Give Us A King Series

The Crown – Season One – Give Us a King

Episode One: Give Us a King

Today we are going to be in 1 Samuel 8 as I begin a new series of lessons I’m calling The Crown. We are intrigued by royalty. Just a week ago a new king was crowned in London - King Charles III. Millions of people tuned in to watch that.

But my series of sermons is not going to be based on England’s royalty, but on OT royalty – the Kings of Israel and Judah. It spans a period of time from about 1050 BC to about 600 BC (over 400 years) and is the backdrop of a good portion of the Old Testament from 1 Samuel to Daniel.

Before we get to 1 Samuel 8 let me give you a little background.

Israel is in the promised land, they have been for over 300 years, but all the while they have and no centralized government. Instead, they have been guided by men and women who are referred to as Judges – there’s a whole book of the Bible about this time period. God raises up these Judges to lead the Israelites in overcoming oppression from their enemies and to try to get them to turn their allegiance back to God.

A good summary of this period is:

Judges 2:11–16 (NLT) — 11 The Israelites did evil in the LORD’s sight and served the images of Baal. 12 They abandoned the LORD, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They went after other gods, worshiping the gods of the people around them. And they angered the LORD. 13 They abandoned the LORD to serve Baal and the images of Ashtoreth. 14 This made the LORD burn with anger against Israel, so he handed them over to raiders who stole their possessions. He turned them over to their enemies all around, and they were no longer able to resist them. 15 Every time Israel went out to battle, the LORD fought against them, causing them to be defeated, just as he had warned. And the people were in great distress. 16 Then the LORD raised up judges to rescue the Israelites from their attackers.

This goes on and on for, as I said, hundred of years. The people worship idols, God punishes them, a judge delivers them, they fall back into disobedience. This is very inconsistent time for God’s people.

At the end of the Judges period we are introduced to an important OT figure – Samuel. He has a godly mother Hannah who prayed for a child and once God answered that prayer she devoted her son Samuel to the service of the Lord. He grows up to be an exceptional leader in Israel. He’s not a king, but about as close as someone can come to being a king. And unlike many of the judges who were only local leaders, he seems to be recognized as a national leader.

Listen to how he is described:

1 Samuel 3:19–21 (NLT) — 19 As Samuel grew up, the LORD was with him, and everything Samuel said proved to be reliable. 20 And all Israel, from Dan in the north to Beersheba in the south, knew that Samuel was confirmed as a prophet of the LORD. 21 The LORD continued to appear at Shiloh and gave messages to Samuel there at the Tabernacle.

Samuel is a superstar! Unfortunately, his sons are not. Tradition would be that Samuel’s sons would take over the reigns but look how they are described:

1 Samuel 8:1–3 (NIV) — 1 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders. 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

So, what to do now? That’s when the elders come to aging Samuel with a request:

1 Samuel 8:4–22 (NIV) — 4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” 6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD. 7 And the LORD told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.” 10 Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you in that day.” 19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” 21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the LORD. 22 The LORD answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.” Then Samuel said to the Israelites, “Everyone go back to your own town.”