The coronation of Saul marks an epoch in the history of Is'ra-el. From
that point, for five hundred years, the chosen people were under the
rule of kings.
I. =The Causes Leading to the Monarchy.= The kingdom was not an
accidental nor a sudden event. There had been a gradual preparation for
it through all the period of the judges.
1. Notice the =tendency toward settled government=. In the time of
Gid'e-on the people desired him to become a king (Judg. 8. 22, 23). His
son attempted to make himself a king, but failed (Judg. 9). We find
judges setting up a semi-royal state, and making marriages for their
children outside of their tribe (Judg. 12. 9, 13, 14); and associating
their sons with themselves (Judg. 10. 4; 1 Sam. 8. 1, 2). All these show
a monarchical trend in the time.
2. Another cause was the =consolidation of the surrounding nations=. In
the days of the conquest there were few kings in the lands neighboring
Pa'les-tine. We read of "lords" and "elders," but no kings, among the
Phi-lis'tines, the Mo'ab-ites, the Am'mon-ites, and the Phoe-ni'cians
(Judg. 3. 3; 1 Sam. 5. 8; Num. 22. 7). But a wave of revolution swept
over all those lands, and very soon we find that every nation around
Is'ra-el had its king (1 Sam. 21. 10; 12. 12; 22. 3; 2 Sam. 5. 11). The
movement of Is'ra-el toward monarchy was in accordance with this spirit.
3. There was a =danger of invasion=, which impelled the Is'ra-el-ites to
seek for a stronger government (1 Sam. 12. 12). They felt themselves
weak, while other nations were organized for conquest, and desired a
king for leader in war.
4. Then, too, the =rule of Sam'u-el= led the Is'ra-el-ites to desire a
better organization of the government. For a generation they had enjoyed
the benefit of a wise, strong, and steady rule. They felt unwilling to
risk the dangers of tribal dissension after the death of Sam'u-el, and
therefore they sought for a king.
5. But underlying all was the =worldly ambition= of the people. They
were not willing to remain the people of God and work out a peculiar
destiny. They wished to be like the nations around, to establish a
secular state, to conquer an empire for themselves (1 Sam 8. 5-20). It
was this worldly spirit, whose results Sam'u-el saw, which made him
unwilling to accede to the wish of the Is'ra-el-ites. But the very
things against which he warned them (1 Sam. 8. 11-18) were just what
they desired.
II. =The Character of the Is'ra-el-ite Kingdom.= When men change their
plans God changes his. He desired Is'ra-el to remain a republic, and not
to enter into worldly relations and aims. When, however, the
Is'ra-el-ites were determined God gave them a king (1 Sam. 8. 22); but
his rule was not to be like that of the nations around Is'ra-el. We
ascertain the divine ideal of a kingdom for his chosen people:
1. =It was a theocratic kingdom.= That is, it recognized God as the
supreme ruler, and the king as his representative, to rule in accordance
with his will, and not by his own right. Only as people and king
conformed to this principle could the true aims of the kingdom be
accomplished (1 Sam. 12. 13-15). And if the king should deviate from
this order he should lose his throne. Disobedience to the divine will
caused the kingdom to pass from the family of Saul to that of Da'vid (1
Sam. 13. 13, 14; 15. 26).
2. =It was a constitutional kingdom.= The rights of the people were
carefully guaranteed, and there was a written constitution (1 Sam. 10.
25). Nearly all the Oriental countries have always been governed by
absolute monarchs, but Is'ra-el was an exception to this rule. The
people could demand their rights from Re-ho-bo'am (1 Kings 12. 3, 4).
A'hab could not take away nor even buy Na'both's vineyard against its
owner's will (1 Kings 21. 1-3). No doubt the rights of the people were
often violated, but the violation was contrary to the spirit of the
monarchy.
3. =It was regulated by the prophets.= The order of prophets had a
regular standing in the Is'ra-el-ite state. The prophet was a check upon
the power of the king, as a representative both of God's will and the
people's rights. He spoke not only of his own opinions, but by the
authority of God. Notice instances of the boldness of prophets in
rebuking kings (1 Sam. 15. 16-23; 2 Sam. 12. 1-7; 1 Kings 13. 1-6; 17.
1; 22. 7-17). The order of prophets was like the House of Commons,
between the king and the people.