Did
God Prefer for Israel to
Not
Have an Earthly King?
Stephen M. Golden
Copyright © 15 October 2012
Did
God Prefer for Israel to Not Have an Earthly King?
(Scriptures are shown
from NASB first and NJKV second.)
Israel
Demands a King
1
Samuel 8:1-22
NASB
[8:1] And it came about when
Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel. [2] Now the
name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were
judging in Beersheba. [3] His sons, however, did not walk in his ways, but
turned aside after dishonest gain and took bribes and perverted justice.
[4] Then all the elders of
Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah;
[5] and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do
not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the
nations.” [6] But the thing was displeasing in the sight of Samuel when
they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD.
[7] The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not
rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.
[8] “Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought
them up from Egypt even to this day—in that they have forsaken Me and served
other gods—so they are doing to you also. [9] “Now then, listen to their
voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the procedure
of the king who will reign over them.”
God took Israel’s
request to have a king as a rejection from Israel. God instructs Samuel to warn
them that it won’t turn out the way they think it will.
[10] So Samuel spoke all the
words of the LORD to the people who had asked of him a king. [11] He said,
“This will be the procedure of the king who will reign over you: he will take
your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his
horsemen and they will run before his chariots. [12] “He will appoint for
himself commanders of thousands and of fifties, and some to do his
plowing and to reap his harvest and to make his weapons of war and equipment
for his chariots. [13] “He will also take your daughters for perfumers and
cooks and bakers. [14] “He will take the best of your fields and your
vineyards and your olive groves and give them to his servants.
[15] “He will take a tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to
his officers and to his servants. [16] “He will also take your male
servants and your female servants and your best young men and your donkeys and
use them for his work. [17] “He will take a tenth of your flocks,
and you yourselves will become his servants. [18] “Then you will cry
out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but
the LORD will not answer you in that day.”
[19] Nevertheless, the people
refused to listen to the voice of Samuel, and they said, “No, but there shall
be a king over us, [20] that we also may be like all the nations, that our
king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” [21] Now
after Samuel had heard all the words of the people, he
repeated them in the LORD's hearing. [22] The LORD said to Samuel, “Listen
to their voice and appoint them a king.” So Samuel
said to the men of Israel, “Go every man to his city.”
Samuel tells the
Israelites that the king will take their sons and daughters for his army and
his servants. He will take the best
fields, vineyards, and olive groves. He
will take a tenth of their produce and flocks.
He will use your servants and animals for his work. You will cry out with regret of the day you asked
for a king, but the LORD will not answer.
“But we want to be
like all the other nations. We want to
have a king over us!”
God was not happy.
1
Samuel 8:1-22
NKJV
[8:1] Now it came to pass when Samuel was old
that he made his sons judges over Israel. [2] The name of his firstborn
was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in
Beersheba. [3] But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside
after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice. [4] Then all the
elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel
at Ramah, [5] and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not
walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
[6] But the thing displeased Samuel when they
said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed
to the LORD. [7] And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the
people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have
rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. [8] “According to all the
works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt,
even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they
are doing to you also. [9] “Now therefore, heed their voice. However,
you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who
will reign over them.”
[10] So Samuel told all the words of the LORD
to the people who asked him for a king. [11] And he said, “This will be
the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and
appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some
will run before his chariots. [12] “He will appoint captains over his
thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his
ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and
equipment for his chariots. [13] “He will take your daughters to be perfumers,
cooks, and bakers. [14] “And he will take the best of your fields, your
vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants.
[15] “He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage,
and give it to his officers and servants. [16] “And he will take
your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your
donkeys, and put them to his work. [17] “He will take a tenth of
your sheep. And you will be his servants. [18] “And you will cry out in
that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD
will not hear you in that day.”
[19] Nevertheless the people refused to obey
the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us,
[20] “that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may
judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” [21] And Samuel
heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the
LORD. [22] So the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a
king.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go
to his city.”
Hosea
13:9-11
NASB
[9] It is your destruction, O Israel, That you are against Me, against your help.[10] Where
now is your king That he may save you in all your cities, And your judges of
whom you requested,“ Give me a king and princes”?[11] I gave you a king
in My anger And took him away in My wrath.
NKJV
[9] “O Israel, you are destroyed, But your help is from Me.[10] I will be your King; Where
is any other, That he may save you in all your cities? And your judges to whom
you said, ‘Give me a king and princes’?[11] I gave you a king in My anger, And took
him away in My wrath.
Deuteronomy
17:14-19
NASB
[14] “When you
enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live
in it, and you say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations who are
around me,’ [15] you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your
God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over
yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your
countryman. [16] “Moreover, he shall not multiply horses for himself, nor
shall he cause the people to return to Egypt to multiply horses, since the LORD
has said to you, ‘You shall never again return that way.’ [17] “He shall
not multiply wives for himself, or else his heart will turn away; nor shall he
greatly increase silver and gold for himself.[18] “Now it shall come about
when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of
this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. [19] “It
shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may
learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this
law and these statutes, [20] that his heart may not be lifted up above his
countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or
the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst
of Israel.
God set
rules for the king.
NKJV
Principles
Governing Kings
[14] “When you
come to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, and possess it and
dwell in it, and say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations that are
around me,’ [15] “you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your
God chooses; one from among your brethren you shall set as king over you; you
may not set a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. [16] “But he
shall not multiply horses for himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt
to multiply horses, for the LORD has said to you, ‘You shall not return that
way again.’ [17] “Neither shall he multiply wives for himself, lest his
heart turn away; nor shall he greatly multiply silver and gold for
himself.[18] “Also it shall be, when he sits on the throne of his kingdom,
that he shall write for himself a copy of this law in a book, from the one
before the priests, the Levites. [19] “And it shall be with him, and he
shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his
God and be careful to observe all the words of this law and these statutes,
[20] “that his heart may not be lifted above his brethren, that he may not
turn aside from the commandment to the right hand or to the left, and that he
may prolong hisdays in his kingdom, he and his
children in the midst of Israel.
God’s
plan was to govern Israel through judges, not through a king. God set Himself up to be King of Israel, so
when Israel asked for a king, God said Israel was rejecting Him. God wasn’t pleased to allow Israel to have a
king, but He relented, and permitted it.