During the Time of Samuel, Why Did the People of Israel Desire a King?

They introduce a series of contrasts between good and evil judges, plus faithful and unfaithful kings. As 1 Samuel opens, the era of the judges is still in the forefront, but it is fading fast. The leadership of Israel rests on the undisciplined and elderly Eli, the high priest of the tabernacle at Shiloh and one of the last of the minor judges (1 Sam 4:18). Throughout the early chapters of 1 Samuel, the author draws a sharp contrast between Eli and his ungodly sons and the godly prophet Samuel. By the middle of the book (1 Samuel 15–16), the same kind of contrast is drawn between Saul and David.

Saul’s séance with the witch of Endor in 1 Samuel 28 is regarded as the starting of the coup de grâce of his tragic ending of being King Israel. The first anointed to be king, being first inst always what is suppose to be. Here in Saul’s case he was the first and now it’s going to end in mess. In his life the Israelite king has gone from the top of the mountain to the bottom of the valley of moral.

He shows he is weak and not ready to lead. (1 Samuel 9:21). Saul even hides when he is supposed to show himself to the Israelites as the chosen King (1 Samuel 11: 22). Although Saul knows that he cannot lead, he has no choice, he has to follow the Lord’s order. At last, God realizes that Saul was indeed not a leader-type person and chooses another person. God must have known that people are not forced to be leaders, but they themselves should be aware of the ability to be leaders.

Even as Samuel wrestled with God, God told him & the nation what a king would demand, and take from them. However, they shouted out they still wanted a king and to be like other nations. They didn’t care they would accept and deal with the cost associated with their request. They wanted what they wanted and it didn’t matter. We are the same today we want what we want it and don’t consider the cost, but as is often said, the devil is in the details or the cost as we see here.

There is a strong correlation between Samuel and Eli. Both men were very involved in ministry, giving them less time to invest into the spiritual lives of their

From a biblical perspective we see in 1 Samuel 12:1-4 Israel’s high regard for Samuel. He was a man who exuded integrity. Samuel said to all of Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. Now you have a king as your leader. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these, I will make it right.” “You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.”

During the time of Samuel, the people of Israel desire a king. God had promised to provide for the Israelites and in return God asked for obedience and love. Throughout the Old Testament God always provided for the Israelites yet God’s people regularly rejected him.

The book of 1 Samuel, a part of the Old Testament, sparks the dawn of the United Kingdom of Israel by telling of its first king, Saul. Samuel is one of the first talked about pre-literary prophets in the bible perhaps because he anointed the first king of the United Kingdom. He is a prophet by definition because he possessed the ability to converse with the almighty Yahweh. Samuel and Saul are key players to the rise of the kingdom but Saul runs into trouble and disobeys God, which leads him to his own inevitable demise.

The book of Judges is an extremely interesting book in the Old Testament that explains to readers that sin or failing to follow God's law will result in punishment. While there is no biblical clarification of who wrote the book of Judges, multiple sources suggest that Samuel was the author. Many come to this conclusion because of the use of the phrase “in those days there was no king in Israel” (Judges 17:6; 18:1; 19:1; 21:25) this indicates the book's composition happened during a time when Israel had a king. While this does not solidify the author's identity, there are verses throughout Judges that provide contextual clues alluding to Samuel being the author of the book. For the sake of brevity, one can conclude Samuel was the author.

Because the judges were corrupt, and because everyone else had a king, Israel asked for one too. They were rushing God’s timing, by asking for a king “like all the other nations have” (1 Samuel 8:5 NLT). They wanted someone they could see to fight their battles for them. They, in a sense, rejected God as their king. This attitude indicates that the people were looking at the other nations and at those rulers’ outward characteristics. So, when the people demanded a king for the second time, God gave them what they demanded.

Arnold and Beyer (2015) put it best when they described the type of prophet and leader Samuel was to the people of Israel, "This man of God served the people faithfully and honestly, seeking only God's best for them" (p.171). Samuel was dedicated to serve His Lord and was a positive spiritual influence in helping Israel during the time of great sin and immorality that had plagued them for so long. Even prior to Samuel's conception, he was destined to be a true follower and was dedicated to the Lord's service:

During the times of Samuel, he was a young man who was recognized as an uprising prophet throughout Israel, sharing God’s word amongst the nation. During this time, there was a vicious battle among the Israelites and the philistines though the battle the Israelites lost the Ark of the Covenant to the philistines. After the battle the Israelites are looking to select a great king to represent the Israelites and Samuel believe that’s Saul will be the king and bring a bright future. During this stressful time the Israelites are in need of a leader due to the battle against the Philistines, although Saul was rejected, David showed he was a superior king than Saul and the sin of Solomon.

Desiring to be like other kingdoms in the area, the Israelites ask for a king. They were warned what a king would mean to them, yet they still wanted one. Saul was anointed the first King of Israel. Saul did well at first, but started to make mistakes for which he did not repent for; his actions and disobedience, namely consulting a medium, lead God to choose another to be king. Saul was no longer blessed. He slowly went mad by the taunting of an evil spirit and ultimately committed suicide.

God told Samuel to locate the right person to be Israel’s first king. Well, he looked at a lot of people; God guiding him all the time. And finally he selected Saul. Saul was just a boy, but he was a tall, striking and modest young man.

In The Bible there are multiple ideal societies which are presented, each denoted by the God's approval of that society and its leader. One of these societies is that portrayed in the story of Saul. In this story Samuel, a prophet of God, is given the task of revealing Saul, the ruler who is specified