1 Samuel: Chapter 8
The chapter marks the transition from Judges to Kings in Israel
Chapter Recap
The previous chapter showed Samuel in his prime, and here we have him growing old. Samuel assigns his children to be judges, but they turn to dishonest gains and prevent justice. The people use this as an excuse and ask for a king to rule over them, just so they can be like the other nations. This displeases Samuel, who takes it to the LORD, who tells Samuel to warm them the consequences of having Kings over them. Samuel relays this to the people, and the people stubbornly ask for a king. The LORD allows it, albeit unhappily.
New Judges
The previous chapter ended on a very positive note. We not only saw how Samuel dealt with the enemies of Israel with the LORD’s help, but also how he went around Israel solving the issues people had among themselves. This no doubt shows the very close personal relationship the people had with their judge. It was also very down to earth. Samuel never unfairly accumulated wealth, nor did he let anything hinder justice.
But here, in this chapter, we see an old Samuel. Naturally, we wouldn’t be able to go around as before, and hence he appointed his sons as judges. However, the sons were based on a single place (they served at Beersheba) and we learn that “they turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and prevented justice”. The personal relationship shown by Samuel is nowhere to be found, and worse, Samuel’s sons seemed to mirror the actions of Eli’s sons, though they did not take it very far.
Where the father held high standards, the sons failed miserably. We see this happen in multiple cases as well. So why is this the case? Why are children, in general, less pious than their parents? Perhaps they do not have the same faith of their parents. Or maybe they do not want to work hard to be holy, as the LORD expects. Possibly they are just enticed by the desires and evils of the world. Or it could be a combination of all the above and even more. In any case, the misdeeds of Samuel’s children was one of the reasons quoted by the people of Israel for wanting a King to rule over them.
New Ruler
As mentioned previously, the people pointed to Samuel’s corrupt children and asked for a king. But this was clearly misguided. The people of Israel, very similar to Samuel’s children, did not understand the rule of the Judges. The people just wanted a king, because they wanted to be similar to the other countries.
So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” I Samuel 8:4-5
The people did not understand how unique it was to have the LORD precede over them. They could not comprehend this because they never fully submitted themselves to be under the LORD. When there was a problem, they eventually came to the LORD for deliverance, but it was never a wholehearted repentance from everyone. And thus, as the days went on, they went back to their old ways.
One interesting aspect of their petition is that they came to Samuel to make this change. So at least in this they acknowledged the work of Samuel, but did not want it to continue like this. Samuel is immediately displeased with the proportion. He is specifically upset because the people are asking for a ruler and by extension denouncing the direct rule of the LORD over them. They want to move from a theocracy to a monocracy. How they expected this system to be better is beyond anyone’s guess. Thus, the LORD, through Samuel, sternly warns the people how their ruler would actually act and govern, and the challenges involved in such a transition. Nevertheless, the people still wanted a king and the LORD agreed to give them exactly what they asked.
There are a few takeaways from this chapter. Firstly, regarding the legacy. True, oftentimes it is very hard to maintain the holiness and godliness of our ancestors, but however, the LORD expects this from us, not because our ancestors were holy, but because the LORD is holy (Lev 11:44). It might be easier to follow the world, but “wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction” (Mat 7:13). So it is up to us to strive towards perfection.
Secondly, we see the people acting stubbornly regarding their petition. Even when it is clear that it would not be the best for them, they press on. Eventually, we will see that this stubbornness and the monarchy which they obtained would lead them further in apostasy and far from the LORD. Foreseeing this, Samuel was very upset. But the people did not heed. Sometimes, we tend to pray for things which we want, and it might not align with the will of the LORD. But because of our insistence, we might get the same, however, it would not be for our best.
Thirdly, the reasoning the people had for asking for a king. They looked at other nations and wanted the same. They did not realize the value of what they had with them all along. Similarly, we too might be longing for something, not because we actually want it, but rather because someone else has it. In doing this, we are devaluing what we have with us.
To summarize, let us strive towards perfection with the LORD’s help, let us pursue our lives based on the will of the Father, and always be careful to appreciate what we have with us, and not look at vain things. Take care of yourself and each other. See you in the next one!
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