The King over Earthly Kings

I've had a goal for awhile now to read through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation but earlier this year I stopped reading after Ruth. Yesterday I picked up again and read 1 Samuel 1 - 8. Then stopped - chapter eight was very interesting. This is where Israel asks Samuel to appoint a king to rule over them.

"So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, "You are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have." (1 Sam. 8:4-5)

Why would they decide to ask for a king now, when all throughout the years God has provided everything they needed? What made them believe He was not enough for them? The more I thought about it, the more I realized the people did not think about all that God had done for them, but had turned their eyes towards other nations and made their lives the standard. Israel wanted to be like other nations and have a physical leader they could look to - they did not want to stand out. They trusted in what they thought was right - men leading men, and not what God desired - men trusting God and following His ways.

So Samuel warned them what reality would look like with a human king:

-Sons taken for war, to reap the harvest
-Daughters taken for the king's court and kitchen
-Crops and cattle taken as taxes for the king
-The best servants taken to serve the king

"But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. 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." (1 Sam. 8:19-20)

What a lousy excuse. To go before them and fight their battles?! Really? You don't think that the whole old testament up and to this point had story after story of "...and the Lord went before them and destroyed their enemies..." and yet that was their excuse. How horrible was it to have God as their King?

-He loves them and wants them to succeed
-He owns everything already, so doesn't need to take servants or taxes
-He controls every earthly king
-He has been faithful to bring justice, grace and mercy to them in the past.
-He demands that they stay true to the covenant He made with them.

At this point I could have stopped and said, "How silly Israelites...come on, who the heck would trade an earthly king for the King of the Universe?!"

And yet...it is so easy to see Israel's situation as simple, but am I really that different? How many times do I think my ideas or decisions are better than His? Who do I trust in a majority of the time, men? Or a holy God?

But even with their disobedience God was able to redeem them. He chose Saul to be their king. Then God chose David, the son of Jesse.


Romans 15:12 (NIV)

And again, Isaiah says,
"The Root of Jesse will spring up,
one who will arise to rule over the nations;
the Gentiles will hope in him."