Judges and Kings

Does someone need to be in charge?

Background

Moses didn’t make it back to the land of Israel. He died on Mount Nebo overlooking the land that (he believed) God had promised him. Leadership was then taken up by Moses’ assistant Joshua, who led the Israelites in their conquest of the land. After they had taken over the land, Joshua divided it up amongst the tribes. Each tribe was allotted a specific area.

That area was then divided amongst the families in that tribe. People were allowed to sell their land and buy more land but every 49th year (called a Jubilee year) the land was returned to the original family.

Judges not Kings

The Israelites weren’t led by Kings like other tribes. Instead they were led by judges. A judge was a kind of leader. They weren’t voted in, and they weren’t hereditary (like Kings/Queens). They just put themselves forward when the Israelites needed them. If the Israelites didn’t like what they were doing then they would reject them. The book of Judges tells the story of twelve judges in all. With the most important judges the story follows a similar pattern:

First the people of Israel break the laws of their God.
Then they suffer at the hands of their enemies and cry out to their God
Then God provides them with a leader (a judge) who defeats the enemy.

Perhaps the most famous of these judges was Samson, who was apparently so strong that he defeated an entire army of the Philistines (a group of people who arrived on the coast of Israel) with only the jawbone of a donkey. The story tells of how he was betrayed by his girlfriend, Delilah, who told the Philistines that he would lose his power if his hair was cut.

Samuel

The last judge was a man called Samuel. During his leadership, Israel was repeatedly attacked by the Philistines. At one point, they even stole the Ark of the Covenant, which must have been very unsettling for the Israelites.

Samuel tried to appoint his sons to lead after him, but his sons were badly behaved. Eventually, the people demanded that Samuel give them a king. Samuel did not like the idea of Kingship however, thinking that it gave one person too much power and would result in the people losing their freedom.

Israel Asks for a King

8 When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders.[a] 2 The name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second was Abijah, and they served at Beersheba. 3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead[b] us, such as all the other nations have.”

6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord. 7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you. 9 Now listen to them; but warn them solemnly and let them know what the king who will reign over them will claim as his rights.”

10 Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. 11 He said, “This is what the king who will reign over you will claim as his rights: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots. 12 Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. 14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants. 15 He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants. 16 Your male and female servants and the best of your cattle[c] and donkeys he will take for his own use. 17 He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. 18 When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day.”

19 But the people refused to listen to Samuel. “No!” they said. “We want a king over us. 20 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.”

21 When Samuel heard all that the people said, he repeated it before the Lord. 22 The Lord answered, “Listen to them and give them a king.”

—the book of Samuel, chapter 8

Samuel proved right?

In the end, Samuel anointed Saul as King - but he became paranoid and mad. The second King that Samuel made was David. David, as a shepherd boy, famously killed Goliath, the enormous champion of the philistines. (In ancient times, instead of having wars fought between armies, each army would sometimes agree to be represented by a champion.) David was a good king to begin with. But later on he had a man killed because he liked his wife (Bathsheba).

Tasks

Why did the Israelites want a King?
What were Samuel's objections to their argument?
Which form of government do you think is best? The system of Judges, Kingship, or our system that we have now? Explain your answer.

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