In verse 29, we read that the Lord is not a man that he should repent. The word “repent” can mean “to change direction,” or it can mean - as it does forty-one times in the Old Testament - “to regret.” God is simply regretting that the people demanded a king. In Deuteronomy 17:15, provision is made for a king. But the people got ahead of God because the king He intended for them was David.

Perhaps that’s a word for some of us. “Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart,” Psalm 37:4 tells us. We cling to and claim this verse, as well we should, but not apart from its context, for three verses later, David tells us to wait patiently for God. God has a plan for our lives - and no small part of it requires patience. If we get ahead of God, we end up with Ishmael instead of Isaac, with Saul instead of David. It’s a recurring lesson throughout Scripture (Psalm 27:14; Proverbs 20:22; Isaiah 40:31; Jeremiah 14:22; Lamentations 3:26; Hosea 12:6; Micah 7:7; Habakkuk 2:3; Zephaniah 3:8; Acts 1:4; Romans 8:25; 1 Thessalonians 1:10). Wait, wait, wait on the Lord.