“He said, ‘Here is the kind of rulings your king will make: he will draft your sons and assign them to take care of his chariots, be his horsemen and be bodyguards running ahead of his chariots. He will appoint them to serve him as officers in charge of a thousand or of fifty, plowing his fields, gathering his harvest, and making his weapons and the equipment for his chariots. He will take your daughters and have them be perfume-makers, cooks and bakers.'”-1 Samuel 8:11-13
Israel wanted a king because they desired what all gentile monarchies possessed.
But what they didn’t bargain for were the many unseen consequences connected to this decision.
Lemme explain.
FIRST, they wanted a national army to defend themselves in times of danger.
However, any army established wouldn’t come from willing volunteers like those who served Moses, Joshua and the various Judges who gathered up to fight and then returned home afterwards.
Instead, young sons from all the 12 tribes of Israel would be drafted against their own wills to serve in the army full time at the king’s command.
And since all armies in this era used chariots, some of the soldiers would be positioned both in front and behind the king’s royal chariot to serve as human shields.
SECOND, the king’s personal preferences would take priority over Godly justice.
Instead of appointing the best and most capable men to be his military officers…
Favoritism would be the order of the day.
The king would instead cherrypick those whom he had a special affection for and were most loyal to him.
This would result in some ugly political conflicts breaking out in the Holy Land.
THIRD, when an army is created, it needs food and weapons, right?
So all food and weapons production would have to be nationalized all “for the good of the nation”.
FOURTH, under a gentile monarchy, the king always comes first…
This means the king doesn’t just own all the land and livestock in his kingdom…
He also owns all the people…
Sure, the king may hand out parcels of land to those whom he chooses…
But it’s usually done in a willy nilly fashion…
And only if it serves his purposes…
Plus he can change the terms and conditions whenever it serves the “national” interest…
Which again really means whenever it serves his own personal and ego-driven interests.
FIFTH, it’s not just the men who will be affected.
The women are gonna have to serve the king too…
Doing things like cooking and making perfume etcetera.
SIXTH, let’s not forget that the size of a king’s court has much to do with the status of his kingdom…
Especially to outside visitors.
So in order enlarge his court…
The king will confiscate land from his citizens.
But that’s not all…
In order to keep the court’s loyalty, he’ll have to reward his subjects as well and make sure they’re properly supported and rewarded.
The king will do this by confiscating more of the common citizens’ vineyards, orchards and fields and handing them over to his cronies in the kingdom.
Of course, this will build up even more resentment among the common folk.
But wait…
I’m still not done…
SEVENTH, guess what the king’s gonna do with the land he doesn’t outright confiscate?
Ever heard of a little word called “taxes”?
That’s right homies.
In order to support the members of his government who aren’t cool enough to be part of his inner circle and be gifted lands, fields and groves…
The King is gonna start taxing everything left and right.
Because he’s gotta find a way to support all members of his government.
So God is making it clear to the people that installing a human king ain’t gonna be without its consequences…
And that’s your takeaway for today.
When you try to do something your way instead of God’s way…
You’d better be aware of all the little hidden and unseen consequences connected to your choices.
A lot of folks don’t think about that.
It’s like a shopping addict with a brand new credit card…
He goes around buying everything left and right…
Not realizing in the moment he’s enslaving himself in the process.
I said it yesterday…
And I’ll say it again today…
Beware of what you request of God in the flesh…
Because you just might get it.
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