1 Samuel Ch8/ Matthew Ch13
Do Not Follow The World, But Fully Listen To God’s Word
1 Samuel 8/ Matthew 13
The main idea of these two chapters is as followed: He who listens to the Lord completely will shine greatly. But those who follow the way of the world to set a king over them will weep bitterly.
Let us start by 1 Samuel chapter 8.
V. 1-3 Samuel appointed his sons as judges. But his two sons did not walk his ways. They loved money and accepted bribes. We see a reminder here, even a good servant of God as Samuel, there was personal preference in his heart. He valued his own sons more than others.
V. 4-5 Here we see that all the elders gathered together and asked for a king, just as all the other nations had. It is a pity that those leaders had not joined together for seeking God’s will in the face of a problem. Rather, they followed the way of the Gentile and wanted a king to lead them.
V. 6-9 But Samuel prayed to God. Then, God told him that Israel asked for a king as the Gentile was because they rejected God as their king. God knew that they had set up their mind about it.
V. 10-18 Samuel faithfully told every word of God to the people. What the cost would be if they followed the Gentile to set up a king to rule over them.
First, the king they set up would take their sons to run about for his business, to go to war for him, and even die on the battlefield. Their sons would plow his ground and reap his harvest. Originally, their sons would be good soldiers and servants of God. They would have brought many people to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Second, the king would take their daughters to make perfume and bake breads for him. Perfume or incense represents the fragrant prayers before the throne of God. Originally, they would have prayed for the whole world and prepared the Bread of Life to feed many people. But now they would be just his maidservants.
Third, the king would take the best of their fields away for his use. For example, I remembered a young sister in Home of Grace in China. At first, she had the purest love for Jesus and she had a very close fellowship with the Lord. At that time we gave her a nick-name, the engine of a train, because when she prayed, we would all want to follow her way to pray. She also suffered persecutions and was put in Labor Camp for the sake of Jesus. When she was freed from the Labor Camp, she was more than 50 years old. Then, she changed. She did not seek the will of God anymore, she wanted a marriage. She wanted a king just like the gentile. Later, she got married, her sweet fellowship with the Lord, her vineyard, and every best spiritual fellowship were taken away. Before she got married, she got up very early to read the Bible and pray to God for all nations and peoples. But now as soon as she gets up, she runs to markets to buy delicious food for her king, her husband.
Now, she is poor in spirit. Originally, we planned to go together to the whole world to preach the gospel. Now, she just lives with her husband in a very small apartment provided by social welfare.
There are many people who get married in the will of God. How blessed are their marriages. We have seen many couples serving God joyfully with one heart. However, this sister did not seek the will of God at all. She just asked for a king for herself.
Fourth, the king would take away their tithe. Originally, they could offer their tithe to God. They could use it for gospel-preaching.
Samuel told the people that when all these disadvantages happened, they would cry out to God for relief. But God would not answer them.
V. 19-22 But the people refused to listen God’s warning. God could only let them be.
Matthew 13.
V.1-2 When Jesus’ mother and brothers came to see him, he went out to preach by the lake on that same day. Jesus was not bound with kinship of one’s own family. He has great love of God for all the people. Therefore, when he was on earth, he did not have any personal preference but fully obeyed God’s will to preach and save the lost sheep everywhere. Jesus is the best example of servant of God. Comparring with Jesus, Smauel is not as good as Jesus.
V. 3-9 He who has ears, let him hear. Jesus told the parable of 4 kinds of ground. The ground represents our heart. The farmer sows the same seed which is God’s words to different kind of ground. The result of each ground is different.
The first kind of ground is “along the path”. This kind of ground is full of people’s voices. Therefore, God’s messages are eaten up by the birds, the evil one. The second kind is a “shallow soil”. Thus, God’s words can’t root deeply in his heart. When troubles or persecutions come, he quickly falls away from God’s words. The third kind is a ground “full of thorns”. Though he hears God’s words, the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it. Therefore, there is no fruit. The fourth kind is “a good soil”. The seed falls on it and bears fruit. Those who listen to God’s words completely, will reap a hundred times of crop. Those who do not listen completely, will reap less.
Though two sons of Samuel had such a godly father and could hear God’s words everyday, their hearts were not good soil. They loved money and took bribes. They made people stumbled.
V. 10-23 Jesus explained the secrets of the kingdom of heaven only to his disciples. It is because they had left everything behind to follow Jesus. Blessed are their eyes and ears. Those who have, will be blessed more! But the people’s heart has been calloused. They do not love God wholeheartedly. They have too many kings in their hearts. Therefore, though they see or hear, they do not understand. This is just as the Israel in 1 Samuel 8. The Israel determined to set up a king. They could not understand God’s words, nor did they want to hear it. They even ignored God’s warning!
V. 24-30 Jesus told another parable. It teaches us that after we accept God’s teachings, we must guard it watchfully. So that the enemy can’t sow weeds into our hearts. The weeds are those who do evil and make people stumble. At the end of the age, the weeds will be pulled up and burned in the fire. They will be weeping bitterly. Woe to those who are not watchful so as to follow the false teachings and do evil. False teachings may sound right, but they are wrong. Because it is not the exact meaning of the Holy Bible.
V. 31-32 The way of the kingdom of heaven is the secret of God’s words. If a man believes it in his heart, the smallest seed will grow into the largest tree. The birds can find rest on this tree. For example, Abraham had a little faith in God’s words. He left his hometown to a place where God instructed him. It is also because of faith that he offered his most beloved son to God. Joseph is another example. He feared God and kept himself far away from sins and did good humbly in prison. Both of them become examples that how people can be blessed for generations.
How pity it is that many people regard God’s word as nothing. They pay no attention to it. They run here and there for so called great prophets.
V. 33-50 How powerful God’s word is! It is just like a yeast can make the whole dough rise. When there is one person who loves God and firmly keeps His words, he can accomplish God’s plan. All the nations and peoples for generations will be blessed through him who has faith and listen to God’s words.
At the end of age, the righteous will shine as a great light, as the sun. But the wicked who disobeys God’s words and is deceived by the sayings of the evil one, will be thrown into the fire, where there will be weeping.
Therefore, the way of the kingdom of the heaven is a hidden treasure. We must sell everything we have to buy this priceless treasure. However, the two sons of Samuel and the Israel would not do so. They rejected God’s words to be king in ruling over them. They gave up God’s will. They listened to the voice of other nations. The evil one used people’s sayings to influence God’s children. Therefore, they insisted on setting up a king as the Gentile. Even when God warned them that the king would make them lose everything they had. They refused to listen. Their ending was weeping in darkness.
V. 51-58 Jesus came to his hometown. He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith.
The Israelite in 1 Samuel refused to listen God, they could not see God’s power and glory. Isaiah 50: 11 told us that all who light fires and walk in the light of their fires would lie down in torment. This was what they would get from God’s hand.
When we have any problem in our families or in our churches, let us pray and seek our almighty Lord. Do not follow the Gentile to use our own methods. It may bring us into worse situations. May we gladly and completely listen to God’s words. He who loves the Lord will shine greatly as a sun on the whole world. He will be esteemed by God as a blessing to the world!
O, the Lord is good to whose hope is in Him and to the one who seeks Him. It is good to wait guietly for His favor.