I'm not just a musician... I do theology too...

I am a musician in the south east of London who teaches piano and music theory regularly. This, however, is not principally who I am and what I do. I actually identify, first and foremost, as a Christian. My identity as an individual stems from my faith and the God in whom my faith is based upon - Jesus. You may notice in my website 'services' section that I offer 'worship leading' as an option. This is significant because I believe that anything good I posses originates in my God. Thus, my skills as a musician find their birthplace in the most creative individual in all of history - God!

This post is a transcript I used for a task this week for an online class I attend. The task was to take a passage in the Old testament of the Bible and to unpack its message in a spoken format via video. What you have here is my script i suppose! It may or may not interest you but that's okay - I just want you to know who I am and what inspires me as a human being - not just a musician... or worse still - simply a piano player! I am much more than that! Have a read - The story below is a fascinating one!

1 sam 8: Israels foolish desire will cost them

I don’t know about you but I LOVE doughnuts, I LOVE fatty meats, I LOVE TV. If it were up to me, that would be my daily diet and life routine. When I was a child, my parents would occasionally treat me to a jam doughnut or a cream doughnut. I would have one doughnut and then eat it whole and then ask continuously for another 5! Sometimes, my constant nagging would cause them to cave and give in to my request but oftentimes, it was a no. They would say, “any more than 1 is too much! You will rot your teeth and get fat if you eat more than 1!” I would often think to myself, “If I was a parent I would let my kids eat as many doughnuts as they liked. I think I should be the parent! After all, my friend Rhys has 2 doughnuts on his car journey home. He is a football champion so I don’t think you get fat from doughnuts - Fake news!”

This kind of thing is an imperfect illustration of what Israel wanted here in 1 Sam 8. They wanted what the other nations had. They wanted someone young, strong and cool as their leader! Not an old prophet like Samuel - and certainly not his sons who were dishonest and money driven ministers like those rotters in 1 Sam 2:12-16 - Eli’s sons. They were just the same - perhaps even a little more violent in their violation of the peoples offerings to the Lord! I suppose on the one hand, you can see where Israel are coming from! I mean, you DO want a leader with enough energy and strength to lead you on as a progressing and developing nation. You DO want a leader to “fight your battles, lead you, to go out before you” as they said in v 20. BUT something here is not quite right. Something is out of key! Samuel is displeased with them. And I suppose the way the text reads, it gives you the sense that Samuel is displeased because 1) they are rejecting him on the basis of age and 2) they are suggesting that His sons are vile and incapable of the task of ministry. It's like a personal attack! Just have a listen to the narrative in v 5-6 : “They said to him, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have. (6) but when they said, give us A KING to lead us, this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord”.

V 6 is interesting because, on the one hand, you could read it and think - Samuel is sad so he’s going to complain to the Lord and hopefully convince Him to smite them or give them an extra foot on their hip! BUT actually we should read this very carefully because, then, we can see the heart of a true prophet. Here is the scenario laid out step by step - Samuel and His sons are rejected by Israel and its elders - This disturbs Samuel - He prays to the Lord. This prophet heard the disturbing news and, though he was displeased, his first thought was - prayer! I need to talk to the real leader of Israel - YHWH Himself! Samuel was not sad because of the barrage of “you’re old and out of date” comments (note this happened twice: v 1: by the author and v 6: All Israel). Samuel was concerned and focussed on His Lord.

I think its worth mentioning here that there is nothing terribly wrong in requesting a king. Deuteronomy says - “One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother” (Deuteronomy 17:14-15). So God is not against a King being ruler over Israel but one wonders whether it was His heart for them at this point. Notice 1 Sam 2:34 - “But I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest who will do according to what is in My heart and in My soul; and I will build him an enduring house, and he will walk before My anointed always”. You see… its a touch like the doughnut illustration isn’t it? Israel know what God had said to them through their current prophet but have said, in effect, “No. I know what I want… and I want a King!”

What was God’s response to Samuels prayer? V 7 - Listen to their request. They have not rejected you. They have rejected ME as their king.

The problem here - Israel preferred anything and everything apart from the God who established them as a nation in the first place through Abraham (Gen 12). V 8 goes on to say how this is NOTHING NEW - “…from the day I bought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you”. Rather than obeying the Lords commands, offering the acceptable sacrifices, and expectantly and joyously awaiting the coming faithful priest, Israel want to take matters into their own hands. We know how this pans out in biblical history. What is the theme of the book of judges? Judges 21:25 - “In those days, Israel had no king and everyone did as he saw fit”. Again, here emphasises that a King is good for a nation but, Israel tried to live their own way in this specific time period and ended up suffering the effects of its sin - lust, sexual immorality, gang rape and plotting against each other regularly. In Exodus, YHWHS example - Israel were led astray by idol worship, unbelief and grumbling. I think all 3 of those sins from YHWS example (Idolatry, grumbling, unbelief) sum up the ingredients necessary for the ultimate sin - rejecting Gods promise! Do you remember 1 Sam 2:34? God promised Israel the faithful high priest! Does this remind you of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis? God promised a son to them in their barren age and, instead of waiting for the Lord to open the womb. What did they do? They concocted a plan themselves - Have sex with Hagar. She will bring forth a son! The result - a son! … what else? Animosity and tension between Hagar and Sarah. In other words, a mess. Isaac was the son of promise. Ishmael (father of mideonites/canaanites - eventually) was not. YES! They got their son! But a whole host of tension, heartache and pain as a result of their unbelief, grumbling and idolatry of self. I wonder, have you ever been guilty of trying yourself to be good enough for heaven? To be good enough for God to pay you attention? Know this - It is not up to you to be good enough! It is only through Gods work that you can go to heaven. It is only through Gods work that you can know God for yourself!

This marks the next directive of Gods answer to Samuel (v 9): “listen to them : but warn them solemnly and let them know what the King who will reign over them will do”. Then read v 11-18 (this is the king they have chosen!): “11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[a] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

Notice something? 4 times God says the king, they chose, will “take away” from them. v 11 - take your sons for his service, v 13 - take your daughters for his service and his attendants service, v 16 - take your servants, cattle and donkeys, v 17 - take a tenth (is that not for the Lord? Hmmm…).

Notice anything else? Look at how many times the text says the pronouns, “his” or “himself” - 6 times!!! This king is self absorbed. He will be very selfish and self-serving. He will see himself as though a God (notice how He will demand a tenth from Israel. In spite of the fact that the tenth belongs to the Lord, not the king).

Does this remind you of a well known New Testament text? John 10:10 says - “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly“. Israel are foolish and choose that which is seemingly good, and even try to justify it by mentioning the immorality of the sons of Samuel, and Samuels apparent ageing but the reality is that Israel were making excuses to get their own way. God always was and remains to be Israels provider (Gen 22:14). Their provisions come not from man but from God! He is their source but they forgot this and did not believe it and so chose foolishly and unrelentingly as we see in v 19 - “but they refused to obey the voice”. How many times have we refused to obey the voice? That part of us saying no, or do this instead… Israel, like YHWHS comparison of them to the days of Exodus highlights their likeness to that of Pharaohs unrepentant and stubborn heart. A heart that intentionally ignores the voice calling to them. How often the voice of God goes out but falls upon stubborn ears who refuse to hear the message of peace and provision. God is not willing that any should perish but here, God judges them. How? By allowing them to have what they asked for… A King! Not chosen by God but chosen by them!

Who is your king? Is He self serving, consuming and controllable (does this describe the way you live your life? Perhaps you are your own god?) or is He like the Voice Samuel regularly listened to (YHWH) - The provider (Gen 22:14), promise keeper (Gen 21) and life giver (John 10:10).

Jesus is the faithful Priest and He is the King we need to reign over us and the voice we need to guide us. No other can lead so beautifully. Hear His voice today and receive the Lords will, the Lords work on your behalf and enter today into abundant living!