1Sa 8 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for 1Sam 8:1-22: 8:1–12:25 During Israel’s transition to a monarchy, neither God (8:7-9 ) nor Samuel (12:1-25 ) was pleased by the people’s demand for a king. Saul, the first king (chs 9–11 ), failed in his role (chs 13–31 ) and fulfilled Samuel’s warnings (see 8:10-18 ; cp. 16:1-13 ).

Summary for 1Sam 8:1-22: 8:1–12:25 ^a During Israel’s transition to a monarchy, neither God (8:7-9 ^b) nor Samuel (12:1-25 ^c) was pleased by the people’s demand for a king. Saul, the first king (chs 9–11 ^d), failed in his role (chs 13–31 ^e) and fulfilled Samuel’s warnings (see 8:10-18 ^f; cp. 16:1-13 ^g).
8:2 ^h Samuel’s two oldest sons functioned as judges in Beersheba, fifty miles south of their father’s home.
8:3 ⁱ they were not like their father: They were more like Eli’s two sons (2:12-17 ^j). Their corruption was a primary reason the era of the judges ended.
8:5 ^k you are now old, and your sons are not like you: Judges tended to be local leaders; kings, as national leaders, were more capable of uniting a whole nation in times of crisis (8:20 ^l). However, a spiritual problem underlay the request for a king (8:7-8 ^m).

• Other nations, such as Egypt and Sumer, had monarchies for almost 2,000 years before Samuel’s time.
8:6 ⁿ Samuel was displeased: He probably felt personally rejected (8:7 ^o).
8:7 ^p Do everything they say: God rarely instructed a prophet to heed the voice of the errant populace. The will of the people and the will of God would converge in King David (see 2 Sam 7:8-17 ^q).

• they are rejecting me: Their rejection of judgeship was a deeper rejection of God’s rule and sovereignty (see also 1 Sam 12:1-17 ^r).
8:8 ^s followed other gods: The people’s request for a king was tantamount to idolatry. Israel’s monarchy was a divine concession rather than a divine gift. Kingship or any other human institution becomes idolatrous when it replaces trust in God.
Summary for 1Sam 8:10-18: 8:10-18 ^t These verses list the disadvantages of kingship. Each sentence begins with something the king would take. A king would be a confiscator, not just a protector.
8:11 ^u While the people wanted a king to judge them, Samuel warned that the king would reign over them. They wanted a leader but received a ruler.
Summary for 1Sam 8:12-17: 8:12-17 ^v The king would take people as well as possessions.
8:15 ^w A tenth of the harvest was already required as a sacred donation to support God’s Temple and servants (Deut 12:6 ^x, 17-18 ^y; 14:22-29 ^z; 26:12-15 ^aa). The king would demand an additional tenth, a burdensome amount given the uncertainties of agriculture.
8:17 ^ab you will be his slaves: By demanding a king, the people whose ancestors had once been slaves in Egypt were risking a new enslavement (cp. 1 Kgs 12:1-20 ^ac).
8:18 ^ad The people would beg for relief as their ancestors had done in Egypt under another punishing and exacting ruler (see Exod 3:7 ^ae).
8:20 ^af God had set Israel apart from the nations (Lev 20:26 ^ag; Num 23:9 ^ah). By insisting on a king and desiring to be like the nations, they were rejecting God’s plan (see 1 Sam 8:5-7 ^ai; cp. Deut 17:14 ^aj).

• judge us and lead us into battle: Kings performed three basic functions: (1) waging offensive and defensive war, (2) administering law, and (3) ensuring economic well-being.
8:21 ^ak repeated to the Lord: The role of a prophet included bringing the people’s case before God (cp. Num 27:5 ^al).
8:22 ^am give them a king: See study note on 8:7; cp. Rom 1:24-26 ^an.