In his book, Counterfeit Gods, Timothy Keller defines an idol as "anything so central and essential to your life that, should you lose it, your life would feel hardly worth living." His definition reminds us that idols are not necessarily wood and stone images we bow down to- they can also be good things that take the place of the One true God. Idols are especially prevalent during days of stress when our soul’s peace of mind is threatened. Such was the case many years ago when God's people looked to a King to give them what only He could-security in the midst of trouble. The lessons of 1 Samuel 8 are especially relevant during these days of pandemic pressure.

1 Samuel 8

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Food manufacturers have taken great strides in the last several decades to remove the guesswork from food spoilage issues by stamping an expiration date on their products. The stamp usually says something like “Best if used by" or "Please use by.” The further ahead or on that expiration date, the safer the food, usually. If you are eating food after its expiration date, however, well you are asking for trouble. In a similar way, every living thing has an expiration date, including you and me. The challenge comes when we use human wisdom to attach expiration dates to our lives rather than God’s. Such was the case with the Israelites who attached an expiration date to Samuel’s usefulness to their country and missed it by a country mile. We resume our study of 1 Samuel today by examining one of the misguided reasons the Israelites wanted to replace Samuel with a King- his old age

1 Samuel 7:15-8:9

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