ISRAEL DEMANDS A KING
A. The people of Israel request a king
1. (1 Sam 8:1-3) Samuel appoints his sons as judges.
And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba. His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice.
When Samuel was old: Samuel lived for a number of years after this time, until the end of King Saul's reign. At this point in history, Samuel was probably not more than 60 years old . The dates are very uncertain for the events in Samuel's life. He was probably between 20-30 years old when Shiloh was captured. According to Jewish custom, he probably married as soon as he reached manhood. Then came the active part of Samuel's ministry. During the next 20 years, the Ark of the Covenant was housed in Kiriath-jearim. Samuel was calling Israel to repentance in preparation for God's triumphal victory over the Philistines. After this victory, Samuel was judging Israel, making frequent visits to Bethel, Mizpah, Gilgal and Ramah. Some time must have elapsed before Samuel started to feel the burden of his duties being compromised by his aging body. The Talmud (the rabbinical Jewish commentary) states Samuel was 52 years old when he appointed his sons as judges. Other Jewish commentators believe Samuel was older, around 70 years of age.
He appointed his sons as judges over Israel: Samuel was one of the most godly men in the whole Bible. Yet, this was a huge error on his part. Unable to view his sons objectively, Samuel is blind to the corrupt ways of his sons.
Joel and Abijah: Joel means Yahweh is God. Abijah means Yah is my father. These names glorify God and go against the idolatry prevalent in Israel.
Beersheba: Located in the far southern border in the land of Israel, Beersheba was a very long ways from where Samuel was living in Ramah. As the saying goes, "When the cat's away, the mice will play." Far from the watchful eye of their father, Joel and Abijah become disobedient and corrupt in their positions of authority.
His sons...took bribes and perverted justice: This seems to be a broken record. While growing up, Samuel saw the wickedness of the high priest's sons, Hophni and Phinehas. Unfortunately it seems, Eli's parenting skills have been passed on to Samuel. However, unlike Eli's sons who went unpunished by the nation of Israel, Samuel's sons are soon to be rejected.
2. (1 Sam 8:4-5) Samuel's sons rejected as leaders over Israel
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; and they said to him, "Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations."
All the elders of Israel: In a patriarchal system of government, the Elders (or heads of families) are the natural authorities. Even before the Exodus, Israel had an organization of elders to whom Moses directed his message. (""Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, "The LORD, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, 'I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt'"'" (Exodus 3:16).The title gradually acquired an official status. In the wilderness, Moses appointed a council of seventy elders to represent Israel (see Numbers 11:16 and Numbers 11:24-25). The institution of Elders lasted through the monarchy and was revived after Israel's captivity in Babylon (See Ezra 10:14). In the times of the New Testament, the Elders formed one of the representative bodies of the governing body, the Sanhedrin.
This was wise for the elders of Israel to reject Samuel's sons as judges. Seeing they were ungodly and unfit to lead the nation, the elders had a right to ask for different leadership. However, it was wrong for them to demand a king in place of Samuel's sons.
Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations: In and of itself, it is not bad to desire to have a king. God knew that one day Israel would have a king. Four hundred years before this time in history, God gave detailed instructions to Israel about their future king (see Deuteronomy 17:14-20). A king was always in God's plan. However, Israel wanted a king for the wrong reason. Israel wanted to be "like all nations". God from the calling of Abraham, has carefully been separating Israel from the rest of the world. The 613 commandments given in the Torah helped set Israel apart in almost every aspect of their lives--eating, working, festivals, worship, etc. Now, once again, Israel is lusting after the world.
What is the difference between a king and a judge? A judge was a leader raised up by God to deliver Israel in a specific time of crisis. When the crisis was over, the judge would often go back to his regular life. A king would hold the position of absolute power for his entire life. He then would pass on his seat of leadership to his son. Additionally, a judge would not have a government or other leaders. A king would establish a government made up of leadership roles on multiple levels, i.e., local, regional and national.
3. (1 Sam 8:6-8) Samuel prays about their request and God answers
But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed to the LORD. The LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. 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 forsaken Me and served other gods-so they are doing to you also."
The thing displeased Samuel: I cannot imagine the pain and disappointment Samuel must have felt when the Elders of Israel asked for Samuel's sons to step down from being judge. But even more than that, Samuel saw through the smoke screen and understood the true motives behind their request for a king.
Listen to the voice of the people: God tells Samuel to obey the people's demand for a king. This was not because their request was good or done with the right intentions. Instead, God was going to teach Israel a lesson. Israel was requesting a king out of bad, carnal reasons. Fulfilling their desire, God gives Israel a king who follows his own lusts. This same pattern can be seen in our lives. How many times does God fulfill our requests even when our motives or intentions are wrong? Often when we are rejoicing for the answered prayer, we are only too soon burdened with the tremendous consequences of that request.
The words spoken to Samuel by God are so moving and so sad. In their extreme tenderness, they seem to say, "Take courage, my faithful servant, and do not be dismayed at this bitter ingratitude from the people you love so much. This reproof is not directed against you, but against Me. They have been the same for generations reaching back to the time of the Exodus from Egypt. You must give them their hearts' desire. Make them understand what they are asking for and give them their earthly king."
They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me: God had a purpose in not giving Israel a king up to this time. God did not want them to place an ungodly trust in a king instead of trusting the LORD. Now Israel was rejecting God's plan and were declaring that they do not want the LORD to reign over them. Moreover, the words "they have not rejected you" are words of comfort to Samuel. It is easy for God's servants to take rejection personally when they should not. Jesus gives His disciples similar words of encouragement when He sends the seventy out to proclaim the gospel: "The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me" (Luke 10:16). Lastly, there is a sense in which Israel's rejection of God as their king is prophetic. When Jesus stood before Pilate, the assembled Jewish crowd screamed, "We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15). Jesus was a rejected king too.
4. (1 Sam 8:9) God tells Samuel to warm the nation
Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure of the king who will reign over them.
You shall solemnly warn them: The meaning behind these words is not that Israel will change their mind, and this is not Samuel's mission. Instead, his goal is to simply forewarn them. If they choose this course, God wanted them to make an informed choice. Moreover, information creates responsibility. By telling Israel about the manner of the future king, Samuel was helping Israel make an informed choice and was increasing their accountability. By Samuel delivering this warning, Israel could not cry out to God, "But we didn't know it would be like this."
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