Broken Kingdoms: WK1 - MON
The Kingdoms of Man - 1 Samuel 8:4-5, 9-18
… all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”
… the LORD replied… Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”
So Samuel passed on the LORD’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the LORD will not help you.”
In the days leading up to the selection of Saul as Israel’s first king, the aging prophet Samuel installed his sons as the next generation of spiritual leaders over Israel. However, their reputation for greed and ulterior motives filled the elders with suspicion and eroded the people's confidence. Rather than going to Yahweh for a solution to their concerns, the people came forward with a plan, fueled by jealousy and fear of the surrounding nations. “Let’s do what they are doing. Give us a king to lead us.”
Remarkably, God seems quick to grant the people what they ask for. “Give them what they want. But also, tell them what they are getting.” The implication? “I want them to hear what they are trading.”
God predicts conscription and indenture of their sons and daughters, the slow dripping leak of freedoms, and a state-led takeover of their property. For a nation so recently freed from slavery in Egypt, He uses the strongest language possible, “you will be his slaves.” The warning is dire. But it doesn’t matter. Like a child coveting a friend’s toy, their minds are set. They must have a king like other nations.
What follows is the tragic history of one broken kingdom after another. It will begin with Saul and include Ahab, Hezikiah, and Josiah. Some will have good or even great moments, but most will be a complete disaster. Solomon will build a glorious temple to Yahweh only to struggle with agnosticism. Even David, the best of them all, will vividly fulfill God’s warnings about what a king will do.
As I studied this passage in the early morning hours, a new thought struck me. I had always read this warning as specifically predicting the problems of King Saul and, by extension, those of the other kings who followed. But then it dawned on me that God gives this warning before Saul is selected. He says, “Warn them about the way a king will rule over them.” “A king… any king.”
God isn’t describing a specific person. He is defining humanity’s sinful condition. He suggests that the kingdoms of man will never be marked by selfless sacrifice or the salvation of the lost. They may have moments of bending toward the good of a neighbor. But the kings of this earth, by definition, consolidate power, absorb resources, demand adulation, and insist on privilege. They kill suspected rivals, take their neighbors’ wives, and amass wealth.
No wonder Jesus was so confusing to those who thought He might become king. They wanted to wave palm branches and shout Hosannas while He assembled armies to overthrow the Romans. Instead, He said things like, “My kingdom is not of this world. Here, I will suffer, be rejected, and be murdered on a cross. This will all happen, not because my life is taken from me, but rather, I will lay my life down as a sacrifice.” (Mark 8:31; John 10:18)
Today, you are invited into the Kingdom of Heaven, in stark contrast to the broken kingdoms of this world. Jesus invites you to take up your cross and follow Him.
… all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”
… the LORD replied… Do as they ask, but solemnly warn them about the way a king will reign over them.”
So Samuel passed on the LORD’s warning to the people who were asking him for a king. “This is how a king will reign over you,” Samuel said. “The king will draft your sons and assign them to his chariots and his charioteers, making them run before his chariots. Some will be generals and captains in his army, some will be forced to plow in his fields and harvest his crops, and some will make his weapons and chariot equipment. The king will take your daughters from you and force them to cook and bake and make perfumes for him. He will take away the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his own officials. He will take a tenth of your grain and your grape harvest and distribute it among his officers and attendants. He will take your male and female slaves and demand the finest of your cattle and donkeys for his own use. He will demand a tenth of your flocks, and you will be his slaves. When that day comes, you will beg for relief from this king you are demanding, but then the LORD will not help you.”
In the days leading up to the selection of Saul as Israel’s first king, the aging prophet Samuel installed his sons as the next generation of spiritual leaders over Israel. However, their reputation for greed and ulterior motives filled the elders with suspicion and eroded the people's confidence. Rather than going to Yahweh for a solution to their concerns, the people came forward with a plan, fueled by jealousy and fear of the surrounding nations. “Let’s do what they are doing. Give us a king to lead us.”
Remarkably, God seems quick to grant the people what they ask for. “Give them what they want. But also, tell them what they are getting.” The implication? “I want them to hear what they are trading.”
God predicts conscription and indenture of their sons and daughters, the slow dripping leak of freedoms, and a state-led takeover of their property. For a nation so recently freed from slavery in Egypt, He uses the strongest language possible, “you will be his slaves.” The warning is dire. But it doesn’t matter. Like a child coveting a friend’s toy, their minds are set. They must have a king like other nations.
What follows is the tragic history of one broken kingdom after another. It will begin with Saul and include Ahab, Hezikiah, and Josiah. Some will have good or even great moments, but most will be a complete disaster. Solomon will build a glorious temple to Yahweh only to struggle with agnosticism. Even David, the best of them all, will vividly fulfill God’s warnings about what a king will do.
As I studied this passage in the early morning hours, a new thought struck me. I had always read this warning as specifically predicting the problems of King Saul and, by extension, those of the other kings who followed. But then it dawned on me that God gives this warning before Saul is selected. He says, “Warn them about the way a king will rule over them.” “A king… any king.”
God isn’t describing a specific person. He is defining humanity’s sinful condition. He suggests that the kingdoms of man will never be marked by selfless sacrifice or the salvation of the lost. They may have moments of bending toward the good of a neighbor. But the kings of this earth, by definition, consolidate power, absorb resources, demand adulation, and insist on privilege. They kill suspected rivals, take their neighbors’ wives, and amass wealth.
No wonder Jesus was so confusing to those who thought He might become king. They wanted to wave palm branches and shout Hosannas while He assembled armies to overthrow the Romans. Instead, He said things like, “My kingdom is not of this world. Here, I will suffer, be rejected, and be murdered on a cross. This will all happen, not because my life is taken from me, but rather, I will lay my life down as a sacrifice.” (Mark 8:31; John 10:18)
Today, you are invited into the Kingdom of Heaven, in stark contrast to the broken kingdoms of this world. Jesus invites you to take up your cross and follow Him.
- What is something you desperately wanted as a child that didn’t turn out to be what you had hoped? Was there a toy or gift you didn’t play with or use once you had it? What was it?
- Was there someone in your life who exerted power over you that you didn’t appreciate? What did you do about it?
- What part of your life do you find yourself grasping for more of in a self-seeking way that you need to surrender to Jesus? What do you want to say to Him about it?
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