God’s people asked God for a king. The elders of Israel went to the prophet and
demanded a king so they could be like the other nations. God told the prophet what it it would cost
them. It was a very steep price that a
king would exact from his people.
The people wanted a king anyway. God told the prophet, “Give them a king.”
I wonder if God laughed out loud when the peoples of the
world wanted republics and democracies.
Sometimes it seems that we bit off more than we can chew in this whole
business of self government.
Dear God,
Please have mercy upon
us as we embark upon a year of presidential campaigning. Please grant the parties and candidates some
civility and cast out the demons of bitterness and acrimony.
Grant us the wisdom to
turn off or shut down the bombardment of ads that are surely coming our way and
read your holy word more and more in the year to come.
Please bless America
and send your Spirit to guide us back to you!
Amen.
When Samuel grew old, he
appointed his
sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The
name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside
after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.
4 So all
the elders of
Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah.5 They
said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a
king to lead[b] us, such as all the other nations have.”
6 But
when they said, “Give us a king to lead
us,” this displeased Samuel;
so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you;
it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from
the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are
doing to you.9 Now listen to them; but
warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will
claim as his rights.”
10 Samuel
told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a
king. 11 He
said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights:
He will take your
sons and make them serve with
his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to
be commanders of
thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his
harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your
daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of
your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his
attendants. 15 He will
take a tenth of your
grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female
servants and the best of your cattle[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of
your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you
will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
19 But the
people refused to
listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all
the other nations, with a
king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 When
Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord.22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
