The People of God: The Story of the ChurchSample

After the warnings to obey the commands of the Lord, we begin to see a slow decline in today’s reading from that ideal. The people of Israel began looking at other nations and wanted to be ruled the same as them by kings. Notice how the people are warned that a king will require a tithe for themselves, something that was actually previously used by the people themselves and the poor.

Despite Samuel’s warnings the people still insist upon a king to rule over them. The Lord’s response to honor their request seems like a slight compromise, but kings will be used to fulfill the plan of God, even if there are a few bumps along the way.

Contrasting this passage with Psalm 2 shows God’s plan for ruling. The kings of this world want to remove all restrictions and laws in a similar way to the tower of Babel. In the midst of this, the Lord laughs, knowing He has a plan to set things right. We see the introduction of another kind of King who will come. We also see a progression of God’s plan for the salvation of humanity, where it is not just the nation of Israel who is under the Son’s rule but the whole world.