seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Samuel 8:10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”
19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.”
21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”
Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”
c. 1 Samuel 8:16 Septuagint; Hebrew young men
Consider ourselves warned! Did you see verse 17... is that taxes?
This is from the easy English site.
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. But 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.[/B
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. But 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.[/B
This is from Bible.org.
The Israelites’ reasons for wanting a king in verses 1-4 do not tell the whole story, revealed as the events of the next few chapters are described. It is not just Samuel’s age and the corruption of his sons which prompt the Israelites to demand a king. From chapter 12, we learn that the military threat posed by Nahash, the king of Ammon, is perhaps the fundamental reason the Israelites want a king. The Ark of God is out of commission, Samuel is soon to be, and the Israelites want a king in whom they can place their trust.
So... God is good, but the Israelites want to see their leader. The Israelites were warned about adding that layer of government and taxes.... but they chose it. Today we might find ourselves in the voting booth saying "better the devil we know".... but they wanted the devil they could see.
Transparency is never a problem with God.... get it?
