Anonymous writes "Israel had given many reasons for their kingly desires. They wanted someone to go out ahead of their armies, Samuel’s sons were corrupt, even a desire for stability in leadership. Samuel, however, knows the truth. Despite generations of God raising up men and a woman to lead the nation to victory in times of trouble, Israel was tired of waiting on God’s timing and thought they could make their own. The immanent crisis that moved the nation to calling for a king was the rise of Nahash the Ammonite. He is the villain of the previous chapter, but here it is revealed that his obvious designs upon Israel were the proximate cause for the call to a king. God was not raising up a judge quickly enough and Samuel was obviously to old to lead the battle, so the people decided to supplant God. The couched it in pious terms, asking God to appoint for them a king rather than appointing one themselves. They came to God’s judge, Samuel to do the appointing, but it was still an attempt to wrest control of their national destiny from God. A judge leads through the current crisis then sits back and handles internal disputes. A king retains his title, keeps working for the nation to expand it, and provides for a clear succession upon the death of the current king. A succession is which they would know who the next king was to be regardless of whether they continued to follow God as a nation. How much of our own desires from God are attempts to wrest control of our lives out of His hands and put it into ours?
Without Wax,
"
