In 1 Samuel 8 the elders of Israel gather and ask Samuel to appoint them a king to judge them. It is easy, as with most sins of Israel in the OT, to hear this and move quickly to identify what their sin is and wag your finger, while at the same time not really accepting how logical, even righteous, the sin may seem.
The chapter begins:
When Samuel became old, he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn son was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. Yet his sons did not walk in his ways but turned aside after gain. They took bribes and perverted justice. (vv.1-3)
There are three things worth noting here and in the verses that follow.
- Samuel was old, and Israel respected him as a fair judge.
- His sons had been appointed by Samuel to judge Israel and yet they were wicked, and exploited the people.
- They wanted Samuel to anoint what would be in effect his successor.
Interestingly though, only one reason behind the elders decision is emphasised in 1 Samuel 8, and it is summed up in the repeated phrase: 'that we also may be like all the nations'(v.5 and v.20). Moses preached that it should be the nations that are jealous of Israel not the other way round; and they should be jealous because 'what great nation is there that has a god so near to it' (Deut 4:7).
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