Tens and Hundreds (5) - Destroyed by Kings

1 Samuel 8 is a really important passage. God’s ideal government of judges and law came to an end, and was replaced with kingship, a model of government copied from the surrounding nations. This was a shocking change, as kingship is derived from Satan’s method of government.

Samuel warned of another effect, which is not well understood.

This is what the king who will reign over you will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers (1 Sam 8 11,13).

The king will take young people to serve in his army and palace. For a critical period during their growth to maturity, when they would normally be developing into a role in their Ten and Hundred, the young person will be taken out for a period of service to the king. Loyalty to the King will replace loyalty to their Ten and Hundred. They will lose respect for leaders of their Ten and may never be fully grafted back in. Their relationships with other young people in the king’s service will grow stronger than their relationship with leaders of their Ten and Hundred. Taking young people out of their local communities during their formative years undermines the structure of society.

This full series can be found at Tens and Hundreds.