1 Samuel 8 commentary

 1: And it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel

Comments: 1 Samuel 8:1 Now why did Samuel make his corrupt sons [1 Samuel 8:3] judges of Israel when he knew their lack of character? Turns out that Samuel was the same kind of father as Eli. Samuel was good man, but he followed Eli’s poor example of parental permissiveness.

2: Now the name of his firstborn was Joel and the name of his second Abiah They were judges in Beer-sheba 3: And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment. 4: [cause and effect] Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel unto Ramah 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

Comments: 1 Samuel 8:5 The elders were worldly and faithless. They were a free people under the theocracy of the GOOD Lord. The lords/gods of the nations surrounding them were not good. They required human sacrifice. YHWH Elohim did not. HE was the creator of their nation Isaiah 43:1 and their king, but though they were promised great blessings, they wanted none of it. They wanted to be like all the other people of their world and serve an autocrat. Why didn’t they simply demand that Samuel depose his corrupt sons? …or perhaps they had and Samuel had refused. Either way, it was a bad situation, and the elders of Israel certainly had a better choice than to demand such a radical change of government.

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

·         10: And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king 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 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

·         13: And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries and to be cooks and to be bakers

·         14: And he will take your fields and your vineyards and your olive yards even the best of them and give them to his servants

·         15: And he will take the tenth of your seed and of your vineyards and give to his officers and to his servants

·         16: And he will take your menservants and your maidservants and your goodliest young men and your asses and put them to his work

·         17: He will take the tenth of your sheep and ye shall be his servants

 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 19: Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel and they said Nay but we will have a king over us 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 21: And Samuel heard all the words of the people and he rehearsed them in the ears of the LORD 22: And the LORD said to Samuel Hearken unto their voice and make them a king [Hosea 13:11] And Samuel said unto the men of Israel Go ye every man unto his city 

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