LESSON 4 - 1 Sam. 8:4-9, 19-22 - MAKE US A KING , LIKE ALL THE NATIONS
INTRODUCTION: In 1 Sam. 5:1-6, 6:11-16, we covered the story of the capture of the Ark of God in a battle between the Israelites and the Philistines and its ultimate return in a miraculous way. After the Philistines took God's Ark to their capital, they placed it in their Temple beside the idol of their pagan god, Dagon, and God, in response, defaced the idol and a caused a terrible plague to break among the Philistines. When they tried moving the Ark to different locations, the plague continued to spread. Finally, they loaded the Ark in a cart pulled by untrained milk cows that had nursing calves. The cows, miraculously, headed straight across the Israelite border to Beth-shemesh, the first Israelite town. The Israelites rejoiced when they saw it, and after removing it, they broke up the cart and offered the two cows as sacrifices-they worshiped the LORD. The main truth of the lesson was the contrast it showed between the pagan Philistines, who feared God's wrath but refused to honor Him as the One True God, and the Israelites who rejoiced and worshiped the LORD with their whole hearts.
We skip Chapter 7, which tells us that "Samuel served as judge over Israel all the days of his life" (7:15). Israel's judges were both rulers and spiritual leaders, who governed certain regions and led military campaigns when the need arose. Samuel was exceptional in that his mandate extended over the entire nation. He led a military campaign against the Philistines that resulted in a major victory at Mizpah (7:10-11; see map) in which Israel regained all the territories previously lost. In all, Chapter 7 demonstrated that Israel was in good hands with the theocratic combination of their LORD GOD and His faithful judge, Samuel; and they didn't need a king. Today, in 1 Sam. 8:4-9, 19-22, we'll cover the well known story of the time when all the elders of Israel came together and demanded that Samuel appoint a secular king over them, "like all the nations" (8:5).
Read 1 Sam. 8:1-3 - WHEN SAMUEL WAS OLD
1 Now it came about, when Samuel was old, that he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba. 3 His sons, however, did not walk in his ways but turned aside after dishonest gain, and they took bribes and perverted justice.
Synopsis of vv. 1-3: Much time has elapsed and Samuel, the undisputed leader, is getting up in years. That he was "old" (v.1), implies that his leadership had become less dynamic than that seen in former years. Worse, Samuel had appointed his two sons to rule the southern region of Judah (see map) and both had turned out to be corrupt men who had shown themselves to be selfish and untrustworthy leaders. Bottom line: Although Samuel intends for his sons to succeed him at some future point, there is no doubt that both of them are clearly unfit for that level of responsibility. So, it's no wonder that the people of Israel are very worried about their future.
Read 1 Sam. 8:4-6a. - APPOINT US A KING TO JUDGE US LIKE ALL THE NATIONS
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; 5 and they said to him, "Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint us a king to judge us like all the nations." 6 But the matter was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us."
v. 4: "Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah;" - Ramah, Samuel's home, is about 5 miles north of Jerusalem (see map). These are men who, because of their age and reputation, are recognized as local leaders among the people of their respective communities. And while they have no explicit authority over Samuel, he cannot afford to ignore them. Their collective opinion carried a lot of influence.
v. 5a: "and they said to him, "Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways." - Here's the crux of the problem: (1) Samuel is growing old and is declining and (2) his two sons are neither competent nor morally qualified to succeed him. This foressaw a power vacuum, which, if left unchecked, could throw the nation into chaos.
v. 5b1: "Now appoint us a king to judge us." Here's the elder's perceived solution to the problem: They want Samuel to appoint a secular king to rule the nation. A king would function as a military leader to protect the nation against potential enemies as well as exercising political and administrative control over the various regions of the nation. There was even precedent for this: Deut 17:15-16, written 400 years before this, specified that the nation could have a king "chosen by the LORD from among their countrymen," and expressly disqualified any ruler of foreign origin.
v. 5b2: "like all the nations." - Here's the problem with this scenario: Israel has always been distinct, unlike all the other nations. Since they had left Egypt in the Exodus the LORD had, in reality, been their king. God gave them a set of laws (the Torah) that define a national identity that was completely dissimilar from their neighbors. The LORD had created them as a "kingdom of priests, and a holy nation" (Ex. 19:6); but now, these elders want Israel to be "like all the nations."
v. 6a: "But the matter was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." - A more literal translation of Samuel's view on this issue was that he basically saw this idea as evil development. No doubt that he saw this move as a personal affront-a criticism of how he had managed Israel in recent years. But on the other hand, his stance on the issue was essentially theological: Why would the elders after all this time want to install a human ruler who would, in effect, displace the LORD? Would they continue to be a distinct people, set apart by God? Samuel apparently didn't think so.
Read 1 Samuel 8:6b-9 - LISTEN TO THE VOICE OF THE PEOPLE
6b Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people regarding all that they say to you, because they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them. 8 Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day-in that they have abandoned Me and served other gods-so they are doing to you as well. 9 Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall warn them strongly and tell them of the practice of the king who will reign over them."
v. 6b: "Samuel prayed to the LORD." - Although Samuel was greatly 'displeased' with what the elders were demanding him to do, he did not respond in anger, but instead turned to the LORD for guidance-which was characteristic of his lifelong habit of trusting in God's leadership.
v. 7a: "And the LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people regarding all that they say to you," - The LORD's reply to Samuel is surprisingly restrained: Instead of telling Samuel to reject the elder's request outright or threaten divine punishment, he tells him to hear them out. This implies that God wants him to do more than just listen; He's inclined to grant their request. The premise here is that sometimes it's better to allow headstrong people to have their way so they can suffer the consequences of their unwise choices-a tried and tested childrearing remedy.
v. 7b: "because they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being King over them." - God is telling Samuel not to take this matter personally; at the very heart of the matter, they are rejecting the LORD as their king, not Samuel's leadership as a judge. Just look at what has happened in the U.S. over the last 60+ years. Morally, American society has turned away from God's Biblical standards and adopted an increasingly secular human worldview. Yes? We can no longer honestly say we are "one nation under God, indivisible," can we?
v. 8a: "Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day" - The record of the Israelite's complaints and unfaithfulness from the Exodus up to the time of this writing (ca. 1018-2050 B.C.) is far too lengthy to detail here. Suffice it to say, they had been a contentious and stubborn people throughout their entire history.
v. 8b: "-in that they have abandoned Me and served other gods-so they are doing to you as well." - This story of the Israelites is riddled with idolatry in the Book of Judges (Baal or Ashtoreths) and goes all the way back to the golden calf as Sinai in Ex. 32. They had never been faithful to God. Although God punished them when they fell into the worship of false gods, they did not learn from it. Even though God forgave them every time they cried out to him, they would not remain faithful. So, God is telling Samuel that if they aren't faithful to me, how can you expect them to be loyal to you?
v. 9: "Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall warn them strongly and tell them of the practice of the king who will reign over them." - The elders have named their poison, and the LORD is going to allow them to drink it. But first, God directs Samuel to warn them of the consequences they can expect to face. The word used here for "practice" (Heb. mishpat [mish-pawt']) also means the power to exercise judgment or justice. These people are politically naïve-they have no idea of the negative consequences that can potentially flow from giving a person absolute power to rule over them and thereby limit their freedom.
Synopsis of vv. 10-21: Samuel met with the elders and gave them a detailed and accurate description of all the potentially adverse actions a king could take against the people, such as conscripting family members and servants into their armies, even women who would serve at as maids, cooks, and bakers; seizing property that included tools, equipment, horses, and livestock; commandeering the produce of their farms and orchards for food; and generally imposing property taxes on their crops and livestock. In short, they would be at the complete mercy of a man given the authority to be their king. And the exercise of this power could be especially damaging to these elders, who were wealthy men with large families, many servants, extensive landholdings, and large flocks of livestock. They would be leaving themselves wide open under the sweeping powers of a secular king.
Read 1 Sam. 8:19-22 - THE PEOPLE REFUSED TO LISTEN
19 Yet the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, "No, but there shall be a king over us, 20 so that we also may be like all the nations, and our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." 21 Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the LORD'S hearing. 22 And the LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice and appoint a king for them." So Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Go, every man to his city."
v. 19: "Yet the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, "No, but there shall be a king over us," - By refusing "to listen to the voice of Samuel," the people are categorically overruling any participation by the LORD in their decision-making process. They aren't even listening. Their fears of potential military and political threats to their security outweigh their reason, and they believe a king is the only solution to the problem. In modern history, the election of Adolph Hitler as Germany's Reich Chancellor in 1932 serves as an excellent example of what can happen when people elect extremist politicians out of fear.
v. 20: "so that we also may be like all the nations, and our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." - Once again, this identifies the root of the problem: These elders want to do away with the very things that make them the distinct people of God, a theocratic nation, a nation of priests, prophets, and judges, all subject to the ultimate authority and kingship of the LORD. Now, they're willing to give one man all the power required to "fight our battles," in effect, a dictator. This brings to mind the famous quotation British scholar Lord Acton made in 1887 regarding the history of the Catholic Inquisition: "[P]ower tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely."
v. 21: "Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the LORD'S hearing." - Of course, God, who is omnipresent, had already heard everything. But this tells a lot about Samuel's heart: He wanted to share the people's "words" and his evident fears about them with the LORD, in order to seek further direction on what he should do at this point. God plainly answers him in the next verse.
v. 22a: "And the LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to their voice and appoint a king for them." - So, we see the LORD's divine consent-to allow the people to have their own way and take this path- given to Samuel a third time (see, vv. 7, 9). At the very least, this would achieve a 'bloodless' revolution rather than one accomplished through a violent takeover. While there is no compulsion to accept the rule of God, ultimately there is no escape from it because of God's ultimate, sovereign control over history in the selection of all kings and rulers, including U.S. presidents in the here and now!
v. 22b: "So Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Go, every man to his city." - What this implies is that God is going to give them a secular ruler who is neither a prophet nor a priest. So, Samuel sends them all to their homes until the LORD selects their king. This will be apparent in future chapters.
APPLICATION-The Perils of Choosing Leadership
1. The elders of Israel had legitimate concerns over the future of their nation. Their negative assessment of Samuel's leadership in his later years was valid. Samuel should never have given his corrupt sons any political authority in Israel. In this respect, the elders were entirely justified in making a show of 'no confidence' in Samuel's succession plan.
2. The chief shortcoming of the elder's plan was their desire to emulate "all the nations." While the elders had a valid grievance, their solution to the problem was inherently flawed. They were politically naïve, having no previous experience with secular kings with unlimited powers. If they did this, they would lose their distinct identity as a kingdom of priests under the ultimate kingship and power of the LORD GOD of Israel, and the effect would be irreversible.
3. People in general, like Israel's elders, are inclined to trust in human salvation. This is as true today as it was in ancient times. Down through ages people have put their faith in secular human governments (even in modern democracies) to "go out before us and fight our battles" (v. 20). This is why today we live in a world that is largely opposed to God. This condition in the world will not change until Jesus comes again to establish His kingdom on earth (Rev. 20 generally).
