1 Samuel 7-8
And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will do.” 1 Samuel 8:7-9
Every time I read this passage I wonder about the heart of God. I do not handle rejection well and I have never experienced rejection at this level—absolute, continual, vile rejection. Notice that God does not say they have rejected, but that they are rejecting and, of course, the implication is that it will continue. From the time that God delivered them from Egypt, they have been looking for something else to give the glory to for their deliverance, continually rejecting God as the deliverer and King. Just a few years before this request, God had once again come to their defense when they turned their hearts back on him. He kept the Philistines from coming into their land. And yet, they wanted a king like the other nations had. They wanted a weak man who would take whatever he wanted from them instead of the all-powerful God constantly bestowing grace. Does that really seem like a good trade? I must be very careful not to reject my King. I must look intentionally for ways to submit to His authority in my life.
My King, I bow before you and I worship you. I thank you for all the times you defended me for your glory, even as I was rejecting you. I praise You because you are an amazing and loving King. Amen.