By Andrew Williams
“Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!” they all said to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.”
1 Samuel 12:19 NLT
Good morning fellow disciples.
Have you ever been in the position where you have given Godly advice to persons, and they disobeyed? Did they then come back to you asking you to intercede with God on their behalf?
What was your initial reaction, and did you pray for them?
Intercede: to mediate; to plead on someone else’s behalf; or to intervene on behalf of another.
The Israelites knew that they were sinful! They knew that they had compounded their sins by asking Samuel for a human king to replace God who was their King.
They had asked Samuel to give them a king like the other nations had. Samuel objected but they persisted. Now they came back to Samuel to pray for them when they recognized their sins.
Let us be treat sinful people the way that Samuel did!
I love Samuel’s response to these sinful people:
“Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart, and don’t turn your back on him. Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you—they are totally useless!
The Lord will not abandon his people, because that would dishonor his great name. For it has pleased the Lord to make you his very own people.
“As for me, I will certainly not sin against the Lord by ending my prayers for you. And I will continue to teach you what is good and right.
But be sure to fear the Lord and faithfully serve him. Think of all the wonderful things he has done for you. But if you continue to sin, you and your king will be swept away.”
1 Samuel 12:20-25 NLT