We come to 1 Samuel 8, a transition from the time of the judges, ad hoc rulers, to the monarchy. It begins with the failure of Samuel’s sons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When Samuel got to be an old man, he set his sons up as judges in Israel…But his sons didn’t take after him; they were out for what they could get for themselves, taking bribes, corrupting justice. Fed up, all the elders of Israel got together and confronted Samuel at Ramah. They presented their case: “Look, you’re an old man, and your sons aren’t following in your footsteps. Here’s what we want you to do: Appoint a king to rule us, just like everybody else.” (1 Samuel 8.1 – 5, MSG)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Appoint us a king because your sons aren\u2019t doing a good job. This demand makes no sense. So when there’s a king, and he dies leaving the kingdom to his son(s), the king\u2019s sons will do a good job?<\/p>\n\n\n\n GOD answered Samuel, \u201cGo ahead and do what they\u2019re asking. They are not rejecting you. They\u2019ve rejected me as their King. From the day I brought them out of Egypt until this very day they\u2019ve been behaving like this, leaving me for other gods. And now they\u2019re doing it to you. So let them have their own way. But warn them of what they\u2019re in for. Tell them the way kings operate, just what they\u2019re likely to get from a king.\u201d (1 Samuel 8.7, MSG)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The people\u2019s idea was that our \u201cking will rule us and lead us and fight our battles” (verses 19, 20<\/a>). Samuel told them the truth about a king in this prescient paragraph:<\/p>\n\n\n\n So Samuel told them, delivered GOD\u2019s warning to the people who were asking him to give them a king. He said, \u201cThis is the way the kind of king you\u2019re talking about operates.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It is always thus. People like to have a king, and this is what kings do. The Russians deposed the Tsars and are now ruled by “presidents” instead: men like Lenin, Stalin,…, Putin. See the difference? Adolf Hitler was called \u201cDer Fuhrer\u201d – the leader – but the \u201cFuhrer\u201d concept already existed in Germany. Hitler just put himself into it. The US Presidency has ballooned into a royal position of sorts, quite unlike when, say, Thomas Jefferson was inaugurated:<\/p>\n\n\n\n When [the inauguration] was over, he simply walked back. Returning to the boarding house late for dinner, Jefferson took one of the only remaining seats at the far end of the table. Given the occasion, someone offered him a better seat near the fireplace. Staying true to his egalitarian platform, Jefferson refused.<\/em> From an official account of Jefferson’s inauguration<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n God is clear about the dangers of not looking to God as our leader but looking to men instead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The day will come when you will cry in desperation because of this king you so much want for yourselves. But don\u2019t expect GOD to answer. (1 Samuel 8.18, MSG, bulleted for clarity)<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n It’s chilling that the nation of Israel wanted a king so they could “be like everyone else.” But when God sent them their true King, they rejected him<\/a>, the very series of events we commemorate starting tomorrow. <\/p>\n\n\n\n They shouted back, “Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!” Pilate said, “I am to crucify your king?” The high priests answered, “We have no king except Caesar.” (John 19.15, MSG)<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" We come to 1 Samuel 8, a transition from the time of the judges, ad hoc rulers, to the monarchy. It begins with the failure of Samuel’s sons: When Samuel got to be an old man, he set his sons up as judges in Israel…But his sons didn’t take after him; they were out for … Continue reading A King?<\/span> \n