1 Samuel Chapter 8
Israel Demands a King
A. The People of Israel Request a King
1. (1 Samuel 8:1–3) Samuel Appoints His Sons as Judges.
Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.
When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as judges over Israel. The name of the firstborn was Joel, and the name of the second was Abijah, and they were positioned in Beersheba. Though Samuel was a faithful prophet and leader, his decision to appoint his sons appears to have been a deviation from God’s established order. Nowhere in Scripture do we find an example of judges being appointed by human authority or of that role being hereditary. Each judge had been directly raised up by God for a specific time and purpose. Samuel’s action may have stemmed from good intentions, desiring continuity and stability, yet it reflected human reasoning rather than divine direction.
The text says, “His sons did not walk in his ways.” This marks a spiritual tragedy. Despite Samuel’s faithfulness, his sons were corrupt, seeking dishonest gain, taking bribes, and perverting justice. Their conduct mirrored the sins of Eli’s sons, whom Samuel had witnessed in his youth. It is possible that Samuel, blinded by love and loyalty to his family, failed to discern or confront their corruption early enough. This teaches a vital lesson in leadership and family life: no one, regardless of spiritual stature, is immune to the danger of compromise when objectivity is lost. Even godly parents can have ungodly children, for each soul must personally respond to God’s call.
2. (1 Samuel 8:4–5) Samuel’s Sons Are Rejected as Leaders over Israel.
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, “Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
The elders of Israel gathered at Ramah, recognizing the moral failure of Samuel’s sons. In this, they showed wisdom. They were under no obligation to submit to leaders who were evidently corrupt. God’s people are not bound to follow those who violate His commands or act unjustly. However, their solution to the problem was tragically misplaced. They said, “Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”
The request for a king was not inherently wrong. In Deuteronomy 17:14–20, God had already given specific laws regarding the appointment and conduct of a future king: “When thou art come unto the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee, and shalt possess it, and shalt dwell therein, and shalt say, I will set a king over me, like as all the nations that are about me; thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee... Only he shall not multiply horses to himself, nor cause the people to return to Egypt... neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.” God foresaw that Israel would one day desire a king, but He also gave strict conditions for that king to rule under divine authority and humility.
The problem lay not in the institution of monarchy itself but in the motive. They wanted a king “like all the nations.” This desire represented a rejection of their unique identity as God’s covenant people. Instead of being satisfied with God as their King, they sought to imitate the pagan nations around them. Israel had been called to be distinct: “Ye shall be holy unto me: for I the LORD am holy, and have severed you from other people, that ye should be mine” (Leviticus 20:26). By demanding to be like the nations, they were rejecting the very distinctiveness that God had given them.
This same principle applies to the church today. Believers are not called to blend in with the world but to stand apart from it. As Romans 12:1–2 commands, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”
The elders’ request revealed a heart of spiritual compromise. Rather than desiring a ruler chosen by God, they wanted one that conformed to worldly expectations.
Furthermore, Samuel understood the distinction between a judge and a king. A judge was raised up by God in times of crisis, serving temporarily under divine appointment. When the need ended, the judge returned to ordinary life. A king, on the other hand, established a permanent form of government, complete with a dynasty and bureaucracy. This structure could bring stability, but it also carried the danger of corruption, taxation, and oppression. God Himself warned against these very dangers later in this chapter.
When Gideon was offered the kingship in Judges 8:22–23, he wisely refused, saying, “I will not rule over you, neither shall my son rule over you: the LORD shall rule over you.” That had been the heart of Israel’s leadership under the judges. For nearly 400 years they lived in the Promised Land without a king, ruled directly by God through His chosen servants. Now, they were turning from that divine arrangement to seek human authority.
3. (1 Samuel 8:6–8) Samuel Prays About Their Request and God Answers.
But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” So Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.”
Samuel’s response reveals the heart of a faithful servant of God. When the people demanded a king, “the thing displeased Samuel.” He was not merely hurt because they rejected his leadership or his sons’ authority, but because he discerned the deeper spiritual corruption driving their demand. Samuel saw beyond the political language and recognized that Israel’s request was rooted in unbelief. They no longer trusted in God’s leadership; they wanted the security and image of worldly power.
Instead of retaliating or growing bitter, “Samuel prayed unto the LORD.” This was the correct response of a godly man. When we are wounded by others’ rejection, the first and best action is to take the matter to God in prayer. As Psalm 55:22 says, “Cast thy burden upon the LORD, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved.” Many believers fail here, choosing to complain or retaliate instead of seeking the Lord’s counsel. As F.B. Meyer once wrote, “Surely it is the mistake of our life that we carry our burdens instead of handing them over; that we worry instead of trusting; that we pray so little.” Samuel models true spiritual leadership by praying rather than arguing.
God’s response was both profound and sobering: “Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.” God told Samuel to grant their request, not because it was good, but because Israel would learn through their error. This reveals a divine principle: when men insist on walking according to their own will, God sometimes allows them to have their way in order to teach them through the consequences. As Psalm 106:15 declares, “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.”
This moment in Israel’s history was not merely about government—it was a spiritual rebellion. The Lord said, “They have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.” Israel wanted a king they could see, a man who would lead their armies, rather than trusting in the invisible sovereignty of God. By seeking a human king, they declared that God’s rule was insufficient. The Lord reminded Samuel that this pattern of rebellion had marked Israel since the Exodus: “According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day—with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods—so they are doing to you also.”
The rejection of divine authority had always been the root of Israel’s troubles. Despite witnessing countless miracles and deliverances—from Egypt, through the wilderness, and into Canaan—they continually turned to idols and human solutions. This reveals the deceitfulness of the human heart, which prefers visible control over invisible faith.
In His words, God also comforts Samuel: “They have not rejected you.” When a faithful servant of God experiences rejection, it is often not a personal attack but a reflection of people’s resistance to God Himself. Jesus experienced the same reality when He said, “He that heareth you heareth me; and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth him that sent me” (Luke 10:16).
This rejection was not only historical but prophetic. When the elders of Israel demanded a king, it foreshadowed the ultimate rejection of the Messiah. At the trial of Jesus, the Jewish leaders cried out, “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15). Just as they rejected God’s reign in Samuel’s day, they rejected God’s Son in the days of Christ. Humanity’s natural tendency is to reject divine authority in favor of human control, but such rejection always leads to bondage rather than freedom.
Israel’s request for a king demonstrated that they believed better governance would solve their problems, when in truth, only obedience to their heavenly King could bring peace and prosperity. As Jeremiah 2:13 laments, “For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water.”
4. (1 Samuel 8:9) God Tells Samuel to Warn the Nation.
“Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them.”
Although God consented to Israel’s demand, He commanded Samuel to “solemnly forewarn them.” God would grant their request, but not without first revealing the cost. Divine warnings are expressions of mercy; they give people the chance to understand the consequences of their decisions before they must live with them. Israel was about to trade the direct rule of God for the human rule of a king, and God wanted them to know exactly what that entailed.
To “forewarn them” means to hold them accountable. Knowledge creates responsibility. Once Israel heard Samuel’s warning, they could no longer claim ignorance. They would be fully responsible for choosing the path that led to their eventual oppression under Saul. In this way, God’s justice remained clear—He never punishes without first revealing the truth.
This principle remains true today. When God’s Word warns of sin and judgment, it is not to restrict human freedom but to protect from destruction. Proverbs 14:12 declares, “There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” God’s warnings are evidence of His love and patience, not His severity.
In the next section, Samuel will deliver this solemn warning in full, describing the burdens and demands that will come with human monarchy. Yet even as he warns them, Israel’s heart remains set on rejecting divine rule.
B. Samuel Speaks to the People of Israel About Their Desire for a King
1. (1 Samuel 8:10–18) Samuel Warns the Nation of the Responsibilities of Having a King.
So Samuel told all the words of the LORD to the people who asked him for a king. And he said, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you: He will take your sons and appoint them for his own chariots and to be his horsemen, and some will run before his chariots. He will appoint captains over his thousands and captains over his fifties, will set some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and some to make his weapons of war and equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers. And he will take the best of your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, and give them to his servants. He will take a tenth of your grain and your vintage, and give it to his officers and servants. And he will take your male servants, your female servants, your finest young men, and your donkeys, and put them to his work. He will take a tenth of your sheep. And you will be his servants. And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.”
Samuel, as a faithful prophet of God, delivered “all the words of the LORD” to the people, withholding nothing from them. This demonstrates the courage and integrity of a true messenger of God—he was willing to tell the people what they did not want to hear. Samuel’s warning was not based on personal resentment or pride, but on divine revelation. God gave him the words to expose the practical and spiritual consequences of Israel’s demand for a human king.
The prophet begins with the solemn phrase, “This will be the behavior of the king who will reign over you.” God wanted Israel to understand that kingship would not be what they imagined. They thought a king would unite them, strengthen their army, and make them powerful among the nations, but they were blind to the cost of such leadership. Earthly kings come with burdens, not blessings. God, through Samuel, declared the reality of monarchy: repeated taxation, forced labor, conscription, and confiscation of property.
The repeated phrase, “He will take…” appears six times, driving home the warning that this future king will be a taker, not a giver. God is righteous and generous, but human rulers—corrupted by power—tend to serve themselves. The message is unmistakable: kings come to be served, not to serve. This is the nature of fallen human authority.
Israel’s sons, who once fought as volunteers in the armies of the Lord, would now be pressed into the service of a human monarch. They would run before his chariots as heralds or bodyguards, risking their lives for his glory rather than for the Lord’s cause. Others would become conscripted laborers, working to cultivate the king’s land or craft his weapons. Their daughters, too, would be taken to serve in royal kitchens and perfume houses, serving the luxuries of the court rather than their own families.
The king would not stop with people; he would seize their “best fields, vineyards, and olive groves.” Private ownership and freedom would give way to royal control and taxation. Israel had entered the Promised Land under the covenant that “every man shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree” (Micah 4:4), but under a human king, that promise would be diminished. God’s warning shows how man’s desire for worldly structure often leads to bondage.
Furthermore, the king would take “a tenth of your grain and your vintage.” This tithe is significant because Israel already owed a tenth to God under the Mosaic Law. Now, the people would give a tenth to God and another tenth to the king, effectively doubling their obligations. When men reject God’s kingship, they do not escape servitude—they only change masters.
Samuel’s words climax in the sobering statement: “And you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, and the LORD will not hear you in that day.” This is divine irony. Israel demanded a king of their own choosing, and God declared that when they suffer under that choice, He would not intervene. Their future suffering would be the fruit of their rebellion.
This was not an arbitrary punishment, but a lesson in moral responsibility. God allows men to have what they demand, but He also allows them to experience the consequences. As Psalm 106:15 records, “And he gave them their request; but sent leanness into their soul.” By asking for a king like the nations, Israel was rejecting the spiritual distinctiveness that set them apart.
The contrast between human kingship and divine kingship could not be more striking. Earthly kings take, but the heavenly King gives. As Matthew 20:28 says, “Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.” Jesus Christ, the true King of Israel, reverses the worldly pattern of power. Where men rule by taking, Christ reigns by giving. He took upon Himself the form of a servant and humbled Himself unto death, even the death of the cross (Philippians 2:7–8).
Israel’s demand for a king exposes a universal truth: when people reject God’s rule, they always fall under the tyranny of man. Freedom is not found in independence from God but in submission to Him. As John 8:36 declares, “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.”
Samuel’s warning is both political and prophetic. It applies not only to ancient Israel but to all societies that trade divine authority for human systems. Whenever a nation turns from God and exalts man’s rule, oppression and loss of freedom follow. The lesson remains: rejecting God as King leads to bondage under human kings.
2. (1 Samuel 8:19–22) Israel Demands a King Despite God’s Warning.
Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the LORD. So the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed their voice, and make them a king.” And Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Every man go to his city.”
Even after the clear and solemn warning Samuel delivered from God, “the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel.” Their response reveals a hard-hearted rebellion that is tragically common in human nature. When men set their hearts on something contrary to God’s will, they will persist even when confronted with truth and reason. The Israelites did not merely ignore Samuel; they defiantly rejected divine counsel, saying, “No, but we will have a king over us.” Their determination was a direct act of disobedience, echoing the stubbornness seen throughout Israel’s history.
God’s prophet had spoken the Word of the Lord, yet the people would not hear. As Proverbs 29:1 warns, “He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Their hearts were already hardened by unbelief, and their desire for a king was rooted not in faith, but in envy and fear.
They justified their demand with the words, “that we also may be like all the nations.” This statement strikes at the very purpose for which God called Israel. The Lord had chosen them to be distinct, holy, and set apart from all other peoples. As Exodus 19:5–6 declares, “Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.” Yet, instead of embracing their divine calling, Israel desired conformity with the heathen nations around them. They no longer wanted to be a unique, priestly people ruled directly by God; they wanted to blend in with the world.
This same temptation persists today. The church of Jesus Christ is called to be “a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (1 Peter 2:9), yet many believers and congregations long to imitate the world’s systems, entertainment, and values. Just as Israel’s desire for a king stemmed from discontent with God’s rule, so too modern believers risk rejecting Christ’s authority when they seek acceptance from the world.
The people further justified their rebellion by saying, “that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles.” This statement was both faithless and forgetful. In the previous chapter, God Himself had just fought for them against the Philistines, thundering from heaven and granting Israel victory (1 Samuel 7:10–12). The Lord had proven that He was fully capable of leading and protecting His people. Their demand for a human king exposed not a military deficiency but a spiritual one. They did not trust in the invisible power of God; they wanted the visible form of a man leading their armies, wearing armor, and carrying a sword.
This craving for an earthly figure to “fight our battles” reveals the same carnal mindset that later caused Israel to reject Christ. When Jesus came as the true King, meek and lowly, the nation expected a warrior who would overthrow Rome. They could not accept a spiritual kingdom ruled by righteousness, so they cried out, “We have no king but Caesar” (John 19:15). Just as they once desired a man like Saul to rule over them, centuries later they would again reject God’s King in favor of worldly power.
Samuel faithfully carried their words “in the hearing of the LORD.” This shows his continued obedience and humility, even in disappointment. He interceded on behalf of a rebellious nation, as Moses once did. Samuel did not argue further or try to manipulate the outcome; he simply brought their request before God.
God’s reply is both just and ironic: “Heed their voice, and make them a king.” Though their desire was sinful, God permitted it, turning their rebellion into a lesson. There is a difference between God’s perfect will and His permissive will. God’s perfect will was that Israel recognize Him as their King, living under His covenant and guidance. His permissive will allowed them to have what they demanded so that they might learn through experience the consequences of rejecting Him.
God would give them “their king”—Saul, a man who outwardly looked like a king but inwardly lacked the heart to obey God. Later, after Saul’s failure, God would provide “His king”—David, a man after His own heart. The contrast between these two men demonstrates God’s sovereignty: He allowed Israel to have the king they wanted so that, in time, they would learn to desire the king He wanted for them.
If Israel had trusted the Lord’s timing, David might well have been the first king. In Deuteronomy 17:14–20, God had already laid out the laws concerning kingship, showing that monarchy itself was part of His plan—but only under His conditions and in His timing. The tragedy of 1 Samuel 8 is that Israel wanted the right thing in the wrong way. They wanted a king now, on their own terms, rather than waiting for God’s appointed man.
The closing words, “Every man go to his city,” signify that the matter was settled. The people had made their choice, and God would soon fulfill it. Yet it would be a costly lesson. Israel would learn that when you demand something outside of God’s will, you may receive it—but with sorrow attached.
This passage serves as a timeless warning: rejecting God’s rule leads to disappointment and bondage. When man insists on his own way, God may allow it, but never without consequence. True peace and blessing come only from submission to God’s kingship through Christ, “the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords” (1 Timothy 6:15).
