Give them what they want

So the LORD said to Samuel, "Heed their voice, and make them a king." And Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Every man go to his city." - 1 Samuel 8v22

Man can really be stubborn. I mentioned recently how I don’t fully understand how prayer works. Here is another example. God seemingly did not ‘want’ Israel to have a king, yet they rejected that and begged for a king no matter what the consequences. He warned them of the consequences. So, from our perspective God relented and gave them what they wanted.

We do know that God knew everything. He knew what would happen. I guess the best we could do to try and sort it out from our perspective Is that God wanted them to know all that they were getting themselves into so that when it all went wrong they would have to recognise that they were suffering the consequences of their own action.

Hezekiah asked God to let him live a little longer. He did, and as a result he saw the destruction of his nation.

In same way that we cannot fully comprehend there are times when God lets people have what they want even though it is not what He wants for them. Ultimately it all works into His perfect plan.

I think in some way there is a lesson here for us. We need to be careful what we ask for. Our plans are not always in accord with us. His will will be accomplished, but He may allow us to take another more painful route there to teach us that His way is always best.