1 Samuel 8:4-9 English Standard Version

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey 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 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

The reason this article is called uniformity is because Israel is asking Samuel to end the age of the judges and allow them to be like everyone else. They sought to be conformed to the world and accepted. In reality they were already like everyone else in the world.

Judges 2:11

Israel’s Unfaithfulness

And the people of Israel did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and served the Baals.

Israel became unfaithful, the bride of God cheated on Him. This loving God, knowing His bride and what it would take to win her over again, gave her what she asked for but in doing so warned her what would happen. That kings take, take, take and look after their own interests. Somehow that sounded acceptable to them.

1 Samuel 8:19

The Lord Grants Israel’s Request

But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us,”

Have things changed all that much? Rulers all want what serves their own agenda. It just depends on who you serve and that agenda.

Do we have a King that we obey? Or are we conformed to the world and live like everyone else?

The Son’s agenda is the same as the Father’s agenda, to gather to HImself a faithful bride.

The question is this; is the Son any better at attaining His bride than HIs Father?

Judge for yourselves.

Judges 2:16-23 English Standard Version

The Lord Raises Up Judges

16 Then the Lord raised up judges, who saved them out of the hand of those who plundered them. 17 Yet they did not listen to their judges, for they whored after other gods and bowed down to them. They soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers had walked, who had obeyed the commandments of the Lord, and they did not do so. 18 Whenever the Lord raised up judges for them, the Lord was with the judge, and he saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge. For the Lord was moved to pity by their groaning because of those who afflicted and oppressed them. 19 But whenever the judge died, they turned back and were more corrupt than their fathers, going after other gods, serving them and bowing down to them. They did not drop any of their practices or their stubborn ways. 20 So the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he said, “Because this people have transgressed my covenant that I commanded their fathers and have not obeyed my voice, 21 I will no longer drive out before them any of the nations that Joshua left when he died, 22 in order to test Israel by them, whether they will take care to walk in the way of the Lord as their fathers did, or not.” 23 So the Lord left those nations, not driving them out quickly, and he did not give them into the hand of Joshua.

You can read for yourselves what led up to the installation of judges in chapter one and the preceding verse of chapter two. If I were to summarize it then I would say it came down to a failure to know the Lord their God.

Judges 2:10

And all that generation also were gathered to their fathers. And there arose another generation after them who did not know the Lord or the work that he had done for Israel.

No one likes to be judged but we bring it upon ourselves if we do not know and obey our Lord.

The time of the judges are over, from a biblical sense, but judgment has not surrendered.

Is anyone out there tired of being judged?

What is to be done about it?

Be careful what you ask for, because that wish just might become your new reality.