1 Samuel 12: The First King

If both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God- good! But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your fathers.

The 12 tribes of Israel were a nation in name only. They had no central government at all. Since conquering the land, they had worked together only during emergencies, when inspired "judges" - military heroes like Gideon, Deborah, and Samson had come forward to lead them into battle. In Samuel's times, though, the Philistines' military threat wouldn't go away. Israel needed superior leadership, but Samuel was an old man. His sons made unappealing successors. What could be done? Looking around them, the tribes noticed that virtually every other country had a king, and so they too yearned for one.

The idea seems to have been popular with everyone except Samuel and God. Samuel may have been displeased that he and his sons were being rejected. God had a deeper objection: Israel was rejecting his leadership. God told Samuel to warn the elders that a king would oppress his own citizens. Samuel warned of the military draft, of high taxation, and of the king's power to make people slaves. (8: 10-18) Was God against a king? It appears that God only opposed the motive behind the request.

Yet, God gave into their request, bad motive and all. He not only allowed the Israelites a king; he picked out their man. He accepted the monarchy on condition that Israel still consider the Lord as its ultimate ruler. Apparently, Israel's king didn't answer to a parliament or court system, but he did answer to God. In short order the first king, Saul, was rejected because he disobeyed God. Though most nation's kings held absolute power, in Israel only God was absolute, and the king was to be his servant.

Life Question: Would you prefer to live in a theocracy rather than a democracy?

For all the turmoil that exists in our own country, I really can't think of a better form of government than what we are privileged to have as citizens of the U.S. The beauty of Christianity is that it's all about choices in life...and by living in this country, we all have the choice to accept Christ as our Saviour and emulate his teachings in our day to day lives. It doesn't appear to me that Christ would have wanted us to live in a society where someone- by force- tells us how to live our lives. I like to look at our faith as an open invitation to anyone who is willing to believe.