Another question that naturally arises from this chapter is the matter of why the Lord agrees to the demand of the people when their demands were sinful and wicked? Why does God tell Samuel to obey their voice in 1 Samuel 8:9 and then again in 1 Samuel 8:22? Nowhere in Scripture are we given an explicit answer, but I think the Lord wanted Israel to realize their folly so that they will long for a different kind of king. He gives them what they want so that they might come to long for what is better; that they might come to realize that God’s ways are better than their ways; that they might come to trust him no matter what.

As evidence, notice how Samuel warns the people of what will happen if they are given the kind of king that they want. An impressive king like the nations, a king who walks by sight and not by faith, is a king that will take. He will take sons. He will take daughters. He will take fields and vineyards, grain and servants. Nothing is off limits to him, and he will not lead into freedom. Comfort and security will not come from this king. Instead of blessing there will be slavery. Because he has no concern for God’s ways, he will lead the people into disobedience and that disobedience will be met with covenant curses (see Deuteronomy 28:1–68). If your confidence is in idols, in an earthly king, then do not be surprised when they eventually let you down.

In giving the people the king they want, the Lord is not giving them over to judgment like we see in Romans 1:18–32. His aim is not to harden them in their rebellion but to discipline them. The hardships to come must teach them that a king who looks good in the eyes of the world is not a king who will give lasting rest. If you want peace and security, then you need to be united to a king who fears the Lord. You need a king after God’s own heart. The kind of king envisioned in Deuteronomy 17:1–20. A king who meditates on God’s law day and night. A king who walks by faith and not by sight.

That is the desire that God sought to create in the hearts of his people, and it is a desire which will manifest itself in the reign of Saul. When the people suffer under his wars and leadership, there will be a longing for a godly king. Also in the reigns of Solomon, Rehoboam, Joash, Hezekiah—all the kings of Israel, all the kings of Judah—they were generally kings who took, kings who led into slavery. Some of them more so than others and we know that David is held up as an example of godliness, but he was also a taker. He took Uriah’s life and he took Uriah’s wife (see 2 Samuel 11:1–27). None of the kings were perfectly obedient. There was no one who walked by faith in every aspect of their lives. They were all sinners and they fell short of what God’s law demanded. 

And so we find in the prophets a longing for the day when God’s true king would arrive. The king who would bring about the great reversal that Hannah envisaged (1 Samuel 2:9–10). The king who would rule with perfect justice and righteousness (Isaiah 9:6–7). The Branch of Jesse who would bring true security and salvation, with a return to Eden and life in God’s presence (Isaiah 11:1–9). The king who would come not to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45). The king who never turned aside from anyone of God’s commandments but obeyed them all fully (Luke 23:41). The king who humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death (Philippians 2:8). The priestly king who was crushed for our iniquities and pierced for our transgressions (Isaiah 53:4–6). The king who would be called Jesus Christ of Nazareth. He who was raised from the dead and is now seated at the Father’s right hand.

In his wisdom the Lord gave his people what they wanted so that their idols might be exposed, so that they might realize their foolishness and long for the Messiah. The hardship, pain, and suffering that came as a result of ungodly leaders, was necessary for them to confess their sins and acknowledge that God’s ways are better than their ways. And so we see, that like any good Father, the Lord will sometimes give us what we want in order to show us the error of our ways. If we think that money will bring us security, he may very well allow us to accumulate many riches only to lose it all. If we think that sex will make us happy, there may be many different partners but it will be followed by an aching loneliness and guilt. Harsh words spoken in anger might feel good at the time, but they will rupture relationships. Lies may serve to temporarily keep us out of trouble, but they will catch us in the end.

By allowing us to make sinful choices the Lord is by no means approving of or responsible for our decisions. He is not the author of sin and it is most definitely not his will for us to ignore his commandments. But in his sovereignty and wisdom, he may give us what our sinful hearts desire in order to bring us to our senses and ultimately grow our trust in him and his Word. The prodigal son longed for his father’s house when he suffered the consequences of his foolishness. This does not mean that foolishness is the path to godliness. The apostle Paul, writing in 1 Corinthians 10:1–33 reminds us that Israel’s history has been recorded for us so that they might serve as an example to keep us from setting our hearts on evil things as they did. It serves as an example to stop us from looking for comfort in the things of this world by showing us the outcome of such thinking.

It is true that we live in a cursed and broken world. It is true that our hearts are set on finding comfort in the things we can see, and that it is hard to trust the Lord when he is invisible. But he has promised us that we will see him when he returns in glory and that he will gather us to live with him in the new creation. Whilst sin remains, there will never be a heaven on earth. No political party, no religious leader, no man can change the nature of our hearts or remove all hardship from this life. The biggest house, the best job, nor the best relationship will ever satisfy or give lasting security. Therefore, let us, as those who belong to Christ, set our minds on the things above and not on earthly things (Colossians 3:2). And let us commit to walking in God’s ways, trusting the Lord to provide what we need in his time, being certain of the fact that he is working all things for our good (Romans 8:28–30). He who did not spare his Son will most certainly see to our needs; we can trust him to care for us. We can trust him to know what is best.