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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadPaul Kretzmann Commentary - 1 Samuel 8:1 - 8:9
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Samuel Displeased at the Insistent DesiRev. 1. And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel, the increasing infirmities of old age prompting him to take this step, whereby his sons became his assistants.
v. 2. Now, the name of his first-born was Joel (Jehovah is God), and the name of his second, Abiah (Jehovah is Father); they were judges in Beersheba, in the extreme southern part of Canaan, important in those days as a station on the trade-route between Asia and Egypt. The very names which Samuel gave his sons are an evidence of his piety even in the days of Israel's misery and disgrace.
v. 3. And his sons walked not in his ways, they did not follow the pious example of their father, but turned aside after lucre, they were covetous, avaricious, they desired money, and took bribes, and perverted judgment, thereby transgressing the Law of the Lord, Exo_23:6-8; Deu_16:19, and bringing the judicial office into disrepute in the eyes of the people, thus causing the latter to desire a higher authority to guide the affairs of the nation.
v. 4. Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel unto Ramah, as a delegation representing the whole people,
v. 5. and said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways, his advancing age was robbing him of the vigor and energy needed in the government of the nation, and the misgovernment of his sons resulted in a general degeneration of all authority; now make us a king to judge us like all the nations. All the heathen nations round about had kings to rule over them, and this the petition of the elders, which undoubtedly had in mind Deu_17:14, emphasized, especially since Moses virtually had such a contingency in view.
v. 6. But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, Give us a king to judge us. It was not the reference to the mismanagement of his sons nor to his own advancing age which hurt Samuel, but the fact that their faith was not grounded soundly enough upon Jehovah, who till now had directly managed the affairs of the nation. They wanted an external, visible kingdom as a means of safety and protection against their enemies, whereas the invisible, royal rule of Jehovah had till now been fully sufficient to protect them. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord, taking this difficult matter to Jehovah for solution. Instead of simply insisting upon his own wish, this humble, consecrated hero, in this important crisis in the history of his people, proved that his trust in God could not be shaken, that the Lord could be relied upon to give the right decision.
v. 7. And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee, the demand of the people agreed with the counsel of God, He was ready to have a temporal kingdom established in Israel; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me that I should not reign over them. While He was ready to grant their request, He nevertheless expressed His dissatisfaction with that attitude of mind and heart on their part which showed that they did not appreciate the divine-rule, but put themselves in opposition to the royal majesty of God.
v. 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. So it was the disposition of their hearts and minds which displeased the Lord, the state of mind which had ever caused them to rebel against Jehovah's rule, to forsake Jehovah for the purpose of serving other gods. In the person of Samuel they rejected the Lord and His kingdom, because they foolishly believed that their interests were not sufficiently safeguarded under the present arrangement.
v. 9. Now, therefore, hearken unto their voice, he was to accede to their demands; howbeit, yet protest solemnly unto them and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them. Samuel was to explain to the people in detail just what they were loading upon their own shoulders by asking for a king, what the rights of the king were, and what powers he might arrogate to himself; and he was to attest and set before them their sin against Jehovah that they might purify their hearts of their proud and distrustful temper. In the midst of the Christian Church also men are found time and again who object to the easy yoke of Christ and to the beneficent instruction of the divine Word, demanding, instead, that the honor and pride of this world be introduced into the Church. Such tendencies are a source of grief to the Lord and to all sincere Christians.