King Makers

I went out for some Mexican food with my friends Rich and Craig and at one point we talked about some of the larger churches here in the Phoenix area. We discussed some of the multi-million dollar homes the pastors of these large churches had or were currently building for themselves. Of course this is not only a local issue. I’m sure we all are aware of the big salaries, mansions and jet planes many of the ministers around the country have. I certainly don’t believe Christians should live in poverty but it does seem the excesses of ministers are not a true reflection of the life of Christ and His followers.

The question is…how does this happen? I’ve always been fascinated with the Hebrew people demanding a king, recorded in 1 Samuel 8. God’s plan was to have Judges and Prophets guide the people but the people wanted a king like the other nations. Samuel warned them.

So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king. And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”

1 Samuel 8:10-18 NKJV

Is it our fault? Are we the ones still demanding a king? Are we the king makers? Instead of developing personal intimacy with Christ and intimacy with other followers, we would rather go to a large facility and listen to a king tell us what and how to do life. Many of the warnings stated by Samuel still ring true today. At church we become workers for the king, busy bees, building his kingdom. We lose our freedom and of course we are required to give our tenth. For most this is the easier path, requiring us to give our time, talent and treasure but not develop true intimacy that the Father requires of us.

It’s quite sad that the people rejected God.

But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, 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 to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”

1 Samuel 8:6-9 NKJV

I hope you take the time to examine your heart to see if you are truly serving the King or if you are in service to a king. There is so much beauty and freedom in doing our Christian walk the way God intended. Yes, the path is difficult but the results are worth every step!