The Meaning Of Life

https://biblehub.com/nkjv/1_samuel/8.htm

“When you come to the land which the Lord your God is giving you, and possess it and dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are around me,’ – Deuteronomy 17:14

God knows all, and He knew Israel would eventually demand a king, so they could be like the countries around them. Why was this so bad? Because God is our King! As scripture says, God intended for us to have a Heavenly King, not an earthly one. And why did they want an earthly king? Satan.

Everything bad that happens is because of Satan. When Israel took the Ark of the Covenant with them into battle, it was because Satan tempted them to, to draw them away from God, to make them his children instead of God’s. When the people of Beth Shemesh couldn’t resist opening the Ark and looking inside, it wasn’t them, it was Satan tempting them to do that, to draw them away from God. And even I’ve failed to point this out; I continually talk about the sins and the faults of the children of Israel, even of the pagans that worshiped false god and sacrificed children…it truly wasn’t them, it was Satan tempting them to do those things, to draw them away from God. As I’ve said before, our entire lives are centered around a great battle between God and Satan.

God wants what is good for us. His law is designed for us to have perfect lives, and only when we stray from His Perfect Law, do our lives become imperfect. Satan doesn’t want us to follow God. Just like a third of the angels of Heaven who he was able to draw away, he wants to draw us away from God as well. And he doesn’t care whether we live or die in the process. Satan was thoroughly elated when the 50+K people of Beth Shemesh died because they were not righteous enough to withstand the Glory of God that was contained within the Ark.

And Satan tempted the children of Israel and gave them the desire to have an earthly King. And that is how sneaky Satan is. They didn’t know they were tempted. They weren’t even given the chance to think about it, to make a decision right or wrong. There are many times when I’m confront with a decision whether to sin or not, I knowingly have a choice. Sometimes I choose the good path, more often than not, I choose the bad path. But each and every day, Satan tempts me without my knowledge, and is able to make me sin. Losing my temper for example, going back to my old days and spitting out a curse word, having a hateful thought. And it happens before I know it. Most of the time, God convicts me, I realize I have sinned, and I immediately confess my sin and ask for forgiveness, but I am absolutely positive there are many times in which I sin and don’t even realize it until much later. Satan can trick us that way. And that is why we need to stay as close to God as possible so we aren’t tripped up, so we are immediately convicted of our sins when they happen.

Had the children of Israel called for a King, then immediately realized the error of their ways and chose otherwise, things would have turned out different. But Satan tempted them, and they didn’t even realize it.

And what did God do when they asked for a king? He gave them free-will. He gave them the ability to choose the right thing, or the wrong thing. Remember, Satan convinced a third of the angels that God was an angry tyrant that demanded obedience. Satan promised those angels the freedom to make their own decisions, which is what God had already done anyway. Had God stopped Satan, it would have proven Satan’s point, that God demands obedience. And if God had denied the children of Israel the request for a king, it would have been the same; God would have been viewed as a tyrant who demanded obedience.

It wasn’t without warning though. Samuel tried to tell them what it would be like with a king, the sacrifices they would have to make. But they weren’t having any…they knew what was best for themselves, and they wanted at king!

The next time you want something badly…your mind is set on it…ask yourself, “Will this be pleasurable to God?” Do you want a new car so you can help people, volunteering to take the elderly to doctor’s appointments, or maybe picking up groceries and pharmaceuticals for those impoverished, or do you want a new car because the neighbors have one? Is what you want beneficial only to you, or will it served God and others as well. Is what you want in harmony with God’s Word?

Magicians don’t actually perform magic, they perform slight-of-hand. Satan doesn’t perform magic either, he just performs slight-of-mind.

Be wary of Satan, at all times.