Israel Asks for a King

Click here to read I Samuel 8.

Chapter 8 records the peoples request for a king. Samuel had grown old and had made his sons Judges of Israel. Their names were Joel and Abijah. They were not like Samuel for they took bribes and perverted justice. So the Elders of Israel met at Ramah, a town in Ephraim's mountainous terrain where Samuel had been born, and there they asked Samuel to appoint a king to govern them. Samuel took the matter to the Lord for he felt rejected by the people
The Lord assured Samuel that the people had not rejected him but rather they had rejected the Lord as their leader. He tells Samuel to remind the people of the consequences of having an earthly king. Samuel goes back to the people and reminds them of all that the Lord had warned them about, but they still insist that they want an earthly king. So the Lord told Samuel to give them a king. With this the Elders were satisfied and each went back to his own city.
Here is a list of the 9 things that God warned the people of Israel about that would happen if they insisted on having an earthly king:

Their sons would be drafted into the army.
Some of them would be made to run ahead of the chariots.
Some would be made to lead the troops into battle.
Some would be made to do slave labor, i.e. plow fields' harvest crops and make weapons, all without pay.
Some of their daughters would be forced to cook for the king.
Some of their daughters would be forced to make perfumes and bake for him.
He would take the best of all that they grew, 1/10 th. of everything.
All would be his slaves.
They would shed bitter tears because of the king but God would not hear them.

But these warnings would not cool their desires for a king so God told Samuel to give them a king.

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