I Samuel Chapter 8 "Israel Desires a King." This Bible
Study is written by Roger Christopherson, and it's
transcription is provided with written permission by http://www.theseason.org I Samuel 8:1 "And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel." Remember Eli and his two sons, we will find that Samuel's two sons were much the same as Eli's. I Samuel 8:2 "Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. Eli the judge that ruled before Samuel had two sons also, and those two sons were placed in the priesthood by their father and took the responsibility of priests and judges. Samuel's sons also did not follow in the ways of their father, and this was another of the reasons that caused the people to cry out for a king. The people witnessed the thievery and rape that the sons of Eli caused, and they just did not want any part of these bad judges. It is strange that Samuel would make these two sons of his judges here at the place where the "oath of the seven" [Beer-sheba] was the named. I Samuel 8:3 "And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment." It is sad that Samuel allowed this to happen. Many times the children of good men turn out to be just plain rotten and perverted. Both in Eli's case and in Samuel's, their sons did not follow the ways of God but used their offices to rip off God's people. They turn their office of responsibility into a business for themselves. This allows us to see that though God places individual soul in embryos, the sons do not necessarily have the characteristics of the genetics of their fathers. Each child has a mind of their own that must be disciplined and taught the ways of God. I Samuel 8:4 "Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah," This verse is the start of identifying Israel's problems, and it lays the foundations of all their future problems, even to our present day. When the Israelites went from a theocracy into a monarchy, it went from a government of men ruled by God to a government of men ruling over other men and women. Up to this time God ruled through His appointed judges, and the laws of God were the absolute criteria for passing judgment. I Samuel 8:5 "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." "The nations" are all the other Gentile nations. We are suppose to let our Father rule over us, and when we do He will never leave you alone in any of your problem. He will take care of our needs, and protect us when we ask his help. You and I were created for His pleasure, not for another created soul's pleasure. God has given us His Word and He expected us to read that Word and follow His instructions. However Israel both then and now wanted a flesh king, someone like themselves, to rule over them. Sometimes we can ask foolish things of God, and even in the asking our request becomes an insult of God Lordship. Many times when we ask for things of nonsense, if God allows those prayers to be answered it will be for our hurt. Yet God will allow it to teach us a lesson. God will give the Israelites a king, but it will not be for their betterment. I Samuel 8:6 "But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." And Samuel prayed unto the Lord." Samuel didn't like it when the people demanded a king to rule over them. Remember the cause of their desire for a king was the evil actions of Samuel's own two sons. We saw the hurt that Eli and his two sons caused the Israelites, and now the elders are pleading for Samuel to give them a king. I Samuel 8:7 "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." The people are asking for another man to rule over him, and God is going to give them a king. If they desire this to be, though God allows it, He is going to issue an warning that all the people must hear first. God is telling Samuel here, now go and listen to what they are going to tell you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me. I Samuel 8:8 "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." Even from the time in the wilderness when Moses went up on the mountain, the Israelites couldn't wait, but started immediately in making their calves of gold. During the time of the Judges, over and over the Israelites strayed after the religions of Baalim and Asheroth, the sex gods of their neighboring nations. They built their groves and strayed off into their groves for their sex orgies, and they called those wicked pleasures, of God. Even to this day, the churches still like to delve in their Easter celebrations of Ishtar, and in ignorance they reject Passover, for they simply do not know the difference. Their traditions have become more important to them than God's holy Word and instructions. They are more interested in doing what the Gentile nations are doing than following God and His instructions. Always seeking but never attaining. When they sought after Dagon, the God of the ark of the Covenant pushed that piece of wood on its face, and Dagon's head and hands fell off, and all that was left was the form of a fish. Watch out what you ask the Father for, because He may just give it to you, and then your problems really will start. God knows better than you do for what you need. I Samuel 8:9 "Now therefore heaken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that shall reign over them." Samuel was instructed to give a protest to the placing of a king over Israel, however God instructed Samuel to give in detail what the results of having a king will mean in all parts of their lives. This is the Father's Words that Samuel gave to the people. I Samuel 8:10 "And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the People that asked of him a king." I Samuel 8:11 "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 this chariots." It doesn't matter whether you are under a king or a democracy, the government is going to make conscripts out of your sons. They are going to battle when He says it is time to fight. Today in America we have the selective service, and all sons of our land must register for the draft, for when the man at the top says they must fight. This is the same form that happens in any nation where a king or queen reigns over the land. I Samuel 8:12 "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." It is the king that appoints who will be in charge over these soldiers, and it simply doesn't matter what the people think. What God is saying here is that the king decides whether you will carry a gun or sent to the field to plow the land and reap the harvest. The king will keep the factories going, and maintaining the weapons of war. I Samuel 8:13 "And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers." The king will have the power to take your daughters and make them objects for his own use, to sweeten some of them up for his sexual service, or use them as cooks and bakers in his kitchens. The king will control all parts of your life, and demand obedience to his desires. I Samuel 8:14 "And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your olive yards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants." It's hard to understand the idea of anyone coming in and taking your own personal property and leaving you without any recourse. We are seeing this going on even today through taxation rulings, and wicked judges that sit on the benches, and using their powers to simply take your property. Their position is that it is the government that decide who own and controls property. The home of a widow can be taken with the swing of a gavel. We have laws in our land that try to prevent this from happening here, but they don't always work, and under a king it is the kings word that becomes law. I Samuel 8:15 "And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants." This happens every year, and by April fifteenth of each year, the portion will be collected of your seed, vineyards, and payroll to provide for the public servants and the needs of government. This is the same in a Republic as it is in a kingdom such as England. Taxes are necessary, but when corruption creeps in, than unnecessary taxes are collected. Unfortunately there is no perfection amongst mankind for the only perfection that exists is in and through the Holy Spirit that dwell within us. I Samuel 8:16 "And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work." The king will take the top minds and workers and put them into his service. Today many people become servants to the government when they don't take God's advice, and they get to deep into usury. Their salary becomes the interest payment on their large debts. When you figure the principle compared to the interest of your payment, you see that you have become a servant to the one that you borrowed from. I Samuel 8:17 "He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants." You are not given a choice of offering of those sheep to God or the king, but the tax is levied on you, and if you don't present it, the king takes it, and you. I Samuel 8:18 "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." When you are under a king or even in a Republic like ours, when the assessment for taxes are required and you are presented with his tax bill, you pay. You can cry and protest all you want, but you will pay. God is reminding the people that when they are in this position, accept it. I didn't want you to have it, but you begged for it, so be satisfied with it. There were those that said, after Saul came into office, I didn't know that God would do this to us. God is making it very clear to them right here and now that this will happen. When you are living under these condition, keep in mind that you can be wiser than the serpent, smart enough to consider the interest before you take the loan and bind yourself to it. Before you buy property and own anything consider the taxes on the property. A wise man learns to beat the traders at their own game, and that is the only escape there is. To evade taxes and break a contract is pure foolishness, and against God's Word. It is only you that can make the steps to lighten the load on yourself, and it comes before you sign the contract. God expects you to be law abiding and obedient to those in authority over you, and when you place yourself under these obligations, He will not bail you out when you chose foolishly. I Samuel 8:19 "Nevertheless the People refuse to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, "Nay; but we will have a king over us;" I Samuel 8:20 "That we may be like all the nations and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles." The Israelites during this time of the Judges have watch the people around them, how their kings rule over them, and the fact that the people can go to the person that has the final authority. These foreigners can see their kings, talk to him, and expect a answer face to face. The Israelites have their laws given by God, and Judges appointed by God to rule over them. Due to their inability to see and talk to God directly, they have turned their backs to God. As we saw in the start of the book of I Samuel, Eli had two for the most crooked sons when it came to being presented before God. Then along came Samuel, and as good as he was, his sons turn out to be no better than Eli's sons. When will it all end, the people were thinking, and the best way out of being under these crooked judges was to come under a king. The people wanted out from under the veil of rip-off preachers, and that is why God is saying that He is part of their problem. God allow these men to enter into their Leviticus posts of offices, and He knew the wicked things that they were doing, and He allowed it to continue. God's ways are perfect, but man will always let you down, and you can count on it. There is no perfect government in this earth age, and there will never be until our Lord Jesus Christ returns at the seventh trumpet, and sets up His Millennium kingdom. The Word will never disappoint you, but it will give you understanding as to why all these things are happening. I Samuel 8:21 "And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of the Lord." When the people had spoken to Samuel, Samuel went to the Lord to present them all to Him. The Lord heard them as they were spoken, and even as the word were formed in their minds. I Samuel 8:22 "And the Lord said to Samuel, "Hearken unto their voice, and make them a king, And Samuel said unto the men of Israel, "Go ye every man unto his city." Samuel and God both heard the people's demands, and even after the warning they wanted a king. Samuel told the people to return to their cities, for they shall have their king. If you come to a point of refusing our Heavenly Father, He will let you go and do what you want to do, for He simply doesn't want you in that state. God wants your love and obedience, and when you withhold it form Him, He will turn you loose. Do you want someone that does not love and want you? I don't think so.
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