerous guide. That
which the heart desires contrary to the will of God will in the end be
found a curse rather than a blessing.