How easy is it for us to forget the blessings of God and look to the world for affirmation and provision? Sadly, not very hard at all. When Samuel was called by God to be a prophet and judge to Israel, the nation was already in a sorry state. The people once again were in rebellion, presuming upon the provision of God. In 1 Samuel 4, the nation was defeated by the Philistines because God would no longer protect the people; however, instead of examining themselves and turning to God in prayer, they pulled the Ark of the Covenant from the Tabernacle and attempted to use it in battle as a magical talisman. For their haughtiness, not only did they lose horribly, but the Ark was captured by their enemies. Only because God would not allow the heathen Philistines to treat it as a token treasure was it eventually returned to Israel.

This dark moment in Israel’s history led to the death of Eli the priest, and his two sons. God’s glory had left Israel in that time, and for many years, the Ark sat in Kiriath-jearim instead of the Tabernacle where it should have been (1 Sam. 7:1–2). Israel eventually is led by Samuel into national repentance and God once again gives them victory over the Philistines with a miraculous display of his power, throwing their enemies into disarray (vv. 10–11).  After this, for the remainder of his life, Samuel, and later his sons, judged Israel and spoke to the people on behalf of God. One would think that this would have been a watershed moment for Israel, causing them to realize the wickedness of their ways and driving them to deeper trust in the Lord who saved them. Sadly, it was not.

When he was old, the elders of Israel came to Samuel and demanded that he make them a king to lead them, just like the rest of the nations (8:4–5). Samuel, with the words God had given him, warned the elders just what wickedness an earthly king would bring upon them, but they emphatically demanded, “No! But there shall be a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles” (8:19–20). As God explained to Samuel, the people he had delivered from the hands of the Philistines had rejected the Lord as their sovereign ruler; they wanted what the rest of the world had. In the hardness of their hearts, they esteemed the practical benefits of an earthly king more valuable than anything God had to offer. It may seem ludicrous to our own minds, but if we were to be honest, we are far too much like Israel in our own lives.

The elders thought that having a human king would make them more powerful as a nation, that the visibility of a monarch would be a warning to the nations around them. The king could stand face to face with other national leaders, and be a fearsome warrior who would inspire the people to great victories. It is the tangibility of a worldly solution that so often tempts us to seek practical and pragmatic solutions in our own lives as well. When we face uncertainty and difficulty, we know that turning to God in prayer is a must. We know that studying his word will provide us with wisdom as we seek to understand and apply those biblical principles in real life. However, there is something decidedly dissatisfying about simply trusting in the means God has provided us. We want an immediate solution that we can grasp onto and use right now.

Feeling the stress of financial uncertainty? We want more money to pay the bills, or a better job that will bring with it an increase in our bank account. Facing a medical crisis? We want immediate healing, or we desire that the medical industry provide the greatest care imaginable without any setbacks or side effects. Is the culture displaying greater depravity and turning against Christians? We demand a political leader who will enforce godliness by the rule of law. And these are just the most obvious ways that we as Christians seek out pragmatic solutions. There are literally hundreds, or even thousands, of ways we look to the world rather than patiently waiting on God and trusting in his ways. This is not to say that we cannot pray for God to provide practical outworkings of his grace, in fact we are called to bring our cares and concerns to him, for he loves us (1 Pet. 5:7). But, when we, like Israel, say, “No! You must provide only this worldly solution!” because we cannot imagine there is some other means or intended end for our trials, that is when we want our own version of a king.

Israel would later experience all the detrimental failings of having an earthly king. Saul did great harm to Israel due to his own ego. So much so that God, through Samuel, told Saul the kingdom would be taken from him and given to a man after God’s own heart. The people wanted a king like the other nations, and they got exactly that, warts and all. We, as Christians, should take a lesson from Israel here. God will sometimes give us exactly what we demand, and we will pay the price. It will expose the sinfulness of our hearts; it will tear us down and reveal how much we trust in ourselves rather than in God himself. God’s plans and purposes are always perfect, but our plans are weak and corrupted. If we think we know better than God, he may just give us what we want to reveal how much we don’t know and will discipline us through even greater adversity. Therefore, before we demand of God an earthly solution to our problems, we should look to God and his word to see what such demands will cost. Trust in the Lord above all else, and be wary of worldly “kings” in whatever form they may be.