King Wanted

It must be with a grin the the planners of the Bible reading program set up 1 Samuel right at this time. The upcoming income tax deadline. The best part of tax time is when it is done...
So here we go.

1 Samuel 8:10-20 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 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. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the LORD will not answer you in that day.”

But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “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.

The situation - the "King's cut" taxes, etc. and also "we want to be like everyone else." God has freed them, cared for them, protected them, chastized them and also loved them. But the grass is greener. They want a king. Okay, I am supposed to learn something from this passage. The grass is not always greener when you get to the other side. As this passage says God will let it happen, let us have what we plead for and then let us bear the consequences. Part of growing up.
I don't want to be like everyone else. I want to innovate, be on the edge and take a few risks. BUT I want ABBA FATHER to take care of me too.

What I should be looking for and striving for is to be "Uniquely HIS, uniquely God's man and leader."

In case I do not make a connection before the deadline, "Happy tax day."