Who Wants a King: Cultural Compromise

Before doing this study, please read the 1-minute introduction Who Wants a King?.

In 1 Samuel 8, the people wanted a king. They weren't satisfied with the Prophet Samuel giving them God's guidance. 

God planned to place a king over Israel, but the people wanted one earlier than He planned. He honored their request, even though it wasn't His perfect will. Sometimes God honors our bad requests as well. Some people call this His “permission will,” not his perfect will because He allows such situations to teach us a lesson. And typically it's a lesson that shows us we should seek His purposes, not our own. 

The Israelites wanted to fit in with the pagan nations around them:

“We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” 1 Samuel 8:19-20

Wanting to fit in with ungodly cultures is a popular reason for making foolish decisions.

God assured Samuel that it might appear that they were rejecting Samuel, but they were first and foremost rejecting God's plans and purposes for their lives:

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.” 1 Samuel 8:7

Note the worldly temptations listed in the following passage:

1 John 2:15-17: Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. 16 For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.

Take a few moments and consider everyday examples in these three categories mentioned:

lust of the flesh

lust of the eyes

pride of life

We are living in a time in history where the majority of people reject biblical principles and mock Christians who trust God's Word. And many Christians are trying to fit in.

When they entered the promised land, Joshua challenged the Israelites to make this important choice, and it's a choice we also must make. They were tempted to fit in with the pagan practices of the nearby nations and modern Christians are tempted to fit in with beliefs and practices of ungodly cultures.  

“Now fear the Lord and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord. 15 But if serving the Lord seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the Lord.” Joshua 24:14-15

Let's make the right choice!!

copyright 2015, Gail Burton Purath, BiteSizeBibleStudy.com, updated in 2025