Then 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.”
— First Samuel 8:4-5
The people approached Samuel to choose a king for them. It is hard to fault them when we consider the children of Israel’s experience under the judges. The situation was often chaotic. At times they were without a judge; no one was in charge.
Whenever the need arose, however, God would raise someone up. So judges ruled only sporadically over the four hundred plus years they were in the good land. Even when they did rule, the situation was often very peculiar. Therefore, the people asked Samuel for a king to rule over them as they saw in the nations around them.
Adapted from David: After God’s Heart, page 25.
Tomorrow: “God Wants to be Our King”