Fitting In

Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. 1 Sam 8:4-7 (NKJV)

Do you really want to be like everyone else? Peer pressure can have a tremendous influence on an individual's choices in life. Sometimes we are willing to do things that we already consider foolish, simply because "everyone else" is doing it. We involve ourselves in such behavior, because we want to fit in--because the "in" crowd is doing it, and because we tell ourselves that we can get away with it.

The people of Israel wanted to be like the other nations around them. Pray tell me why? The other nations worshiped idols. The other nations engaged in human sacrifice. The other nations were barbaric and unenlightened by comparison. The elders of Israel approached Samuel and said, "Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." What an ignorant decision! Centuries latter, British historian, Lord Acton made the following observation: "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men."

Saul was not an exception to Lord Acton's statement. With the accession of Saul, came higher taxes, corruption, arbitrary and inconsistent decisions, nepotism, lawlessness, wars and serious holes in the idea of justice and the rule of law. By demanding a King, the nation of Israel did become like the nations around them and in doing so, became something less. Anytime, and every time a nation or an individual or a collective of people decide to ignore God's truth and do what everyone else is doing--it is going to end badly. The wisdom of man remains as foolishness compared to the wisdom of God.

Prayer: "Dear heavenly Father, help me to march to the beat of a different drum--Your drum! May I not be concerned about being Politically Correct or compromise what I believe just so that I might fit in with the people that I'm trying to impress. May the actions of my life and the words of my mouth be pleasing to You. Thank You for the wisdom and truth that flows from the pages of Your Word. May they find a place of acceptance in my heart. Amen"