- Greenvillenazarene

When People discard you!

When People Discard you

Ever just discover you don’t want something anymore
My mom decided to get rid of all her traditional red and green Christmas décor and go BLUE and SILVER...fabulous
Adult children inherited her discarded Christmas decor
The tree shown and reminded everyone of Elvis’ famous song...and my dad hid the credit card 😉
The ornaments did not have feelings of course, but when we are disregarded and even discarded...it can be rough
Even loose a friendship? Maybe because you just grew apart, maybe because you said something others to offense to...
Samuel in this final message we spend on his life was in a period of being thrown aside...and it hurt

1 Samuel 8 1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges for Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not walk in his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. 4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 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.

Israel wants a king
The transition from the old order of the judges to the new order of the monarchy in Israel was a painful experience for Samuel.
After more than twenty years of distinguished, outstanding and sacrificial service (1 Sam 7:2), Samuel discovered that he was not wanted anymore.
Samuel made a big mistake
He appointed his two sons as judges (1 Sam 8:1-2).
The appointment of judges was to be done by God, and not Samuel or other men (Judges 2:16, 18).
Samuel’s sons were scoundrels...stealing from people
Samuel, who had not so much as taken a dime from people (1 Sam 12:3-4), had sons that profited from their father’s influence in Israel.
I can imagine that Samuel felt very let down...
He had made a mistake
His sons let him down
But rather than allow Samuel to correct his mistake, Israel demanded a King instead
The Elders of Israel, the older generation that knew the law had seen what happened when God was not listened to...let Samuel down
The current young people in Israel also let Samuel down...they saw the other nations with kings and wanted to fit in with them!
Have you ever felt what it was like when people let you down, when things go downhill and when ties are strained?
Or that your position, authority and record no longer factor much, count for something, or carry that much weight?
What are we to do if we are ushered out the front door after years of faithful service?

1 Samuel 8 6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 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. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

It’s okay to be Mad...but don’t get even

Abraham Lincoln, America’s most popular president, was anything but beloved while he was in office. The South hated him. The anti-war activists hated him. Democrats hated him, calling him a widow-maker. The media ridiculed his eyes, looks and body, calling him a freak of nature. Harpers magazine so much as to call him a host of names in print: filthy story teller, despot, liar, thief, braggart, buffoon, usurper, monster, ignoramus Abe, old scoundrel, perjurer, swindler, tyrant, field-butcher, land-pirate.

Lincoln, however, would not stoop down to the level of his critics. He won over a lot of his enemies and critics by holding fast to this famous principle “With malice toward none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right.”

Samuel did not react to the problem, but prayed about the problem.
He had experienced a serious round of disappointment...YES
His children let him down, the Israelites let him down, the elders let him down,
But deep in his heart, he felt that he had let himself and the Lord down.
How else could he explain how his children had turned out so crooked, so greedy and so ungodly?
Samuel’s world was turned upside down,
the elders met behind secret doors
and the people eyed for a king.
The elders pressured him to relinquish his duties,
They had it all figured out, mapped out and laid out for him.
Samuel was feeling deeply hurt, backed into a corner and disrespected in the worst way.
No one came to his defense,
all elders had the same thinking and options were not on the table.
When push came to shove, he did not threaten to quit
Instead...Samuel did what his mother did and what he did all his life...He prayed
Did you catch that? Samuel Prayed...he didn’t gossip, plan a way to get back, make fun...He prayed

“don’t get mad get even...” ever hear that phrase?

We often jump straight from being offended/let down/etc. To what we will do to get back
Maybe we just rip them down through gossip to others...getting other people on our side to make us feel better
Maybe we plan a way to put them down, get rid of them
Do people hurt us, reject us, ridicule us? YES you bet (if not maybe your testimony is not loud enough)
Jesus said it would happen, and that when it does WE SHOULD BE GLAD!
“God blesses you when people mock you and persecute you and lie about you and say all sorts of evil things against you because you are my followers. 12 Be happy about it! Be very glad! For a great reward awaits you in heaven. And remember, the ancient prophets were persecuted in the same way.
WHAT! Crazy stuff …

Get mad, getting angry is not a sin...but don’t get even...PRAY

1 Samuel 8 10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 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...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 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.”

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 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.” 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

Get mad...don’t get even...give it to God and Go quietly
Be careful what you wish for.
Ben Franklin said, “If a man could have half his wishes, he would double his troubles.”
Samuel “the lord hears” ...heard from God...God asked Samuel to warn the people what would happen if they rejected God, If they got the king they wanted...
And the people still rejected God...and God would not force their love and obedience...free will what a thing huh?
So Samuel warns, the people don’t listen and Samuel prays again...
The Lord tells him...it’s time to go...let them have their way and deal with the consequences...

Quietly...a quiet answer is what Jesus gave when accused. He either stayed silent or spoke softly. He did not call down fire or angels to punish...

When we are hurt...do we go quietly

NOTE this is not a reason to stay in a relationship where you are being used and abused...this is not what I am talking about...

I am talking about when because of your FAITH or because of WHO YOU ARE in CHRIST or because you are SPEAKING GOD’S TRUTH...people reject you,

do you recognize they are rejecting God...and that...well...that’s their right, God let’s that happen...sometimes if people cannot be convinced by soft answers, love and speaking Gods word...we are tempted to get LOUDER, complain more, gossip more...as if that will change them...

When maybe God is trying to say to you... Let them... go quietly

I want to end this series with a part of Samuel’s final words to Israel...

23 As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. (1 Sam 12:23-24)

Get man don’t get even...PRAY...

Then Give it to God and go quietly...

Then...keep praying for them, keep loving them, keep teaching them!