The
Book of First Samuel
Chapter 8
[1] And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he
made his sons judges over
[2] Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beer-sheba.
[3] And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took
bribes, and perverted judgment.
[4] Then all the elders of
[5] And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways:
now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
1) Wrong Motives (Vs 1-5)
Samuel appoints his sons as judges over
Maybe he was motivated as a father to appoint
them
Yet, the two boys would not walk in their fathers ways
They were caught up in dishonest gain and
were ungodly and unfit to lead (the love of money)
But they want a king like other nations
Not wrong to have king (God spoke about a
king 400 years before Deut 17:14-20) His own heart
But wrong to be like other nations
We get into trouble when we want
to be like the world (Rom 12:1,2)
We may want the right thing but
for the wrong reasons
A
judge is a leader raised up by God for a time, season
or crisis then went back to what they did before
A judge would not have a government
Judges 8:22,23
(kingship offered to Gideon but his heart was like other judges, for God to
lead)
A
king is a leader as long as he lived and passed his office and handed it down
to his descendants
A king will have a
government; which is both a blessing and a curse
[6] But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said,
Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the
LORD.
[7] And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all
that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have
rejected me, that I should not reign over them.
[8] According to all the works which they have done since the day that I
brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken
me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
2)
Worth Mentioning (Vs 6-8)
This thing displeased Samuel
Maybe because his sons were rejected ? No
But because of the motives of
But the important thing to see is that when
we are disappointed we should pray- Mentioned to God
God mentions to Samuel that he should heed to
their voice (they want new king, new policies)
“Sometimes when we insist on having something bad, God
will allow us to have it and learn the consequences”
God’s purpose in not giving a king was He
knew that
God comforts Samuel (Lk 10:16) by saying they had rejected, not Samuel alone,
but God
If they had served the King of heaven, they
had not needed a king on earth (Jn 19:15)
[9] Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet
protest solemnly unto them, and shew
them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
[10] And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of
him a king.
[11] And he said, This will be the manner of the king
that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for
himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before
his chariots.
[12] And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over
fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to
make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.
[13] And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks,
and to be bakers.
[14] And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his
servants.
[15] And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give
to his officers, and to his servants.
[16] And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your
goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work.
[17] He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
[18] 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.
3)
Wearying Manner (Vs 9-18)
God wants Samuel to warn the people, so they
could make an informed choice
You are responsible for what you hear, so
make a responsible decision or choice (accountability)
Samuel will warn about the manner of a king
to the nation
The king will take your sons, daughters,
property etc for government
The king will come at your expense, abusing
power, imposing taxes
Vs 17 you will be his servants and Vs 18 then
you will cry out but God will not hear of it
Why ?
Because you disobeyed and made your choice not His plan (YOUR KING)
They will be “Beaten with their own rod”
** Most kings take, but there is one king who
doesn’t ……..JESUS, He gives
Mt 20:28 he came not to be ministered to
(served) but to minister (serve)
Phil
2:5-8 (We ought to be that way....
giving and not taking)
[19] Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they
said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;
[20] 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.
[21] And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the
ears of the LORD.
[22] And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of
4)
Worldly Monarchy (Vs 19-22)
Deaf to reason and blind to truth
“Their king” Saul will fail then “God’s King”
David is given
Had they waited,
To this point
God
wanted
But
what is funny, they reject God’s rule, yet they can’t escape it, AS God will
appoint their ruler/ king
People resist God’s
authority, hurting themselves, yet they ultimately they can’t escape God