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Israel's Return to God - The Book of 1 Samuel · Bible in a Year with Jack Graham

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  Speaker 1: Let us pray. Then the children of Israel did put
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  Speaker 1: away Balaam and Ashtaroth and served the Lord only. 1
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  Speaker 1: Samuel 7.4 Dear Heavenly Father, Today is spring cleaning. Today
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  Speaker 1: is the day that I'm taking inventory of what's in
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  Speaker 1: my heart and if there are any idols that I've
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  Speaker 1: allowed to stay. Idols like jealousy, unforgiveness, people-pleasing, and spiritual compromise,
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  Speaker 1: I break at the altar of your presence. I confess
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  Speaker 1: that if I'm not in spiritual alignment, I lose battles
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  Speaker 1: that you've already spoken victory over. However, the days of
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  Speaker 1: losing battles because of idols are gone. I decree and
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  Speaker 1: declare that my heart only longs for you and your ways.
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  Speaker 1: I declare that I am synced and aligned with your ways.
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  Speaker 1: I will not fall to fear. When the clouds of
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  Speaker 1: trials descend upon me, I know, like thunder, you will
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  Speaker 1: roll through my life and hand victory to me. I
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  Speaker 1: declare that all fear, doubt, anxiety, and worry will melt
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  Speaker 1: under the hand of the Almighty. I will not look
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  Speaker 1: for any other king to rule my life but you.
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  Speaker 1: Lead me. and guide me to your desired outcome for
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  Speaker 1: my life. In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks for making prayer
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  Speaker 1: a priority in your life. To hear the Bible come
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  Speaker 1: to life, stay tuned for The Bible in a Year,
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  Speaker 1: brought to you by BibleInAYear.com.
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  Speaker 2: Israel's return to God. In our last story, we learned
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  Speaker 2: of God's victory over the Philistines and his return to Israel.
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  Speaker 2: He plagued them with tumors and made it known that
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  Speaker 2: he was the God above all other gods. Now we
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  Speaker 2: see Israel turn away from their old idolatry and pursue
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  Speaker 2: God with their whole heart. Victory and prosperity follows them,
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  Speaker 2: but idolatry still creeps in the darkness of their hearts.
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  Speaker 2: Inspired by the book of 1 Samuel....
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  Speaker 3: Hello, this is Jack Graham with today's episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Bible in a Year. In yesterday's reading, we heard about
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  Speaker 3: how God punished the Philistines, judged them for stealing the
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  Speaker 3: ark and attempting to use God for their own benefit.
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  Speaker 3: After being afflicted with terrible tumors in two different cities,
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  Speaker 3: the terrified Philistines returned the ark along with guilt offerings
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  Speaker 3: to Israel. The people of God rejoiced and praised God
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  Speaker 3: for returning the ark to them. Today we'll hear how
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  Speaker 3: they turn back to God and try to follow Him
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  Speaker 3: with the integrity of their hearts. They will experience prosperity
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  Speaker 3: and success in battle as long as they remain committed
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  Speaker 3: to the Lord. But Israel is still plagued by a
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  Speaker 3: desire to be like other nations. They will insist on
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  Speaker 3: a king despite God's promise to rule over them. God
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  Speaker 3: will hear them and eventually give them what they want.
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  Speaker 3: But they don't understand for what they are asking or
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  Speaker 3: what they will receive. Let's listen now to today's story.
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  Speaker 2: The Ark of the Covenant had been returned to Israel,
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  Speaker 2: but the Philistine gods were not destroyed completely. Many Israelites
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  Speaker 2: clung to many different gods. They kept idols in their
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  Speaker 2: homes and used idol worship as an excuse to sin.
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  Speaker 2: Samuel spoke to the people as a loving and strong leader. Listen,
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  Speaker 2: he shouted among them. The crowd grew silent as they
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  Speaker 2: listened to Samuel. They hung on every word he said.
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  Speaker 2: Samuel spoke the word of God over the sea of people, saying,
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  Speaker 2: If you truly want to return to the Lord, direct
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  Speaker 2: your hearts towards him. Pursue what is meaningful and good
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  Speaker 2: for your souls. Serve him only, and you will have
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  Speaker 2: victory over the Philistines. So the people of Israel burned
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  Speaker 2: their idols to Baal and Ashtaroth. It was as if
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  Speaker 2: the walls of Jericho crumbled in their own hearts. The
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  Speaker 2: heaviness of their idol worship dissipated, and they began to
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  Speaker 2: worship God freely once again. Samuel took the children of
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  Speaker 2: Israel to Mizpah to worship God. There they sang to him,
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  Speaker 2: recounted his laws, and made sacrifices. However, the Philistine wolves
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  Speaker 2: caught scent of their vulnerability and sought to attack Israel
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  Speaker 2: while they were worshiping. The Philistine army gathered like storm
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  Speaker 2: clouds across the valley below Mizpah, They rolled through in
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  Speaker 2: great numbers, and their battle cries could be heard only
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  Speaker 2: a few miles away. The Philistines were in hot pursuit,
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  Speaker 2: and the Israelites grew terrified. Their marches shook the earth,
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  Speaker 2: and the clanging of their armor pierced their ears. They
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  Speaker 2: were fast approaching. If Israel had still been worshipping their idols,
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  Speaker 2: they would have fallen to their fear. Instead, they brought
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  Speaker 2: their cries before God. They bowed before him and asked
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  Speaker 2: Samuel to continue to pray and make sacrifices. Samuel took
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  Speaker 2: a nursing lamb and raised it high for all to see.
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  Speaker 2: Samuel drove a blade across its throat. The blood of
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  Speaker 2: the lamb was shed before the people. Years ago, the
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  Speaker 2: blood of a lamb was shed to cover the doorposts
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  Speaker 2: in Egypt. And years before that, the blood of the
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  Speaker 2: lamb was accepted by Abel before God. Deliverance followed the
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  Speaker 2: blood of a lamb. The Philistines were close enough to
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  Speaker 2: see the sweat on their brows and the glimmer of
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  Speaker 2: their blades. As Samuel was sacrificing the lamb, the Lord
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  Speaker 2: rolled into the valley like thunder, and a great boom
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  Speaker 2: shook the earth and skies. Philistines fell in every direction,
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  Speaker 2: and the people of Israel descended upon them like the
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  Speaker 2: armies of heaven. Their swords swayed through the confused Philistines,
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  Speaker 2: and victory was handed to Israel on a silver platter
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  Speaker 2: by God. The Philistine army, once terrifying and powerful, melted
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  Speaker 2: underneath the magnitude of the Almighty. Every city that the
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  Speaker 2: Philistines had taken from Israel had been won back, and
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  Speaker 2: slaves were set free. Freedom followed the blood of the Lamb.
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  Speaker 2: Samuel judged over Israel and guided them with kindness and
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  Speaker 2: wisdom until his old age. Israel prospered under him, and
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  Speaker 2: the Lord was glorified amongst his people once again. When
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  Speaker 2: Samuel grew too old to judge over Israel, he appointed
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  Speaker 2: his two sons, Joel and Abijah, to judge over them.
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  Speaker 2: Yet they did not share in their father's heart. They
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  Speaker 2: quarreled with the people, took bribes, and dishonored God. God
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  Speaker 2: despised how they perverted justice and would rule unkindly. The
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  Speaker 2: elders of Israel gathered together with Samuel. They were irate
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  Speaker 2: at the state of Israel under his sons. Look at
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  Speaker 2: your sons, Samuel, they yelled. They are nothing like you
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  Speaker 2: and judge unfairly. Appoint us a king to rule over
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  Speaker 2: us like other nations. Samuel was devastated when he heard
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  Speaker 2: these words. It grieved him that the people would want
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  Speaker 2: a king like other nations. What have I done wrong,
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  Speaker 2: Samuel thought to himself. God spoke kindly to Samuel, saying,
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  Speaker 2: Do as they ask, Samuel, for they have not rejected you,
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  Speaker 2: but they have rejected me as their king. Though Samuel
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  Speaker 2: did not hear the voice of God as Moses once did,
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  Speaker 2: he could sense grief in God's words. He spoke, saying,
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  Speaker 2: From the day I saved them from Egypt till now,
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  Speaker 2: they have sought after other gods. Now they do the
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  Speaker 2: same in wanting a king. Do as they say, but
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  Speaker 2: warn them that they will never have a king like
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  Speaker 2: the Lord. Samuel stood before the people, tears filled his
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  Speaker 2: eyes and dripped down his old cheeks. You will have
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  Speaker 2: a king as you asked, but remember this, a king
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  Speaker 2: takes more than he gives. Soon your property will be his,
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  Speaker 2: and your goods will be taken as tax. The best
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  Speaker 2: of your young men will be taken for his armies,
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  Speaker 2: and your young women will be forced to work to
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  Speaker 2: sell goods. And one day, you will cry out to
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  Speaker 2: God because of your king. You will ask him to
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  Speaker 2: take your kings away, but you will not be answered.
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  Speaker 2: The Israelites paid no attention to Samuel's warning. They longed
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  Speaker 2: to be ruled by a king. They had thrown away
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  Speaker 2: their old idols, and now their hearts desired a king
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  Speaker 2: to worship instead. The human heart is in constant pursuit
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  Speaker 2: of something to rule over it. It wants safety, so
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  Speaker 2: it grasps for the easiest form of comfort it can find.
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  Speaker 2: God would allow the people to put their hope in
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  Speaker 2: a king. He is not a God that begs for relationships.
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  Speaker 2: he would wait faithfully for their new idols to fail them.
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  Speaker 2: He would raise up redemption for his people as he
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  Speaker 2: always has before. For God is glorified when his people
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  Speaker 2: are redeemed.
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  Speaker 3: Today's scripture begins with the people turning back to God.
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  Speaker 3: The ark has been restored to them, but God tells
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  Speaker 3: the people through Samuel that the Philistines must still be
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  Speaker 3: dealt with. And he says, as long as they abandon
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  Speaker 3: their idolatry and look only to him by faith, they
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  Speaker 3: will have victory. So they burned their false idols and
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  Speaker 3: devoted themselves to God and to Samuel's leadership as judge.
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  Speaker 3: As they worshiped and offered sacrifices, the Philistines then attacked.
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  Speaker 3: Their army was great and would have easily defeated the Israelites.
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  Speaker 3: But this time God showed up for them and with
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  Speaker 3: thunderous sounds from the heaven, he confused the Philistine army.
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  Speaker 3: Israel defeated their enemy that day and took back every
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  Speaker 3: city and every slave taken by their pagan enemy. Samuel
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  Speaker 3: then ruled as God's representative for many years. It was
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  Speaker 3: a time of great prosperity. The people sought after God
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  Speaker 3: and obeyed his commands. But there was still a seed
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  Speaker 3: of doubt within them. They never stopped being jealous of
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  Speaker 3: other nations who were led by mighty kings. So when
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  Speaker 3: Samuel grew old and appointed his sons to judge over Israel,
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  Speaker 3: things began to change. Samuel's sons weren't the noble, God-seeking
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  Speaker 3: rulers that their father had been. Much like Eli's sons,
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  Speaker 3: they sought only their personal interests and indulgences, taking bribes
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  Speaker 3: and making a mockery of justice. So now the people
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  Speaker 3: tell Samuel that his sons weren't like him. They didn't
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  Speaker 3: want another judge. They wanted a king. What they failed
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  Speaker 3: to recognize was that God was already their king. And
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  Speaker 3: unlike all the other nations, their king was always good
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  Speaker 3: and always acted in their best interest. But none of
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  Speaker 3: that mattered to the Israelites. They wanted to be like
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  Speaker 3: everyone else. When we try to do things the world's way,
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  Speaker 3: We are telling God that his best for us is
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  Speaker 3: not good enough. We're not looking to him by faith
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  Speaker 3: and finding fulfillment in the things that really matter, but
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  Speaker 3: we're looking to the world and how the world can
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  Speaker 3: satisfy the cravings of our heart. And that's where Israel's
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  Speaker 3: heart was when they asked Samuel to give them a king,
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  Speaker 3: just like the other nations, just like the world. Samuel
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  Speaker 3: wasn't happy about this, and he went to God seeking wisdom.
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  Speaker 3: Here is God's response in 1 Samuel 8, 7. Obey
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  Speaker 3: the voice of the people in all that they say
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  Speaker 3: to you, for they have not rejected you, but they
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  Speaker 3: have rejected me from being king over them. God allowed
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  Speaker 3: the children of Israel to have a king. He tells
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  Speaker 3: Samuel to give them what they want, but Samuel is
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  Speaker 3: to warn them. The clear warning was that the king
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  Speaker 3: would not satisfy what they really wanted. He would not
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  Speaker 3: treat them kindly and lovingly as God always does. Undeterred
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  Speaker 3: by the warning, the people insist, give us what we want,
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  Speaker 3: so God does. It's a case of be careful what
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  Speaker 3: you wish for that will play out over many years,
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  Speaker 3: and we'll hear about that the next time. Lord, we
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  Speaker 3: believe that you are a perfect, good, loving, and righteous King.
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  Speaker 3: You are our Lord and Savior through Jesus Christ, and
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  Speaker 3: you always know what is best for us. We ask
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  Speaker 3: you to rule in us, govern our lives. And help
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  Speaker 3: us not to look to the world for answers, but
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  Speaker 3: only to you. In Jesus' name, amen. Thank you for
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  Speaker 3: listening to today's Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Pastor
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  Speaker 3: Jack Graham from Dallas, Texas. Download the Pray.com app and
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  Speaker 3: make Bible study and prayer a priority in your life.
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  Speaker 3: If you enjoyed this podcast, please share it with someone
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  Speaker 3: you know because it can make a genuine, even eternal
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  Speaker 3: difference in their lives. And if you want more resources
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  Speaker 3: on how you can know the power of God through
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  Speaker 3: Jesus Christ, then visit jackgram.org.