So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. They said to him, “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.”
1 Samuel 8:4-5
After the Israelites came out of Egypt, they conquered the land of Canaan and settled it. Then the era of the judges began. The people would be prosperous and turn from God, which would lead to ruin (invading armies). As a result, they turned back to God. God sent a judge to rescue them. Prosperity returned. And thus the cycle repeated itself.
The prophet Samuel was the last judge. As he grew old, the elders of the people decided it was time for a change. They didn’t want the destructive cycle continuing anymore. Their solution: establish a monarchy. The problem was that this contradicted the idea of God as their king. Interestingly, God granted their request and gave them the king they were asking for, a man named Saul.
While Saul started out pretty good, winning various battles, he became less concerned about the Lord. His kingdom was not a strong one. He fit what the people were asking for, even if he wasn’t good for them.
As the United States nears a presidential election, that story has been in my mind. It feels like both candidates for the major parties are like Saul. They may not be good for the country, but they’re what we’ve been asking for. We have the candidates we deserve.
I pray my nation and world will wake up before it is too late. No matter what happens, the Lord is the true King of the universe.