God’s Permissive Will

 I Samuel 11-12; 1 Chronicles 1; 2 Corinthians 11

“’Now then, stand still and see this great thing the Lord is about to do before your eyes!...I will call upon the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.’”

1 Samuel 12:16, 17

Saul had already led Israel in a great victory over Nahash the Ammonite, and been reaffirmed as king at a celebration at Gilgal. Yet, Samuel forced the point that asking for a king grieved God. 

In what ways are we doing the same thing in the way we structure church and ministry today?

It is easier to follow a king than for all of God’s people to seek the Lord. When we place such impossible expectations on a single leader, we make both them and ourselves vulnerable to falling. Leadership in a team requires humility and mutual submission one to another. The single leader model can miss the strength of five-fold ministry leadership outlined in Ephesians 4. Samuel continued to pray for Saul and the people, teaching them the way that was good and right. It is the permissive will of God which allows us to live with the consequences of our choices, yet he doesn’t abandon us.

“Lord Jesus, you are building your Church. Keep us from man-centered structures that limit our dependency on you, for your glory.”