1 Samuel 8 Study Notes: Israel Demands a King
Because Samuel's sons are corrupt judges, Israel's elders demand that he give them a king like other nations have. The LORD says the people have rejected Him as their King, has Samuel warn them how a king will take from them, and then grants their demand.
General
After hearing Samuel’s warning, the people still insisted on a king. What did they say they wanted him to do (1 Samuel 8:20)?
Answer: Lead them out and fight their wars
The people would not heed Samuel. They insisted on having a king so that they could match the nations around them, with a ruler to govern them, to lead them out and to do their fighting for them (8:19-20). The irony is sharp. Only a short time earlier, at Mizpah, the LORD had thundered against their enemies and won the battle for them without a king (7:10). The LORD had promised from the beginning to fight for His people (Exodus 14:14), and the psalmist warns against trusting in chariots and horses instead of in the LORD’s name (Psalm 20:7). Israel wanted a visible human king in place of the invisible King who had just saved them.
- 1 Samuel 8:19-20 (BSB)“Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to judge us, to go out before us, and to fight our battles.””The people refuse to heed Samuel and insist on a king to judge them, lead them and fight for them like the nations.
- 1 Samuel 7:10 (BSB)“As the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel, Samuel was offering up the burnt offering. But that day the LORD thundered loudly against the Philistines and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel.”Only recently the LORD had thundered against the Philistines and routed them at Mizpah.
- Exodus 14:14 (BSB)“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.””At the Red Sea Moses told Israel that the LORD Himself would fight for them.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”God’s people trust in the name of the LORD rather than in chariots and horses.
Theological
What role did the people insist their king would play, even after Samuel’s warning (1 Samuel 8:20)?
Answer: Lead them out and fight their wars
Refusing Samuel’s warning, the people insist on a king so as to be like the nations: one who will govern them, lead them out and do their fighting (8:19-20). The demand is ironic in light of Mizpah, where the LORD thundered against the enemy and won the battle without a king (7:10). The LORD had pledged to fight for His people (Exodus 14:14), and the psalmist sets trust in His name against reliance on chariots and horses (Psalm 20:7). Israel prefers a visible warrior king to the invisible King who has just delivered them.
- 1 Samuel 8:19-20 (BSB)“Nevertheless, the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We must have a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to judge us, to go out before us, and to fight our battles.””The people refuse to heed Samuel and insist on a king to judge them, lead them and fight for them like the nations.
- 1 Samuel 7:10 (BSB)“As the Philistines drew near to fight against Israel, Samuel was offering up the burnt offering. But that day the LORD thundered loudly against the Philistines and threw them into such confusion that they fled before Israel.”Only recently the LORD had thundered against the Philistines and routed them at Mizpah.
- Exodus 14:14 (BSB)“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.””At the Red Sea Moses told Israel that the LORD Himself would fight for them.
- Psalm 20:7 (BSB)“Some trust in chariots and others in horses, but we trust in the name of the LORD our God.”God’s people trust in the name of the LORD rather than in chariots and horses.
General
What was the main thread running through Samuel’s warning about how a king would treat them (1 Samuel 8:11-17)?
Answer: He would keep taking from them for his own use
Samuel passed on everything the LORD had said. Over and over his warning used the same verb: the king would take. He would take their sons to staff his chariots, lead his troops, work his fields and make his weapons; their daughters to work in his kitchens; their best farmland and orchards for his servants; a share of their grain, grapes and flocks; their servants and animals. In the end they themselves would become his slaves (8:10-17). Moses had warned that a king must not pile up horses, wives and riches for himself (Deuteronomy 17:16-17). Samuel’s warning proved true: Saul drafted every strong man he saw (14:52), and later Israel complained of the heavy yoke Solomon had laid on them (1 Kings 12:4).
- 1 Samuel 8:11-12 (BSB)“He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to serve his own chariots and horses, and to run in front of his chariots. He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.”Samuel warns that a king will take their sons for his chariots, his army and his fields.
- 1 Samuel 8:14-17 (BSB)“He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and grape harvest and give it to his officials and servants. And he will take your menservants and maidservants and your best cattle and donkeys and put them to his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.”The king will take their best land, a share of their harvests and flocks, their servants and animals, and they will become his slaves.
- Deuteronomy 17:16-17 (BSB)“But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’ He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.”Moses had forbidden Israel’s king to pile up horses, wives, silver and gold for himself.
- 1 Samuel 14:52 (BSB)“And the war with the Philistines was fierce for all the days of Saul. So whenever he noticed any strong or brave man, Saul would enlist him.”Saul did enlist every strong or brave man he noticed, as Samuel had warned.
- 1 Kings 12:4 (BSB)““Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you must lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.””After Solomon’s reign the people complained of the heavy yoke the king had laid on them.
Theological
What is the dominant theme of Samuel’s description of the coming king’s rule (1 Samuel 8:11-17)?
Answer: He would keep taking from them for his own use
Samuel relays all the LORD’s words, and the recurring verb is take: the king will conscript their sons for his chariots, army and fields, their daughters for his household, the best of their land for his officials, a portion of their produce and flocks, and their servants and livestock, until they become his slaves (8:10-17). The description stands in contrast to Deuteronomy’s limits on royal accumulation of horses, wives and wealth (Deuteronomy 17:16-17). The warning is borne out in Israel’s history, from Saul’s conscription of every strong man (14:52) to the people’s complaint of Solomon’s heavy yoke (1 Kings 12:4).
- 1 Samuel 8:11-12 (BSB)“He said, “This will be the manner of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them to serve his own chariots and horses, and to run in front of his chariots. He will appoint some for himself as commanders of thousands and of fifties, and others to plow his ground, to reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.”Samuel warns that a king will take their sons for his chariots, his army and his fields.
- 1 Samuel 8:14-17 (BSB)“He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and grape harvest and give it to his officials and servants. And he will take your menservants and maidservants and your best cattle and donkeys and put them to his own use. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.”The king will take their best land, a share of their harvests and flocks, their servants and animals, and they will become his slaves.
- Deuteronomy 17:16-17 (BSB)“But the king must not acquire many horses for himself or send the people back to Egypt to acquire more horses, for the LORD has said, ‘You are never to go back that way again.’ He must not take many wives for himself, lest his heart go astray. He must not accumulate for himself large amounts of silver and gold.”Moses had forbidden Israel’s king to pile up horses, wives, silver and gold for himself.
- 1 Samuel 14:52 (BSB)“And the war with the Philistines was fierce for all the days of Saul. So whenever he noticed any strong or brave man, Saul would enlist him.”Saul did enlist every strong or brave man he noticed, as Samuel had warned.
- 1 Kings 12:4 (BSB)““Your father put a heavy yoke on us. But now you must lighten the burden of your father’s service and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.””After Solomon’s reign the people complained of the heavy yoke the king had laid on them.
General
Israel’s elders went to see Samuel in Ramah. What did they ask for, and what pattern did they want to follow (1 Samuel 8:5)?
Answer: A king to rule them, as other nations had
All the elders, the leading men of Israel’s tribes and towns, went to Samuel at his home in Ramah. They pointed out that he was old and that his sons were unlike him, and they asked him to give them a king to govern them, just as the surrounding nations had (8:4-5). Their model was the world around them. Yet God had set Israel apart from other peoples to belong to Him (Leviticus 20:26), a people living on its own and not counted among the nations (Numbers 23:9). Moses had even foreseen this very wish to have a king like the nations, and had said that any king must be the one the LORD chose (Deuteronomy 17:14-15).
- 1 Samuel 8:4-5 (BSB)“So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. “Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations.””The elders come to Samuel at Ramah, cite his age and his sons’ failures, and ask for a king like the nations have.
- Leviticus 20:26 (BSB)“You are to be holy to Me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own.”God had set Israel apart from the nations to be holy and His own.
- Numbers 23:9 (BSB)“For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. Behold, a people dwelling apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations.”Balaam saw Israel as a people living apart, not counted among the nations.
- Deuteronomy 17:14-15 (BSB)“When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.”Moses had foreseen Israel wanting a king like the surrounding nations and said the king must be one the LORD chose.
Theological
What did the elders request of Samuel at Ramah, and on what model (1 Samuel 8:5)?
Answer: A king to rule them, as other nations had
Israel’s elders assemble at Ramah, cite Samuel’s age and his sons’ corruption, and request a king to govern them on the pattern of the nations (8:4-5). The stated model is telling, since Israel’s identity rested on being set apart from other peoples as the LORD’s own possession (Leviticus 20:26), a people dwelling alone (Numbers 23:9). Deuteronomy had anticipated precisely this desire for a king like the surrounding nations and had stipulated that the king be the LORD’s choice (Deuteronomy 17:14-15).
- 1 Samuel 8:4-5 (BSB)“So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. “Look,” they said, “you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king to judge us like all the other nations.””The elders come to Samuel at Ramah, cite his age and his sons’ failures, and ask for a king like the nations have.
- Leviticus 20:26 (BSB)“You are to be holy to Me because I, the LORD, am holy, and I have set you apart from the nations to be My own.”God had set Israel apart from the nations to be holy and His own.
- Numbers 23:9 (BSB)“For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. Behold, a people dwelling apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations.”Balaam saw Israel as a people living apart, not counted among the nations.
- Deuteronomy 17:14-15 (BSB)“When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.”Moses had foreseen Israel wanting a king like the surrounding nations and said the king must be one the LORD chose.
General
How did the LORD direct Samuel to respond to the people’s demand for a king (1 Samuel 8:9)?
Answer: Grant it, but solemnly warn them about kings
The LORD told Samuel to let the people have what they asked, but first to warn them seriously and show them how a king would rule over them (8:9). When the people would not change their minds, Samuel repeated their words to the LORD, who said again to give them a king; Samuel then sent everyone home (8:21-22). Scripture shows that God sometimes grants a demand that is itself wrong: when Israel gave in to craving during the wilderness years and put God to the test, He gave them what they asked for yet struck them with a wasting illness (Psalm 106:14-15). God did give Israel a king, Saul (Acts 13:21), yet Samuel would later call the request a great evil (12:17). God ruled over the outcome, while the people remained responsible for their demand.
- 1 Samuel 8:9 (BSB)“Now listen to their voice; but you must solemnly warn them and show them the manner of the king who will reign over them.””The LORD tells Samuel to grant the request but to warn the people solemnly about how a king will rule.
- 1 Samuel 8:21-22 (BSB)“Samuel listened to all the words of the people and repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. “Listen to their voice,” the LORD said to Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Everyone must go back to his city.””Samuel reports the people’s words to the LORD, who tells him to give them a king, and Samuel sends them home.
- Psalm 106:14-15 (BSB)“They craved intensely in the wilderness and tested God in the desert. So He granted their request, but sent a wasting disease upon them.”When Israel gave in to craving during the wilderness years and put God to the test, He granted their request yet sent a wasting illness among them.
- Acts 13:21 (BSB)“Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.”Paul recalls that when the people asked for a king, God gave them Saul.
- 1 Samuel 12:17 (BSB)“Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call on the LORD to send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you have committed in the sight of the LORD by asking for a king.””Samuel later calls the request for a king a great evil in the LORD’s sight.
Theological
What instruction did the LORD give Samuel regarding the people’s demand (1 Samuel 8:9)?
Answer: Grant it, but solemnly warn them about kings
The LORD directs Samuel to grant the request while solemnly testifying to them what kind of rule a king would exercise (8:9); when the people persist, the LORD repeats the instruction to appoint a king, and Samuel dismisses them to their towns (8:21-22). God at times grants a sinful request with judgment attached, as when Israel gave in to craving during the wilderness years and put God to the test, and He gave them what they asked for yet struck them with a wasting illness (Psalm 106:14-15). He sovereignly gives them Saul (Acts 13:21), yet the request remains a great evil for which the people are accountable (12:17). God’s providence over the outcome does not make Him the author of their rebellion.
- 1 Samuel 8:9 (BSB)“Now listen to their voice; but you must solemnly warn them and show them the manner of the king who will reign over them.””The LORD tells Samuel to grant the request but to warn the people solemnly about how a king will rule.
- 1 Samuel 8:21-22 (BSB)“Samuel listened to all the words of the people and repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. “Listen to their voice,” the LORD said to Samuel. “Appoint a king for them.” Then Samuel told the men of Israel, “Everyone must go back to his city.””Samuel reports the people’s words to the LORD, who tells him to give them a king, and Samuel sends them home.
- Psalm 106:14-15 (BSB)“They craved intensely in the wilderness and tested God in the desert. So He granted their request, but sent a wasting disease upon them.”When Israel gave in to craving during the wilderness years and put God to the test, He granted their request yet sent a wasting illness among them.
- Acts 13:21 (BSB)“Then the people asked for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, from the tribe of Benjamin, who ruled forty years.”Paul recalls that when the people asked for a king, God gave them Saul.
- 1 Samuel 12:17 (BSB)“Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call on the LORD to send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you have committed in the sight of the LORD by asking for a king.””Samuel later calls the request for a king a great evil in the LORD’s sight.
General
True or False: The LORD told Samuel that the people’s rejection was something new, unlike anything they had done since He led them up from Egypt.
Answer: False
This is false. The LORD said that the people were doing to Samuel exactly what they had done to Him ever since He rescued them from Egypt, abandoning Him to worship false gods (8:8). Their demand for a king was one more chapter in a long story. Judges records Israel again and again forsaking the God who rescued them from Egypt to follow other gods (Judges 2:12; 10:13), and the psalmist confesses that they lost sight of the God who saved them (Psalm 106:21). The problem was not only bad leaders but the people’s own hearts, which kept turning from the LORD.
- 1 Samuel 8:8 (BSB)“Just 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.”The LORD says the people are treating Samuel the way they have treated Him ever since the exodus.
- Judges 2:12 (BSB)“Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger,”In the days of the judges Israel forsook the LORD who brought them out of Egypt and followed other gods.
- Judges 10:13 (BSB)“But you have forsaken Me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.”The LORD charged Israel with forsaking Him to serve other gods.
- Psalm 106:21 (BSB)“They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt,”The psalmist confesses that Israel forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt.
Theological
True or False: The LORD described the people’s rejection as unprecedented, unlike their conduct since the exodus from Egypt.
Answer: False
This is false. The LORD locates the demand within an unbroken pattern: from the exodus until that day Israel has forsaken Him for false gods, and now they treat Samuel the same way (8:8). Judges documents the cycle of apostasy from the God who rescued them from Egypt (Judges 2:12; 10:13), and the psalmist confesses that they lost sight of the God who saved them (Psalm 106:21). The root problem is the persistent sinfulness of the people’s hearts, not merely the failure of Samuel’s sons.
- 1 Samuel 8:8 (BSB)“Just 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.”The LORD says the people are treating Samuel the way they have treated Him ever since the exodus.
- Judges 2:12 (BSB)“Thus they forsook the LORD, the God of their fathers, who had brought them out of the land of Egypt, and they followed after various gods of the peoples around them. They bowed down to them and provoked the LORD to anger,”In the days of the judges Israel forsook the LORD who brought them out of Egypt and followed other gods.
- Judges 10:13 (BSB)“But you have forsaken Me and served other gods, so I will no longer save you.”The LORD charged Israel with forsaking Him to serve other gods.
- Psalm 106:21 (BSB)“They forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt,”The psalmist confesses that Israel forgot God their Savior, who did great things in Egypt.
General
True or False: When the elders requested a king, Samuel was pleased and agreed on the spot without seeking the LORD.
Answer: False
This is false. The elders’ request displeased Samuel, and instead of answering them on the spot, he took it to God in prayer (8:6). Samuel did not act on his displeasure; he brought the matter to God first. Scripture calls God’s people to do the same, bringing every concern to Him in prayer (Philippians 4:6) and pouring out their hearts before Him (Psalm 62:8). The LORD’s answer in the next verses shows that the request was more serious than a slight against Samuel.
- 1 Samuel 8:6 (BSB)“But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight of Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD.”The elders’ demand displeases Samuel, and he takes it to the LORD in prayer.
- Philippians 4:6 (BSB)“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”Believers are told to bring every request and concern to God in prayer.
- Psalm 62:8 (BSB)“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah”God’s people are urged to pour out their hearts before Him, their refuge.
Theological
True or False: Samuel welcomed the elders’ request and granted it at once without consulting the LORD.
Answer: False
This is false. The request is displeasing in Samuel’s eyes, and his response is to bring it before God in prayer (8:6). He submits his own displeasure to God rather than acting on it, the pattern commended to believers, who bring every request to God (Philippians 4:6) and pour out their hearts before Him (Psalm 62:8). The LORD’s reply reframes the issue: the people’s demand concerns His kingship more than Samuel’s office.
- 1 Samuel 8:6 (BSB)“But when they said, “Give us a king to judge us,” their demand was displeasing in the sight of Samuel; so he prayed to the LORD.”The elders’ demand displeases Samuel, and he takes it to the LORD in prayer.
- Philippians 4:6 (BSB)“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.”Believers are told to bring every request and concern to God in prayer.
- Psalm 62:8 (BSB)“Trust in Him at all times, O people; pour out your hearts before Him. God is our refuge. Selah”God’s people are urged to pour out their hearts before Him, their refuge.
General
Samuel appointed his sons Joel and Abijah as judges in Beersheba. How did they carry out that role (1 Samuel 8:3)?
Answer: They took bribes and bent justice for profit
In his old age Samuel made his two sons, Joel and Abijah, judges, leaders who settled disputes and governed, at Beersheba in the far south (8:1-2). But they did not follow their father’s example. They went after dishonest profit, accepted bribes and twisted justice (8:3). God’s law had banned exactly this: judges must not take bribes, because bribery clouds judgment and corrupts honest people (Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:19). Abusing the offerings at the tabernacle was the sin of Eli’s sons, Hophni and Phinehas (2:12-17), not of Samuel’s sons. Their corruption gave the elders the opening for the request that follows.
- 1 Samuel 8:1-2 (BSB)“When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.”In his old age Samuel makes his sons Joel and Abijah judges in Beersheba.
- 1 Samuel 8:3 (BSB)“But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.”Samuel’s sons do not follow his example but take bribes and pervert justice.
- Exodus 23:8 (BSB)“Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.”God’s law forbade judges to accept bribes, because bribes blind and twist justice.
- Deuteronomy 16:19 (BSB)“Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.”Moses repeated that judges must not pervert justice, show partiality or take bribes.
Theological
What does the narrator report about the conduct of Samuel’s sons, Joel and Abijah, as judges in Beersheba (1 Samuel 8:3)?
Answer: They took bribes and bent justice for profit
The aging Samuel installs Joel and Abijah as judges at Beersheba (8:1-2), but they depart from his ways, pursuing profit, taking bribes and corrupting justice (8:3), in direct violation of the Mosaic prohibition on bribery (Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:19). Their sin differs from that of Eli’s sons, who abused the sacrifices (2:12-17); theirs is judicial corruption. Even so, the pattern of a faithful leader followed by unfaithful sons recurs, and it supplies the occasion for the elders’ demand.
- 1 Samuel 8:1-2 (BSB)“When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second was Abijah. They were judges in Beersheba.”In his old age Samuel makes his sons Joel and Abijah judges in Beersheba.
- 1 Samuel 8:3 (BSB)“But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside toward dishonest gain, accepting bribes and perverting justice.”Samuel’s sons do not follow his example but take bribes and pervert justice.
- Exodus 23:8 (BSB)“Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds those who see and twists the words of the righteous.”God’s law forbade judges to accept bribes, because bribes blind and twist justice.
- Deuteronomy 16:19 (BSB)“Do not deny justice or show partiality. Do not accept a bribe, for a bribe blinds the eyes of the wise and twists the words of the righteous.”Moses repeated that judges must not pervert justice, show partiality or take bribes.
General
True or False: Samuel warned that a day would come when the people would cry out because of the king they had chosen, and the LORD would not answer them.
Answer: True
This is true. Samuel ended his warning by saying that the people would one day cry out to be freed from the very king they had picked, and at that time God would give no answer (8:18). Choosing their own way had consequences they could not simply undo by asking later. Proverbs warns that those who reject wise counsel will call and receive no answer, and will reap what their own choices produce (Proverbs 1:28, 30-31). The prophet Micah gives a similar warning to those whose deeds are evil (Micah 3:4).
- 1 Samuel 8:18 (BSB)“When that day comes, you will beg for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day.””Samuel warns that when they cry out because of the king they chose, the LORD will not answer.
- Proverbs 1:28 (BSB)“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me.”Wisdom warns that those who reject her counsel will call later and receive no answer.
- Micah 3:4 (BSB)“Then they will cry out to the LORD, but He will not answer them. At that time He will hide His face from them because of the evil they have done.”The prophet warns that the LORD will not answer those who cry to Him, because of the evil they have done.
- Proverbs 1:30-31 (BSB)“They accepted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.”Those who despise counsel will eat the fruit of their own way.
Theological
True or False: Samuel warned that when the people cried out because of the king of their choosing, the LORD would not answer them.
Answer: True
This is true. The warning closes with a sober consequence: the people will plead to be freed from the king they themselves have chosen, and in that day God will give no answer (8:18). Persisting against God’s counsel brings its own fruit, as Wisdom warns of those who will call and not be answered (Proverbs 1:28, 30-31), and as Micah warns those whose deeds are evil (Micah 3:4).
- 1 Samuel 8:18 (BSB)“When that day comes, you will beg for relief from the king you have chosen, but the LORD will not answer you on that day.””Samuel warns that when they cry out because of the king they chose, the LORD will not answer.
- Proverbs 1:28 (BSB)“Then they will call on me, but I will not answer; they will earnestly seek me, but will not find me.”Wisdom warns that those who reject her counsel will call later and receive no answer.
- Micah 3:4 (BSB)“Then they will cry out to the LORD, but He will not answer them. At that time He will hide His face from them because of the evil they have done.”The prophet warns that the LORD will not answer those who cry to Him, because of the evil they have done.
- Proverbs 1:30-31 (BSB)“They accepted none of my counsel; they despised all my reproof. So they will eat the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices.”Those who despise counsel will eat the fruit of their own way.
General
According to the LORD, whom had the people really rejected by demanding a king (1 Samuel 8:7)?
Answer: The LORD Himself as their King
The LORD told Samuel to do as the people asked, and then explained what was really happening: they had not rejected Samuel; they had rejected the LORD from being King over them (8:7). The LORD had always been Israel’s true King, which is why Gideon refused a crown and said the LORD would rule them (Judges 8:23). At the same time, Moses had foreseen a day when Israel would ask for a king like the nations, and he said that any king must be the one the LORD would choose (Deuteronomy 17:14-15). Both truths stand in Scripture: God had made room for kingship, and this demand was a rejection of Him. Samuel later tells the people they had rejected their God (10:19), and they themselves confess that the request was sin (12:19).
- 1 Samuel 8:7 (BSB)“And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.”The LORD tells Samuel to listen to the people, because they have rejected the LORD Himself as their king.
- Deuteronomy 17:14-15 (BSB)“When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.”Moses had foreseen a request for a king and required that the king be the one the LORD chose.
- Judges 8:23 (BSB)“But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.””Gideon refused to become king because the LORD was to rule over Israel.
- 1 Samuel 10:19 (BSB)“But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions, and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.””Samuel later tells Israel that by demanding a king they rejected the God who saves them.
- 1 Samuel 12:19 (BSB)“They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.””The people later confess that asking for a king added to all their sins.
Theological
Whom does the LORD say the people actually rejected in demanding a king (1 Samuel 8:7)?
Answer: The LORD Himself as their King
The LORD instructs Samuel to grant the request while identifying its true character: the people have not rejected Samuel but the LORD Himself as their King (8:7). Israel’s true King was the LORD, as Gideon’s refusal of the crown confessed (Judges 8:23). Deuteronomy had nevertheless anticipated a king like the nations and required that he be the one the LORD would choose (Deuteronomy 17:14-15). Both are affirmed: kingship had a place in God’s purpose, and this demand, rooted in the wish to be like the nations, was a repudiation of the LORD’s rule. Samuel later charges the people with rejecting their saving God (10:19), and they confess the request as evil (12:19).
- 1 Samuel 8:7 (BSB)“And the LORD said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you. For it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their king.”The LORD tells Samuel to listen to the people, because they have rejected the LORD Himself as their king.
- Deuteronomy 17:14-15 (BSB)“When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, “Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,” you are to appoint over yourselves the king whom the LORD your God shall choose. Appoint a king from among your brothers; you are not to set over yourselves a foreigner who is not one of your brothers.”Moses had foreseen a request for a king and required that the king be the one the LORD chose.
- Judges 8:23 (BSB)“But Gideon replied, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son. The LORD shall rule over you.””Gideon refused to become king because the LORD was to rule over Israel.
- 1 Samuel 10:19 (BSB)“But today you have rejected your God, who saves you from all your troubles and afflictions, and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us.’ Now therefore present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and clans.””Samuel later tells Israel that by demanding a king they rejected the God who saves them.
- 1 Samuel 12:19 (BSB)“They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.””The people later confess that asking for a king added to all their sins.