Choose God

Many of us may not know the exact location, but most of us are familiar with the passage about God and money. It goes like this:

Matthew 6:24

No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

Some translations use the word "mammon," which refers to the god of money. Many readers may associate this passage with the sin of greed, and while that interpretation is certainly valid at a superficial level, the implications are much broader. When you read the Bible as a cohesive narrative rather than merely a collection of stories, these words of Jesus connect not only to the culture surrounding him but also to Paul's warning about powers and principalities. Additionally, it relates to the Old Testament accounts of the Israelites' rejection of God. This verse serves as more than just a warning about greed; it also addresses the issues of authority and the temptation to pursue worldly desires. And I want you to keep that in mind as we visit some of those Old Testament passages of rejection.

1 Samuel 8:1-9

When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. 3 Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah 5 and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. 8 According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. 9 Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.”

In these nine verses, a couple of clear observations emerge. First, Samuel's sons accept bribes and corrupt justice. In simple terms, they are engaging in sinful behavior, and in biblical terms, they are forsaking the Lord. The second observation is that Israel, represented by their elders, demands a king to rule over them so that they can be like other nations. In simple terms, they want to be like everyone else, and in biblical terms, they are forsaking or rejecting the Lord.

Did you catch it? Both Samuel's sons and Israel are guilty of forsaking God. Did you catch the other parallels? If not, let me help unpack them for you:

Samuel's sons accepted bribes and distorted justice. Two key points stand out here.

First, bribery and corruption among officials were the expected norms in the nations surrounding Israel. Justice was less about the rule of law and more about the rule of trade. The actions of Samuel's sons represented a rejection and rebellion against the system God had established in favor of the system used by other cultures. In other words, they chose not to follow God, but to follow the world around them and be like everyone else.

Second, we need to consider their motivation. Where did Samuel's sons get the idea to behave this way? It certainly wasn't from their father or from God, so it's likely that they were influenced by the behavior of neighboring peoples. Such practices were common among the pagan cities and peoples surrounding Israel. However, we cannot overlook the role of greed and covetousness. They desired more than they had and more than they were entitled to. Essentially, their actions implied that what God could provide for them was not enough. In other words, they were pursuing mammon, or money.

Now look at Israel; they rejected a close relationship with God and asked for a king. Why?

So they could be like other nations.

In this passage, God comforts Samuel by explaining that the people are not rejecting Samuel's leadership, but God's leadership instead. It’s important as we delve deeper into this subject to bear that in mind. Both Samuel's sons and the people of Israel have turned away from God; they have each rebelled in their own ways, motivated by a desire to be like the neighboring nations. These nations worshipped many gods and had visible kings. These nations, as noted earlier, were known for having corrupt leaders who ignored the needs of the common people, focusing instead on those who could pay for their favors.

In both cases, whether directly or indirectly, those who failed or sinned did so because they desired to be like the rest of the world. They wanted what everyone else had and wanted to be like everyone who surrounded them. They chose to operate according to worldly ways instead of the culture that God was creating, or more accurately, restoring through His people, Israel. See, Israel was never meant to resemble other cultures; they were intended to be His portion, His people, set apart and called out, so that all the world might be blessed through them and learn from them. We can see this promise expressed in several places throughout the Bible, including:

Genesis 12:2-3, where it reads:

And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Exodus 6:2-8

2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord (other texts have the name or letters that represents Yahweh here) I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’”

Exodus 19:3-6

3 While Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words that you shall speak to the people of Israel.”

And Leviticus 19:1-4

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 3 Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.

God never intended Israel to be like other nations; He intended them to be holy, be the example, the priest teaching others how to live and follow Him. Revelation teaches us that this still is the plan and that Israel will be restored both physically and spiritually, receiving protection during tribulation and serving as a priestly witness to all nations. The 144,000 sealed from the 12 tribes of Israel exemplify this priestly role ( see Revelation 7:4-8; 14:1-5 for specific details), fulfilling God's covenant promises and demonstrating His faithfulness. Israel's restoration and mission are central to God's redemptive plan, bridging Old Testament prophecy with New Testament fulfillment and the ultimate establishment of His kingdom.

What we read in Samuel earlier was that Israel failed; they rejected God as their leader; they rejected direct access not once but multiple times. Yet, God isn't done with them. He still has promises to fulfil.

And I need you to hear this: He isn't done with you yet either.

You, like Israel, have been called to be a holy nation and priesthood; as one grafted into the family of God, you, like Israel, are set apart for the purposes of God:

1 Peter 2:9

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.

Maybe you have wandered astray like the lost sheep or the prodigal son. Maybe you have been like ancient Israel and the sons of Samuel, pursuing your desires in a way that makes you look more like the people in the world, and less like people of God. Either way, this is your call to return.

Isaiah 53:6 says this

6 All we like sheep have gone astray;

we have turned—every one—to his own way;

and the Lord has laid on him

the iniquity of us all.

Your iniquity, my iniquity, our parents', grandparents', and so on were placed on Jesus Christ. His blood was the sin offering we could never provide. Our souls have been purchased at a high cost so that we too may be the heirs of Abraham, the receivers of the promises and inheritance. Paul said it like this:

Galatians 3:29

29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.

Romans 3:24-25

And are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins.

And Peter concurred, stating in his letter:

1 Peter 1:18–19

18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

So let me ask you a question now that comes from not only what we talked about today, but a song by Todd Agnew, called 'My Jesus,' that came out back in the 90s.

If Ephesians says to imitate Christ

Why do you look so much like the world?'

This is something that we should be asking ourselves regularly. If we belong to Christ, why are we living like the world? Why are we pursuing their pleasures and blending in as much as possible? Why are we looking more like the world than we look like Jesus? Who are we truly serving, the God or the rulers and principalities of this age? Cause we can only serve one, and the one we choose has eternal consequences.

Remember, you have been bought with the precious blood of Christ; you have been redeemed and brought out of the slavery to sin and death. You have been given a new life, not so you could continue to look like the world and operate as the world, but so you could point others to Jesus Christ. You have been called to holiness and to be part of the royal priesthood.

Matthew 5:14-16

14 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.