“Give us a king” I Samuel 8, 9 & 10
People in all places and times have sought leaders to rule over them. I’m not sure I know the specific reason people would want this. Perhaps they realize the efficiency of concentrating power in one person in order to focus the energies of all. Perhaps they merely want someone to blame when things go wrong.
The people of Israel were growing uneasy with the prospect of putting Samuel’s sons in charge. The sons had rejected Samuel’s ways and were displaying a knack for dishonest gain, taking bribes and perverting justice. The elders confronted Samuel with a demand to “drain the swamp.” Their solution? “Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.”
I’m not sure which nation they had in mind. There were not many shining examples of excellence in governance in those days. Samuel was not pleased, but he did something that evidently the people and their elders had not. He prayed to the Lord. And the Lord answered him.
The people have not rejected you, the Lord said. They have rejected Me, just as they have done since the day I brought them out of Egypt. Nevertheless, the Lord instructed Samuel to listen to the people and to sternly warn them about the nature of kings.
A king of course, will reign over you. He is in charge; you are not. You will become his servants. You cannot come and go as you please, but only as the king directs and allows. Your children will be drafted to serve him. Some will fight his wars, some will plow his fields and harvest his crops. Others will cook for him or serve him hand and foot. And don’t forget, all his flocks, fields, vineyards and olive groves used to be yours. All his staff, generals and bureaucrats will have their salaries paid by you, the taxpayer. In time, you will cry out because of your king, but the Lord will not answer you.
Wow, what a deal! Of course the people agreed. They were obsessed with the idea that they needed a king to “be like all the nations.” The cost was not considered until it began to hurt.
Samuel chose a king for them, using a lottery system. The winner was Saul. After some searching, he was found hiding in the baggage. But, he was good looking and taller than anyone else in Israel, so what could go wrong?
Actually, Saul was a pretty good king while he followed the Lord. He won battles and dealt reasonably with people. But Saul eventually turned away and the Lord rejected him. Saul had many advantages, including having had the Spirit of the Lord come mightily upon him. In the end, Saul was just a man and saw only what men see. His vision did not glimpse the power of the Lord, but only the strength of his own arm.
Which is why the New Testament exhorts that “entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity” (1 Timothy 2:1-2). We don’t get to pick and chose – we pray for all of them.
Copyright 2020 David J. Cooley