1 Samuel 8:1-22
Israel Requests a King
“As Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons to be judges over Israel. Joel and Abijah, his oldest sons, held court in Beersheba. But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice. Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.” 1Samuel 8:1-5 NLT
Was Israel wrong to request a king?
“When you come to the land that the Lord your God is giving you, and you possess it and dwell in it and then say, ‘I will set a king over me, like all the nations that are around me,’ you may indeed set a king over you whom the Lord your God will choose.” Deuteronomy 17:14-15a ESV
What criteria did God give Israel for their king?
“Only he must not acquire many horses for himself or cause the people to return to Egypt in order to acquire many horses, since the Lord has said to you, ‘You shall never return that way again.’ And he shall not acquire many wives for himself, lest his heart turn away, nor shall he acquire for himself excessive silver and gold.” Deuteronomy 17:16,17 ESV
- Verse 16 – horses = military power and strength
- Verse 17a – wives = political alliance and sexual appetite
- Verse 17b – Excessive silver and gold = wealth
“And when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself in a book a copy of this law, approved by the Levitical priests.And it shall be with him, and he shall read in it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the Lord his God by keeping all the words of this law and these statutes, and doing them, that his heart may not be lifted up above his brothers, and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, either to the right hand or to the left, so that he may continue long in his kingdom, he and his children, in Israel.” Deuteronomy 17:18-20 ESV
Samuel’s Response and Warning
“Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. ‘Do everything they say to you,’ the Lord replied, ‘for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer. Ever since I brought them from Egypt they have continually abandoned me and followed other gods. And now they are giving you the same treatment. Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.’” I Samuel 8:6-9 ESV
The Warning: 1 Samuel 8:10-18
V.11 He will take your sons
V.13 He will take your daughters
V. 14 He will take your fields and vineyard’s
V. 15 He will take your seed
V.16 He will take your servants
V.17 He will take your flocks
Israel Reveals Her Heart
“Yet the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, ‘No, but there shall be a king over us, so that we also may be like all the nations, and our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles’ Now after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he repeated them in the Lord’s hearing. And the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Listen to their voice and appoint a king for them.’ So Samuel said to the men of Israel, ‘Go, every man to his city.’” 1 Samuel 8:19-22 NASB
Why did Israel want a king?
- To be like all the other nations.
“Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation…” Exodus 19:5,6a NASB
“And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing; And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.” Genesis 12: 2,3 NASB
2. To be a judge over them. (1 Samuel 2:10)
3. To go before them. (Ex 13:21,22)
4. To fight their battles. (Ex 14:14, Deut 1:30, Deut 20:4)
The One True King
“Look at my servant, whom I strengthen. He is my chosen one, who pleases me. I have put my Spirit upon him. He will bring justice to the nations. He will not shout or raise his voice in public. He will not crush the weakest reed or put out a flickering candle. He will bring justice to all who have been wronged. He will not falter or lose heart until justice prevails throughout the earth. Even distant lands beyond the sea will wait for his instruction.” Isaiah 42:1-4 NLT
“He was despised and rejected—a man of sorrows, acquainted with deepest grief. We turned our backs on him and looked the other way. He was despised, and we did not care. Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins! But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.” Isaiah 53:3-5 NLT
“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly.” John 10:10 NASB
Who Will Be Your King?
How do we continually submit to King Jesus?
- Meditate on the scriptures. (Deut 17:19)
2. Learn to fear the Lord by obeying Him. (Deut 17:19)
3. Walk in humility. (Deut 17:20)