Hi Friend,

It is nearly impossible to comprehend that a nation of a few million people could exist without a leader.  Yet there was a time when ancient Israel had no king, no standing army, or even a system of governance that most of the world would recognize.  But Israel did very well. In fact, there was great prosperity. A man can produce a lot if he is not overburdened with taxes and bureaucratic regulations.

But wealth and prosperity create a new set of problems. Whenever one man gains possessions another will covet. Surrounding city-states led by terrorists were filled with jealousy over Israel’s booming economy. There was no army to defend the wealth because Israel had no military leader. The citizens of Israel were well aware of their vulnerability so they were understandably nervous.

All this does not mean there were no laws.  There was a developed system of good laws, statutes, and judgments that was well known throughout the entire nation.  In fact, there were judges to whom people could turn for adjudication. Punishment was clear and swift.  A man who caused the death of another had 24 hours to leave for a city of refuge before the victim’s family could take revenge. Prisons did not exist, thankfully.

There were several levels of punishment. Capital punishment was imposed for serious crimes. Theft required a man either to reimburse his victim, plus an additional sum for the trouble he caused, or become the slave of another man who paid for his crime. For more serious offenses a man would have to relocate to a city of refuge. That meant leaving his land, all his possessions and moving to another city where he had to start over again from scratch, probably as an indentured servant.

Without any man holding office as King, President, Prime Minister, Chairman of the Board, or even Congressman they had a centralized system of values—and laws that were deeply rooted in morals.

Maybe the largest irony is that the citizens were expected to enforce the laws.  Not much is said of a police force, but we know that if a man murdered his neighbor, the victim’s family was free to exact revenge if the accused did not travel to the city of refuge to appear before the judge. It was a true citizen’s army and it worked well as long as every man participated, and every man recognized that freedom depended on his involvement.

It was a centralization of values and it may have been the freest nation the world has ever known.

Despite all this Israel demanded a king. So God told the Prophet Samuel to warn them what would happen—,”Here’s what the king who rules over you will do.” Samuel told them. “He will take your sons. He’ll make them serve with his chariots and horses. They will run in front of his chariots.  He’ll choose some of your sons to be commanders of thousands of men. Some will be commanders of fifties. Others will have to plow his fields and gather his crops. Still others will have to make weapons of war and parts for his chariots.” (1 Samuel 8:11-12 NIrV)

Notice that God is saying the king will have them do all these things for him.  He will take people away from THEIR work and make them do HIS work.

“He’ll also take your daughters. Some will have to make perfume. Others will be forced to cook and bake.  He will take away your best fields and vineyards and olive groves. He’ll give them to his attendants.” (verse 13)

The question logically comes to mind, “How does the king expect to pay for all this work?”  To gain this kind of loyalty the king must give something to his servants.  Since power is the only thing a king has, he must use it to take the BEST property of the farmer or the landowner, or the businessman and then the king will give the other man’s land to those who do his bidding.

“He will take a tenth of your grain and a tenth of your grapes. He’ll give it to his officials and attendants. He will also take your male and female servants. He’ll take your best cattle and donkeys. He’ll use all of them any way he wants to. He will take a tenth of your sheep…” (verse 16)

These are the words of God that the Prophet Samuel was instructed to pass on to the citizens of Israel to warn them of the consequences of depending on government by man for security.

Okay, so the king takes the BEST of what the citizens have and uses what he wants and gives the rest to his supporters. Now, here is the worst part!  What is the result of all that the king does?

“You yourselves will become his slaves.”   (verse 17)

What a tragic situation!  The freest men who had ever lived demanded a king to make them more secure and their own king turned them into slaves!

Consider for a moment that a relatively few short years prior to this time God performed the most dramatic series of miracles mankind had ever witnessed for the purpose of bringing His people to FREEDOM. Now they demand to go back into slavery!

In verse 18 Samuel reflects God’s exasperation by saying “When that time comes, you will cry out for help because of the king you have chosen. But the LORD won’t answer you at that time.”

There was a parallel at the end of WWII.  The world was stunned to watch the conference at Yalta when Franklin Roosevelt, who had by this time lost full use of his mind, disregard the advice of Winston Churchill and give Eastern Europe to the tyrant Joseph Stalin.  Churchill, who had fought Hitler because he had invaded Poland and Eastern Europe, watched in dismay as Roosevelt gave that territory to the Communists. He had fought valiantly to rescue Europe from one tyrant only to see FDR give the spoils to another.

Near the end of his life Churchill was captured in a photograph sitting alone near a small lake looking dejected and forlorn. A friend approached him and asked, “Why are you so discouraged? In your life you have accomplished so much.”  Churchill replied, “I have accomplished so much to have gained nothing.”

Citizens of the USA may be the modern-day Israel that stands on the brink of demanding to be slaves.  If so, it is Christians who have given up the firm belief that it is our God who is the God of Freedom—and He led believers out of slavery in foreign countries to become the bulwark of freedom as a witness to the world.  We gained this blessing with the blood of those who have gone before us. And they did so because “he died to make men holy.  Let us live to make men free.”

Until next time,

Jim O’Brien