Chapter Introduction
In those days there was no king in Israel. (Judges 18:1)
The enemy of God’s people consistently takes God's will and twists it around so it vaguely resembles God’s intentions and, in the end, steals God’s glory. The Lord intended for the people to have a king, but not one who looked and acted like the fallen nations around them. The Lord’s king was to foreshadow the King of kings.
The next chapters teach us lessons about getting the leadership we deserve. Sometimes, the Lord answers our prayers for our will to be done, which becomes a judgment on us. Our prayers must trust His plan and be rooted in the idea, “Thy will be done.”
This chapter details the transition process from the age of the judges to a national king.
1 Samuel 8:1-3
In a few short chapters, we went from young Samuel being brought up in the temple to now being an old man. We get a glimpse of the brevity of life.
It may have been a sin on Samuel's part to make his sons judges. This probably shouldn't have happened, as evidenced by the fact that the sons didn’t follow his steps. They accepted bribes and perverted justice, which meant they did not respect or abide by the law. This begins to look very much like Eli and his sons. The sons were judges in Beersheba in the southernmost part of Israel, outside Samuel's normal circuit.
In the Book of Judges, we see that judges were military leaders more than spiritual or political. Samuel was a judge in the sense that he resolved disputes among the people and taught them justice and righteousness. His sons did not follow in his footsteps.
1 Samuel 8:4-5
On the surface, it appears the elders saw a day when Samuel would be gone, and his sons would become more prominent. They did not want to get stuck with the apostate and unjust sons. They thought the best path forward was for Israel to have a king. God intended for them to have a king. Deuteronomy 17:18-20 details God’s intentions when a man became king. He was to write for himself a copy of the law. He was to keep it with him and read it daily. He would learn to fear God, observe His statutes and law, and remain humble.
And you shall be holy to Me, for I the Lord am holy, and have separated you from the peoples, that you should be Mine. (Leviticus 20:26)
God didn’t create Israel to be like the nations but to be set apart from them. The nations had turned their backs on God at Babel and followed other gods, who were no gods at all. He called Abraham out of the nations to make a people for Himself.
They were rejecting Samuel’s ways, which were God’s ways. They saw a chance to have a king over them as Samuel got older. They were imposing their rule rather than accepting God’s.
1 Samuel 8:6-9
Samuel was upset at their rejection of him and his sons and their seemingly ungodly motives. Samuel did what any troubled, God-fearing man should do: He took the problem to the Lord. The Lord spoke to Samuel about this and explained that this was a rejection of Him. The rejection of Samuel was a rejection of God’s plan. The Lord charged Samuel with warning the people about having a king like the nations.
The king the people wanted would resemble Saul, David's troubled times, and Solomon's. It would include power struggles, politics, and godless compromise. While David would be called a man after God's own heart, he was fallen, frail, and sinful. As good as he was, his failures pointed to the need for a perfect and righteous king. The Son of David would someday be born and placed in a manger. The King of all Kings who will rule righteously in the Kingdom of God was the only perfect rule and reign men can look forward to.
1 Samuel 8:10-18
Samuel warned the people. A king sets up his kingdom on the backs of the people through taxation and conscription. He controls by force, through fear and politics.
- He would build an army by forcing the young men to serve.
- Samuel describes their sons going before the king’s chariot to herald his coming. Others would surround and protect the king.
- A permanent military-industrial complex would be established with permanent leaders.
- Previously, a volunteer army was assembled for a specific purpose, and leaders arose from the tribes. The leaders would now serve the king and his interests.
- The king will take some young men to plow his land and reap his harvest rather than their own..
- To feed and provide for the king, his staff, and the army.
- The king would take some to make his weapons of war.
- Their daughters would be the perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
- The king would take the best of their fields, vineyards, and olive groves for his purpose.
- What the king allowed you to keep would be taxed heavily.
In the end, everyone would become a servant of the king. The Lord said there would be a day they would cry out because of their chosen king, but the Lord would not hear. Why? Because they had rejected him and had no relationship with Him.
1 Samuel 8:19-22
The people did not hear or heed the warning and refused Samuel’s words. They no longer asked for a king but said, “We will have a king!” They envisioned a king to care for them and provide peace and security. The Lord previously led them in battle. They now wanted a king to do that. In spite of the warning that their king would come with great cost, they persisted.
The people decided this in a town hall meeting rather than through prayer. Their request was based on emotion and feeling rather than faith.
In Deuteronomy 17:14-20, Moses prophecied this very scenario.
The Lord instructed Samuel to give them their king.
Big Idea
In our sinful plight, we become so arrogant that we know more about what we need than the Lord who created us. We must seek God’s ways and counsel to be faithful and avoid self-inflicted disaster. Even when it looks hard, we must press on toward the Lord on the path He chose and the way He chose.
©2004 Doug Ford; Further Study and Revision 2015, 2024
Facebook