Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles.” – 1 Samuel 8:20

Today’s Scripture Reading (January 17, 2016): 1 Samuel 8

In a Global community it seems to be increasingly difficult to remove ourselves from international conflicts. I think that there are really three reasons for this. The first is that we have built friendships within the national community. It is hard to imagine Britain under attack without, at the very least, the commonwealth coming to her aid – even if the commonwealth ends in the next few decades. There is still a connecting thread that exists between the nations. Israel for most of Europe and North America is a protectorate – maybe because of our Christian history, or because of the guilt that we feel for not doing enough during World War II, but again there is a connection. And while there are many good things about being connected, it can also lead us into conflict. The second reason for international involvement is economic in nature. It is the nagging question behind the American involvement in the first Iraq war – did the American government intervene in Kuwait because of friendship, or because of the economic realities of Kuwaiti oil falling into the hands of the Iraqi government. While many people believe that they know the answer, the reality is that we may never be able to answer that question to the satisfaction of everyone. The third reason is because international conflict comes home too easily. The Islamic States attack on France, or Al Qaeda’s 9/11 attacks on the U.S. have proven that “a world away” isn’t exactly a long distance anymore.

But what is consistent, and what causes the problems, is that we all have different opinions about who should be our friends, or have different ideas about what is economically necessary, or even about what to do to retaliate for attacks on home soil. Those decisions are all left up to the King or whoever it is that fulfills that place in our society. And we fight at the King’s wishes.

And maybe that is what seems so incongruous about this statement of the people of Israel. We want a King, like the other nations – one who will fight our battles. It seems that even in antiquity, or maybe especially in antiquity, it is the reverse that was true. The King did not fight our battles, we fought his.

What makes this comment even more surprising is that it comes on the heels of a great win against the Philistines in which God fulfilled the people’s idea of a King who fought their battles. While Samuel was sacrificing the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to engage Israel in battle. But that day the Lord thundered with loud thunder against the Philistines and threw them into such a panic that they were routed before the Israelites (1 Samuel 7:10). If what the people wanted was a King who would fight their battles, then they already had him. But the concern was more for a king who looked like other kings. And to get him, they were willing to discard the God who was King and who was ready to fight their battles. They would submit to a King who would have them fight his battles – and in this they would finally fit in with the rest of the world.    

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 1 Samuel 9