Commentary - 1 Samuel 8:1-9

Bird's-eye view

In this pivotal chapter, the era of the judges comes to a close, not with a bang, but with the weary sigh of a compromised people. Samuel, the last and greatest of the judges, is old, and his attempt to secure a godly succession through his sons fails spectacularly. Their corruption provides the pretext for what the people of Israel truly wanted all along: a king. But their request is not for the kind of king God had provided for in His law. Rather, they want a king "like all the nations," which is to say, they want to be a nation like all the other nations. This is a request born of unbelief and a desire for worldly conformity. God instructs Samuel to grant their request, but not before making it clear that their rejection of Samuel's leadership is a thin veil for their ultimate rejection of God Himself as their king. He then commands Samuel to issue a solemn warning about what this kind of worldly kingship will actually cost them.

Outline

Commentary

1 And it happened when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel.

The story begins with the inescapable reality of time. Samuel, a man who had been a faithful servant of God from his boyhood, is now old. His life has been one of great integrity, but integrity is not something that can be bequeathed. In appointing his sons as judges, Samuel is making a natural, human decision. He is trying to provide for a smooth transition of leadership. But the office of judge was a charismatic one, raised up by God for a specific time. It was not a dynastic office to be handed down from father to son. Samuel's action, while perhaps well-intentioned, represents a human solution to a problem that required a divine one, and it sets the stage for the human solution the people will shortly demand.

2 The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judging in Beersheba.

The names of his sons are dripping with irony. Joel means "Yahweh is God," and Abijah means "My Father is Yahweh." They had the right names, but the wrong hearts. A godly name is no guarantee of a godly character. Their station in Beersheba, on the southern frontier, shows that Samuel was delegating authority, trying to manage the administration of the entire nation. But the problem was not logistical; it was spiritual. And the corruption was not just on the fringes of Israel, but in the hearts of its appointed leaders.

3 But his sons did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after greedy gain and took bribes and caused justice to turn aside.

Here is the indictment, stark and simple. They rejected the pattern of their father's life. To "walk in his ways" would have meant a life of integrity, prayer, and faithfulness to God's law. Instead, they walked in the way of Cain, the way of Balaam, the way of all fallen men. The text identifies three specific sins. First, they pursued "greedy gain," or unjust profit. Their hearts were set on money. Second, they "took bribes," a practice explicitly forbidden in the Torah because it blinds the eyes of the wise (Deut. 16:19). Third, as a necessary result of the first two, they "caused justice to turn aside." They perverted the very purpose of their office. Instead of being a source of stability and righteousness, they were agents of corruption and chaos. This is what sin does; it takes a good gift from God, in this case the administration of justice, and twists it into an instrument of oppression.

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah; 5 and they said to him, “Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.”

The elders of Israel see the problem. Their diagnosis is accurate. Samuel is old. His sons are corrupt. The nation is facing a leadership crisis. But their proposed cure is the disease. Notice the logic: because your sons are corrupt, give us a king. But the problem was not the form of government; the problem was the sinfulness of the human heart. Changing the political structure would not fix that. The fatal phrase here is the last one: "like all the nations." This is the rotten core of their request. Israel was called by God to be a peculiar people, a holy nation, a people set apart. Their entire identity was to be unlike all the nations. Their desire for a king was a desire to trade their unique covenant standing for a cheap, worldly conformity. They wanted a king they could see, a throne they could polish, an army they could count. They were tired of having an invisible King.

6 But the thing was evil in the sight of Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to Yahweh.

Samuel rightly perceives the sinfulness of their demand. It was evil in his sight because he knew it was evil in God's sight. He sees the unbelief, the rejection, the worldliness behind their words. And what does this faithful old servant do? He does not argue with them. He does not lash out in anger or defend his sons. He takes the problem to the only one who can solve it. "And Samuel prayed to Yahweh." This is the pattern for every godly leader when faced with rebellion, disappointment, or crisis. The first move is not to strategize, but to supplicate. He laid the whole ugly business before the Lord.

7 Then Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.

God's response is breathtaking. First, He comforts His servant. He lifts the burden from Samuel's shoulders. This is not about you, Samuel. Your feelings are hurt, your legacy is threatened, but the offense is not ultimately personal. "They have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me." This is the foundational truth of all ministry. When God's people reject God's Word delivered by God's servant, the rejection goes straight to the top. Second, God reveals the true nature of their sin. The issue is not political science; it is theology. They are deposing their true King. They are committing high treason against the throne of heaven. They want to exchange the glorious reign of the Almighty for a petty, tin-pot monarch like the ones their pagan neighbors have.

8 Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them up from Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods, so they are doing to you also.

God places this specific act of rebellion into its proper historical context. This is not a new sin for Israel. This is their old, familiar sin dressed up in new political clothes. From the moment God rescued them from Egypt, their history has been a repeating cycle of forsaking Him to serve other gods. The golden calf, the idols of Canaan, the Baals and the Asheroth. Now, the idol they demand is a human king. Wanting a king "like the nations" is just another form of idolatry. It is looking to a created thing for the security, salvation, and identity that can only be found in the Creator.

9 So now, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly testify to them and tell them of the custom of the king who will reign over them.”

Here is the divine directive. "Listen to their voice." Give them what their sinful hearts desire. This is a permissive decree, not a prescriptive one. It is an act of judgment. God will often discipline His people by giving them exactly what they ask for, so that they might learn the folly of their own wisdom. But this permission comes with a severe condition. Samuel is to be a faithful witness. He must "solemnly testify" to them. He is to lay out, in no uncertain terms, the "custom of the king" (mishpat hammelek). This is not the description of the ideal, Torah-abiding king from Deuteronomy 17. This is the description of the kind of king they are actually asking for, a king "like all the nations." He will take their sons for his army, their daughters for his court, their fields for his officials, and their money for his treasury. God says, in effect, "You want to be ruled by a man instead of by Me? I will let you. But first, I am going to tell you exactly what that slavery will look like."

Application

The sin of ancient Israel is the perennial temptation of the church. The desire to be "like all the nations" is a constant pressure. We see the world's methods for marketing, for leadership, for measuring success, and we are tempted to import them wholesale into the household of God. We are tempted to trade the unseen realities of faith for the tangible metrics of worldly success. We want a king we can see.

This passage calls us to examine where we are placing our trust. Are we trusting in political solutions, in charismatic leaders, in clever programs, or in the living God? The people of Israel had a legitimate problem, the corruption of their leaders. But they sought a carnal solution. They rejected the King who had never failed them for a king who would be just as fallen as they were.

God's response is a sober warning. When we demand worldly solutions, He may, in His judgment, give them to us. And we will have to live with the consequences. The "custom of the king" is that he takes and takes and takes. The custom of King Jesus is that He gives and gives and gives, even His own life. The central question this passage puts to us is this: which king do you serve?