Give Us a King! I. Opening Prayer II. Base Text: 1 Samuel 8:1-22 III. Context and Interpretation A. Eli had been high priest and judge over Israel, but his sons were less faithful; the Ark was captured by the Philistines and later returned (1 Samuel 1:1-6:21) B. Samuel then judged Israel and gave them victory over the Philistines (1 Samuel 7:1-17) C. Samuel's sons (1 Samuel 8:1-3) 1. When Samuel gets old, he made his sons judges over Israel 2. Samuel's sons corrupt, as had been the sons of Eli (1 Samuel 2:12-36) D. Israel no longer can tolerate their situation (1 Samuel 8:4-6) 1. Judges had existed for about 350 years or so 2. Difficult period of time for Israel: many times under oppression 3. Most recently, Philistines defeat Israel on account of God's anger with the house of Eli (1 Samuel 4:1-22) 4. Samuel's children turning out like Eli's children becomes insufferable 5. They desire a king E. Note the motivation of the people 1. They want a king like the other nations have (1 Samuel 8:5) 2. God has never commanded any such thing, but yet that is what they want, for the nations around them do, and they feel centralized authority will be better F. God speaks to Samuel (1 Samuel 8:7-9) 1. Samuel is told not to take it personally, for indeed they have rejected God 2. They, as their fathers in the wilderness before them, do not trust Him 3. They do not trust that God will raise up a righteous judge for them, and they would rather be like the other nations than to have God rule over them G. Consequences of Kings (1 Samuel 8:10-18) 1. To forewarn the people, God tells the people exactly what will happen if they choose to have a king 2. He describes in great detail everything that the king will demand and how much they will have to pay to keep him: enslavement! 3. He establishes how they will cry out to God, but God would not hear, because they have chosen this lot C. Israel's response (1 Samuel 8:19-22) 1. Israel "refuses to obey Samuel" (1 Samuel 8:19) 2. Despite all the sufferings, they would rather be like everyone else 3. God gives them their king IV. Application A. Israel tried to improve on God's plan 1. Notice that it is God who would raise up judges for the people 2. God's plan was to rule the people with the intermediary of the judge 3. Israel, however, sees that all the nations have kings and armies and seem to be more successful 4. Therefore, they want to be like the nations 5. Today many seek to improve on God's plan, thinking His ways ineffective and they seek to emulate what they see around them in the world that seems to be successful B. Israel wants their way no matter what 1. Despite any respect they have for Samuel, despite all the protestations, they stick to their own way 2. What Isaiah says of them is true: a rebellious people (Isaiah 65:2) 3. When they made up their minds, no persuasion would work 4. How many people today, despite protestations from God's word, still seek their own way? 5. How many times will people never be able to be persuaded, like Agrippa (Acts 26:28)? C. Even when the consequences are outlined, Israel chooses its own way 1. The things God lists off are unpleasant to say the least 2. Heavy taxes, oppression, manumission, enslavement... 3. The people hear all this and still want a king! 4. How many times will people be told of the consequences of unbelief and rebellion and still go their own way? 5. People hear about the second death and the danger of hellfire (Romans 6:23, 2 Thessalonians 1:6-9), and still choose their own way 6. It is sad, but they have been warned! V. Epilogue: What Happened to Israel A. The rest of the story of Israel testifies to the poor decision Israel made on that day 1. While David was a great king for Israel, and Israel did gain the material benefits that they sought for a time, the kings led to their destruction 2. 1-2 Kings and 1-2 Chronicles testify how the kings of Israel and Judah led the people astray into idolatry, leading to the exile of all Israel by 586 BCE B. Romans 15:3: We understand this is written so that we can have hope C. What was the result of Israel seeking after the nations in their rebelliousness? 1. Temporary earthly "benefits" 2. High taxation, manumission, enslavement 3. Departure into idolatry, exile, loss of the land of Israel D. The lesson is clear 1. Forsaking God's way, thinking the way of everyone around you is better, will eventually get you into deep trouble 2. Rebellion will only lead to punishment 3. Trust in God's way: it's always better, it will work, despite what we think 4. We have no right to try to improve on God's plans! E. Invitation Scripture, Meditation, and Application 1: Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah; and they said unto him, "Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations" (1 Samuel 8:4-5). Samuel had grown old; his sons, like Eli's sons before him, had proven corrupt and immoral. Danger threatened Israel from every side; nations with centralized authority seemed to prosper. The Israelites believed their best way forward was to have a king like the nations around them. Thus they asked Samuel for a king. It is easy to be tempted to follow the ways of the people around us. As Christians we do best if we seek the ways of God above the ways of man! 2: And YHWH said unto Samuel, "Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not be king over them" (1 Samuel 8:7). God told Samuel to not take the people's request for a king personally. They were not rejecting Samuel; they were rejecting YHWH as king over them. God would give them their king, and they would learn to regret that decision. God often will give people what they think they want, and it does not go well with them. May we be careful for what we ask from God, and seek to center ourselves in His will and purpose! 3: "Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit thou shalt protest solemnly unto them, and shalt show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them" (1 Samuel 8:9). The people asked for a king. YHWH through Samuel would tell them what they would be getting. Samuel listed out all the things the king would demand. They would have to pay oppressive taxes; they would need to satisfy his desires. They would despise the oppression they would endure, and they would call out to God, but He would not heed them. They had gotten what they wanted. All that Samuel warned about would come to pass. A monarchy would not save Israel; only YHWH could. May we not trust in princes or rulers but in God in Christ! 4: But the people refused to hearken unto the voice of Samuel; and they said, "Nay: but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles" (1 Samuel 8:19-20). The core disobedience of Israel in their request before Samuel was their desire to be like the nations around them. Their desire to conform to the world in which they lived led to their idolatry and the corruption of their behaviors. The ultimate exiles of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah all derived from this worldliness. They did not trust in YHWH as King; they wanted to be like everyone else. To this day worldliness is a great temptation for the people of God. We might want to be like the nations around us and lose our distinctiveness; to do so is to become an enemy of God and to forfeit our inheritance in Him. May we commit to Jesus as King in every respect and give Him the glory!