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Should Israel change their form of government when their judges are corrupt?
This Week’s Story relives American history and the Bible through brief inspiring stories presented on mp3 audio recordings and text for reading.
The Grass will be no Greener! part two
“Brother, I hate going to court and getting ripped off. The judges ARE SWINDLERS! They twist justice, steal money, and violate our Mosaic laws.”
“Ab, be prepared. The judges have bribed some of our neighbors to lie in court. You will have a miserable job defending yourself, even though you did not steal our neighbor’s harvest! The penalty money you pay will go to the judges.”
“What should I do? The law and honesty have no importance to Joel and Abijah, our two worthless judges. Their names smell like rotten fish.
“I am angry, but also sad because their father Samuel has been a judge and leader we have respected. He follows God’s commandments and understands our Israeli people. He made a father’s soft-headed mistake when he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. They laugh at his justice.”
“Ab, our people are demanding, ‘We need a king like the nations around us.’ I am more concerned about what our people want than about our crooked judges. We do not need a new form of government.
“Our form of government was written in the laws God gave to Moses, our first judge. Moses followed the law and God’s voice, even though the people often complained. There was a basic order and justice. That is not how it is in the countries around us. Many worship other gods.”
“Brother, where can we get help?”
“No place! We have no higher judges and ours were appointed for life. The people are not humble enough to ask God for help. They think if we have a king, our problems will be over.”
Israeli leaders went to see Samuel.
“Samuel, you are old; and your sons are not like you. Give us a king like other nations have.”
Samuel was upset and asked God for advice.
God answered, “Do as they want. They are rejecting me, not you. They do not want me to guide them and be their king. They do not follow my advice. Warn them how a king will treat them.”
Samuel gave God’s warnings to the people. “The king will draft your sons into his army. Some will be commanders. Some will be slave workers. Some will be forced to work in the king’s fields. Some will be ordered to harvest his crops and others to make his weapons.
“The king will take daughters from you to be his servants. He will take away your best fields and give them as rewards to his military officers. He will take one-tenth of your flocks of animals.
“The day will come when you will beg for relief from your king.”
The people answered Samuel, “We still want a king. We want to be like the nations around us. Our king will guide us and lead us into battle.”
A king was chosen. All was not well in Israel. The grass became no greener.
You can research today’s story beginning in I Samuel 8 of the Bible.
Find more stories as written by Barbara Steiner at thisweeksstory.com.
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