Civil Government (7) - Kings

The people of Israel became dissatisfied with just having judge/leaders. The judge/leader was supposed to be a temporary solution. When the people went back to serving God, the judge/leader would no longer be needed. The problem was that the people did not want to serve God.

But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt than those of their fathers, following other gods and serving and worshiping them. They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn ways (Jud 2:19).

The natural inclination of Israel was towards corruption and following other Gods. They refused to give up evil and their stubborn ways, so temporary judges did not work for them. Israel had lost God’s protection so frequently, that they wanted permanent military protection. So they asked for a king like the nations around them.

We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles (1 Sam 8:19,20).

The king was not a totally new role, but a permanent form of a the Judge/Leader military commander. Israel wanted a king, so they could live in permanent disobedience to God without threat of invasion, but a permanent military leader not a godly solution.

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