Who Will You Have Rule Over You

By Ted Mock

February 25, 2026

1 Samuel 8:4-5 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah, 5 And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

Samuel, who was the last Judge of Israel, suffered the dual heartbreak of seeing his sons and the people he judged depart from following the Lord.  The people rejected his wayward sons and demanded that he give them a king to judge them like all the nations around them.  The heartbroken prophet, turning to the Lord, was told that they had not rejected him, but they had rejected God.

Samuel bowed to the wish of the people with the warning of what a king would do.  In verses 11-17, he told them all the things the king would take — their sons, their daughters, their fields, and their servants. He would tax their crops and cattle, and in the end, they would cry out to the Lord, but He would not hear. To have a king like all nations would come at a heavy price.

The example of Israel desiring a king applies to all men today.  The question is, as always, Who will rule over you?  Will you be like the world around you, ruled by the prince of this world, or perhaps by self, doing that which is right in your eyes.  Those kings will do the same as in Samuel’s days.  They will take, and take everything, even try to remove the presence of God from you.  

The best choice is to keep the Lord King of your life.  He is a good King. He does not take, He gives.  My King gave me more than eternal life. He gave me life more abundantly.  My King hears my cry, and He fights my battles. 

Reflection—Becoming like the world is not God’s method of reaching the world.