Read these chapters with the BIBLE READER to the left of this post, or at http://www.bible.com/. They're worth reading, if you want to understand today's reading. 'Nuf said.
STUBBORNNESS.
So, the picture's pretty self-explanatory. We're all stubborn sometimes. Sometimes we know we're right about something, and then when we figure out that we WERE right... we throw it in people's faces. We get cocky, and "I told you so!"-ish, and we feel on top of the world.
Then, we start walking around pretending we know it all... and eventually, we get wrong every once in a while. We might not even notice we're wrong, but once we figure out "hey, I WAS wrong..." we ignore it. We insist that we're right, even when the world tells you that you're wrong. It stinks to be wrong, right? Your heart hurts.
But instead of shutting out the world... and being hostile towards the ones that told you right... there's a simple way to get that yucky feeling out of your chest.
Just like in today's reading, the Israelites were just plain wrong about "needing" a King. There's no question about it, they were plain wrong. They had a loving God to help them with anything they needed, but they insisted that a "King" would be necessary. Samuel (the judge at the time) was all "are you guys SURE you need a King?"
Samuel knew better. He knew that there was no need for a King, but with God's permission... he let the Israelites play palace with their new King named Saul. Turns out, Samuel was right... Saul was a pretty misleading King.
Then, when the Israelites, who wanted a King sooooo badly and were actually stubborn to have him realized that they were wrong, they continued to be all bad.
Eventually, Samuel had to tell Saul to step down from the throne. He knew that the people didn't really need a King, and although it was a pretty dramatic conversation, (similar to a cheesy breakup on soap-operas,) Saul understood and stepped down from the throne. He was a pretty arguing person, too. He was STUBBORN. He said literally pulled Samuel back to him when Samuel walked away. He begged for him to change his mind.
And, this is where I actually laughed. When Saul asked Samuel to rethink, Samuel simply uttered, "No. God is not a mortal, therefore He doesn't change His mind!" How cool, right? Samuel just TOLD Saul! Or "pwned" him, or "dissed" him. Anyway, he told Saul about God right after he read this scripture, which is probably the first scripture that comes straight out of today's reading, and applies quite perfectly... :
1st Samuel 15:
"Surely, to obey is better than sacrifice,
and to heed than the fat of rams.
23For rebellion is no less a sin than divination,
and stubbornness is like iniquity and idolatry.
Because you have rejected the word of the Lord,
he has also rejected you from being king.’
How AWESOME! It says it right here, people! Stubbornness is like idolatry (the worshipping of idols.) So, there you go. Next time you get in a situation where you are wrong, and you KNOW it, don't try and make excuses. There's a God watching you throughout it all, who can help you make choices. Think to Him before you make an rash decisions, and don't forget that stubbornness is not okay.
Remember that, and GO IN PEACE.
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