Serve the Lord

 DEVOTION

1^ST SAMUEL

SERVE THE LORD

1 Samuel 12:1-5

12:1 Samuel said to all Israel, "I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. 2 Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. 3 Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the LORD and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right." 4 "You have not cheated or oppressed us," they replied. "You have not taken anything from anyone's hand." 5 Samuel said to them, "The LORD is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." "He is witness," they said.

NIV

Samuel already warned them what a king would take from their hand. A king would take their sons to serve with his chariots and to farm his land. He would take their daughters and make them perfumers, cooks, and bakers. The king would take the best of their fields and vineyards and a tenth of their grain plus their maid and men servants. He will also take the best of their cattle and donkeys. But Samuel did not take one single thing from their hand, but they still wanted a king. Samuel served the LORD and did right by the people, and it was the LORD who testified for him and was a witness to his taking nothing from them. Here is where we can break into this story. It is sad to see some of these charlatans who fleece the people of their money, promising that God will bless them and make them wealthy, but all the time taking the people’s money to live more than abundantly, becoming wealthy from the hand of men. It is also sad to see both men and women see full-time ministry as a job and want enough compensation to live a very comfortable life. The idea here is to serve the Lord, answering his call upon their lives. If the people of a local church desire to pay their pastor a certain amount, that is entirely up to the people. A shepherd or pastor is not like what Samuel said a king would, taking all the best from the people for his own benefit. Although God gave them their king, he also made it clear they were not rejecting Samuel, but they were rejecting the LORD. It would appear that when people, believers, are deceived by these false preachers or teachers with their silver tongues and fancy promises, the people may be serving a false god of wealth and thus rejecting the Lord. Let us never allow our hearts to turn from you, oh Lord. Let our hearts remain steadfast and true to our Lord and Savior, Jesus. Yes, we need to gather together and we need someone to serve, first, the Lord, and second, the people. Jesus showed those whom he called to serve the people as pastors the way of service. He said that he did not come to be served, but to serve. Let us serve each other in that same sense.