Israelites attempt to recapture land back from Philistines in 1 Sam. 4:1-5

1 And the word of Samuel came to all Israel. Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and pitched beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines pitched in Aphek.

2 And the Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.

3 ¶ And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel said, Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to day before the Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of Shiloh unto us, that, when it cometh among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.

4 So the people sent to Shiloh, that they might bring from thence the ark of the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which dwelleth between the cherubims: and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark of the covenant of God. (1 Sam. 4:1-5)

Just some background on this—In the chapter before this, Samuel has his first encounter with God, and is told that the Lord will punish Eli the priest because he didn’t restrain his sons and the Lord will do something in Israel that makes everyone’s ears tingle.

Now, in the situation of these verses, it is possible the Israelites were attempting to reconquer the land or finish the job Joshua started. Some of the things they do echo Joshua’s campaign against Jericho—calling for the ark of the covenant to go with the army. Later verses say they also shout, which reminds me of the shout that had once leveled the walls of Jericho.

However, if this was the case, these Israelites did not go spiritually purified and prepared like Joshua’s army had. Joshua’s army purified themselves, circumcised those not yet circumcised (which was a sign of entering the covenant), and celebrated Passover. Further, they got their battle plan from the prophet, who got it from God.

These Israelites all knew Samuel was to be a prophet, but they didn’t consult him. Maybe they got Eli’s blessing and thought that was enough. I get the impressing that with Eli and the corruption of his sons, there was not much chance they would have been prepared in the first place.

This campaign ultimately fails, and they lose the ark for a time. The failed campaign underlines to them the uselessness of trusting in religious objects to save them, so in 1 Samuel 7, once they are suitably chastened, we see Samuel persuading the people to put away their idols and to prepare to serve God only. The people fast and confess their sins, they ask Samuel to pray for them continuously, and Samuel offers sacrifice…and then the Lord helps the Israelites win against the Philistines.

This becomes another religious tradition of battle to have the prophet offer sacrifice and pray for the people, and sadly this becomes misunderstood by King Saul, who becomes so anxious for the pre-battle sacrifice that he offers it himself, usurping authority because Samuel is not present “in time.”

Hopefully we can learn from this that it isn’t just the religious ritual that is efficacious, but the practice paired with sincere repentance and purity. Without the broken heart and contrite spirit, without the consistent obedience to the commandments, religious ritual is empty, even if done the right way with proper authority.

If we rouse ourselves to fight any kind of obstacle, make sure to repent and seek sanctification first and be anxious to keep the commandments.

Saul visits the medium in 1 Sam 28

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The story of Saul visiting the woman with the familiar spirit in 1 Sam 28 is a tragic one, but I recently had some insight into it that revealed to me a deeper message of hope that we can get from it.  I hope you will stick with me as we go through this story.

3 ¶Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land.

4 And the Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and pitched in Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they pitched in Gilboa.

5 And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid, and his heart greatly trembled. (1 Sam. 28:3-5)

The text wants us to have clear in our minds that the prophet Samuel has been dead and that Saul had already put away mediums and wizards out of the land.   I think we are also to remember that the Lord had commanded the people not to ever use those methods.

So the Philistines gather together against Israel and Saul gathers Israel’s armies and he is absolutely terrified.  He has no idea what to do.   Somehow he has no problem chasing after innocent people and slaughtering innocent priests and conducting manhunts, but real enemies make him shake in his boots.  (This shows us that the result of following wickedness and injustice is that a person loses the ability to face the real threats and carry out real responsibilities bravely.)

And when Saul inquired of the Lord, the Lord answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Urim, nor by prophets. (v6)

This is not a new condition; Saul got the divine silence back in 1 Sam. 14:37 and it doesn’t seem like he inquires since. 

So what does Saul do?  He decides he will try to force revelation by getting someone who has familiar spirits to call up Samuel the prophet.  Everyone should know that trying to force revelation is always a bad thing because it opens an individual up to evil influences who are only too glad to have an excuse to communicate and cause misery.

Then said Saul unto his servants, Seek me a woman that hath a familiar spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her. And his servants said to him, Behold, there is a woman that hath a familiar spirit at En-dor. (v7)

Saul has already put away mediums and wizards as part of enforcing the Law of Moses, but now he hopes to consult them.  Very ironic.  (I hope we never get ourselves into a similar situation of wishing that we hadn’t kept the commandments in the past because it hinders us from sinning in the present.)  This is setting yet another very bad precedent and example for his servants.  It sends the message that there is one kind of official public morality and an opposite private morality when one is in a pinch.

Interesting that when he asks his servants to get him in touch with a medium, they already know exactly who to call and where to go.  How do they know?  Have they hidden this woman from him all these years?  Have they consulted her themselves?  Have they simply winked at her existence?  They register no protest against his request, which makes me wonder if they had lost their way spiritually as well.

8 And Saul disguised himself, and put on other raiment, and he went, and two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said, I pray thee, divine unto me by the familiar spirit, and bring me him up, whom I shall name unto thee.

9 And the woman said unto him, Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my life, to cause me to die?

10 And Saul sware to her by the Lord, saying, As the Lord liveth, there shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing. (1 Sam. 28:8-10)

The woman also knows the rules against mediums and wizards and she fears entrapment.  It is another irony that this medium cites law to the person who enforced the law and who now wants to break the law.  She sounds really pious doing that, but as soon as she is promised that she won’t be punished for it, she does her thing.  I suppose this is how she has kept herself safe all this time, by citing the law, accusing of entrapment, and then extracting a promise of no punishment.

It is further ironic that Saul promises her safety with the oath “as the Lord liveth.”  I believe that is a classic instance of taking the Lord’s name in vain.

11 Then said the woman, Whom shall I bring up unto thee? And he said, Bring me up Samuel.

12 And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the woman spake to Saul, saying, Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art Saul.

13 And the king said unto her, Be not afraid: for what sawest thou? And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods ascending out of the earth.

14 And he said unto her, What form is he of? And she said, An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a mantle. And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he stooped with his face to the ground, and bowed himself. (1 Samuel 28:11-14)

She’s asked to bring up Samuel the prophet, and presumably a spirit comes and it startles her.  Immediately when it comes, she blows Saul’s cover and reveals who he is.  I think this is meant to show that there is some spirit there that knows who Saul is and has told her.  This builds credibility with Saul, even as it scares the medium, who realizes she is now working for the very person who enforced those laws against spiritualism. 

It seems clear to me that this woman could commune with spirits, but they were evil spirits who hoped to deceive and destroy.  The institute manual has a very good point that it is contrary to the order of heaven for unrighteous people to have power to command righteous spirits to do their bidding, otherwise there would not be rest for the righteous after death, and they would be in a worse position than in life, in a sort of slavery to the wicked.

One of the things that confuses people about what this fake Samuel spirit says is that it sounds so close to the truth that it seems like it is truth.  But it’s not, in a number of very subtle ways.  The truth is twisted in so subtle a way that Saul in his tormented, fearful, guilt-ridden state would not have been able to discern it, and so for him it hits with all the force of truth.

The things the fake Samuel says are said in such a way as to discourage Saul from making any positive changes and to destroy hope, even with some very subtle flattery.

Let’s take these things apart, shall we?

15 ¶And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do.

16 Then said Samuel, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy?

17 And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David:

18 Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day.

19 Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. (1 Samuel 28:15-19)

“Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is departed from thee” (v16) – It isn’t the Lord who departed from Saul.  Saul departed from the Lord.  By saying the Lord departed from Saul, the evil spirit discourages Saul from repenting by making it seem like nothing he can do can change the Lord’s stance.

“And the Lord hath done to him, as he spake by me: for the Lord hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbour, even to David” (v17) – The subtlety of this lie is missed because we often think of what comes after, since David eventually does gain the kingdom.  But at that time of Saul’s inquiry, the evil spirit interpreted the current status quo as a full fulfillment of Samuel’s prophecy.  We think it is just another reiteration of the prophecy, but the evil spirit said it was already fulfilled.  But at that time, David didn’t have the kingdom.  It took seven more years after Saul’s death for David to finally be given the whole kingdom.  So the evil spirit lied.

This statement flattered Saul into thinking that David would gain no more than he had already got, but it also discouraged Saul by making it seem like the state of Israel was degenerating instead of improving.  David was still a wanderer in a foreign land, holding a single town Ziklag by Philistine sufferance.  And was that to be the state of Israel’s kingdom under David?  How tragic if it were so!

“Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done this thing unto thee this day.” (v18) – At the time that Saul committed those sins nothing tormented him with the sense of what a mistake he had made, lest he should feel remorse and repent immediately.  Only now many years later his regret is inflamed about these sins in the distant past in a manner that will torment him rather than lead to repentance.   Also, there is no mention of the horrendous sins Saul committed afterwards—like killing the priests or seeking David’s life or consulting the medium or any other abuses of power he may have done that were not recorded—lest he begin to repent of those.  Evil spirits do not want us to be free from sin, and they will do what they can to distract us from repentance.

“Moreover the Lord will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: …the Lord also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.” (v19) – The fake Samuel says Israel will be delivered into the hands of the Philistines, but this contradicts the earlier statement that the kingdom has been given to David.  There is an attempt to cover this contradiction up and hide it with a statement that the Lord will also deliver the host (the army) of Israel into the hand of the Philistines.  Just the army that time. 

Does this really happen?  Many people think that it did.  However, a close reading of what happens in the battle following this chapter is that the Philistines fought Israel and Israel fled.  Many were slain, but Israel fled (see 1 Sam. 31:1), so the army was not captured as predicted.  They forsook the cities and the Philistines came and dwelt in them (see 1 Sam. 31:7), but that doesn’t mean Israel was fully beaten.  Also, David goes to Hebron in 1 Sam 2:1-3 and is king over Judah, so the area of Judah wasn’t in subjection to the Philistines.  Also, Abner makes Saul’s son Ish-bosheth king over Israel and they retain Gilead, the Ashurites, Jezreel, Ephraim, Benjamin, and all Israel (1 Sam. 2:8-9), so Saul’s family retains control over a significant portion of people and land, so things really didn’t happen as this evil spirit said.

“and to morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me” (v19) – We focus on the time frame of tomorrow, and the swiftness of Saul’s demise makes us think it was fulfilled, but there is no actual hint that it happened so soon.  I think instead we should focus on the other part, where Saul and his sons would be. 

Saul thinks it is Samuel speaking, so he gets the idea that he and his sons will be with Samuel when they die.  Saul would reason this way--Samuel was righteous, so if Samuel says we will be with him, then that makes it seem like I haven't been too bad after all.  BUT… then that contradicts the previous message that the Lord is angry at Saul’s disobedience and is punishing him.  This evil spirit is giving a contradictory message and if Saul grasped any of these principles, then he would be even more confused and in doubt.   (Also, don’t forget that not all of Saul’s sons die.  Ish-bosheth remains alive.)

In absolute terms, this was an evil spirit pronouncing judgment on a mortal, a task undoubtedly beyond his authority and capability.  Can anyone have confidence that when an evil spirit gives judgment the judgment will be just?  No.

So to sum up, what is this fake Samuel, this evil spirit doing?  He’s deliberately misdiagnosing Saul’s position with the Lord, neglecting his worst sins while dwelling on the mistakes of the distant past, misinterpreting prophecy, and confusing him with contradictory statements about the fate of Israel and the fate of Saul’s soul. 

Saul’s whole intent was to find out what to do, but the effect of everything told him by the evil spirit is to destroy all hope that anything can be done about it.  Saul is told he is powerless to stop any of it.

But was he really hopeless and powerless? 

If we believe that Saul was powerless to change anything about his admittedly terrible state, then we too fall for the persuasions of this evil spirit.

In order to resist, we must believe the opposite—that there was something Saul could have done, that his situation, terrible as it seemed, was still not hopeless and there still remained to him the possibility of redemption through Christ. 

WE MUST BELIEVE THAT.

And if there was hope for Saul, then there is still hope for everyone else. 

That, I sense, is the ultimate uplifting message of this terrible chapter.  This is why we need this chapter in the scriptures.  Knowing how God works, we can discern the devil even when he comes as an angel of light or masquerades as one with authority.  We can detect him and reject his message that there is no hope, and we can lay hold on redemption with our faith in Christ and hope that all is not lost.

 

Little missed detail about the state of the Tabernacle under Eli

There’s a little bit about how the furniture of the Tabernacle is positioned during Eli’s time that gives us an extra sense of the problem Eli was as a priest.

3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;

4 That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I. (1 Samuel 3:3-4)

The lamp of God is the seven-branched candlestick, and it was supposed to never be allowed to go out!  Yet we are told here about stuff that happened before the lamp went out as if it were a common occurrence for it to be allowed to go out.

It may be that Samuel was assigned to sleep there and light the lamp first thing in the morning in order to make it look like it had never gone out at all, in which case Eli was trying to conserve oil in a place where it was not meant to be conserved.

Also, notice that the lamp was where the ark of God was, and Samuel was sleeping there too!  The way Moses instructed Israel, the ark was to be in the holy of holies and the lamp was to be in the holy place, separated from the holy of holies by the veil.  But here, the lamp and the ark were together!  We don’t know whether that means they were both in the holy place or both in the holy of holies, but we should know that whichever it was, it was wrong. 

So Eli had moved things around such that the ark was commonly accessible. 

This is quite shocking.  The ark was supposed to be in the holy of holies and only be visited once a year on the day of atonement by the high priest, who would sprinkle sacrificial blood on the mercy seat.

So it seems that not only was Eli allowing his sons to take the fat of the sacrifices and not only was he not rebuking them for their immorality, but he had moved the Tabernacle furniture around in such a way as to effectively change the ordinances, he was neglecting the care of the lamp of God, he was making the ark commonly accessible, and he was making Samuel treat the holy place like a bedroom instead of a temple.

Thoughts on Learning the Lord’s Way of Looking

But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance,

or on the height of his stature;

because I have refused him:

for the Lord seeth not as man seeth;

for man looketh on the outward appearance,

but the Lord looketh on the heart. (1 Sam 16:7)

It’s a very well-known scripture and it might be hard to engage it because we have heard it often.  However, I want to take another look at it here.

How does this scripture actually help us?

To me it reminds that the Lord sees much more of a person than man sees.  The Lord has the advantage of knowing each of us before we were born and knowing each of us as we progress through life.  We, however, do not.  We know very little even of ourselves!    The Lord has the advantage of knowing our thoughts and feelings, whereas we do not know those things of another person, except as they are revealed honestly through words and actions.

The context of this verse is one of a religious leader choosing a future king even before those qualifications for rule could be discerned by others.  It takes revelation to do this, and we are reminded that priesthood leaders only need to have revealed to them who when extending a call; they don’t need to know how or why.  (This is not to say that the Lord can’t reveal the how or why; He can and He does what He thinks best.)

To me this verse also suggests that we can learn to look on our hearts more in the way the Lord does.  Perhaps if we do, we will be less likely to excuse ourselves in committing sin or procrastinate our repentance.  Maybe we will be more likely to take satisfaction in doing good.  If we were to know ourselves, we might be more likely to humble ourselves without beating ourselves up.  We might be better able to appreciate our talents and strengths without boasting or puffing ourselves up.  We might be more interested in seeking opportunities for personal growth.

This verse also suggests it would be wise to be more slow to take a person’s measure when I meet them, but wait to see how their character is revealed in time.  It might help me be more interested in learning about other people and try to know them as God knows them.

A final note: Samuel’s anointing of David was a great act of faith.  He did not live to see David ascend the throne of Israel, and at the time of Samuel’s death, David was still a fugitive from Saul.   Yet as far as we know, Samuel did not go out and anoint anyone else to be king, just because he did not see David progressing toward kingship.

The Israelites' Deeper Problem with Wanting a King

When the Israelites come to Samuel asking for a king and a displeased Samuel prays for direction, the Lord says some interesting things that indicate Israel has a deeper problem.

7 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.

8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. (1 Samuel 8:7-8)

If you remember, the people used as a cover the excuse that Samuel’s sons were perverting judgment, but Samuel had not stepped down as judge and he could deal with his sons, and in that respect the current system was not faulty enough to require a change. 

Rather, this was a case where the system was working well and the people didn’t like it because it was working.  They had to really watch their Ps and Qs and it was strenuous.  Living the Law of Moses carefully made them more conscious of their fallen nature and need for a Redeemer and they didn’t like that.

I like that the Lord shows Samuel that it is not Samuel that was rejected, but the Lord Himself.  Again, Samuel was the judge, but he wasn’t laying down his own law; he was following God’s law in the Law of Moses, and if they didn’t like that, then they didn’t like God’s law and they didn’t like having God rule over them.

Also, the Lord shows Samuel that this rejection was nothing new, but it was of a piece with all the rebellions the Israelites had done against God ever since they had been brought out of Egypt—the times they had murmured over food, the times some parties aspired to the higher priesthood and leadership, the time they had refused to go up to conquer the land and then when told not to go up, they decided to go up anyway, the time they had made a golden calf instead of waiting for Moses, and all the times they had forsaken God and worshipped Baal.   Their problem is sin, and changing government systems is not going to address that.  What they need is a national call to repentance (and they get it in 1 Samuel 12).

One of the things this teaches me is that things are no different today and I am no better.  I tend to wander and I have to repent.  If I don’t listen to the counsel of my church leaders, I’m just like those people who wanted a king.  Trying to avoid keeping commandments is outright rejection of God as ruler over me.  If I don’t follow God, I’m following something else and making that thing or person my god.

Yes, following the Lord requires discipleship and sacrifice day after day.  It’s a struggle.  Seeking to subdue the sin that dwells in the flesh is a struggle.  But it is cool to me that effort doesn’t just show my allegiance to the Lord but it also is meant to help me become like Him in grace-filled increments.

It's also a good message for around election time.  New leaders aren't going to help if the same old nation-wide sins continue.  Only nation-wide repentance will bring real change.

There’s something else I notice in what the Lord says to Samuel.  I notice that the Lord is willing to take from Samuel that feeling of being rejected and take it upon Himself.  Feeling rejected is not pleasant.  It hurts.  It touches me that this story has a type of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and sufferings here, even to cover the hurt of rejection.  That means that anytime we are in a leadership position and our righteous direction is ignored or our counsel is rejected, we can turn to the Lord for comfort.

1 Samuel 8: Israel asks Samuel for a king and their surface problem

In 1 Samuel 8, we see where Israel’s monarchy came from.  Samuel the prophet was getting old and his sons were judges, but they were perverting judgment—turning aside for money, taking bribes, and so forth, so they would not be good successors to his righteous judgment.

The elders of Israel got together and went to Samuel with their concern about this issue and their solution was to make a king over Israel.  The text gives their reason—“now make us a king to judge us like all the nations” (v5).  Another version of their reason is, “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” (v20).

We usually jump on that reasoning that is repeated that they want to be like all the other nations and we point to that as their problem, but I think it is not that simple.  We have to understand their society and take into account their history.

Reading through Judges, we see that Israel had these men that the Lord raised up to deliver Israel from their difficulties, difficulties that were often caused by their unfaithfulness to God.  This rise of deliverers was good, but if we can imagine life between judges, how uncertain it was when the next judge would be raised up or who it would be.  If there were competing voices about this, how easy would it be to tell who to get behind? (Consider Abimelech, who campaigned against his 70 brothers, all sons of Gideon.)

They really needed a prophet, but it doesn’t seem like there was any spiritual line of succession of who that would be.  It should have gone with the priests at the tabernacle, but we get no hint that they were involved in anything like that.  (Of course, there may someday be lost records that come out about that era and we may get a different picture altogether.)

The surface problem Israel seems to have been anxious to solve is the problem of leadership succession—who are they people going to get behind when war threatens?  Kingship can solve that problem—it’s hereditary.  Unfortunately, another problem they had was the problem of judges (and priests) with wicked sons, and monarchy did not solve that problem, but made it worse.  An efficient election process would solve that, but considering the only governments around them were monarchies, it might be hard for them to imagine what that would look like.  It would have been easiest to just get rid of Samuel’s sons as judges and put in better men.

Again, what they really needed was a prophet to lead them in battle or to pick someone to general for them.  (But they already had that.  They had Samuel. So there's a deeper problem as well.)

The Lord told Samuel to warn the people of the disadvantages of having a king, and we have the list preserved for us.

Notice all the times Samuel says “he will take” about what a king would do.  The things the king will take represent nearly everything the Israelites have that is most valuable and productive.

He will take your sons and appoint them as charioteers and horsemen and runners. (v11).  This is a warning of how a king would create a standing army, which would have to stay in readiness all the time, require pay and supply, and a place to stay.  Men standing constantly at readiness to train and fight aren’t cultivating the land.  They also require weapons to be made for them, necessitating an arms industry. 

This might have sounded good to the Israelites, making it seem like their children would have opportunities for advancement (or even prestigious positions), but in reality their scope for growth would be limited by their superiors’ perception of their merit and the number of openings available.  Real merit might be passed over for any number of reasons, whereas at home their advancement would depend upon their ingenuity and how hard they could work.

He will appoint captains over thousands, fifties, and tens, and set them to harvest his crops and make his weapons (v12).  This is about the creation of bureaucracy and permanent military hierarchy.  Large numbers of helpers leads to need for chains of command.  With systematic organization, you will also get passing the buck, red tape delays, and turf wars. 

He will take your daughters to be perfumers, cooks, and bakers (v13).  This warns of girls taken from their families and having to work around strangers who may exploit them or mistreat them, and teach them highly specialized skills of concocting luxurious foods and other things beyond what is needed for normal life such that normal skills of running a household are neglected and only the richest can pay for their skills.   And instead of becoming queens of their own households, they would be servants in another’s.

He will take the best fields, vineyards, and olive yards to give to his servants (v14).  This warns about how resources would begin to be concentrated in the hands of a few and an increase in social stratification.  It may also be an early mention of eminent domain in the scriptures.

He will take the tenth of seed and fruits (v15) and tenth of sheep (v17) to give to his officers and servants.  This is warning of taxes.  For a king to have something to pay his servants, he has to have a source of revenue.  That revenue has to come from somewhere and unless he takes office with great wealth already, he won’t have time to earn it because of his other duties.  Thus it has to come from taxes.

He will take your servants and best young men and your beasts of burden and put them to his work (v16).  When royalty wants to hire good servants, they generally get them from somewhere, but the people they take them from have no way of competing to keep those human resources because everyone thinks it is an honor to serve royalty.  Good servants are hard to find and hard to replace, so they’d lose their best workers, while the king might not have openings to best use the talents of the people serving him.

And this is if the king is still trying to be just.  Injustice makes the taking even worse.

So basically, serving royalty is a big diversion of people and stuff and labor because for the king to do his job protecting he has to have resources to protect and govern with.  To have their standing army ready, they have to have something to pay them, or lots of farms to feed them with.  The kings also have to negotiate with other heads of state and their bargaining position is strengthened if they have prestige that comes from a wealth of resources at their disposal.  However, that means all those resources are either sitting around, or they need bureaucracy to work them, so waste and inefficiencies are introduced and monarchy becomes a resource suck.

In the past, Israel made do by having someone blow the trumpet and summon everyone to come do their bit for the country and they just had to trust that it would be enough and people would come.  And it worked, but it was so uncertain and always looked upon as a miracle that it worked, but I guess they really wanted something they could automatically resort to. 

What is cool about this chapter is that the people saw the problem with Samuel’s sons as judges and brought the matter to Samuel’s attention and proposed a solution.  The solution wasn’t a good one, but they were at least involved.  What is also cool is that three times the Lord says to Samuel, “Hearken unto the people.”  Even as the people want the wrong thing as a solution, the Lord is honoring their collective agency.  We get a hint of that principle more fully mentioned in the Book of Mormon that the voice of the people and what they want is a bellwether about the direction society is going.  When the voice of the people want what is good, great!  But when they don’t, it is a very sad thing and indicates destruction is coming.

I have to wonder if the Lord’s instructions to Samuel, “Hearken unto the people” is also for Samuel on a personal level as well as a political level.  He may have felt very unhappy about being rejected by the people wanting a king.  It is hard to make wise decisions and react appropriately when you’re feeling attacked or rejected, especially by many people.  (I’ve had a little dose of that myself and it is painful.)  It’s possible that hearkening to the people and putting energies into understanding their view would help Samuel get over his personal feelings.  (Actually, I know that is true because I’ve had recent experience where listening more closely to my husband’s concerns helped me get over defensive and resentful feelings.)

I also have to wonder what would have happened if, after Samuel warned the people, the people had relinquished their desire for a king.  If they had said, “Okay, no king.  What should we do instead?” what would have happened?  Would they have created more judges in a more systematized way like the Nephites in the Book of Mormon?  Would they have created some sort of representative government?  Would they have gotten more of a prophetically chosen system of executives?  Who knows?

I like how this chapter shows us a sample of dialogue between the Lord had His people through the prophet.  The people ask Samuel, Samuel goes to the Lord, the Lord answers and tells Samuel what to say, Samuel passes the message on, the people answer, Samuel takes that answer to the Lord, and back and forth.   It shows the people at least have the faith that Samuel really does speak to the Lord and for the Lord, and that seems like an improvement from the time of Moses.  It’s just too bad that the people have already made up their minds about what they want no matter what the Lord tells them.   Hopefully we can learn to be smarter with our prayers and be willing to take “No” and “Not a good idea” answers when they come.

What is also kind of cool about this story is how Samuel serves as a mediator between God and the people, taking messages between them and sharing his own concerns with the Lord.  It is neat to realize that we have a prophet today who does the same thing.

It’s good to remember that the Lord knew what was going on in Israel without the people having to go to the prophet and the prophet having to tell Him everything.  He doesn’t need prayers to know.  Rather, it is the people and the prophet who need it.  Prayer is for us to help us learn honesty, to learn trust in the Lord, to learn spiritual sensitivity to the Lord, to learn how to follow the impressions received.  It is the way our will is brought to correspond with the Lord’s, and if that doesn’t happen, then our prayers are vain.

The Divine Sign that Wanting a King was Bad

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After King Saul was anointing king, after he had already led the people to great victory over the Amorites, Samuel has the people come to Gilgal where they renew the kingdom.  Samuel challenges the people to tell him of any injustice he has done and they can’t come up with anything, which exonerates him as a judge.  He also reminds them of the great things God had done for them and their ancestors and he warns them that although they have what they wanted –a king—they have to remember to keep the commandments.

Then Samuel does something rather unusual. 

16 ¶Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes.

17 Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the Lord, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king.

18 So Samuel called unto the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.

19 And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.

20 ¶And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart;

21 And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.

22 For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. (1 Sam. 12:16-22)

Samuel declares a sign the Lord will do to show them Israel’s wickedness was great in asking for a king.  The sign is that Samuel will pray for the Lord to send thunder and rain in the middle of the wheat harvest that day.  (As a reader I get the impression that in the natural course of things it was unlikely for it to rain at that time of year, so that would be an effective sign.)

The sign happens as Samuel said, and all the people realize their wickedness and begin pleading with Samuel to intercede for them to God so that they wouldn’t die for adding this national sin to their individual sins.

Samuel reminds them to keep following the Lord and serve with all their hearts and assures them that the Lord would not forsake them for his own name’s sake.

The question that came to me as I was reading this was, “Why does the Lord give them this sign now once they already have a king and can’t get rid of him?  Wouldn’t it have been better to give it before they had a king?”

I have several thoughts about this.  First I recall the principle that signs follow those that believe and that signs can condemn the unbeliever.  It may be that if the sign had been given in addition to the arguments against having a king it would have condemned the Israelites if they had continued to go against it.

To give the sign afterward reinforced the message of “wanting a king is bad” to show that just because the Lord gave them a good man for a king and just because the king had helped them STILL did not mean that the Lord had changed His stance that wanting a king was bad.

The sign also demonstrates that even if the people thought Samuel was going to take a backseat to Saul’s leadership, Samuel continues to speak for the Lord.  Samuel is still a prophet and he’s not going away just because Saul is a king chosen by God.

This is going to sound obvious, but the most important thing the sign demonstrates to the people is that they have all sinned, so it becomes a dramatic call to repentance.  You can see that they instantly feel the need and they ask Samuel to intercede for them to God.  (This makes Samuel a type of Christ here.)   Yet while the sign shows the people their estrangement from God, it also demonstrates that God has not given up on them.  If God had forsaken them, He would not take the trouble to tell them where they had sinned.  Samuel reminds them of this.  “For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people” (v22).

I hope I can see the signs I have sinned before it comes to dramatic displays of thunder and rain.  One of the easiest ways is to listen to conscience and read the scriptures.

Another thing this shows us is that switching leaders or government systems doesn’t negate the commandments of God.  In the church, if we think we need new leaders it is usually because we are the sinful ones.  Our disobedience isn’t changed by a change of leaders.  Sin is the problem.

You can also see that Samuel has an understanding of the perfect love of God when he says, “The Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake.”  God doesn’t stick with Israel because of anything Israel has done to deserve it; Israel may be humble enough to answer the call, but Israel is prone to wander.  God sticks with Israel to show His unfailing love.  It is who He is. 

It’s taken a long time for me to learn that.  And like Israel, who is prone to wander, so I also forget it from time to time and begin to worry that this time I have gone too far and the Lord will hold a grudge against me if I try to repent, like some people I’ve known.  And then somehow the Lord shows me that He is more willing to forgive than I give Him credit for.  That gives me the courage to repent and try again and again and again.