Wearisome Wishes

The Bible says: “And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king. Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you. If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.” 1 Samuel 12:12-15 (KJV)

Three men who were marooned on a desert island. As the days slowly went by, they dreamed of what it would be like to be at home with their friends and family, to be back at their jobs doing the things they loved. One day one of the men found a bottle that contained a genie. He opened the bottle and the genie announced that he would grant each of them one wish. One of the men said, “Boy, I want to be back in Seattle with my wife and kids.” POOF: he was gone. The second man immediately said, “I want to be back in Portland with my fiancé” and again in a flash he was gone. The third man was left all alone sitting on the sandy beach. He said, “Boy, it really is lonely with my friends gone. I sure wish they were back here with me again. And POOF!

Be careful what you wish for. Israel rejected the Lord and wished to have a king. They thought a king would be better than being obedient to God’s leadership. God has perfect plan for us but will allow all mankind to make their own choices. It is far better to heed God’s Holy Spirit’s leadership than to attempt to take matters into our own hands! 

     Daily Chronological Bible Reading: 1 Samuel 9-12