Demand for a King

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 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 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 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.”

What kind of world did David enter into? He entered a world built by Israel’s obsession to be like the nations around them. They did not want the prophet Samuel to lead them anymore. In their eyes, it was not enough to have God as their King, leading the people through his prophet, Samuel. To be like other nations, they wanted to have a human king.

Samuel was worn-out and tired when the elders of Israel came to his place in Ramah. Maybe he knew this day was coming. His sons were not faithful to God or to the people. The elders came with a demand: “Appoint a king to lead us, such as all the nations have.” They saw other nations that were making a difference and gaining power. Those nations all had a king who could make things happen and take over weaker nations. They wanted a king they could see, touch, hear, and follow.

Israel’s demand for a king would give them King Saul. Saul had all the visible features of success (tall, dark, and handsome), but he would soon turn against God and do things his own way (1 Samuel 9-15).

This was the kind of world that David entered—a world poisoned by a people who wanted a visible, untested king rather than the wise, loving, and faithful God they could not see.

O Spirit of God, I admit that I lean too much on what I can see right in front of me. Help me to see all of your faithfulness working in the background of my life. In Jesus, Amen.