As the book of Judges comes to an end, we see the desperate state of a people who have abandoned their God. Coming off the heels of Samson (who was no example himself), Israel spirals into the darkest spiritual period of its long and arduous history. The account is recorded in Judges 17-21. I won’t recount the story nor its graphic details. But the chapters are bookended by Judges 17:6 and Judges 21:25:

“In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes.”

The solution to this problem is hinted at in these verses above. And in 1st Samuel, we seemingly have the answer to Israel’s problem… In 1 Samuel 8:5, the elders of Israel say to Samuel:

“Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.”

Like Israel, we often look to a man (or woman) to solve our problems. Today, we do this politically. We do this in our jobs. We do this in our families. And we do this in our churches. We want a human leader who will conquer our enemies and lead us to victory.

But God’s response to their request for a King was not met with the same enthusiasm you or I might have. In 1 Samuel 8:7 God tells Samuel:

“Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them.”

Now we need to acknowledge that leadership and authority, whether political, in our jobs, in our families, or in our churches, is given to us by God and is established according to His word (Ref: Rom 13:1-7, Eph 6:5-9, 1 Pet 2:18, Eph 5:22-33, Col 3:18, Eph 6:1-4, Col 3:20, Heb 13:17).

However, these leaders and authorities, though established by God, were never intended to conquer our enemies and give us peace. Our enemies are sin, rebellion, and depravity. No human leader can conquer those enemies. As Jesus said, they come from within… from the heart… from our sinful nature.

Israel’s problem wasn’t that they didn’t have a king. Israel’s problem was that they had strayed far from God… from loving Him with all their heart, soul, and might (Ref: Deut 6:5). They pursued the things of this world over their relationship with God.

What about you? Where are you looking for answers today?

In 1 Samuel 10:19, as Saul is anointed King, Samuel reminds the people:

“But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!'”

It’s so easy to forget that God, Himself, is the one who saves us, who delivers us, who gives us all good things to enjoy. In all reality, speaking as a husband and a pastor, my leadership is peripheral at best. I am not the answer. Nor do I have any answers, apart from God’s word. There is only one real King (Ref: 1 Tim 6:15, Rev 19:16). And He has already gained the victory… And He has already been crowned. So may we look to Him to be our King of Kings and Lord of Lords.