1 Samuel 8:20, commentary and pictures

Israel would not be turned from warning but fixedly insisted on a human king to be like all the nations, to judge them and go out before them and fight their battles.
The demand was not a rejection of Samuel the man but a rejection of God that He should not reign over them, throwing off His wise rule as King.
They had grown weary of being ruled by pious rulers who kept God's will and honor before them, and in pride and loss of faith blamed their weakness on their form of government instead of on their sins, wanting royal splendor, centralized human leadership and military skill to bring prosperity and esteem among the nations.
Though God had repeatedly gone before them, fought for them and raised up deliverers, they no longer trusted His invisible guidance and sufficiency to defend and give victory, and disregarded their distinct privilege as His specially chosen people under His theocracy to copy heathen nations that did not know Him.
God therefore permitted them to have their own way and granted the desire of their unsanctified hearts, yet their prosperity still depended on obedience, and the same folly is repeated whenever His work is carried on by unsanctified human judgment and trust in men for outward show instead of humble dependence on His rule.

Demand and Its Motives

Israel would not obey warning but fixedly insisted on having a human king to be like all the nations, to judge them and go out before them and fight their battles. The demand was a deliberate decision by their own voice to discard Samuel before God had released him and to choose human rule instead of remaining under God's jurisdiction, management and control. It came from leaving first love, from spiritual blindness, and from not knowing the blessing and safety of being led and controlled by the Lord in all ways.

The elders' stated complaint about Samuel's sons did not reflect their real motive but served as a pretext. The demand was driven by discontent and pride in a deliberate effort to set Samuel aside. They had grown tired and weary of being ruled by pious rulers who kept God's will, ways, purposes and honor before them. They wanted a reformed religion and rule that would bring external prosperity, riches and splendor, royal appearance, personal courage and military skill, so they would be esteemed great and display outward greatness before the world and not be looked down on and despised by surrounding nations. It was in their own mind and judgment the way that would bring the most glory to themselves as a nation, hankering after riches and splendor like other nations as they had once hankered after the leeks and onions of Egypt. Their wish to be like the nations meant disregarding the privilege and blessing of belonging to God as His specially chosen and distinct people in order to follow the example of heathen nations that did not know or acknowledge God. Renouncing divine theocracy for likeness to others exchanged humble dependence on God and His Holy Spirit for outward show and worldly, fashionable influence.

They wrongly blamed their troubles and weakness on their form of government and lack of kingly authority instead of on their sins that had led God to leave them vulnerable to enemies. They thought a king and visible, centralized human leadership embodied in a man would end envy, jealousy and strife among the tribes, provide military defense and leadership of armies, and carry responsibility to provide funds, manage enterprises and solve problems for them. The demand showed lack of faith and confidence in God's providence, care and sufficiency to rule, provide rulers, defend and give victory through invisible guidance and power that had already led them and given success in battle. He had repeatedly heard their cry when they cried to Him, gone before them, fought for them, raised up rulers and deliverers to deliver them, and worked in unseen ways giving wisdom, power, deliverance and success that enemies could not explain and that gave no glory to human wisdom or agency, as when deliverance came through Gideon. They chose instead a temporal ruler and misplaced confidence in a human ruler to judge, lead and fight for them rather than trusting God as their Divine Helper and special leader.

Rejection of Divine Rule

The demand was not against Samuel as a man but against God Himself, that He should not reign over them, throwing off His wise jurisdiction, management and control as King and dishonoring Him to His face. It was dissatisfaction not with the prophet but with divine authority, choosing a pleasing temporal ruler embodied in a man instead of remaining satisfied with God as Ruler who had governed through wise men waiting on Him for counsel. That invisible guidance had already given wisdom, power, deliverance, victory and success in ways enemies could not explain, giving no glory to human wisdom or agency, as in the deliverance through Gideon.

It came from leaving first love and from not knowing the blessing and safety of being led and controlled by the Lord in all ways. It came from spiritual blindness in which the people thought Samuel did not understand their circumstances, motives, designs and advantages and did not discern God's word speaking through him. It revealed lack of sacred reverent fear of God as Supreme Ruler, putting authority in human power to be controlled by it. It continued the rebellion that left their fathers' bodies in the wilderness after coming out of Egypt, in forsaking God to serve other gods.

They carried out their own purposes and judgment in the face of solemn protest from one they knew to be God's prophet, bewitched by Satan working on their hearts to follow his counsel. Their minds were bent on following their own judgment and casting aside the wisdom of God for the way that in their own mind would bring most glory to themselves as a nation. Pride kept them from retracting after plain warning of the sure results of a king's rule.

Israel's distinct status as God's specially chosen people under divine theocracy was disregarded in order to copy heathen nations that did not know or acknowledge God. Their government was meant to be distinct, with God choosing its leaders and guiding the people through His laws, prophets and counsel, and with Jehovah Himself going before them and fighting for them so that turning back to Him after sin brought deliverers and safety. By demanding likeness to others they renounced humble dependence on God and His Holy Spirit for outward show and worldly, fashionable influence, exchanging dependence on His invisible guidance and sufficiency for visible human leadership and strength from men.

God plainly told them through Samuel that the way was wrong and not the right and best way, having him protest solemnly and show them the manner of the king that would reign over them, yet they refused to be changed. The demand was persisted in after warning, so the Lord permitted them to have their own way and granted the desire of their unsanctified hearts, giving the demanded king in anger. He showed His displeasure by thunder and lightning and hail, and royal pomp came with tyranny and exaction as a bitter exchange for His mild and beneficent rule.

The decision shows how little confidence can be placed in finite human beings whose hearts are not daily and hourly under the sanctifying, subduing influence of the Spirit of God and controlled by His love and fear.

Consequences and Present Warning

The king Israel received mirrored their own desires and lack of submission, for they valued royal appearance, personal courage and military skill above justice, character and reverence for God. Such a monarch might receive the honor due to God and lead the people away from Him, and unless he continually trusted God for wisdom his rule could exalt the unworthy and make the innocent suffer. Royal pomp came with tyranny and exaction, a bitter exchange for God's mild and beneficent rule. Saul's example under that rule helped spread irreligion and godlessness, and after Samuel's death the people recognized that rejecting godly leadership had brought harmful consequences.

By rebelling against God's counsel they left His merciful guidance for the rule of men secure in their own way and judgment, bringing afterward distress that heeded counsel would have prevented. Although God granted the request, their prosperity still depended on obedience to Him. Asking for a king was an evil added to all their other sins, an ingratitude that oppressed their souls and severed them from God, and it had to be definitely confessed by name before they found peace. They would learn their error and return to allegiance to God, a return recognized after Samuel's death. That choice is connected with the later destruction of Jerusalem and dispersion of the nation, for seeking strength from visible human leadership instead of trusting God's invisible guidance, power and sufficiency dishonors God and weakens His people.

The same course is repeated whenever God's work is carried on by unsanctified human judgment and worldly plans and policy in order to be recognized by the world, laying plans God never purposed and separating the work from His rule. It renounces divine theocracy for likeness to others, exchanging humble dependence on God and His Holy Spirit for outward show and worldly, fashionable influence in an attempt to raise self that instead lowers influence, dulls spiritual discernment and imperils the cause of God. The same disposition appears when a man insists on independence and a self-sufficient mind to control churches and institutions, claiming prerogative through money and putting himself where God has not placed him, becoming a channel of darkness unless he becomes little in his own sight and walks humbly for guidance. It appears also when organizations and their members look to a president or central committee to provide funds, manage enterprises and solve their problems, as though wanting a king to fight for them. That same folly will be repeated among God's people today unless there is greater humility, less confidence in self and more trust in God, for only as divine power is combined with human effort will the work abide the test, with less talking and much more praying, meekness of spirit, caution in plans and movements, revealed dependence on God and the mind of Christ.