Tag Archives: 1 Samuel 8-10

Daily Bible Study

March 31, 2024 Bible Study — Trying to Fix the Problem of Leaders Abusing Their Power by Giving Another Leader More Power

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Samuel 8-10.

The first thing we see in today’s passage is that when Samuel became old and appointed his sons to take over his duties, they turned out to be much like Eli’s sons had been.  This led the Israelites to request that Samuel appoint a king over them.  It really tells us a lot that the Israelites response to having two leaders in a row whose sons turned out to be evil and corrupt when their fathers turned leadership over to them decided that the solution was to appoint a leader with even greater authority whose son would, by default, inherit their father’s authority.  They would replace a leader whose authority came from the agreement of those who followed them with one to whom they had granted the authority to enforce his commands by force.  This new leader would be given hereditary authority which would pass on to his son.  They did this because the sons of their most two recent leaders were corrupt and exercised what limited authority their fathers passed on to them poorly.  Rather than recognize that the reason they had poor leaders was because they failed to choose to faithfully follow God, they blamed it on their leaders not having enough authority.  They thought that if only they had a stronger ruler who could have forced people to more stringently keep God’s laws, they would have been a better people.  Rather than turn to God and follow Him with all of their heart, they chose to try setting up a government which would force them to do so.  It doesn’t work that way, it never has, and it never will.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

March 31, 2023 Bible Study — Do We Rely On God, Or On The Government?

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Samuel 8-10.

When the Israelites asked Samuel to give them a king, they were asking him to give them a government.  They did not need a government to give them laws, God had already given them laws.  They did not need a government to judge between them when they had disputes, God had provided them with judges.  They wanted a government to enforce the laws , to force people to abide by the decisions of the judges, and to be responsible for providing for the common defense.  Those were all things which God had either promised to provide for them, asked them to do for themselves, or a combination of those two things.  The desire for a king, the need for a government, stems from our unwillingness to fully depend on God, or to follow His commands.  Samuel tried to warn them that the government for which they were asking would be composed of the same sorts of people who were why they were asking for a government.  Our society needs a government for the same reason that the Israelites wanted a king, but we must always remember that the more power we give to the government, the more likely that those who make the government work will reject God.  Asking the government to protect us means that we do not trust God to do so.  And yet, even so, God has ordained a government to rule over us, just as He gave the Israelites a king.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

March 31, 2021 Bible Study No Government Can Substitute For Following God

Today, I am reading and commenting on  1 Samuel 8-10.

When the people of Israel asked Samuel to appoint a king to lead their nation, Samuel warned them about the negative side of choosing a king.  In a way, Samuel’s warning reminds me of the arguments made by those who opposed the adoption of the U.S. Constitution to replace the Articles of Confederation.  In both cases, the concerns proved to have some basis.  We do not really think of it this way, but what the Israelites were asking for when they asked for a king was a central authority who could unify them, a central government.  In the same way, the U.S. Constitution was intended to establish a central authority who could unify the thirteen states which made up the loose coalition formed by the Articles of Confederation.  I will say that there is one key difference between the two.  The people of Israel were already committed to being unified under a central authority.  That central authority was God.  While the people of the United States had never committed themselves to following God in a unified way.  If the people of Israel had followed through on their commitment to follow God, they would not have needed to appoint a man as king.  If the people of the United States had agreed to commit themselves to following Gog, they would not have needed the Constitution.  People who obey God with their entire being have no need for government of any kind.  Both Ancient Israel and the early United States formed governments in an attempt to overcome their unwillingness to obey God.

I use the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading.

Daily Bible Study

March 31, 2020 Bible Study — Wanting a King Who Will “Do Something”

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.

Usually when I read this passage I think about what it says about Saul.  However, today I felt compelled to write about the warning Samuel gave the Israelites about their desire for a king.  When we read what Samuel said that a king would do it reads very much like what every government does.  I realized today that until Saul was anointed king, Israel had no government.  When the Israelites asked Samuel to give them a king, they were asking him to give them a formalized government.  They asked for a king because that was the only type of government they knew.  God’s response to Samuel’s request for guidance gives us a clear insight into God’s preferred form of governance.  By seeking a king, seeking a government, the Israelites admitted that they were unwilling, or unable, to obey God without the threat of force.  They were unwilling to wait for God to deal with those who chose to violate His commands and thus disrupted the peace of the land.  The Israelites wanted a king who could “do something” about the problems they faced instead of needing to put their faith in God.  In the same way, many people today want the government to “do something” about the problems we face rather than put their trust in God.

Daily Bible Study

March 31, 2019 Bible Study — Warnings About Government Power

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.

Daily Bible Study

March 31, 2018 Bible Study — The Desire For, and the Danger Of, a Strong Central Government

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 to resolve disputes among the people of Israel. Unfortunately, Samuel’s sons were no better than Eli’s had been. So, the people of Israel decided they needed a king, a powerful central government. After centuries of being in a loose confederation, only coming together under a central leader in times of difficulty, they decided that they needed a central government with more clearly established authority. Samuel warned them that such a central authority would expand its authority and abuse them. The people were sure that the limits in the Law of Moses would keep that from happening, and, besides which, the benefits would outweigh the liabilities. The writer of the Book of Judges (perhaps “compiler” would be a better word for this person) agreed with the people (which is why the Book of Judges several times refers to the lack of a king as an explanation for why everyone did what was right in their own eyes). It is here that we see that the writer/compiler of the two books of Samuel disagreed.
    The people of Israel had experienced two times in a row where the successors to their informal leader had proved to be venal and corrupt. First, there was Eli followed by his sons. Then there was Samuel followed by his sons. Reading this reminded me of the debates regarding the writing and ratifying the U.S. Constitution, and some of the quotes from men of that period about it. What the people of Israel did not understand was that the failure of their “government” (using quotes because they did not have what we would recognize as a government during most of this period) was not due to poor design of that “government”. Rather, it was a result of their failure to remain faithful to God. Instead of doing what the Law of Moses instructed them to do, they did what they decided for themselves was right. The exception was when a leader rose up and guided them to follow God’s laws, but even then, they did so because of the leader, not because they chose to follow God’s commands.

Daily Bible Study

March 31, 2017 Bible Study — Looking At Outward Appearances

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 became old and was no longer able to lead the people of Israel, he turned the role over to his sons, who were little, if any, better than Eli’s sons had been. This, among other things, led the Israelites to ask Samuel to appoint someone king over them. They wanted to be like everyone else. Their desire for a king was not a repudiation of Samuel or his service. It was a repudiation of God. Rather than acknowledge that their problems were a result of their failure to faithfully follow God, they blamed God for not giving them a king to rule over them. They looked at other nations and thought that if they were like them, if they had a king, they would not have the problems which they had.

    One of the things which has stood out to me for several years when I read about Saul being chosen to become king. That thing is what the author thought most important to point out about Saul. That something was that Saul was a head taller than anyone else and the most handsome young man in Israel. This does not mean that Saul did not have qualifications which might have made him a great king because I think that he did. However, it shows us once more that the people of Israel were choosing a ruler for the wrong reasons. They wanted someone who looked the part more than they wanted someone who could do the job. We often make the same mistake in choosing leaders today. We choose someone because they look like what we think a leader should look rather than judging them on their skills. There is a difference between how Saul became king and how David became king. Saul became king because he looked like a king. David became king because he led like a king. I want to repeat that I do not want to belittle Saul’s skills as a king because I know they are on display in tomorrow’s passage.

Daily Bible Study

March 31, 2016 Bible Study — Tall, Dark, And Handsome Are Not Qualifications For Leadership

I am using the daily Bible reading schedule from “The Bible.net” for my daily Bible reading. I had been using One Year Bible Online, but it was time for a change.

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Today, I am reading and commenting on 1 Samuel 8-10.

    I mentioned at the beginning of this book that Samuel’s sons turned out similar to Eli’s sons. The way the sons of these two men turned out should be a warning for those fathers who accept leadership positions in the Church (and elsewhere). I will not go into that farther than this. The thing which truly struck me about this passage is the description of Saul’s father:

There was a wealthy, influential man named Kish from the tribe of Benjamin.

Then a few sentences later this:

His son Saul was the most handsome man in Israel—head and shoulders taller than anyone else in the land.

When the people first came to Samuel for a king, this was what they were looking for, a tall, handsome man from an influential family. All too often this is what we look for in leaders. There is nothing inherently wrong with selecting leaders from among the handsome offspring of influential families. People who are tall and good looking often develop leadership capabilities. And often times the reason a family is influential is because they have shown leadership qualities, which they may have taught to their children. However, people who are tall and handsome, and people from influential families, have often learned to use their leadership abilities to advance their own interests rather than that of their followers. I want to be careful here because I genuinely believe that Saul was a good man and a good leader. It was only after he had been king for awhile that he began to mistake what was in his own interest for what was in the interest of Israel as a whole.