Give Us a King

Today we are going to be in 1 Samuel 8 as I begin a new series of lessons I’m calling The Crown – a blatant plagiarism from the Netflix series by the same name. Anyone watch the series? We are intrigued by royalty. Just a week ago a new king was crowned in London - King Charles III. Millions of people tuned in to watch that.

But my series of sermons is not going to be based on England’s royalty, but on OT royalty – the Kings of Israel and Judah. It spans a period of time from about 1050 BC to about 600 BC (over 400 years) and is the backdrop of a good portion of the Old Testament from 1 Samuel to Daniel.

Before we get to 1 Samuel 8 let me give you a little background.

Israel is in the promised land, they have been for over 300 years, but all the while they have had no centralized government. Instead, they have been guided by men and women who are referred to as Judges – there’s a whole book of the Bible about this time period. God raises up these Judges to lead the Israelites in overcoming oppression from their enemies and to try to get them to turn their allegiance back to God.

A good summary of this period is:

Judges 2:11–16 (NLT) — 11 The Israelites did evil in the Lord’s sight and served the images of Baal. 12 They abandoned the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the Lord. 13 They abandoned the Lord to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth. 14 This made the Lord burn with anger against Israel, so he handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them. 15 Every time Israel went out to battle, the Lord fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress. 16 Then the Lord raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers.

This goes on and on for, as I said, hundreds of years. The people worship idols, God punishes them, a judge delivers them, they fall back into disobedience. This is a very inconsistent time for God’s people.

At the end of the Judges period we are introduced to an important OT figure – Samuel. He has a godly mother Hannah who prayed for a child and once God answered that prayer she devoted her son Samuel to the service of the Lord. He grows up to be an exceptional leader in Israel. He’s not a king, but about as close as someone can come to being a king. And unlike many of the judges who were only local leaders, he seems to be recognized as a national leader.

Listen to how he is described:

1 Samuel 3:19–21 (NLT) — 19 As Samuel grew up, the Lordwas with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. 20 And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the Lord. 21 The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.

Samuel is a superstar! Unfortunately, his sons are not. Tradition would be that Samuel’s sons would take over the reigns but look how they are described:

1 Samuel 8:1–3 (NIV) — 1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

So, what to do now? That’s when the elders come to aging Samuel with a request:

1 Samuel 8:4–22 (NIV) — 4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” 6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.” 10 Samuel told all the words of the Lordto the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.” Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”

I’m not especially interested in the British monarchy. It doesn’t seem to really apply to my life. You may be wondering the same thing about this story. Why do we need to know about the Kings of Israel and Judah? These stories tell us something about people, about us. They tell us something about who God is and the kind of relationship he wants with us. These are stories that can help us avoid the same mistakes that the Israelites made. These stories can help us make better decisions. The NT reminds us of the value of the OT.

1 Corinthians 10:6 (NIV) — 6 Now these things occurred as examples to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did.

Romans 15:4 (NIV) — 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide we might have hope.

So how is this story teaching us?

(1) This demand has questionable motives

I use the word “demand” intentionally because this is not a request. There really doesn’t seem to be any real thought put into this demand. Give us a king! There seems to be no concern about what God wants. There seems to be no desire to discern what the next step should be. It’s a knee-jerk reaction and even after Samuel details all the demands this king will place on the people they still refuse to listen. “We want a king, no matter what.”

I wonder if I do the same thing with God. Give me this. I want that. Is that what my prayer life has come into? Do I really think about what would be best? Or do I just make these knee-jerk demands?

James 4:3 (NCV) — 3 Or when you ask, you do not receive because the reason you ask is wrong. You want things so you can use them for your own pleasures.

James later talks to believers about the plans they make and the importance of discerning what God’s will is:

James 4:15 (NIV) — 15 Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.”

This should be our only demand: Thy will be done. That needs to frame all of our requests. That should be our motive.

So, what is their motive? The text mentions twice (8:5,20) – their motive is to be like the other nations. Since when is that ever a good motive?

I’ll always remember when I was a freshman in high school. All the cool kids were wearing a certain brand of shoe and I needed all the help I could to be cool. So I talked to my mom, she was the clothes buying parent, and told her how I wanted this certain shoe. She asked me why since these shoes were more than we would normally pay for shoes. I told her - everyone else is wearing them. It was the only time I remember when she said she was disappointed in me. Well, I did get the shoes and I regret it now. I don’t even remember what the shoes were. And it turns out they didn’t make me cool.

Why is it that we are so driven to be like other people? Why do we so much want to fit in with the crowd? How many terrible decisions we have made because we wanted to be like all the other nations?

Our motive should never be to conform but rather to bring glory to God and that often means that we will stand out from the crowd.

Romans 12:2 (CSB) — 2 Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

We will not know God’s will when we want to be like everyone else.

Examine your motives.

(2) This demand challenges God’s timing

Although Samuel is upset about his request it’s important to know that the rise of the monarchy was prophesied years ago in Deuteronomy:

Deuteronomy 17:14–15 (NIV) — 14 When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” 15 be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses. He must be from among your fellow Israelites. Do not place a foreigner over you, one who is not an Israelite.

The people are driving this, not God. They have not waited for God to reveal when the best time is for a king. So the request may not have been wrong but the timing is not right. The problem is not that they want a king it’s that they want a king now. They want it on their own terms. There are different ways we can rebel against God. We can outright say, “No,” or we can say, “Now.”

Remember they story of Abraham? God promised him a son but it was taking a long time – much longer than he expected. In his impatience he decides to have a son with a woman servant and that turns out to have so many negative consequences. Abraham didn’t wait.

As we progress through this story, we are going to see that their impatience doesn’t work out well. Saul is not a good king, but if they just waited there is a king waiting in the wings that will be the greatest of all of the kings of Israel – David. And it’s through David’s line that Jesus will come.

Waiting on God’s timing is not easy but it’s part of the Christian life. And it’s always better to wait on God’s timing than to demand our own. There’s a beautiful passage in Isaiah that encourages this hopeful waiting on God.

Isaiah 40:31 (NASB 2020) — 31 Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.

What are you waiting for? Be careful not to rush God’s timing. Be in prayer. Talk to others for wisdom and encouragement. While you’re waiting give yourself to the service of the king.

(3) This demand supplants God as king

Let’s look at the wording of this request:

1 Samuel 8:6 (NIV) — 6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord.

1 Samuel 8:20 (NIV) — 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”

They want the king to lead them and fight their battles. This is exactly what God has promised to do for them.

They are seeking security in something in addition to God. They are not eliminating God from the equation but they are adding something. They want God plus a king. And that is so much like us, isn’t it? We want God but we also seek security in something else. We all have our plus.

It might be that we think that God plus a spouse/girlfriend will bring us joy and peace.

It might be that we think that God plus a child will bring us joy and peace.

It might be that we think that God plus a raise/better job will bring us joy and peace.

It might be that we think that God plus a nicer house/car will bring us joy and peace.

It might be that we think that God plus a bigger house will bring us joy and peace.

It might be that we think that God plus a better retirement plan will bring us joy and peace.

We want God but we want our plus as well. Chances are, if we don’t have joy and peace without that plus it is unlikely that we will have joy and peace with the plus. They think the king is going to give them what only God can.

God rightly calls this a rejection of Him. It was not total rejection, as if they wanted nothing to do with God. It was rejection through demanding that God give some other source of happiness and security. Both are forms of rejection, and they still persist today: Irreligious people reject God by not wanting Him to be a part of their lives at all; religious people reject God by letting Him be a part of their lives but not really trusting Him or depending on Him.

To clarify, it is not inherently wrong to desire money or marriage or success. It is not wrong to ask God for them. There is nothing sinful about praying, “God, I really want to be married,” or, “I really want to have children,” or, “I really would like a raise.”

The problem comes when a person craves those things and feels like they could not be happy or secure without them.

Greear, J. D., & Thomas, H. A. (2016). Exalting Jesus in 1 & 2 Samuel (p. 84). Holman Reference.

So what is your plus? Learn from this story that guidance and security are found only in God.

We are a lot like Israel, aren’t we?

We are motivated to be like everyone else. But God calls us to stand out, be unique.

We get impatient with God’s timing. But God calls us to patiently wait.

We look for security in things other than God. But God calls us to seek life in Him.

We have all messed up with our misguided, impatient, lack of trust demands of God. And many of us have suffered the consequences. Here’s the beautiful thing: God doesn’t give up on us. In spite of this demand God is still working in the lives of this nation. And even though this experiment with Saul is not going to work out, the great King David is just around the corner. So if you have messed up, know that God is still working in your life and he can make something beautiful out the mess you’ve created. He has done that over and over.

I love what one commentator said about this story and how he describes God:

The Lord, like a master chess-player, achieves his objective despite human plans and policies that temporarily impede what he wants to do.

Baldwin, J. G. (1988). 1 and 2 Samuel: An Introduction and Commentary(Vol. 8, p. 93). InterVarsity Press.

But let’s learn from this story. Let’s commit again today to make God our king. To truly believe that he will leads us and fight our battles. Let our only demand of God be, “Lord, reign in me.”