When I read the stories of ancient Israel, I sometimes find myself astonished at how, after all God would do for them, they would still forget and forsake God. Then I took a hard look at my life and realize that I forget God all the time, in ways I never realized. I may not set up a golden calf or serve the god Baal, but when I am prideful I set myself up as god in my heart, and I even lust, chasing after thoughts, desires, attitudes and actions that are in complete opposition to God.

Pride is when we take our confidence in God and turn it towards confidence in ourselves without God. When ancient Israel’s judge Samuel was advancing in age, his sons became judges over Israel. Because his sons did not follow their father’s example and "turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice," the elders came together and decided to trust in themselves rather than God to solve the problem. They demanded Samuel to set up a king over Israel, like the surrounding nations were doing, and didn’t even acknowledge what God may have wanted for them (1 Samuel 8:1-5).

"But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, ‘Give us a king to judge us.’ So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt...However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the kings who will reign over them" (1 Samuel 8:6-8).

Lust is more than an uncontrolled sexual desire—although it is committing adultery in our heart against God—it is also the intense longing to set our heart on things that God says are not good. Even after Samuel gave them God’s merciful and long discourse of how the human kings would treat them—serving themselves at the expense of the people and not seeking after God—they still chose to lust after their hearts’ obsession for a king (1 Samuel 8:19-20; Psalm 106:13-15). So God gave them a king, and the kings did just as God had said.

When we forget and forsake God, life gets hard. It gets hard because we simply can’t live life without God. When we combine pride with lust, we forget God and we cannot walk humbly with Him. God can mercifully warn us of all the pain that will follow our decisions, but if we don’t change and look to God, we will only continue to think we know what is best by our's and the world’s standard. God never left or forsook Israel. He will never leave or forsake you. But will you choose to forget God?