They have not rejected you, they have rejected Me

“And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.” – 1 Samuel 8v7

As the years of Samuel’s judgeship passed the people became more and more discontent by his rule. When his sons grew up to not follow the Lord it gave them the excuse to demand a change so they went to Samuel and asked for a king.

Samuel was disturbed. He felt like they had rejected him personally. He went to God to ask for advice. “Listen to what the people say Samuel,” God said, “they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me and my rule over them.” Samuel could be assured that it was not a personal matter between the people and him. They were not really upset with Samuel, but with God’s plan for them.
God’s words to Samuel can be a great encouragement to us. There have been and will be times when we are going to feel rejected. When we truly take a stand for the Lord and speak His word, people are often going to reject our message. It is easy to take this personally and think that people have rejected us. We ought to keep these words in mind. If we are standing true to God and His Word, and people reject us, it is not us they are rejecting, but the Lord.