1 Samuel 8:19 Commentary and Bible Study

But the people wouldn't listen, ‘and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us’; they want Samuel to give them a king. Until the Lord speaks to him, he is most unwilling to do this. They repeat what is preoccupying their minds, ‘That we also may be like all the nations.’ This is what they want. ‘We want a professional army’: that's what it turns out to mean as the chapters go on. ‘We want an expert general king, somebody with great valour and proficiency. We don't want to be trembling in our beds. We are humble farmers, and out we have got to go with swords and spears and trust on the Lord to help us. We are nervous about that.’ Of course they would be. They were idolaters. They were two-timing the Lord constantly. ‘And Samuel heard all the words of the people.’ Samuel comes in prayer before the Lord, as the Lord’s isolated servant standing on his own against the will of the people. Samuel’s instincts are right; this is a terrible thing for the people to request. Nevertheless the Lord tells him to do as they ask. He has greater reasons for allowing this than Samuel can yet see. ‘And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king.’ But there is no doubt about it: God gave them a king in anger. He said in Hosea, ‘O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself; but in me is thine help. ¹⁰ I will be thy king: where is any other that may save thee in all thy cities? and thy judges of whom thou saidst, Give me a king and princes? ¹¹ I gave thee a king in mine anger, and took him away in my wrath’ (Hosea 13:9-11). Saul was given, but God took him away in judgement. What they were doing was rejecting the Lord and putting their trust in the flesh. What did they want? Pomp and majesty, control, cohesion: Give us a king, unite the tribes together. What did the monarchy do? It divided the tribes. Every single thing they desired and which Samuel warned them would happen, did happen. ‘We want cohesion and unity’ – they got division. ‘We want a king to fight our battles for us’ – surprise, surprise, Saul was slain in battle, the first king. No judge had ever been slain in battle. And Saul wasn't the last king to be slain in battle. They trusted the king, not prayer, not God. They got officers of state, which those elders no doubt wanted to be. They thought the king would strike terror to their enemies. They got a king, but he didn't frighten their enemies, except in the case of David. Their kings accommodated their idolatry. Everything they thought would be an advantage, turned out to be a disadvantage in the monarchy. And as I pointed out to you before, three to one is the ratio of blessing between the judges and the monarchy. Three times more blessing under the judges; three times more good than bad in every conceivable sense.