Before we turn to the words of 1 Samuel, some context

will help set the stage. Ours and theirs. We, here at

Second Church, are midway through a sermon series

on choices that reflect and shape our character. In

a contentious and often contemptuous time, we’re

exploring how we can put faith at the center of our

decisions. These reflections are meant to lift the values

and virtues we are called to embody. One of those

virtues, it seems to me, is courage.

In The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis writes, “Courage

is not simply one of the virtues. It is the form of every

virtue at its testing point, which means at the point of

highest reality.”

To better understand this morning’s scripture text, and

how it fits this series, let’s start with a little history. The

Book of Exodus, you likely recall, begins with God’s

people, the Hebrew people, living as slaves in Egypt

under the tyrannical rule of Pharaoh. Exodus is the story

of liberation. God frees the people from their bondage.

Moses leads them out of Egypt. And at long last, forty

years later, his successor, Joshua, completes the journey

and leads the people into the Promised Land. What

follows there is not a time of peace and harmony, but of

violence and bloodshed. During this era of uninterrupted

conflict and war, the twelve tribes of the Hebrews are led

by judges. My friend Scott Black Johnston says that these

judges were like the sheriffs in old western movies. With

a badge and a gun, they keep peace by imposing force.

And, with very few exceptions that only prove the rule,

things go very, very poorly under the rule of judges. In

fact, by the end of the book, there is widespread idolatry

under a collection of corrupt priests, and the tribes have

turned their weapons on each other, warring with their

own kin. You don’t need me to connect the dots here.

The final verse of the Book of Judges summarizes the

situation: “In those days there was no king in Israel; all

the people did what was right in their own eyes.”

Enter Samuel. A change is coming. The time of the

judges is ending. Samuel represents a pivot point. He is

a bold reformer, a courageous prophet, a wise judge, a

holy priest. But he is aging, and those coming after him

are not worthy successors. The situation is fraught with

risk, danger, and potential for chaos. The people have an

idea. Listen for the word of God.

[Read 1 Samuel 8]

The elders approach Samuel, Hannah’s son. Samuel,

consecrated to God. Samuel, raised in the temple. Samuel,

revered leader, righteous judge, respected prophet.

Samuel, a voice for the Lord when God’s word was rare.

Samuel, a preacher who courageously told the truth in a

time of lies. Samuel, a man of faith who has walked with

God and is getting up in years.

With Samuel visibly diminishing right before their eyes

and an uncertain future laid out before them, they

corner Sam and make a demand.

Give us a king!

The request has the ring of urgency in the voices of the

elders. Why? Why a king? The elders give Samuel two

reasons. Both are morally bankrupt.

First: so that we can be like other nations. Really? Do

they remember how this story started? Enslaved under

Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Deep in the collective

memory of God’s people is the reality of what it is like to

be ruled by a king. And yet, they ask Samuel for one of

their own. They want to be like other nations.

Second: the king will go out before us and fight our

battles. Really? The king will fight for you? Given

the benefit of hindsight, we see the naivety in this

expectation. The promise of a king who will fight on

behalf of the people is never realized. Far more often, it

is the tragic inverse. Ordinary citizens sent to carry out

plans devised in halls of power far from the front lines

where lives are risked and lost.

We see what is coming for our faith ancestors. This

will not go well.

But before you judge, consider the rhetoric of our own

political moment. Language lifting leaders who will

“fight for you” is ubiquitous. This, it seems, is what

we want, particularly when manufactured feelings

of irrational fear provoke very real panic. We want

someone to fight our battles, someone who will

guarantee our safety, our security, our success. We want

order. And yes, perhaps we’re willing to compromise

conviction for the perception of protection.

Give us a king!

Samuel sees right through these flimsy arguments. He is

displeased. He takes it to the Lord in prayer, and God’s

answer to Samuel fascinates me. It comes in three parts.

First: Samuel, they are rejecting me, not you.

Second: Give them what they are asking.

Third: But first, you must warn them.

God recognizes the request as the latest in a long line

of leaving behind the gift of divine call for the allure of

human power. Just one more attempt to replace God

on the throne with an idol of our own making. Still,

determined to preserve the promise of freedom, God will

not stand in their way. Listen to the voice of the people.

And so, Samuel does as they demand. But before he

grants the request, this aging sage is given a moment

with his people, this people he has led and loved for

so long. He uses the moment to provide a preview of

coming abominations.

Do not be naïve, Samuel says. These are the ways of a king.

He unfolds a series of predictions for what lies ahead.

And the key word in each of them is the word take. The

king will take. He will take, and he will take, and he

will take. He will take your sons and your daughters.

He will take your gifts and bend them to malicious

purpose. He will take your fields and your vineyards

and claim them as his own. He will take your dreams.

And finally, he will take you.

Now, please understand. Samuel is not being dramatic

or exaggerating the impact. This man has lived too long

to mince words. What he describes is the lived reality of

those ruled by authoritarian leaders. They take, and they

take, and they take.

So, having heard the warning of God in the voice of

Samuel, the people repent of their misguided demand

and turn back to God. Right? Just kidding. Different

story. No, their response shows both obstinance and

ignorance. We are determined to have a king over us.

They have made their choice. The die is cast. The rule

of kings is set to begin. In place of this transcendent

mysterious God they cannot see, the people will have

their rulers—concrete authority, visible displays of

power, and a new set of battles to fight and enemies to

vanquish. It will be just as Samuel warns. And it will not

be long before the people will wish for a do-over. And

none will be granted.

From this story, I draw three implications for people of

faith in a time of consequential choosing.

First, avoid the temptation to place ultimate hope in

flawed instruments of human leadership. Regardless

of the leader in question, this is an act of idolatry

because it puts a person in the place of God. Any

candidate for any office who promises you salvation of

any type is attempting to occupy a role they cannot fill.

We must not worship our leaders. They are not saviors.

They are servants.

Second, look outside the formal structures of power for

voices of prophetic wisdom. Samuel is not king. He is

never elected or crowned. He has no formal power.

And yet his is the voice God’s people should follow. He

possesses godly wisdom. He grounds his rhetoric in

reverence. He speaks holy truth to worldly power. And

he will not stop. This will be his role as the time of kings

begins; it will be his role until the very end of his life.

Friends, we must reject spiritual leaders whose voices

are coopted by the promise of power in exchange for

blessing. Instead, listen for the prophets of our day who,

like Samuel, owe allegiance only to God.

Finally and most importantly, this ancient story discloses

the place of God in the affairs of nations and peoples.

When Samuel reports the demand of the elders, God is

upset, God is uneasy, and ultimately God is acquiescent.

Why does God relent?

This week I read the reflection of one commentator who

suggested that God is a lot like a frustrated parent when

a child insists over and over again on something they

should not have. Fine. Have it your way. Enjoy your king!

Maybe. But it does seem to me there is deeper wisdom

at work here. Just as we must not lift our leaders to

divine status, so also we must not restrict the expansive

power of God to the narrow constraints of human vision.

The tragic trajectory of theocracy is to devolve into

demonization of difference. They make God too small.

When God tells Samuel to listen to the people, no matter

how shortsighted or unwise their demand, it is an act of

extraordinary divine restraint. God gives them what they

want. And yet. God does not leave them behind. There

may be a king on the throne, but God is in the midst.

The king takes and takes and takes. And God keeps on

giving. Manna in the wilderness. Rivers of water in the

desert. Grace and mercy. In the courts of the king and

on the streets of cities, God gives voice to prophets

who seek justice, demand righteousness, who live with

integrity in times of trouble, who speak truth through the

veil of lies. Meanwhile, the monarchy stumbles its way

forward. There are successes, and there are failures.

There are wars, and there are building projects. There

are better leaders and worse leaders. And in time, this

kingdom itself will be overrun by the violent subjugation

of empire. Babylon. Rome. Powers who take authority

by force. They will rule this people with an iron fist. And

still, the people cry:

Give us a king!

The Romans hear them. And so, they mock this makebelieve monarchy. A placard is nailed above the head of

a crucified man. King of the Jews. Those words, intended

for insult, tell a truth beyond all the lies of worldly rulers.

This is your king. And, get this, he is not riding the war

horse out to battle. He will not send you to slaughter. He

is the one next to you. God in your midst. Do not forget

that truth in the days ahead. Have courage, for your king

has chosen the way of love, and you can too.