2018-06-17T08:00:00-05:00
8:1 When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”
10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking for a king from him. 11 He said, “These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. 12 And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. 13 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 orchards and give them to his servants. 15 He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. 18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
19 But the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel. And they said, “No! But there shall be a king over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 And when Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the ears of the LORD. 22 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey their voice and make them a king.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version copyright (c)2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved. http://www.esv.org
Dear home builder,
I see that you’ve been given a plot of land, and it appears that you’re starting to build on it. That’s true for all of us around here, so I just wanted to reach out as you move forward with construction. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but there are lots of ideas floating around about how to build a great home. Your friends and family members have opinions. The rich and famous love talking about the homes they’ve built. These days, so many are concerned about windows, kitchens, bathrooms, and curb appeal. I’m not saying these aren’t important, but I want to remind you of something crucial that doesn’t tend to “sell” houses. Foundations. We take them for granted, they’re hidden, but they’re essential. Many have experienced that sinking feeling of buying a beautiful home, only to have an inspector inform them that the foundation is a disaster. The seller makes everything look great above ground, but we can’t see beneath the floorboards. When we’re confronted with the truth, what are we going to do? We’re already emotionally invested. The Master Builder tells us that it’s folly—like building a sandcastle by the sea—but still, these places go up and sell every day.
You may be thinking: “Why all the doom and gloom? Just let me build this thing how I want! Nothing’s going to happen.” But I want to tell you. It rains around here. The kind of rain that falls sideways—and an umbrella won’t help. You never know when the flash floods are coming, and they will sweep you away. We get wind here, too. Wind that bends your trees, breaks your windows, and blows you over. I can’t tell you when the storms will come, but they will come. The Master Builder says so. And when they come, your landscaping, brick color, and fixtures won’t matter much if your foundation is faulty. Here’s the scariest part: You may not know the true condition of your home until it’s too late.
But there is a better way. It starts with giving up the thought that you can build your own home or trust someone else to build it for you. There is only one Master Builder. He has the power and the tools to build us a solid foundation. He only asks us to trust Him and to do what He says. His houses look different—not necessarily on the outside. They seem to radiate from within, even when the materials are rather plain. And that’s never more obvious than when the storms come. Did you know: The Master Builder has never seen one of His homes destroyed? We think His building codes restrict our freedom and kill our joy, but the truth is, He loves us more than we know, and He knows what makes a happy home. In fact, He paid the price Himself to guarantee that His homes will be filled with joy forever. Have you heard about the Master Builder? If you’re interested, I’d encourage you to read more about who He is and what He has done around here. He’s always at work, putting up model homes all over the place. Rumor has it He has something even more amazing planned. I don’t want you to miss it.
Forgive me for the long note. I get excited about this stuff. Can’t wait to meet you.
Welcome home,
Your new neighbor