Determination is a vital ingredient to any
accomplishment. We need it to help us endure any worthwhile endeavor to the
very end. It will help us to stay true to a task even when we are confronted by
hardship. But when we apply determination to do something God has warned us
about, we are being stubborn. If despite God’s cautioning against something,
yet we insistently persist in doing it, we are being stubborn. That
can spell danger for us. By being self-absorbed despite God’s warning, we will
find ourselves heading into a collision course with God.
This
was what happened to the people of Israel. They wanted a king like all the
other nations despite God’s warning concerning what they would have to endure
under that king. They refused to listen to Samuel and stubbornly insisted on
having a king. They wanted a king to judge them and to go and fight their
battles. What do all these tell us about them? By not listening to the coaxing
of Samuel, they were turning down the leadership of God. They refused to
fulfill their responsibility as God’s covenant people to do their part, and
would rather have a king do their bidding. Samuel relayed what they insisted to
the Lord, and was told to listen to their voice and appoint them a
king.
How
foolish could they be? They failed to see that all these while God was fighting
for them. So since they insist, Samuel at God’s direction did not resist. Notice
this time, Samuel did not pray for them. The irony is this: they refused to
listen to Samuel’s voice but instead Samuel had to give in to their demands.
Their desire had prevailed over that of the prophet. They could not for a
moment imagine the devastating consequence that awaited them. So, Samuel sent
them home.
If
we do not cultivate an ear to listen to God, we can allow our propensity to
dictate in life. We should be determined by being adamant about obeying God.
The place to begin is a firm commitment to seek to know God’s word and to
unwaveringly obey it. We must learn to evaluate our decision in life
in the light of what God is saying in His Word. If the things we want to
do go against the principle of God’s Word, we must not stubbornly insist on
doing it. Responsible living demands that we obey God
resolutely.
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