First King of Israel
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God desired His people to look to Him alone as their Law-giver
and their Source of strength. Feeling their dependence upon God,
they would be constantly drawn nearer to Him. They would become
elevated and ennobled, fitted for the high destiny to which He had
called them as His chosen people. But when a man was placed upon
the throne, it would tend to turn the minds of the people from God.
They would trust more to human strength, and less to divine power,
and the errors of their king would lead them into sin and separate the
nation from God.
Samuel was instructed to grant the request of the people, but to
warn them of the Lord’s disapproval, and also make known what would
be the result of their course. “And Samuel told all the words of the Lord
unto the people that asked of him a king.” He faithfully set before them
the burdens that would be laid upon them, and showed the contrast
between such a state of oppression and their present comparatively
free and prosperous condition. Their king would imitate the pomp and
luxury of other monarchs, to support which, grievous exactions upon
their persons and property would be necessary. The goodliest of their
young men he would require for his service. They would be made
charioteers and horsemen and runners before him. They must fill the
ranks of his army, and they would be required to till his fields, to reap
his harvests, and to manufacture implements of war for his service.
The daughters of Israel would be for confectioners and bakers for the
royal household. To support his kingly state he would seize upon the
best of their lands, bestowed upon the people by Jehovah Himself. The
most valuable of their servants also, and of their cattle, he would take,
and “put them to his work.” Besides all this, the king would require a
tenth of all their income, the profits of their labor, or the products of the
soil. “Ye shall be his servants,” concluded the prophet. “And ye shall
cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen
you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.” However burdensome
its exactions should be found, when once a monarchy was established,
they could not set it aside at pleasure.
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But the people returned the answer, “Nay; but we will have a king
over us; that we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may
judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.”
“Like all the nations.” The Israelites did not realize that to be in this
respect unlike other nations was a special privilege and blessing. God