A King to Judge Us. . .

1 Samuel 8. “Give Us a King to Judge Us”

In 1 Samuel 8, the Israelites want to appoint a King to rule over them.  Samuel goes to the Lord with this petition and the Lord gives the people warnings regarding if a King was appointed.  These are some of the things that the Lord warned the Israelites about, should a king be appointed:

-The people would continue to forsake him

-The king would take their sons and appoint them for himself, as servants

-The king would take their daughters and make them servants as well.

-The king would take their fields and vineyards and land.

-The king would take all of their servants for himself.

-He would take a tenth of their sheep.

-He would make all the people his servants

-Israel will cry out because of the King, but the Lord would not hear them.

After reading and comparing in Mosiah, it became quite evident of the dangers that come into play when a king is appointed.  Mosiah feared what it would do to a man.  Any man that is given that much unchecked power is prone to being led astray by pride and vanity.  David and Saul are both examples of this.  They were men of God, but after being in power, they lost sight of what was good and right.

  Having lived in Europe for the last three years, I have toured many cities and countries, and have been fascinated to see the beauty of the castles that were built for their royalty.  However, it is also interesting to learn of the plights of those that had no choice but to serve these kings and queens all the days of their life. 

  If Mosiah worried about his son, Aaron, being led astray by such power, then we need to keep that in mind when it comes to our own vanity and search for power.  Israel wanted a king in order to be like other nations.  The Lord knew what in their best interest though.