3. We Want a King
Week 5 • Day 3
“To the young, I would whisper that the Bible is a myth. I would convince the children that man created God instead of the other way around. I’d confide that what’s bad is good and what’s good is square. And the old, I would teach to pray after me, “Our Father, which are in Washington [D.C.]” – If I were the Devil by Paul Harvey c.1964
Politics is a major concern in our world today. Debates are raging about different styles of leadership, theories of governance, authoritative structures, and power dynamics amongst a wide variety of other issues. As the Biblical authors reflect on the era of the judges, they were forced to wrestle with whether or not the solution to the serpent kingdom can be found in the latest governmental system. Is it true that the grotesque actions at the end of the book of judges took place because, "in those days Israel had no king; everyone did as they saw fit," or was there something deeper going on?
After a period of judges (who acted more like local tribal leaders) resulted in chaos, Israel was hungry for a new type of rule that would bring unity, justice, law and order to the entire kingdom community of people. Interestingly, even Moses advocates for Israel to adopt this type of governance:
(Law in Question) “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. One from among your brothers you shall set as king over you. You may not put a foreigner over you, who is not your brother. 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.
“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 17:14-20
In his wisdom, Moses warns Israel to look for a leader whose heart would not be “lifted above his brothers,” in pride, but would rather humbly listen and obey God’s commandments as the true king. It’s not the governing structure that Moses was concerned about at all. It was the humility or pride of Israel’s king that would make all the difference. These two themes drive the entire conversation of 1st and 2nd Samuel, our next book in the Hebrew Bible order (Ruth to be mentioned later).
HUMILITY VS. PRIDE
Samuel, which records the origins story of Israel’s most powerful kings, ironically kicks off with the story of a barren woman named Hannah. Hannah’s attitude of humility in her situation before the Lord suggests that God’s blessings would lift up the humble (Hannah is blessed with a child) while God’s judgment would strike down the proud (Eli’s family downfall).
Talk no more so very proudly, let not arrogance come from your mouth; for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble bind on strength.
….The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; against them he will thunder in heaven. The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; he will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed.” - 1 Samuel 2:3-4, 10
In God’s kingdom, this dichotomy between the proud and the humble would be applied to everyone, from the lowest citizen to the exalted anointed one (“Messiah” in Hebrew; “Christos” in Greek) who would be chosen to rule as king! For example, Hannah’s son Samuel is blessed for humbly following the Lord’s voice as opposed to Eli’s family of priests who were stripped of their duties because they had become prideful and corrupt. The Lord exalts Samuel’s humility by turning him into a key representative voice for the people of Israel as a prophet, a priest-like figure (though he was not from the tribe of Levi) working in the place of God, and a judge who would powerfully rule on YHWH’s behalf! Through Samuel, the gospel of the kingdom breaks through once more in unique ways.
And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the Lord. - 1 Samuel 3:19-20
So Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. And Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. - 1 Samuel 7:9
Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life - 1 Samuel 7:15
However, Samuel’s sons were not quite so humble in this immense role of representing YHWH. This time, the inevitable spiral of sin caused Israel to look for a solution in a new system of governance. Like their neighbors, they desired one unified king to rule over them! However, God saw their true motive:
“Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.”...And the Lord said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. - 1 Samuel 8:5, 7
Instead of turning to God, who has been ruling as King over His people from the very beginning of time, the Israelites continued to be influenced y their foreign neighbors in their kingdom place adopting their structure of authority to resolve the issue of the serpent. Samuel warned that with the great power of a king comes the great potential for abuse:
“These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen and to run before his chariots. And he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants. He will take the tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and to his servants. He will take your male servants and female servants and the best of your young men and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves. And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.” - 1 Samuel 8:11-18
The people had become proud, forgotten their God, and looked toward human thrones to solve their problems. Different era, same pattern of the serpent kingdom! As a result, Saul (which literally means “asked for” in Hebrew) is chosen by the people out of the humble - yet extremely troubled - tribe of Benjamin. Saul was a well-built man who looked the part and led Israel to some victories. However, the serpent had his fangs sunk deep into Israel’s monarchy from the outset.
Samuel’s Instructions
Then go down before me to Gilgal. And behold, I am coming down to you to offer burnt offerings and to sacrifice peace offerings. Seven days you shall wait, until I come to you and show you what you shall do.” - 1 Samuel 10:8
Saul’s Actions
He waited seven days, the time appointed by Samuel. But Samuel did not come to Gilgal, and the people were scattering from him. So Saul said, “Bring the burnt offering here to me, and the peace offerings.” And he offered the burnt offering. - 1 Samuel 13:8-9
Samuel’s Instructions
Now go and strike Amalek and devote to destruction all that they have. Do not spare them, but kill both man and woman, child and infant, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’ ” - 1 Samuel 15:3
Saul’s Actions
And he took Agag the king of the Amalekites alive and devoted to destruction all the people with the edge of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep and of the oxen and of the fattened calves and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them. All that was despised and worthless they devoted to destruction. - 1 Samuel 15:8-9
Notice the common denominator? Saul’s pride influenced him to take control of the offering meant for Samuel, spare good resources, and ultimately disobey the prophet of the one true King. Then, to maintain his public image, Saul begs Samuel to return with him as a P.R. stunt. As a result, Samuel is put in a tough spot.
Samuel’s Possible Sin?
Samuel said to Saul, “I will not return with you. For you have rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord has rejected you from being king over Israel.” As Samuel turned to go away, Saul seized the skirt of his robe, and it tore. And Samuel said to him, “The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you this day and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you. And also the Glory of Israel will not lie or have regret, for he is not a man, that he should have regret.” Then he said, “I have sinned; yet honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and return with me, that I may bow before the Lord your God.” So Samuel turned back after Saul, and Saul bowed before the Lord. - 1 Samuel 15:26–31
For bending the knee to the serpent, God takes the kingdom of Israel away from Saul. Additionally, there is speculation that Samuel’s return was a serpent-like decision made in the heat of the moment. If you thought either of these men could be the serpent-crusher, it can confidently be said that Saul is a sinner and Samuel is questionable at the very least. Regardless, neither were from the line of Judah.
Has the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to listen than the fat of rams. For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and presumption is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected you from being king.” - 1 Samuel 15:22-23
What follows is the tragic descent of Saul as an evil spirit overtakes him, as he violently seeks to kill the next king who would take his place, as he engages in sorcery to consult Samuel from the dead, and as he and his three sons fall to their death on the same day.
GOD’S MERCY RULES
The life of Hannah, Samuel, Saul, and Israel under the new era of the monarchy challenges God’s kingdom people to adopt a posture of humility while resisting our prideful tendencies. How do we do this? The story of God’s kingdom in the Bible continues to point out that in His mercy, YHWH remains entirely in control as ruler of all things. He has orchestrated the rescue and return of His kingdom people back to their kingdom place. He continues to orchestrate their eventual restoration as His rule is reestablished over the serpent in their lives.
No matter who wields power on earth, the gospel of the kingdom can never be thwarted!
It may take us a while to develop this kingdom way of looking at things, but consider how God uses Saul to move the gospel of the kingdom forward. After the dust is settled, the life of Israel’s first king leaves us yearning for a new type of king chosen by God (instead of “asked for”) from the tribe of Judah (instead of Benjamin). This king needed to be humble enough to faithfully follow God’s rule and act according to His “knowledge of good and evil”. In essence, this king would use his delegated rule as God’s image bearer to follow YHWH and work in harmony with Him to reestablish the rule of God on earth! Furthermore, the life of Saul is yet another story that makes us desperate for this king who would crush the serpent whose venom is pride and to open the escape hatch of restoration from the serpent kingdom back into the kingdom of God. Who would become the “anointed one” (Messiah, Christos) of Hannah’s song and when would this king come to establish God’s kingdom rule in His kingdom place over His kingdom people?
Share the Gospel: The life of Israel’s first king leaves us yearning for a new type of king chosen by God (instead of “asked for”) from the tribe of Judah (instead of Benjamin) who was going to be humble enough to faithfully follow God’s command and act according to His “knowledge of good and evil” in order to reestablish the rule of YHWH. The life of Saul is yet another story that makes us desperate for this king who would crush pride in order to open the escape hatch of restoration from the serpent kingdom back into the kingdom of God.
