By: Tom Chantry on Wednesday 5/30/07

The Israelites ask for a king.

As Samuel grew old, the pattern of the judges continued. His sons did not uphold justice as he had always done, and the people grew discontented. However, rather than ask God to give them a godly ruler, they demanded a king "like those of the nations." Though Samuel warned them of what that would mean, they stubbornly insisted, and God let them have what they wanted. Great care is necessary if we are to extract a political philosophy from the history of the Old Testament theocracy, but we can learn the danger that accompanies a longing after the ways of the world.