Give Us a King!

The book of 1 Samuel begins the story of the kings of Israel, starting with a man named Saul. Saul's ascendancy to the throne began with the people of Israel's misplaced desire for a king. We read about their sinful motives in 1 Samuel 8:4-5, which tells us that "all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “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”" (ESV). Up until this point, the people had been ruled by the Judges, who served as protectorates of the people from invading enemies. Despite being warned by Samuel of the burdens a king would place on them, they were persistent in their desire to have a king so that they could be like the surrounding nations.

A few chapters later, Samuel tells us that because of their desire for a king, Israel was rejecting their God as King. "But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your calamities and your distresses, and you have said to him, ‘Set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your thousands” (1 Samuel 10:19). Lots were then cast and Saul was chosen from the tribe of Benjamin to be king over Israel. As we continue reading we see that Saul would eventually be rejected by God and replaced by David, the one from whom an eternal Davidic King would come.

When we consider this narrative, what exactly was the sin of the people in demanding a king? I don't think it was merely the desire for a king in and of itself that was misplaced, since God Himself desired to give the people a Davidic king from whom Jesus Christ would come. Rather, I think it was the motive behind the desire for a king that made the people's demand particularly misplaced and sinful. Notice how Israel didn't ask for a king in order to better serve God and obey His law, but they asked for a king in order to be like the nations they saw around them. Rather than being a holy and set apart people of God, they wanted to look like everyone else. As a result, they rejected God as their king because of their desire to fit in with the unbelieving world.

It's unfortunate that we often see something similar taking place within Christian circles today. Many people claim the name of Christ and even attend Sunday morning worship, but when their lives are examined they look no different than the world around them. Outside of the church building they live like, sound like, and think like everyone else. We even see this in many evangelical churches themselves as the priority shifts from glorifying God with true worship to catering to the desires of the world. Biblical preaching is replaced with motivational speeches and stand up comedy, and sincere worship is replaced with high-budget concerts designed to elicit emotional responses from the "audience." It seems like many churches care more about what's culturally cool than what a biblical church ought to look like. In an attempt to look like the world around them they throw away those things that are truly pleasing to God.

As Christians, let's remember that we are citizens of the kingdom of Christ, not the kingdom of this world. Let's live consistently with who we are as blood-bought children of God and as Saints who are set apart for the purpose of serving and worshiping Him.