What's So Bad About a King?

We read in 1 Samuel 8, that as Samuel aged and his sons did not walk with the Lord, that they clamored for a king, just like the other nations had. We also read that God granted their requests, but made sure they knew the devastation that having a king instead of a prophet appointed by God, would bring. So the question is why did they want a king, and why was their desire to have a king an abomination in the Lord's sight?

The main reasons, I believe, are lack of faith (fear, faithlessness) and desiring to be like other nations around them (worldly, people-pleasers, comforted by men). Up until this moment in history God was able to anoint from judge to judge; prophet to prophet the man He wanted. God CHOSE them with the anointing of His Holy Spirit. One story that most comes to my mind is the passing of the mantle from Elijah to Elisha. However a kingship is passed from natural, human descent from father to son. And as we read throughout the book of Kings, having a Godly king, who loved the Lord and His law, usually did NOT translate to an heir following in his footsteps. So Israel went from God choosing the prophet and then speaking, ruling and doing miracles through them, to a system like everyone else had. Remember God had called Israel out to be DIFFERENT than the nations around them. Everything about them was to be different, not just their diet, rules, worship, clothes, hair, but everything. They were to be Holy and set apart. Up until David was anointed King, their “rulers” (prophets) were servants; servants first to the Lord to be faithful to speak His words, but also, humble men, who did not lord it over the people and were not corrupted by their power.

The most important thing though is that the prophet had a direct line from God's heart to the people's ear. God gave the prophet a fresh, anointed Word, possibly every day. He told them when to fight, when to seek peace, how to fight, when they were in sin and needed to repent, where and when to go or stay. Where prophets went, miracles went; food did not run out, and the dead were raised. But Israel wanted a king. A mere human ruler. Why?

Well Israel is like all of us. We want God, but we are faithless. We want something more concrete, a sure bet, we want a pattern, a blueprint, a formula, because we lack faith and have fear. We would rather follow men, just like us, than wait for God. We would rather follow men, because we might mess up or God might not answer or answer quickly enough for our agendas. We don't trust that God IS GOOD and He WILL answer, and that He, working through our yielded hearts WILL produce beautiful fruit and a harvest of righteousness.

The Holy Spirit, speaking in and through us, IS the most beautiful thing there is and our most precious gift as we live out life in this world. But we seek a king. We want parenting books and marriage conferences, and pastors, and experienced Christians, and the writings of missionaries that lived one hundred years ago. And unlike the king scenario, these are sometimes helpful, inspiring TOOLS. There is nothing wrong with any of them and they can be a great blessing, value, knowledge, and motivation; but woe to us, if we ever seek to replace the ever-living, precious fountain of fresh water that the Lord seeks to impart to us in our lives or give preeminence to a Word God gave to another. A small Word, living impartation of the Holy Spirit is worth more than a mountain of books! Because we fear, let us never trade formulas, patterns, methods for a whisper from the One True King that says “go left or go right”. That is what Israel did, and though the Lord still worked through all of this for good, there were generations who were killed, enslaved, and the worst yet, God's Word lay forgotten, buried in the dusty temple!

Lord show us the balance between these things. Yes that we may seek wisdom wherever it lays, because You can speak to us through many various means and modes, but we beseech You, that we will never replace man's wisdom with what you want to speak to us today, right now. Let us never dig our own broken cisterns, but let your well, continually spring up within us as we listen for Your Holy, sweet Spirit to light our way, step by step.