Why You Want A King (Part 1)

You may say to yourself that you don't want a king. You'd rather be king then to serve someone else. That may be true, however as a collective people, I believe that we desire a king.

The story of Israel's first king is found in 1 Samuel 5. The Israelites went to Samuel and demanded a king so that they could be like their neighbors. After all, all of the surrounding countries were ruled by a king. Why not the Israelites too? They were tired of being different. They wanted to be just like the other nations. They wanted a king!

5 and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

Samuel was heartbroken, but not as heartbroken as God. God said, "No Samuel, they have not rejected you, they have rejected me." God wanted to be their king. He was their king for hundreds of years.

6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.

God tried to convince the people not to force His hand on the issue, but the stubbornness of the people prevailed. He warned them what having a king would mean.

9 Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”
10 So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king. 11 And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. 14 And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. 16 And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. 17 He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. 18 And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”

In the end, God appeased their desire, and gave them their king. A king of the people from the people. A real man's man. King Saul.

19 Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, 20 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.”

As we look at this story, it is pretty easy for us to sit back and judge the stupidity of the people in their demand for a king. Look at what it brought them. Nothing but trouble. God's words of warning would prove true almost immediately after the new king's anointing.

But, have we progressed and become so much more enlightened than the children of Israel in our modern day lives?