Something New is not always Better

Looking to the new year brings with it a sense of newness. Humans, naturally, are inclined to things that are new. For Israel, what attracted them in the account of 1 Samuel 8 was having a king. Up until this point, there was no physical human king in Israel. Yahweh God was reigning over them unlike any human king could. However, Israel did not find Yahweh good enough. They wanted a king like every other nation had, which was a direct violation of Deuteronomy 6 and 18. Israel stood out from the rest because the Creator of the universe was their king. No other nation could claim such a wonderful thing! But Israel wanted less than, and they got it. A king would take without ever giving back up until the point of the people becoming enslaved to the king. The lineage of Israel's king shows that having a human king was not that it was all cracked up to be. Hence, something new is not always better. The same reigns true today. Whatever the new thing may be, it has and holds nothing over the God of the universe who is always greater than the newest thing this world may afford.