ISRAEL DEMANDS A KING

1 Samuel 8:1-22 / Keywords 8:7

And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king.

8:1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders.[a] 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead[b] us, such as all the other nations have.”

6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

Footnotes

a. 1 Samuel 8:1 Traditionally judges

b. 1 Samuel 8:5 Traditionally judge; also in verses 6 and 20

c. 1 Samuel 8:16 Septuagint; Hebrew young men

 

1. Samuel led Israel as a judge all his life. As he was getting older, he handed over his job to his two sons. However, they failed to follow their father’s way to fear God and shepherd the people (3).

 

2. The elders of Israel gathered and came to Samuel. It was good for them to be proactive, trying to resolve the issue of bad leadership. But their hearts were not in the right place. They demanded a king just like all other nations (4). Samuel was unhappy with this challenge. Yet God knew these people were not rejecting Samuel but rejecting God himself (7). God had hope and vision for Israel to become a kingdom of priests and a holy nation (Ex 19:6). Yet, these people rejected God here, and later rejected Jesus as their king (Jn 19:15).

 

3. God was going to let them have their wish. Yet he warned them through Samuel. Unlike a judge raised by God to lead his people during a crisis, a king would reign over them. Their sons and daughters will be his servants. Heavy tax will be charged to cover the king’s expenses. More than anything, they will not be able to turn to God for rescue if they suffer under the king’s rule (18). The Israelites still wanted a king like all others. They did not know what they were doing (Lk 23:34a).

 

Prayer Father, thank you for the privilege to have you as my king. I find peace in your power and mercy. Set me apart to worship you as my king.

One Word God is my king