1 Samuel 8:4-9; 19 Finally the leaders of Israel met in Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. They told him that since his retirement things hadn’t been the same, for his sons were not good men. “Give us a king like all the other nations have,” they pleaded. Samuel was terribly upset and went to the Lord for advice. “Do as they say,” the Lord replied, “for I am the one they are rejecting, not you---they don’t want me to be their king any longer. Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually forsaken me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. Do as they ask, but warn them about what it will be like to have a king!”. . . . But the people refused to listen to Samuel’s warning. “Even so, we still want a king,” they said, “for we want to be like the nations around us. He will govern us and lead us to battle.”
[Living Bible translation]
Summary
Samuel was God’s prophet---God’s messenger to the people. But the people did not want a messenger from God or GOD’s leadership. They wanted a king. At first, Samuel was upset. Samuel had spent his entire “career” as a prophet trying to help the Israelites serve GOD and now it seemed that all of his work trying to steer the Israelites in the right direction was for nothing! Despite all that GOD had done, the Israelites wanted a king to lead them instead of GOD.
From a logical standpoint the Israelite’s decision was totally irrational: Here were a people that had the opportunity to be governed by GOD---- WHO IS ALL POWERFUL, ALL KNOWING, EVERYWHERE and DIVINELY GOOD and FAIR by GOD’s very nature, yet the Israelites said “NO.” HE was not what they wanted!
From a physical and emotional point of view, the Israelite’s decision was also detrimental to their health and emotional well-being. GOD (WHO IS ALL KNOWING) actually warned the Israelites what life would be like if they were governed by a king. He warned them if they were given what they wanted, it would lead to disastrous consequences. GOD warned them that the king could cause them to “shed bitter tears” (See verse 18.). GOD told them that the king would not be fair, that he would conscript them into military service, treat them like slaves and even force their daughters to serve him. Despite being forewarned, the Israelites would not be dissuaded. They wanted what they wanted.
From a spiritual point of view, the decision to choose a human king over GOD was going in the exact opposite direction the people needed to go. Instead of getting closer to GOD, they were moved further away. They insulted HIM. They ignored GOD. They rejected HIM. And, they rejected GOD’s plan for them. Their sole focus was on getting what they wanted.
1 Samuel 8:1-19 is a classic example of a people making a decision detrimental to their own physical, emotional and spiritual health----choosing what they wanted instead of choosing what they needed.
FOOD NEEDS
Although eating is one of the most common of human experiences in the world, people often give little thought to what their nutritional needs are. Most people just eat what they want. Often, what people want is based on irrational decision making, impulse or just seeing something on someone else’s plate in advertisements, TV commercials and other visual inducements and just thinking that is what we want. People may even stand in the coffee and donut line just because everyone else is lined up there too. Like the Israelites, they want what everyone else has, even if what everyone else has isn’t necessarily good for them---the “havers” (those that already had Kings like the Philistines) or the “wanters” (like the Israelites, who wanted their own king).
Why Eat?
Although it seems like a simple question, it seems that often people think of or visualize their bodies as if they were giant “gas car tanks.” They speak of themselves as being “full” or “empty,” when talking about the need “to eat” or “not eat.” It is as there was an empty tank and most people need to “shovel” food in, just to have “that full feeling” or not to have “that empty feeling.” This kind of eating behavior may cause a person to just want to eat anything. Often the “filler uppers” may not even “taste” the food or consider the quality of the food they are eating. They just want to feel full all the time. They just want what they want.
Eating for Good Health
If we actually think about the reason why we “need” to eat as oppose to why we “want” to eat, one of the reasons that seem clear is that we “need” to eat for good health. For example, one of the systems we want to maintain is “the gut.” We all want a healthy gut!
The Gut
The gut is that system within humans and other animals which takes in food, digests it, aborts and extracts the nutrients and energy from food and which expels the remaining waste as feces. This system, which helps the body run smoothly starts at the mouth and ends at the anus. It includes the mouth, the teeth, the esophagus (the system of organs from between the mouth and the stomach), the stomach (where food is broken down), the small intestines (where food may be processed for 2-4 hours), the large intestines and the colon (where food not absorbed in the small intestines might stay for 12-48 hours), the pancreas (where enzymes break down fats, protein and carbohydrates), the liver (which receives blood from the gut and filters out and removes toxins, metabolizes drugs, synthesizes bile), the gall bladder (another organ that recycles and stores bile), and the rectum (where stool is stored until it is pushed out the anus).
The health of the gut and how well the gut system functions depends on the trillions of microorganisms in the gut, which in turn are affected by the health of the gut and often by the foods we eat. According to Dr. Amy Myers in “10 Signs, You Have An Unhealthy Gun + How to Heal It,” July 17, 2014, Mbghealh, “60-80% of our immune system is located in our gut.” See, https://www.mindbodygreen.com/0-14510/10-signs-you-have-an-unhealthy-gut-how-to-heal-it.html.
Dr. Lisa Ganjhu calls the gut the “communication center for the brain,” because the brain and the gut are in constant communication. The gut is also on the front line of the body’s immune system. Bacteria in the gut may decide how well a person may be able to fight disease. Dr. Ganjhu suggests that some of the ways to promote gut health is to reduce and manage stress, eat well, maintain a healthy body weight, stay active, avoid tobacco, and get proper cancer colon screening. See, “Your Gut Feeling: A Healthier Digestive System Means A Healthier You,” by Dr. Lisa Ganjhu, https://med.nyu.edu/medicine/gastro/about-us/gastroenterology-news-archive/your-gut-feeling-healthier-digestive-system-means-healthier .
According to Dr. Ganjhu, eating well means eating a diet high in fiber, moderate in protein, low in fat, with minimum processed foods or toxins. Among the foods Dr. Ganjhu recommends are fresh bright fruits and vegetables. She also recommends staying hydrated with water and drinking green tea or low sugared drinks. In addition, she recommends limiting red and processed meats, substances high in sugar, caffeine and alcohol.
Seeing a doctor regularly for screen and prevention is also important. In other words, don’t just see a doctor when you are ill or sick, but see your physician for prevention and in order to “partner up” for information and education for good health. Exercise, walking, regular physical activity is not only good for the mind, it is also good for the gut. A healthy lifestyle (including an exercise program) and a healthy diet are all important in maintaining a healthy gut.
MAKING THE RATIONAL CHOICE
The Israelites are confronted with the same kind of choices that we are confronted with today:
- Will we do what is best for our physical and emotional health, even though we have been forewarned of the consequences, or will we ignore what we need and just do what we want?
- Will we get closer to GOD—knowing that GOD IS ALL POWERFUL, GOOD and EVERYWHERE and GOD is able to do wondrous things in our lives, even in our times of weakness, or will we just give in to our wants and ignore GOD. This would not be judicious given everything we know and have learned from the Biblical examples of what happens to people and nations who gave into their wants; nevertheless, we sometimes do.
So, let this Wednesday and every day this month be a day of reflection---- WANTS or NEEDS?
Pray we all heed GOD’s WORD.
Choose wisely and BE BLESSED!
