Be careful what you ask for. You just might get it.

When Samuel was old, he made his two sons judges over Israel. They were bad judges, taking bribes and treating people unfairly. So the people of Israel asked Samuel to give them a king. “You are old,” they said, “and your sons are dirty, rotten scoundrels. We want a king like all the other nations.”

Samuel warned them that a king was a bad idea. A king would take their fields and their flocks, their children and their livestock. Israel didn’t care. They wanted someone to lead their armies. They wanted a “god” they could see. They wanted to be like everyone else.

So God gave them a king. And he looked the part! Saul was very handsome and a head taller than all the other men. For a time, things went well for Saul. He defeated Israel’s enemies and brought the kingdom together. The men of Israel rejoiced greatly that Saul was their king.

But the good times didn’t last. Once when Samuel was delayed from coming, Saul disobeyed the Lord and offered sacrifices he wasn’t supposed to offer. Saul was trying to please the people, but he ended up displeasing God. God wanted a man after his own heart, not a king who tried to please the hearts of men.

Another time, Saul held back some of the spoils of war and kept for himself what he should have destroyed. Once again Saul had feared the people instead of fearing God; he obeyed the voice of the crowd instead of obeying the voice of God. Even when Saul said he was sorry for his mistake, he was still concerned that God honor him before the people.

Saul may have looked strong on the outside, but he was puny on the inside. He was not a man after God’s own heart, but a king who chased the hearts of his people. This was not the king Israel needed and not the king God wanted. The Lord would have to find another king for his people.

If we are going to live the right way and believe the right things, we cannot think that people are big and God is small. We must decide in our hearts that pleasing God is always more important than going along with the crowd.