“Give us a king!”
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1 Samuel 8:4-10, 19-22 (June 9, 2024)
It was just over a year ago that King Charles was crowned in a lavish ceremony at Westminster Abbey. You might have watched it on TV. Interest in the monarchy is waning. And yet, even if it seems like an anachronistic institution, the crown continues to play a constitutional role in the governance of our country.
In our scripture reading for today, the elders of Israel are keen to have a monarch! They plead with Samuel to appoint one for them. “Look,” they say, pointing to their neighbours, “They have a king! So why can’t we?”
Last Sunday we began a series of readings from the OT books of Samuel. We met Samuel at the beginning of his ministry, when he served as a boy in the temple at Shiloh. It was there he heard God speaking. A voice came to him in the night.
After that, Samuel became known as a straight-talking prophet of the Lord and a great leader among his people. He administered justice in the land, encouraged leadership. He performed ritual sacrifice and interceded with God on behalf of his people.
But now, Samuel is nearing the end of his life. And others are growing anxious. “What will happen when this great man is gone?”
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Samuel thought he had it all arranged. His two boys, Joel and Abijah, were judges in Beersheba. Yet, the Bible tells us, they took bribes and perverted justice.
It's the same story we heard last Sunday, with the sons of Eli. Do you remember? They were meant to continue Eli’s priestly line. But they were corrupt. And it was Samuel who had to break the difficult news to Eli: “Your priestly line is finished!”
Now Samuel has the very same problem! Just because one generation offers exemplary service doesn’t mean the next one will follow. Will our kids turn out to be decent human beings? And will their children after them?
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It must have been very disappointing for Samuel to watch his sons go awry. But it happens. And now the people of Israel are demanding a different kind of ruler – something they’ve never had before.
Up to this moment, they have been a loose confederacy of tribes, guided by Spirit-filled leaders that God has raised up when needed. Yahweh alone has been their ruler!
Now they’re asking for hereditary monarchs, an established line. “Give us a king!”
Samuel is not pleased. In fact, he’s feeling rather put out, personally rejected. “Don’t feel bad,” says the LORD. “It’s not you they don’t want. It’s me they are rejecting! Just as they have done … from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods.”
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This is the crux of the matter – the question we all have to answer (whatever form of government we choose): Who will we trust? Who will we serve? Who will we allow to be our ruler?
That question of trust strikes close to home, I’d say. It is a question for us both personally and publicly.
We live in a time when trust for our public institutions has diminished. How much do you trust the government, police, the justice system, educational institutions, scientists, religious leaders? Have you noticed a shift in attitude toward these things?
I remember driving through parts of our province during the pandemic and seeing signs in farmer’s fields displaying obscenities directed at our Prime Minister. We’ve always had a degree of skepticism about politicians. But this seemed new and quite disrespectful.
Who do we trust? How far will it go? What happens to our society when trust is eroded to such a degree?
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The question is personal too. Do you trust your neighbour. And crucially this: Do you trust your God?
Faith is fundamentally about trust. In the Greek text of the NT, there is one word that can be translated several ways: To believe, to have faith, to have trust. In the Bible, belief is not so much about theological propositions as it is about acknowledging our complete and utter dependence on God.
“I am the one who brought them out of Egypt,” says God to Samuel. It was me who led them out of slavery. And now they want to appoint a king. Imagine that – a brand new Pharoah!
It’s ironic. The people of Israel want a strong man who will protect them. Who will defend their interests. Who will make their nation great. But at what cost? The cost of their very identity as a people who live in covenant relationship with God.
Who will we trust?
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Fear can be a powerful motivator. But not always for good.
Anxiety about who will be in charge motivates the people to seek an easy solution. “Just give us a king, Samuel. Everyone else has one, after all.”
Except the people of God are not meant to be like everyone else. We’re supposed to follow a different way. But we get sucked into this vortex of anxiety. And so we grasp the first solution we can see. We don’t stop to consider, “Is this a good idea?”
Both God and Samuel know it’s not a good idea. The LORD says, “You better warn them.”
What follows is a long list of troubles the people are bound to experience. We skipped this section in our reading earlier, because it goes on at length in a pretty negative way. You can look up the details when you get home, but let me summarize them for you.
A king, warns Yahweh, will conscript your children to serve in a standing army. He’ll put you to work manufacturing weapons of war. He’ll take the best of your crops. He’ll tax you to the hilt, and distribute that wealth to his supporters. You’ll lose your freedom and spend the rest of your lives serving the interests of those in charge.
And when all this happens, says the LORD, “you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves.” Notice the language. This is “your king.” It’s not God’s idea. You have chosen him “for yourselves.”
Samuel gives this warning to the elders of Israel. If that’s what they want, God will grant their request. But watch out! This is not a good solution.
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Our passage today is part of a section of scripture that was gathered and pieced together in the time of exile. There, in the face of that tragic event when the promised land was taken away and the kings of Israel were no more, the people of faith wondered how they got into that mess.
And what they realized was that those precious kings whom they’d sought so eagerly … turned out, almost without exception, to be self-serving and unfaithful. They led the nation, all right. But every one of Samuel’s warnings turned out to be true.
You want to concentrate power in the hands of an individual? Be careful! I’m reminded of these familiar words: “Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely.”[1]
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So what is this passage about, really? Is it about monarchy? I think not. I think it’s a story that expresses caution about any of our systems of government and any of our earthly rulers. Take them all with a grain of salt, it says.
Don’t let them become as gods to you. Because they are not. They are human beings, susceptible to self-interest and corruption. And just so you know … what I’m saying about them applies to every one of us.
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This is a big year for elections. India, the world’s largest democracy, just finished voting. It was a process that ran a month and a half, accommodating 968 million eligible voters. It boggles the mind!
The UK is in election mode as we speak. Our neighbours to the south seem to be perpetually campaigning.
And over the next year and a half, elections at all levels will be held here in Canada. So whether you’re satisfied or unhappy with government, you will have an opportunity to choose.
To be clear, our choice of leaders does matter. We should always seek the best in our candidates and support policies we believe will be beneficial for everyone.
But we should also acknowledge the imperfections and limitations that are embedded in every party and every candidate. The king is not God. Politics will not, ultimately, save us.
For that, we must look beyond our earthly rulers. To the God who rules all creation. A God who desires justice and peace and goodness for all the citizens of the earth. A God who came to us in Jesus, revealing God’s kingdom way.
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Did you hear what I just said? God’s kingdom. This is an amazing thing! Our scripture tells us the people’s request for a king was an afront to Yahweh. A rejection of God’s sovereign rule. But the Good News is that God takes that very request for a king, and gives it back to us in a way the world has never seen before.
In Jesus, God gifts us with a king who comes to serve. A ruler who is truly good, through and through. A monarch who lives among us as servant. The regal representative of God clothed in humility and grace. A Messiah, God’s anointed ruler, who comes not to conquer his enemies but to win them with his love. Wow!
See what I mean? It’s amazing! God’s steadfast love brings blessing in ways we could never imagine.
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The early Christians made a bold confession of faith in the face of one of the most powerful empires the world has known: “Jesus is Lord,” they said. Jesus, not Caesar.
So, again these questions rise before us: “Who will you trust? Who will you serve? Who will be your ruler?” The answer has implications that stretch far beyond politics. This has to do with every part of our lives.
Whatever you are faced with – whatever difficulty or dilemma, joy or sorrow, challenge or delight … who will you trust?
May it be the God who promises to be with us each and every day in a covenant relationship of love, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
[1] Lord Acton, 1834-1902, https://www.acton.org/research/lord-acton-quote-archive, (Accessed June 7, 2024).