1 SAMUEL LESSON 8


     We will begin this lesson in I Samuel 8:1 "And it came to pass,
when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel."

     The question is, how old is old, here. Some have placed his age
at just over 50 years of age, here. Other scholars have placed his
age at as much as 70. It is not an unnatural thing for a father to
delegate some of his work to his sons, when they become old enough to
handle the job.

     I Samuel 8:2 "Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the
name of his second, Abiah: [they were] judges in Beer-sheba."

     Many times, in the Old Testament, the meaning of people's names
enter into the meaning of the Scripture. "Joel" means Jehovah is God.
"Abiah"  means the LORD is my father. We can tell from these names
that Samuel was fully aware of who the LORD was. He had named his sons
with names that expressed the way he felt about the LORD. Beer-sheba
was in the land of Judah not far from Ramah, where Samuel lived.

     I Samuel 8:3 "And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned
aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment."

     Taking bribes was strictly forbidden. The Israelites prided
themselves on the fairness of their judgements. This was a disgrace to
Samuel. Deuteronomy 16:19 "Thou shalt not wrest judgment; thou shalt
not respect persons, neither take a gift: for a gift doth blind the
eyes of the wise, and pervert the words of the righteous."  Samuel had
lived an upright life. His sons are not following in their father's
footsteps.

     I Samuel 8:4 "Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves
together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,"

     At the time this happened, Samuel had almost complete rule over
the Israelites. He had not abused his leadership, though. They are
coming to complain of the actions of his sons. He is at his hometown
of Ramah.

     I Samuel 8:5 "And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy
sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the
nations."

     It is very interesting, to me, that the elders had enough
confidence in Samuel to do right, that they even told him of the sins
of his sons. They are not complaining about the rule of Samuel. If
Samuel were younger, they would not need a king. He would rule them
fairly. His sons were not dedicated, as he was. They were greedy for
filthy lucre. God does not want them to have an earthly king. He is
their King. They want to be as the other nations around them, ruled by
a king.

     I Samuel 8:6  "But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said,
Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD."

     Samuel was not displeased about their complaints about his sons.
He was disappointed, that they did not realize that the LORD was their
King. Samuel is a very dedicated man of the LORD. He never makes a
decision like this, without first finding the will of the LORD in the
matter.

     I Samuel 8:7 "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."

     The LORD agrees with Samuel, that the request of the people is
wrong. He explains to Samuel that they wanted a king, not to get rid
of Samuel. They were a rebellious house against the rule of the LORD.
They could not see that they were so much better off than the heathen
countries around them. They did not want a sovereign God. They wanted
an earthly king.

     I Samuel 8:8 "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."

     Even in the midst of all the miracles coming through the
wilderness wanderings, they had rebelled against God. He had forgiven
them over and over, and they just went back into idol worship. They
had never been faithful to God. He punished them, when they fell into
the worship of false gods, but they did not learn from this. He
forgave them every time they cried out to him. They just would not
remain faithful to God.

     I Samuel 8:9 "Now therefore hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet
protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that
shall reign over them."

     The LORD is telling Samuel to tell them they can have an earthly
king, if they insist. He will explain to them exactly what they will
be facing with a king. They have never served an earthly king, and
they have no idea what that means. Samuel will warn them of the
consequences, if they do not take his advice, they will have to take
the consequences.

     I Samuel 8:10  "And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto
the people that asked of him a king."

     Samuel is always eager to do the will of God. Again, he does just
exactly as God has told him.

     I Samuel 8:11 "And he said, This will be the manner of the king
that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint [them]
for himself, for his chariots, and [to be] his horsemen; and [some]
shall run before his chariots."

     This is speaking of them not being able to choose, whether they
work for the king, or not. He chooses whomever he wants and they must
obey his command. The judges had lived simple lives, and had not taken
their sons to work for them. The king would have literally thousands,
who were to serve him personally. They would lose their free way of
life.

     I Samuel 8:12 "And he will appoint him captains over thousands,
and captains over fifties; and [will set them] to ear his ground, and
to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and
instruments of his chariots."

     This will be almost like slave labor. They will not be free to
raise their own crops. Those, whom the king chooses, will grow his
crops and harvest them. They will lose all of their independence. They
will not be building for themselves, but for the king.

     I Samuel 8:13 "And he will take your daughters [to be]
confectionaries, and [to be] cooks, and [to be] bakers."

     "Confectionaries", here, are speaking of makers of perfumes and
ointments. The cooking and baking are just speaking of working in the
king's kitchen. Some of the kings were fond of women, and had a large
harem.

     I Samuel 8:14 "And he will take your fields, and your vineyards,
and your oliveyards, [even] the best [of them], and give [them] to his
servants."

     Their land, they inherited from God, will not be theirs to grow
their own things. They will be working to benefit the king. The king
will claim all of the good land for himself.

     I Samuel 8:15 "And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of
your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants."

     This is speaking of a tax being levied on the people. This tax
will be used to pay for the government the king sets up.

     I Samuel 8:16 "And he will take your menservants, and your
maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put
[them] to his work."

     This will be forced labor for the king. They will lose their
freedom. The king will choose the best of the young men and women to
serve him.

     I Samuel 8:17 "He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall
be his servants."

     Under this type of rule, there is only one who makes all the
decisions, and he is the king. He will take what and whom he wants,
whenever he wants to.

     I Samuel 8:18 "And ye shall cry out in that day because of your
king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in
that day."

     There will be no need to cry out to the LORD in that day. These
people {even after being severely warned} still chose an earthly king
over their LORD. They have rejected the rulership of the LORD. He will
not free them from something they wilfully got themseves into.

     I Samuel 8:19  "Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice
of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us;"

     This house had been rebellious against God from the beginning.
They believe they are rejecting Samuel, here, when, in fact, they are
rejecting God. They have rejected being a people separate from the
world. They want to be of the world, like everyone else.

     I Samuel 8:20 "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."

     This statement is exactly what God did not want them to do. The
other nations around them depended on earthly strength to fight their
battles. They were led by kings, who put their trust in horses and
chariots. God had proved, over and over, that all Israel needed was
Him. He was their strength in battle. No earthly king fights the
battles. Their chosen army fights the battle. The king just gives the
commands.

     I Samuel 8:21 "And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and
he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD."

     Samuel listened carefully to the answer of the warning the LORD
had given them through him. He tries to give the answer, exactly as he
had heard it.

     I Samuel 8:22 "And the LORD said to Samuel, Hearken unto their
voice, and make them a king. And Samuel said unto the men of Israel,
Go ye every man unto his city."

     They have rejected the LORD for an earthly king. The LORD, now,
gives His consent for Samuel to get them a king. God put within each
of us a will. We can choose to follow Him, or we can choose to follow
the world. They have chosen to follow the world. Notice, that the man
of God will not be their civil leader. Samuel will remain in power as
their spiritual leader. He will be judge, as long as he lives. He will
remain a prophet of God. A prophet, or priest, was not to accept the
office of king. Samuel sends them all to their homes, until the LORD
selects the king. Daniel 2:21 "And he changeth the times and the
seasons: he removeth kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom
unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding:"


                        1 Samuel 8 Questions


1.  When did Samuel make his sons judges over Israel?
2.  What were some of the opinions of different scholars of how old
    Samuel is in verse 1, here?
3.  What were the names of his sons?
4.  Where did they judge?
5.  What does "Joel" mean?
6.  What does "Abiah" mean?
7.  What do the names of the sons reveal to us about Samuel?
8.  What kind of men were Samuel's sons?
9.  Quote Deuteronomy chapter 16 verse 19.
10. Where did the elders come to meet with Samuel?
11. What did the elders request of Samuel?
12. Why does God not want Israel to have an earthly king?
13. How did Samuel feel about them wanting an earthly king?
14. Why does Samuel not instantly respond to the elder's request?
15. Quote 1 Samuel chapter 8 verse 7.
16. They did not want a __________ God. They wanted an earthly king.
17. How long had the Israelites rebelled against God?
18. Will God allow them to have an earthly king?
19. What must Samuel tell them, before they decide, whether they want
    an earthly king, or not?
20. What were some of the hardships they would have under an earthly
    king?
21. What is verse 15 speaking of?
22. When they cry out to God to deliver them from the king, will He
    listen?
23. What did the people decide to do, even after God had warned them?
24. What message did Samuel bring back to God?
25. What did the LORD tell Samuel to do about this?