The people demand a king from Samuel--an earthly king that is. The LORD had been their king, but there is not even an acknowledgment of this fact. The people of Israel want to be just like their neighbor countries, they want to have a human king ruling over them and protecting them. Samuel takes offense, but God sets the record straight, the people are not against Samuel, they are against God....as King. [1]

 

Bob Deffinbaugh writes [2]: Before beginning our exposition of 1 Samuel 8, several very important observations should be made as they bear heavily on the way we understand and apply our text....

God becomes Israel’s king at the Exodus. When God delivers the Israelites from Egyptian bondage and gives them His law, He establishes Himself as their King. In a very real sense, the contest with Pharaoh is between one King and another. It is after the Israelites cross the Red Sea that they first realize this, expressing the fact in their hymn of praise in Exodus 15:16-18.

The emphasis is not on the evil of Israel’s rejection of God and their idolatry (though this is pointed out); the emphasis is upon the high cost of a king (verses 10-18). The “principle of proportion” is always an important clue to the meaning and interpretation of a text. In our chapter, we know that Israel’s demand for a king is idolatry, idolatry of the same kind Israel has practiced since the exodus (8:7-9). We know that when Samuel speaks to the people, he tells them “all the words of the LORD” (verse 10), but what is written and preserved for us is the content of verses 10-18, which is a detailed description of the costs of a kingship. The cost of kingship is the emphasis of Samuel’s words in this chapter.

The demand for a king does not come from the elders of Israel alone (verse 4) but from all the people (see verses 7, 10, 19, 21-22). At first glance, it seems as though only the elders of Israel are demanding a king. As the chapter unfolds, it is very clear that all of the people of Israel are behind this movement to have a king. This indicates to me that Israel is functioning here somewhat as a democracy. Their elders are not leading, as much as they are representing the people.

The Israelites’ reasons for wanting a king in verses 1-4 do not tell the whole story, revealed as the events of the next few chapters are described. It is not just Samuel’s age and the corruption of his sons which prompt the Israelites to demand a king. From chapter 12, we learn that the military threat posed by Nahash, the king of Ammon, is perhaps the fundamental reason the Israelites want a king. The Ark of God is out of commission, Samuel is soon to be, and the Israelites want a king in whom they can place their trust. [3]

The main lesson this text teaches us is what might be called “the economics of sin.” If I am right in my assessment of this text, the major emphasis falls upon the high cost of kingship, especially when compared to the minimal price of rule by judges. That is exactly the way Samuel wants the Israelites to think about having a king. The price is going to be very high. The Israelites do not see it this way, because they are more than willing to pay the price Samuel spells out. [4]

 The relative safety a mighty earthly king could provide was worth more in the people's eyes more so than the sacrifices they would have to make. I suggest that we are in no position to judge the people of Israel. How often do we put our trust in human institutions rather than in the provisions of God? How often do we worry about the future rather than trusting in our almighty God?

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[1] From the Bible Commentary by Bob Deffinbaugh at http://bible.org/seriespage/give-us-king-1-samuel-81-22
[2] ibid
[3] ibid
[4] ibid