Give Us a King!

This past week we reflected on the 80th anniversary of D-Day, a day that marked a significant turning point in world history, today we are reminded of another pivotal moment in the history of the nation of Israel, as depicted in 1 Samuel 8. Just as D-Day brought about monumental changes in the world, the request for a king in 1 Samuel 8 signifies a crucial turning point for the people of Israel, a moment that echoes the weight of historical events.

In chapter 7, Samuel, a key figure in the nation of Israel, had preached to the people. He had preached repentance, and they had repented. Samuel had been praying for the people and with the people, and the Philistine forces had been vanquished without lifting up any weapons to defend or to attack. And then a stone of remembrance was set up—this memorial stone, this Ebenezer—so that it would be there for time immemorial to mark God’s goodness to them.

In the eighth chapter, twenty years have passed and Samuel is now in his twilight years, with the elders advocating for change. While wisdom and recognition of the need for change are commendable, we must be cautious. Change for the sake of change can lead to unintended consequences. As the saying goes, 'Change for change's sake does not always result in progress. Too much change can result in confusion, disorganization, and lack of competence.' This underscores the importance of thoughtful, purposeful change, a lesson we can all apply in our lives.

As a church community, we recognize the need for change to reach more people, but we must first understand why we are witnessing and trying to help grow the church. This understanding is the foundation on which our changes should be built, ensuring they are purposeful and effective. Each one of us has a role to play in this process, and our collective understanding and commitment to God's mission will guide our actions.

For the Israelites, the desire for a king was a significant change. However, this was not a wise decision, as it meant rejecting God’s rule over them. The same God who had delivered them from slavery and protected them from their enemies. This serves as a powerful reminder that change, even when seemingly necessary, should be approached with caution and thoughtful consideration.

Israel’s only reason for demanding a king was that they might be like other nations. This is a common human tendency, isn't it? We often find ourselves wanting what others have, whether it's a new gadget, a promotion at work, or even a lifestyle. But this copycat mentality, shaped by covetousness and lust, has been the downfall of many people.

Think of the times you caved into peer pressure; how did that work out for you? Remember your younger days as a youth, many who were enticed to do drugs, alcohol, and sex because everyone else was doing it. Imagine the young adults who build up insurmountable debts to keep pace with their friends regarding material possessions. These are all examples of how the desire to be like others can lead us astray.

We should beware of the weakness of a rationale for behavior that causes us to feel that we have to model our lives after the world. The world is at enmity with God.

Samuel did not approve of this idea at all, not because his sons would be out of a job, but because he saw it as a rejection of God as Israel's ultimate leader, a conclusion God himself offers to Samuel as the old man prays about the matter. So Samuel tries, unsuccessfully, to argue the people out of it. But the elders insist, "We are determined to have a king over us, so that we might be like other nations." God tells Samuel to do as they say, and in the next chapter, a man named Saul is chosen to be Israel's first king. The point we do not want to miss from this incident is that from the beginning of the Hebrew people, God's intention was for them to be a unique nation, one that was under his direct governance. That's why when human organizers were needed, God called people to be leaders for a moment, but not kings to reign over the nation as on ongoing line. In telling Samuel that they wanted to have a king "like other nations," these elders were saying they wanted Israel to be something that God had not intended it to be.

Interestingly, God had already predicted that the Israelites would one day ask for a king. In Deuteronomy 17:14–15, for example, God said, “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,’ be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses.” Other passages also predicted that the Israelites would one day ask for a king. For example, God promised Jacob, “A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants” (Genesis 35:11).

But why was asking for a king wrong? The Lord was to be the ruler of Israel. God led the people through Moses and Aaron and then through priests and judges raised up to govern them. In Samuel’s time, the people began to worry about who the next leader would be since Samuel’s sons did not follow the Lord. Their request for a king was a rejection of God’s way of leadership over them. So Samuel, speaking in God's name, exposes the darker side of government. Thousands of years old, his critique is as current as tomorrow: when sinners get power, whether as kings, queens, or the image conscious officeholders of mass media democracies, their sins simply become larger scale. Their pretenses evoke conflict, national and international, bringing warfare with its technology, whether chariots or missiles, concomitant expenses and risks to family (11-12). Men in power require women in submission, whether perfuming the bedroom or sweating in the kitchen (13). There are greedy bureaucrats (14) and taxes, not only on produce but also on employees and equipment as well as the production (13-17). Until the new day, governments are necessary. But the habits of the governing don't change, and neither does the address on the bill.

Another reason it was wrong to ask for a king is that the Israelites did so to be like “all the other nations.” God had created Israel as a unique people. He was their leader. When the Israelites wanted a king like other nations, they rejected their unique, set-apart position as God’s people. The nation whose God was to be the Lord alone was envious of the nations who followed false gods.

In the New Testament, the church is the new Israel 2.0 so the church, too, is intended to be in a special relationship with God and not like other institutions and manifestations of the general society. But just as those ancient elders wanted Israel to be like other nations, something it was not intended to be, so too we sometimes want the church to be something other than what the Bible calls it, the body of Christ.

Many of you can attest to the changes you have seen in within the Church since the 70’s, 80’s, up until today. Many church leaders have tried so many things to be relevant within their community that they lost sight what God wanted them to be.

Here are a few examples that some churches attempted to become:

Make the church like a political-action coalition.

Make the church like a fraternal organization.

Make the church like a social work agency.

Make the church like a retreat center.

Make the church like a school.

Not one of those ideas is bad, and there is room in the church for elements of every one of them. But in the end, just as Israel's best route would have been to remain a unique body not like the other nations, so the church's best route is to remain what Christ calls us to be, his body in this world. You see, Israel got its monarchy. But even the best of the kings that came along in that line -- David -- was not free from monopolistic urges, and the worst of the kings -- Manasseh -- was practically a drum major leading the people against God. Long before the Old Testament closes, the kings are gone and the people are under Babylonian and then Persian rule. In exile in Babylon with their monarchy destroyed, the Hebrews begin to learn again what it means to be God's chosen people. As they recall God's covenant with them and how that had played out in the past, they begin to regain the sense of their unique identity -- that they live on the promises of God. The church is the successor to that. Jesus called us to be his body in the world. At the very least, that means faithfully proclaiming the news of God's salvation, teaching the scriptures, performing deeds of mercy, and following the example and teachings of Jesus. Our identity is that we live on the promises of God. We should remember that in the final analysis, the reason Israel could make its unique contribution to religion was not because it had kings like other nations, but that it had prophets as the other nations did not. We can always learn some techniques from the other institutions, occupations, industries, and fields of endeavor around us, but we need to always resist calls that want to change our identity as the body of Christ. We will not make our contribution to the world through how much we are like the other realms, but through how faithful we are to what Christ calls us to be. It is only in that way that our contribution will be, as Jesus described it in the New Testament, "the pearl of great value," that which a person will give up everything else to gain. As members of Christ's church, we share in the unique identity as people of God. When we realize how unique and blessing-laden that identity is, we have all the more reason to value it, and welcome others to be part of it.