This chapter depicts one threshold of Israel - the rule from theocracy to monarchy. Samuel is the last judge. The people now ask for kings to rule over them instead.

The first three verses seem to explain the reason for their petition. Samuel have appointed his sons, Joel and Abijah to succeed his role as he is old. But unlike their father who walks in the ways of God, they are corrupted and unjust. Though Samuel leads well as a judge, he fails in two ways. First, as a father, he appointed his sons to be judges. This is against God’s way. In Jud 8:22-23, Gideon did well as the judge. The people then want his son to continue to rule over them. But Gideon said that appointment of a judge was done by God and not by hereditary descent. Second, Samuel did not father his children well. Today, though our adult children are the ones who make their own choice whether to follow God or not, Christian parents are responsible to influence biblical values and help shape our children when they are young. Depending on their age now, it is not too late to either set aside quantity and/or quality time with them from today.

Samuel’s negligence as a parent, however, is not the reason for the people’s request. The elders told Samuel in verse five that they wanted to be like the surrounding nations who have their own kings. They prefer a permanent physical presence of a human king than an invisible God who raise up judges whenever there is a need. It is noteworthy that this is not the first time that the idea of a king is mooted. Our sovereign God includes a specific warning when Moses writes Deuteronomy (meaning of Deuteronomy is “the Second Law”) at the threshold of the promised land before Joshua led the conquest in. (The first law refers to the ten commandments at Mt Sinai.) The people have since lived in the land till the time of Samuel. God foreknew then that the time would arrive when the people would ask for a king. The liabilities that come with a human king are recorded in Deut 17:16-20. 1 Sam 8:9-18 here includes more problems under the leadership of kings. In 1 Sam:19-22, the people are so determined in wanting a king that they ignore all these warnings of having a king. They want to be like the other nations who have their own king.

The phrase, “obey the voice” occurs four times here. In verses 7, 9 and 22, it is written thrice that God tells Samuel to obey their voice. Their voice is to follow what the other nations are doing and v19 records sadly that the people refuse to obey the will of God through the voice of Samuel. Israel chooses to obey the voice that is influenced by the surrounding nations concerning the rule of a human king. They paid a hefty price. After Saul, David and Solomon, the nation was divided and ruled by nineteen kings in the northern kingdom and twenty kings, southern kingdom. Almost all the kings were evil and the liabilities that God warned Israel had come to pass. God allowed Assyria and Babylon to destroy them, respectively.

Are you having difficulties to make any decision today? What kind of conflicting voices are you hearing that are distracting you from the will of God?

The apostle John says in 1 Jn 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides forever.”

Though we are in this world with the things of the world, we are to obey the voice of God and not to love these things. To be in this world but not of this world.