Daily Lesson for April 8, 2020

Today’s Daily Lesson comes from 1 Samuel chapter 8 verses 4 through 16:

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, 5 and said to him, “You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the Lord, 7 and the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; only—you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
10 So Samuel reported all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots; 12 and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers. 15 He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers. 16 He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

“He will take.”

These words are used six times in this passage, a warning to the people against handing over too much unbridled power to anyone. For as Lord Acton said, “Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

Here is a caution for all times, including especially our own now. When things get tense and the people get anxious, we are inclined towards empowering some strong man to deliver us.

But the Scripture signals its forewarning. “He will take,” and “He will take,” and “He will take,” lest there be checks and balances, and a strong rampart against tyranny and the abuse of power.

Let those then with ears to hear also have eyes to keep watch.

NOTE: We’re reading the whole Bible through this year. Tomorrow’s Lesson will be from 1 Samuel chapters 9-12.