Hos 13:11 | KingComments | STEP | This verse relates to Saul. The people want a king and God gives them Saul as their king (1Samuel 8-10). God does not do this wholeheartedly, but in His anger. The request of the people is not based on faith, but on unbelief. God gives His people a king according to their own ‘taste’. Saul turns out to be a king who ultimately does not take God and His will into account. He is therefore a model for the whole people. Such a king God cannot maintain. He takes Saul away in wrath about his disobedience ( ). The same goes for the kings who reign over the ten tribes realm. Every king has come to the throne under the permission of God. But because they are unfaithful, God also permits them to disappear again, in any way. Many die a violent death. The lesson for us is that God sometimes responds to what we compulsively ask. But He does so that through the hearing we will experience how great the foolishness of our questions has been. Decisive is not what we ask, but how we ask and for what purpose.

‏ Hosea 13:11

God Gave a King and Took Him Away

This verse relates to Saul. The people want a king and God gives them Saul as their king (1Samuel 8-10). God does not do this wholeheartedly, but in His anger. The request of the people is not based on faith, but on unbelief. God gives His people a king according to their own ‘taste’. Saul turns out to be a king who ultimately does not take God and His will into account. He is therefore a model for the whole people.

Such a king God cannot maintain. He takes Saul away in wrath about his disobedience (1Chr 10:13-14). The same goes for the kings who reign over the ten tribes realm. Every king has come to the throne under the permission of God. But because they are unfaithful, God also permits them to disappear again, in any way. Many die a violent death.

The lesson for us is that God sometimes responds to what we compulsively ask. But He does so that through the hearing we will experience how great the foolishness of our questions has been. Decisive is not what we ask, but how we ask and for what purpose.