Careful What You Ask For

When Les Miles was the Oklahoma State University football coach, he expressed confidence for an upcoming trip to play at Oklahoma University. Even though OU was the bigger school with a historically stronger team, Les Miles said he was glad for the opportunity to play them and implied he thought OSU could win. Unfortunately for him, OU was ready and dominated every aspect of the game. OSU did not even make it past half field in the first half, and they ended up losing 52-9.

Les Miles got exactly what he asked for, and it did not go well. People have always had a tendency to pursue or desire things that end up harming them. When Samuel was Israel’s judge, the Israelites decided that they wanted a king instead. God warned that a king would oppress them and make them miserable, but they were insistent. So God responds in 1 Samuel 8 by making it clear why they should be careful what they ask for.

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 on 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.” – 1 Samuel 8

1. Be careful asking for the desires of your heart

Israel’s request for a king makes sense, because their current social and political structure was not working very well. Unfortunately, the issue was that their hearts were against God, and the solution was not a new government. Instead of thinking we should get what we want, we need to make sure that we ask for things that align with God’s word.

2. Be careful asking to be like everyone else

The main problem with Israel’s request was that they were asking to be like the people God had set them apart from. By asking to be like everyone else, they were rejecting their identity as God’s people. We must be careful to accept God’s plan through faith rather than trying to conform to the world around us.

3. Be careful, you may just ask for less than God’s best

God warned that a king would take many things from Israel, but they did not listen. By getting an earthly king, they lost sight of God’s plan to send Jesus to be a better King. It is sobering to realize that sometimes when we get what we ask for, we are getting less than God’s best plan for our lives.

If God answered all of your prayers right now, would the world look more like God’s Kingdom or your own? If we understand that prayer is powerful and God has a good plan, we will be careful what we ask for.

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