1 Samuel 12:19

And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.

The verse belongs to Samuel's parting address to Israel at Gilgal after the people had welcomed Saul as king, a place rich in memories of Israel's entry into the promised land and of God's acts and Israel's past failures. Israel's demand to be judged like other nations was a deliberate effort to replace the existing form of rule, urged under cover of dissatisfaction with Samuel's sons but driven by discontent and pride.

The demand came from wandering from God while suffering the consequences of sin, having lost faith in God, lost discernment of His power and wisdom to rule the nation, and lost confidence in His ability to defend and vindicate His cause. They turned from the great Ruler of the universe and desired to be governed as the nations around them were governed, and their ingratitude oppressed their souls and severed them from God. In asking for a king the people rejected God's rule and opposed His wise arrangement for them.

Their confession followed thunder and rain that exposed the seriousness of their choice as a sign of God's displeasure. The storm came at wheat harvest, a season when rain was not expected. Frightened and humiliated by recognition of their wrongdoing, all the people acknowledged that in asking for a king they had added this evil to all their sins and had displeased God. Fearing they would die they asked Samuel to pray to the Lord for them and to intercede on their behalf.

They found peace only when they made a definite, to-the-point confession of the very sin of which they were convicted, acknowledging the evil of asking for a king. Yet their confession did not lead them to turn from choosing a king or otherwise abandon their course, showing a failure of true contrition.

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