The problem with Israel’s request for a king here in 1 Samuel 8 is not that kingship itself was outside of God’s plan for his people. God had promised long ago that he would give them a line of kings (Genesis 17:6). The problem was not so much what they wanted but their reasons for wanting it. Often, we can pursue things that are not wrong in themselves, indeed things that God wants us to have, but pursue them for the wrong reasons or put certain stock in them that makes the pursuit of them harmful. This can apply for example to the pursuit of a partner, a career, or a property. The people of Israel wanted a king expressly so that they could be like the other nations around them. Specifically, the Israelites would have wanted a king for reasons of security and prosperity, and even to give them a sense of identity. This is why people groups in the ancient world submitted themselves to monarchs because of a need for security and the opportunity to prosper in peace. Israel was seeking, in a king, the very role that God had promised to fill for his people. This was the key problem. We go wrong when we look to other things or people to fill a role in our lives that God wants to fill. When we look to other things or other people to give us a sense of security and identity, as Israel did here in her desire for a king, then we fall into idolatry in the truest sense.
What are you pursuing and why? Ask God to search your heart in this matter.
Read 1 Samuel 8
