The Jesse Tree: Day 13
SAMUEL
In October of this year (2025), the French crown jewels, valued at $101 million, were stolen from the Louvre. Within a few weeks, multiple people were in prison.
It seems humanity has always been captivated by crowns, by what they represent, and what they say about who wears them. The moment you place a crown in a story, everything begins orbiting around it. A crown means rule, authority, and identity. A crown changes everything.
Samuel lived in a time when Israel was desperate for someone to wear a crown. Israel had priests, rituals, and religious activity, but no order. No one was listening to God, until God chose a child to hear His voice when no one else would. Samuel became the kind of leader Israel desperately needed: one who didn’t merely perform spiritual tasks but carried the weight of God’s word.
Years later, when Samuel grew old, Israel came to him with a request that shattered him:
It seems humanity has always been captivated by crowns, by what they represent, and what they say about who wears them. The moment you place a crown in a story, everything begins orbiting around it. A crown means rule, authority, and identity. A crown changes everything.
Samuel lived in a time when Israel was desperate for someone to wear a crown. Israel had priests, rituals, and religious activity, but no order. No one was listening to God, until God chose a child to hear His voice when no one else would. Samuel became the kind of leader Israel desperately needed: one who didn’t merely perform spiritual tasks but carried the weight of God’s word.
Years later, when Samuel grew old, Israel came to him with a request that shattered him:
Give us a king to lead us- 1 Sam. 8:6
They wanted a crown. They wanted what the nations had. They wanted someone with stature, someone visible, someone impressive. Samuel felt rejected, but God’s response was heartbreaking: “It is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.”
And so, God gave them what they asked for: Saul, tall, handsome, impressive, “a head taller than the rest” (1 Sam. 10:23). Samuel gathered the nation, spoke God’s words, anointed Saul, and placed a crown (figuratively if not literally) upon a man who would eventually fail, as all earthly kings do.
But a king was coming. Not Saul. Not even David. Not anyone who could be toppled by sin or death. Every human heart is built for a King. We crave order, meaning, direction, justice; someone to gather our scattered desires and lead us home.
Samuel’s life reminds us that the story of Advent is not just about God sending a Savior, it’s about God sending a King. A King whose crown cannot be stolen or threatened by the ambitions of men. A King who reigns with justice, righteousness, humility, and love. Advent reminds us that the child laid in the manger is the King who wears the only crown that truly matters.
And so, God gave them what they asked for: Saul, tall, handsome, impressive, “a head taller than the rest” (1 Sam. 10:23). Samuel gathered the nation, spoke God’s words, anointed Saul, and placed a crown (figuratively if not literally) upon a man who would eventually fail, as all earthly kings do.
But a king was coming. Not Saul. Not even David. Not anyone who could be toppled by sin or death. Every human heart is built for a King. We crave order, meaning, direction, justice; someone to gather our scattered desires and lead us home.
Samuel’s life reminds us that the story of Advent is not just about God sending a Savior, it’s about God sending a King. A King whose crown cannot be stolen or threatened by the ambitions of men. A King who reigns with justice, righteousness, humility, and love. Advent reminds us that the child laid in the manger is the King who wears the only crown that truly matters.
Pause to reflect
Have you ever chased after something you wanted, only to discover it carried consequences you didn’t anticipate?
What desires are you holding onto now that you need to lay before Jesus, trusting Him to reign over them?
What desires are you holding onto now that you need to lay before Jesus, trusting Him to reign over them?
Jesus, King of my heart, forgive me for chasing after the crowns of this world. Help me to rest in Your reign, to trust Your timing, and to live in obedience and worship as Your beloved child. Amen.
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