Commentary
A big change happened in the nation of Israel. This chapter tells us how it started. The nation of Israel began with Abraham and Sarah and their only son Isaac (Genesis chapters 12, 15-18, 21-22). Abraham’s grandson Jacob went to live in the country of Egypt. He took 70 children and grandchildren with him (Genesis 46).
All the Israelites left Egypt 430 years later (Exodus 12:40). In Numbers 1:1-50 they counted all the men over 20 years old. There were more than 600,000. Most of the men probably had a wife and children. So there may have been more than 2,000,000 Israelites. God did what he had promised to Abraham in Genesis 15:1-6.
The Israelites left Egypt. God chose Moses as their leader. When Moses died, God chose Joshua as their leader. Then Joshua died. God gave them ‘judges’ as their leaders. But during all this time, God was their king. He ruled them. God knew that the Israelites would ask for a king one day. So, God told them what their king should be like (Deuteronomy 17:14-20).
Gideon was one of the judges. The Israelites wanted him, his son and his grandson to rule over them like a king. But Gideon said that God would rule over them. Now the Israelites asked again for a king. Had Gideon accepted, he might have been Israel's first king.
The Israelites Ask for a King
v1 When Samuel was old he appointed his sons as leaders in Israel. v2 His first son was Joel and his second son was Abijah. They were leaders in the town of Beersheba. v3 But Samuel’s sons did not live a good life like Samuel. They tried to get money in ways that were not honest. They accepted money in secret to make wrong judgments.
v4 So the leaders of Israel met together and went to Samuel at Ramah. v5 They said to Samuel, "You are old. Your sons do not live a good life as you do. Give us a king who will rule over us. The other nations have a king. We want one too."
v6 Samuel was not pleased that the leaders asked for a king. So he prayed to the Lord. v7 The Lord said to Samuel, "Listen to everything that the people say to you. They have not refused to have you as their leader. Instead, they have refused to have me as their king. v8 Today they are doing what they have always done. I brought them out of the country of Egypt. But they left me and worshipped other gods. Now they are doing the same to you. v9 Listen to the people but warn them. Tell them what their kings will do to them."
Commentary
At least 20 years had passed since the battle at Mizpah in chapter 7. The Israelites were happy with Samuel as their leader. But he was about 65-70 years old now. They did not know who would lead them in the future. Samuel still led the Israelites from Ramah. But his sons led the people who lived in the south of the land. The town of Beersheba is about 70 miles south of Ramah. Joel and Abijah were not good leaders. They wanted to get money rather than make fair decisions. They did not help the people. Jewish law did not allow leaders to accept money for wrong judgments (Deuteronomy 16:18-20). Eli the priest had 2 sons who lived a bad life. The result was that the nation of Israel became wicked. Now Samuel had 2 sons who lived a bad life. Perhaps the leaders were worried that their nation would become wicked again.
The leaders asked Samuel for a king. They said that they wanted to be like the other nations. But the real reason is in verse 20. They wanted a man to rule them instead of God. God ruled them but they could not see him. They wanted a leader that everyone could see. They should have asked for a good leader who trusted God. The Israelites had left God many times in the past. God had chosen them and saved them from their enemies. They were happy for a while. Then they left God and worshipped other gods.
The Israelites liked Samuel. Even so, they wanted to replace him with a king. They did not really refuse Samuel as their leader. Instead, they refused God as their king. Samuel knew this and he was not pleased. Samuel did the right thing when he prayed to the Lord. God told Samuel to warn the people. Perhaps they would change their decision if they heard all the bad things about kings.
Samuel Speaks to the People
v10 Samuel spoke to the people who asked him for a king. He told them what the Lord had said. v11 Samuel said, "The king will rule over you. And this is what he will do. He will take your sons and make them into his soldiers. They will serve with his horses and chariots. They will run in front of his chariots. v12 The king will make some of your sons lead thousands of soldiers. Other sons will lead groups of 50 soldiers. The king will make some of your sons plow his ground. Then they will have to harvest his crops. Other sons will have to make weapons for war and equipment for the chariots. v13 The king will take your daughters. They will make perfume. They will also cook and bake for him.
v14 The king will take your best fields. He will take the best land where you grow grapes and olives. He will give all these to his officers. v15 Then he will take a tenth part of all your grain and grapes. He will give this to his officers and servants. v16 He will take your male and female servants. He will take your best cows and donkeys. He will use them for his own work. v17 He will take a tenth part of the total number of your sheep. And he will make you into his slaves too. v18 When all this happens you will cry out to the Lord. But the Lord will not answer you then."
People Didn't Listen to Samuel
v19 But the people would not listen to Samuel. They said, "No. We want a king to rule us. v20 We want to be like all the other nations with a king to rule us. He will lead us when we go to war. He will fight our battles."
v21 Samuel listened to all that the people said. Then he went and told the Lord. v22 The Lord said, "You must listen to them. You must give them a king." Then Samuel told the people of Israel, "Go back to your own town."
Commentary
Verse 20 tells us the real reason why the Israelites wanted a king. They wanted a king to fight against their enemies. They wanted a king to lead them to war. But God led them when they went to war. They always won their battles when they trusted God. A human king can not promise that he will always win wars. But the Israelites often forgot God because they could not see him.
Samuel warned them what a human king would do to them. He saw what the kings of other nations did. A chariot is like a cart. One or two horses pulled it along. The army used chariots when they went to war. Three or four men stood in the chariot. One man controlled the horses. The other men fought with swords, arrows or other weapons.
Many times Samuel said, "He will take, and he will make." A king would take a lot for himself and his friends and servants. He would take all the best things. He would take people and animals. He would take crops and land. The people would have pay taxes to him. This would be hard for them. Sometimes they could only grow enough food to feed themselves. The people of Israel already had to give a tenth part of their animals and crops to the priests (Deuteronomy 14:22-29).
Samuel knew that the king would demand all these things. This would make the people unhappy. Samuel warned them of the disadvantages. But the people could only think of the advantages. They would not change their decision. This was not the best for them. However, God gave them what they asked for. However, in the future, God would not help them when they complained. They would get what they deserved. In verse 22, the Lord said to Samuel, "You must give them a king." This does not mean that Samuel chose the king. God chose the king. Then the people went home to wait for their king.
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