I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.
Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Samuel 8-10.
When Samuel got old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel, but they were no better than Eli’s sons had been. As a result, the people of Israel came to Samuel requesting he appoint someone as king over them. I am not sure why they thought a king would be better. Eli had been leader over Israel and his sons turned out to be evil, greedy men. Samuel led Israel well, and his sons turned out to be evil, greedy men. I am not sure why they thought that the same would not be true of a king. Further, Samuel warns them about what a king would demand of them. It is worth noting what he warns them about. If you make the government powerful enough to take care of your needs you also make the government powerful enough to take from you whatever it wants. A warning for those today who want to make the government more powerful. A king is just a man like every other man. A government is composed of people just like every other person. If you want the government to be powerful because you do not trust people to do the right thing what makes you think the people in the government will do the right thing?
In the description of how Samuel first appointed Saul as king we learn some things about selecting a leader, and a few things to avoid when selecting a leader. First of all, Saul was everything we, as humans, tend to look for in a leader. He was tall, good looking, and had a commanding personality. In addition, he did not like to be the center of attention. Unfortunately, in Saul’s case this appears to have been as much a result of insecurity as it was of humility. However, Saul was open to God’s Spirit as evidenced by his encounter with the prophets. It is worth noting that despite Saul’s protestation of the insignificance of his family that they were well enough known for people to take note of him joining with the prophets (which in this passage appears to refer to a sect that was like an extreme form of Pentecostals). Further, Saul was willing to overlook those who refused to acknowledge his kingship.