1 Samuel 8
John MacArthur · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Samuel 8
MacArthur - Samuel was about 60 years of age (1043 b.c.) (ED: SOME SAY 65). He appointed his two sons to serve as judges in Beersheba, a city about 57 mi. S of Ramah. (Borrow the MacArthur Study Bible) Given that Samuel is now an old man, Brian Bell makes an interesting comment that might indeed explain Israel's request - This is a new generation. They have only heard from their parents how the Lord delivered them from their enemies. They have been reared in comparative peace & safety. They took for granted the privileges of the Theocracy w/o properly understanding the source of their many benefits! That he appointed his sons judges over Israel - His sons were taking bribes...unraveling justice instead of upholding it. Keep in mind these judges were not like the "delivering" judges in the book of Judges, but are "deciding" judges, rendering decisions regarding disputes, a function that calls for righteous judges (Ex 18:13-27, Dt 16:18-20), something his sons proved not to be! Samuel was the chief judge of Israel and apparently had the authority to appoint his sons as judges over a smaller area (1Sa 8:2). One could postulate that Samuel appointed his sons as judges because he realized his days were numbered. Samuel's appointments of his sons would prove to be a poor choice and would also prove to be a catalyst (so to speak) for Israel's demand for a king like all the other pagan, godless nations! The people saw Samuel as stepping out of his role of judge because of his old age and not replacing his void with honest, effective judges. THOUGHT - Choices do have consequences and this one was a poor choice for godly Samuel. As believers, we live in a fallen world, and bring forth fallen offspring and too often make poor parental choices that yield poor, often painful consequences, speaking from personal experience as the father of 2 sons and 2 daughters. How often I have thought, if I could just go back in time and reverse my mistakes! But undoubtedly I would have still made "new" mistakes. I am sure most of your reading can identify with my sentiments. John Woodhouse asks "Why, then, did Samuel make his sons judges? It is difficult to know, although it seems that it was less a dynastic arrangement that he had specifically in mind than a practical sharing of the burdens of the work in the present. It is worth noting that Joel and Abijah were judges in the far south, in Beersheba, some fifty miles from Samuel’s home in Ramah. It is reasonable to see in Samuel’s appointment of them an attempt to see the justice of the judge extended throughout the land. Samuel’s annual circuit from Ramah to Bethel, Gilgal, Mizpah, and back to Ramah (1 Samuel 7:16, 17) covered a relatively small central area of Israel’s territory. Paul Apple summarizes 1 Samuel 8 - God’S People Have A Tragic History Of Rejecting God’s Leadership Model For A Pragmatic, Worldly Model Of Their Own Choosing....However, God is gracious to continue to work and bless in a program that at best can be called “Second Best. ” Deviation in this one area is not a fatal flaw for either the nation of Israel or the local church. There are many other criteria for God’s favor and blessing. However, that doesn’t excuse us from seeking God’s best in this area as well and expecting that despite our natural pragmatic thinking to the contrary, God’s way will actually turn out to be most fruitful when judged from God’s perspective. Henry
1 Samuel 8
MacArthur - The sins of Samuel’s sons became the pretext for Israel’s demand for a king (1Sa 8:4, 5).(Borrow the MacArthur Study Bible) Wycliffe Bible Commentary (borrow) has an interesting comment - The institution of the monarchy involved the separation of the civil from the religious leadership. And this in turn meant that Israel now began to have a political history independent of her religious history, and therefore, of her true calling. Israel was called to religious leadership of the world, and the verdict of history is on the side of those who regarded her entry into world politics as a fundamental mistake. Now - Although a third reason (military leader) will be mentioned in 1Sa 8:20, the decline of Samuel coupled with the dissipation of Samuel's sons was the major motivation for seeking a king. Appoint a king for us to judge (govern, lead) us like all the nations - The elders clearly respect Samuel's role as the leader of the nation or otherwise they would have simply said that they would find a king themselves be their judge and leader. This is an interesting sentence, not a king to rule but "a king for us to judge us." While Israel often shows herself to be ignorant of God's laws, in this case they seem to be knowledgeable of the Mosaic Covenant. In Dt 17:14-15 God had actually prophesied Israel would make this request of Samuel... When you enter the land which the LORD your God gives you, and you possess it and live in it, and you say, ‘I will set a king over me like all the nations who are around me,’ you shall surely set a king over you whom the LORD your God chooses, one from among your countrymen you shall set as king over yourselves; you may not put a foreigner over yourselves who is not your countryman." ESV Study Bible (borrow) - They want to exchange their unique glory as the people of the incomparable God (1Sa 2:2), who had brought them out of Egypt (1Sa 8:8) and was even now protecting them (1Sa 10:19), for status in the world, in order to be “like all the nations.”...God intends Israel to have a king (Dt. 17:14–20), but the people’s desires and the kings themselves fall short. Saul’s failure contrasts with David’s success. But eventually David too fails (2 Samuel 11:1-27). The failure of merely human kings points to the need for the perfect King, Christ, Who will be divine and human (Isa. 9:6–7). Brian Bell - Was it really wrong to ask for a king? No! A Monarchial form of the Theocracy had been foreseen & planned for by God. Gen.35:11 Also God said to him: “I am God Almighty. Be fruitful and multiply; a nation and a company of nations shall proceed from you, and kings shall come from your body. 3. Read Deut.17:14,15. So, why were they wrong for asking? They were rejecting God’s leadership. They lacked faith in God. They wanted to be like other nations. They wanted a king to lead them into battle. Like all the nations - This is a key phrase, which tells us about the hearts of the people -- they were focused horizontally (earthly, worldly, and godless) rather than vertically (Godward)! THOUGHT- Lest we are too hard on Israel, we all do well to look at the man or woman in the mirror and ask ourselves, "Do my daily choices and my general lifestyle say I would rather be like the Jones or would I rather be more like Jesus (Walking Like Jesus Walked)?!!!" Chafin - This passage has particular significance because it tells the story of the transition from the time of the judges to the time of the kings. This is the time of Samuel’s old age. Yet when many would have been spending their time reminiscing, Samuel was about to begin the most significant part of his life. Even a casual reader of 1 Samuel will notice that the establishment of the monarchy in Israel is frequently pictured as an act of rebellion against God, but at times the monarchy seems to be a divinely ordained institution. This passage seems to favor what has been called the theocratic form of rule, which heretofore has been represented by the divinely appointed charismatic judge or ruler such as Samuel. In chapter 9, however, God tells Samuel that He is sending “a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel” (1 Sam. 9:16). That these views are both recorded indicate that there was never unanimity about having a king.....Israel was feeling the effect of being a people surrounded by hostile forces, and the people wanted stability and security. Up to now Israel’s life had been characterized by disunity, with each tribe going its own way. There seemed to be no pat tern for the emergence of the judges. Therefore the request for a king made good sense, except that it left God entirely out. This omission, coupled with Israel’s tendency toward idolatry, flawed the plan. (Borrow The Communicator's Commentary: 1, 2 Samuel ) MacArthur - When Israel entered the land, they encountered Canaanite city-states that were led by kings (see Josh 12:7–24). Additionally, during the period of the judges, Israel was enslaved by nations that were led by kings (Jdg. 3:8, 12; 4:2; 8:5; 11:12). However, at the time of the judges there was no king in Israel (Jdg. 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25). As Israel lived in the land surrounded by nations that had kings, the desire arose for a king in Israel also. According to Deut. 17:14, God knew this would be their desire and He would allow it to occur. However, 1Sa 8:20 revealed a motive which was definitely counter to the Lord’s will. (Borrow the MacArthur Study Bible) Gordon - The story of Saul’s emergence as Israel’s first king proceeds by a number of stages which may be summarized as: (i) a request for a king by the tribal elders of Israel (1Sa 8:1–22); (ii) the private anointing of Saul (1Sa 9:1–10:16); (iii) divine nomination and public presentation (1Sa 10:17–27): (iv) military success and public acclamation (1Sa 11:1–15); (v) final speech by Samuel (1Sa 12:1–25). (Borrow 1 & 2 Samuel) Paul Apple sums up the problems with Israel's request for a king... A sense that under theocratic rule they were missing out on something; A preference for the visible and the impressive over the invisible and the spiritual A lack of discernment over the dangers of monarchy A denial of their mission to be a holy people ruled directly by God Judge (08199) shaphat is a verb that means to judge or govern. While it frequently translated judge, this is somewhat misleading as shaphat is not typical of the modern concept of judge (as in a court of law), but is much more inclusive -- to function as ruler or governor - individuals (Jdg. 16:31; 1 Sa 7:16), king (1 Ki. 3:9); even God Himself (Ps. 50:6; 75:7) because He is the source of authority and will eventually conduct all judgments (Ps. 96:13). In a judicial sense shaphat could refer to the arbitration of civil, domestic, and religious disputes (Dt. 25:1), fulfilled by the congregation (Nu 35:24), by individual judges (Ex 18:16; Dt. 1:16), by the king (1 Sa 8:5, 6, 20) or by God Himself (Ge 16:5; 1 Sa 24:12, 15). Shaphat is used in 1Sa 3:13; 1Sa 4:18; 1Sa 7:6; 1Sa 7:15; 1Sa 7:16; 1Sa 7:17; 1Sa 8:1; 1 Sa 8:2; 1Sa 8:5; 1Sa 8:6; 1Sa 8:20; 1Sa 12:7; 1Sa 24:12; 1Sa 24:15 QUESTION - Was it wrong for the Israelites to ask for a king? ANSWER - In 1 Samuel 8:5 the Israelites ask Samuel to appoint a king, saying, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the other nations have.” Was this wrong? The following verses make clear that it was. Samuel was displeased and prayed to the Lord concerning the matter. God answered, “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you” (1 Samuel 8:7–8). God said the Israelites’ request was a rejection of Him, that they had forsaken Him and were serving other gods. Later, Samuel gave a farewell speech that would also address this issue, saying, “I will call on the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king” (1 Samuel 12:17). In verse 19 the people responded, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.” Interestingly, God had already predicted that the Israelites would one day ask for a king. In Deuteronomy 17:14–15, for example, God said, “When you enter the land the Lord your God is giving you and have taken possession of it and settled in it, and you say, ‘Let us set a king over us like all the nations around us,’ be sure to appoint over you a king the Lord your God chooses.” Other passages also predicted that the Israelites would one day ask for a king. For example, God promised Jacob, “A nation and a community of nations will come from you, and kings will be among your descendants” (Genesis 35:11). Similar references to future kings can be found in Genesis 36:31; 49:10; Numbers 24:7–9; and Deuteronomy 28:36. Why was asking for a king wrong? The Lord was to be the ruler of Israel. God led the people through Moses and Aaron, and then through priests and judges raised up to govern the people. In Samuel’s time, the people began to worry about who the next leader would be, since Samuel’s sons did not follow the Lord. Their request for a king was a rejection of God’s way of leadership over them. Another reason it was wrong to ask for a king is that the Israelites did so in order to be like “all the other nations.” God had created Israel as a unique people. He was their leader. When the Israelites wanted a king like other nations had, they were rejecting their unique, set-apart position as God’s people. The nation whose God was to be the Lord alone was envious of the nations who followed false gods. GotQuestions.org David O'brien - Question 75 What made Israel want a human king when God had taken care of them ever since they left Egypt? Why couldn’t they just trust God (1 Samuel 8)? A little boy who was having trouble getting to sleep at night made repeated nocturnal visits to his parents’ room. His mother finally managed to ferret out the problem: he was afraid of the shadows in his dark room. Being a good Christian, she prayed with the terrified tyke. Thinking that would take care of his fear, she rolled over to capture what was left of a night’s sleep. Unsuccessfully. “What is it this time?” she grumbled. “I’m still scared,” he whimpered. “But honey, didn’t we pray together?” “Yes.” “And don’t you know that Jesus is there in the room with you?” “Yes.” “Then what’s wrong?” “I think I’d rather have somebody with some skin on,” he replied. Israel wanted someone with skin on. They wanted somebody who was physically there when they needed him. They wanted a king who could be reached at a moment’s notice and whose action they could observe. They had lived through a long, painful period with God as king, and none of those qualifications fit. All Israel wanted in the time of Samuel was a physical, human redeemer. They asked for a king like the nations had. Samuel explained all the negative aspects of having a human king (1 Samuel 8:10–18), but they wouldn’t listen. Their attention was focused on the benefit. It was singular, and it was the same benefit they had received from the judges. In times of danger, there would be a strong, warlike man to come to their rescue. The Israelite’s unwillingness to trust God is at the core of their demand for a king. Why would they trade the God who loved them for a human king who would exploit them? Before we’re too hard on those Israelites, though, remember that the same urge rests in all of us. We want a president who will return prayer to the classroom and morality to the streets. We want a banker who will stand ready to step in and smooth out our financial reverses, and the cost in this case is considerably less than the Israelites were willing to pay. We want an insurance agent to pay us back if we lose anything through accident, theft, storm, or flood. We, too, would rather rely on “someone with skin” than put our affairs and our futures in the Lord’s hand. (Today's Handbook for Solving Bible Difficulties ) G Campbell