1 Samuel 8 | We All Need a King

Part I | We Want a King | 1 Samuel 8:1-9

Dedicated by his mother and called by God to serve His people, Samuel had provided effective, godly leadership as priest, prophet, and finally, judge. Worship of God was restored, the Ark of the Covenant was returned to Israel, military victories were secured, and the borders were safe. But the people recognized a very human problem—every leader has a limited amount of influence because they age and eventually die. The answer wasn’t in Samuel’s legacy, as his sons were selfish and “perverted justice.” The people saw a human problem and sought a human solution. There’s no prayer, fasting, or sacrifice here—there’s no seeking of God’s will for His people, only seeking their own will.

God’s people crave leadership. This is a good thing. They had just come out of the cycle of Judges where “everyone did what was right in their own eyes,” and they had experienced the consequences of self-rule—everyone became their own solitary kingdom. We were created to be led. We were saved to be led (as God says, "I will be your God and you will be my people"). We were never designed to be completely independent. We were designed to dwell in a garden kingdom with God as our King. The problem isn’t that they want leadership. The problem is the type of leadership they want. They want a king "like all the nations."

God had saved them to be a distinct nation, set apart from the pagan nations of the world. They were given leadership and victory by God, meant to reveal His glory to the nations, but now they want to blend in with the rest. Why can’t we be like Midian or Moab? They worship multiple gods, like Chemosh who demands child sacrifice, Baal who allows them to do whatever they want, and Asheroth, a sex goddess symbolized by a pole. And, of course, they have kings—great general-politicians who are their national icons.

The people aren’t rejecting Samuel; they are rejecting God. God was their King, and now they want a king that’s as flawed and worthless as all the others. In His grace, God knows their hearts, so He has Samuel warn them about the consequences of this decision, giving them a preview of what's to come.

Part II | Be Careful What You Wish For | 1 Samuel 8:10-18

In most elections, we think we know how things will turn out, but we’re often surprised. Promises are made, but rarely do they go as expected. Not in this case. Before Israel votes on “King/no King,” God reveals exactly what this “Give us a king” platform will look like:

He will take your sons and daughters. They will be drafted not to fight for your freedom with God as your champion, but for the king’s glory and interests. Your children will be used to help the king (some mere man) become glorified like a god. Your daughters will be used to make the king’s feasts. The talents, creativity, and energy humanity has been given to flourish will not be directed toward creating a God-glorifying culture but a king-glorifying society.

Taxes will increase to support the infrastructure needed to make the king seem like something more than just another person. The best of your society will be directed toward the king’s interests, not for the benefit of all, but of one. God gives His best to His people, but earthly kings will take your best for themselves.

Verse 17 contains the most damning charge against the “Give us a king” party:

“And you shall be his slaves.” Whoa! God’s people were enslaved for over 400 years, and now Samuel makes it crystal clear: If you go down this path, it’s a voluntary return to slavery. They cried out when they were enslaved in Egypt, and now they’re about to put themselves back into bondage, this time under a king of their own making. The platform has been set. The people have been warned. It's time to vote.

Part III | Our Kingdoms | 1 Samuel 8:19-22

They didn’t heed the warning. God gave them what they wanted, even though it wasn’t what was best for them. They didn’t get what they desired; they got what they deserved. Kingdoms are about glory, and lesser kingdoms ruled by lesser kings have lesser glory. The king will fight for us so we don’t have to, they think. But they already had that with God! When we declare independence from God as our King, it doesn’t lead to freedom—it leads to slavery.
We need to see ourselves in this chapter of The Story. We are not Samuel, and we are not God. We are the Israelites. We define, seek, build, and protect our kingdoms just as Israel did.

Our Kingdoms Are:
 

1. Fundamentally Flawed – Our kingdoms begin with a rejection of God’s rule, and we seek to be our own kings apart from Him. This sin, whether quickly or slowly, destroys everything we build on top of it.
2. Fake Façade – Like the kings Samuel warned of, we build our kingdoms on a false appearance of glory, taking resources that aren’t ours to create an illusion of greatness.
3. Fractured – While the kingdoms of David and Solomon saw some prosperity, the rest of the kings in God’s story were more like Game of Thrones than Camelot. Our relationships are fractured because we live as if we are kings and others exist to serve us.
4. Fear Based – Many kings rule out of fear, not faith in a Good God who saves. We either avoid engaging with others for fear our kingdoms will be exposed, or we lash out at anyone who threatens our fragile sense of control.
5. Fickle and Fleeting – Kingdoms rise and fall, and legacies come and go. In the end, we see that everything we worked for will come to an end, just as earthly kingdoms do.

The outcome of Israel’s decision led them deeper into sin and idolatry, into greater fear. Their choice did not lead to boldness; it led to a deeper insecurity. When walking with God, we can be bold because we know He fights for us and that His Kingdom doesn’t have the same flaws ours do. We cannot keep pledging allegiance to our own kingdoms or to kingdoms built on false promises and weak foundations. We need to place our hope and allegiance in the Firm Foundation—our King, Jesus!

*Series Note: I am currently in a Masters in Applied Leadership program at Western Seminary in Portland, Oregon. In our Bible Survey class we are to select a chapter from our assigned weekly reading to mediate on and write a brief devotional. These blog posts are adapted from these weekly assignments.