The End Time Church: From the Cathedrals to the Catacombs

Chapter 9

Why Israel Wanted Another King

Israel returned to the religion of Egypt. So it’s no surprise that they wanted to return to the government of Egypt.

When Israel returned to the religion of Egypt, though, they came under the curse of Egypt.

(Judges 2:11-15)
The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and served the Baals. They abandoned Yahweh, the God of their fathers, who brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the peoples who were around them, and bowed themselves down to them; and they provoked Yahweh to anger. They abandoned Yahweh, and served Baal and the Ashtaroth. Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he delivered them into the hands of raiders who plundered them. He sold them into the hands of their enemies all around, so that they could no longer stand before their enemies. Wherever they went out, Yahweh’s hand was against them for evil, as Yahweh had spoken, and as Yahweh had sworn to them; and they were very distressed.

God gave Israel many chances to go the right way, as the book of Judges details. There was no human king to force them to do right, so usually they chose not to.

(Jdg 3:7-9)
The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and forgot Yahweh their God, and served the Baals and the Asheroth. Therefore Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of Cushan Rishathaim king of Mesopotamia; and the children of Israel served Cushan Rishathaim eight years. When the children of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior to the children of Israel, who saved them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb’s younger brother.

(Jdg 3:11-15)
The land had rest forty years, then Othniel the son of Kenaz died. The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and Yahweh strengthened Eglon the king of Moab against Israel, because they had done that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight. He gathered the children of Ammon and Amalek to himself; and he went and struck Israel, and they possessed the city of palm trees. The children of Israel served Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years. But when the children of Israel cried to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior for them, Ehud the son of Gera, the Benjamite, a left-handed man.

(Jdg 4:1-4)
The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, when Ehud was dead. Yahweh sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor; the captain of whose army was Sisera, who lived in Harosheth of the Gentiles. The children of Israel cried to Yahweh, for he had nine hundred chariots of iron; and he mightily oppressed the children of Israel for twenty years. Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lappidoth, judged Israel at that time.

Barak was the military leader who defeated the Canaanites while Deborah was judge. But after that —

(Jdg 6:1-6)
The children of Israel did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight: and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. The hand of Midian prevailed against Israel; and because of Midian the children of Israel made themselves the dens which are in the mountains, and the caves, and the strongholds. So it was, when Israel had sown, that the Midianites, the Amalekites, and the children of the east came up against them. They encamped against them, and destroyed the increase of the earth, until you come to Gaza. They left no sustenance in Israel, and no sheep, ox, or donkey. For they came up with their livestock and their tents. They came in as locusts for multitude. Both they and their camels were without number; and they came into the land to destroy it. Israel was brought very low because of Midian; and the children of Israel cried to Yahweh.

So Gideon was raised up to lead Israel against Midian. Next —

(Jdg 8:33-35)
As soon as Gideon was dead, the children of Israel turned again, and played the prostitute following the Baals, and made Baal Berith their god. The children of Israel didn’t remember Yahweh their God, who had delivered them out of the hand of all their enemies on every side; neither did they show kindness to the house of Jerubbaal, that is, Gideon, according to all the goodness which he had shown to Israel.

Then Israel made Gideon’s son Abimelech king, who was killed after three years.

(Jdg 10:1-7)
After Abimelech, Tola the son of Puah, the son of Dodo, a man of Issachar, arose to save Israel. He lived in Shamir in the hill country of Ephraim. He judged Israel twenty-three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir. After him Jair, the Gileadite arose, and he judged Israel twenty-two years. He had thirty sons who rode on thirty donkey colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havvoth Jair to this day, which are in the land of Gilead. Jair died, and was buried in Kamon. The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight, and served the Baals, the Ashtaroth, the gods of Syria, the gods of Sidon, the gods of Moab, the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philistines. They abandoned Yahweh, and didn’t serve him. Yahweh’s anger burned against Israel, and he sold them into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the children of Ammon.

Jephthah was raised up to lead Israel against the Philistines. But then the Israelites wanted to fight each other.

(Jdg 12:1-4)
The men of Ephraim were gathered together, and passed northward; and they said to Jephthah, Why did you pass over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didn’t call us to go with you? We will burn your house around you with fire! Jephthah said to them, I and my people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you, you didn’t save me out of their hand. When I saw that you didn’t save me, I put my life in my hand, and passed over against the children of Ammon, and Yahweh delivered them into my hand. Why then have you come up to me today, to fight against me? Then Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim.

After that civil war, guess what Israel did?

(Jdg 13:1)
The children of Israel again did that which was evil in Yahweh’s sight; and Yahweh delivered them into the hand of the Philistines forty years.

That was Samson’s time, who used his great physical strength to fight the Philistines.

In various other ignominious episodes —

The men of Gibeah in Benjamin raped and killed the Ephraimite’s concubine, and then Israel destroyed the tribe of Benjamin, except for six hundred men.

During the time of Ruth and Naomi, Israel suffered a severe famine, which led Naomi’s husband to leave Israel for Moab, which was not suffering a famine.

The Philistines oppressed Israel when Eli was judge and captured the Ark of the Covenant, much to their discomfort.

So that was Israel’s history during the period of the fourteen judges.

When they were ruled directly by God, Israel constantly got in trouble with God, because they disobeyed God. When they had individual freedom, they lacked individual self control.

That’s an incredible history of self-induced catastrophes, where Israel had repeated wars with other nations, civil war among themselves, and were often oppressed with their crops stolen by foreigners.

The nation was out of control because the people were out of control. Individual freedom requires individual responsibility. A people who do not have a government controlling them must control themselves. Under the very best government, the people were the worst. Maximum freedom led to maximum evil.

So again, there is this huge problem.

How do you control the people?

From the time of the first people, people were always getting out of control. When Cain killed Abel, God told him that —

(Gen 4:7)
… sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.

During the time of the judges, Yahweh God their king did not force them to obey him. Most of the time, most of the people did not. As a people they could never make themselves stay on the right road.

So how in the world do you control the people?

The problem is an individual problem.

I sin.

The solution must be an individual solution.

I overcome.

People who are ruled and led directly by God do not need another ruler.

People who seek God with their whole hearts will not seek another king.

What Israel needed was individual repentance, leading to individual obedience. Israel, though, thought that they needed a collective solution to an individual problem.

The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia article “Judges, Period of,” discusses the chaos and calamities of that period. Then ISBE goes on to explain and mimic Israel’s thinking.

4. Need of Central Government:
   A great danger was needed before the people of Israel could be welded into unity and made to see the necessity of a strong central government. This came eventually from the Philistines, who twice defeated the Israelites in battle, captured the ark, and overran a large part of the country (1 Samuel 4 through 6). In the face of such a foe as this it was clear that only a strong and permanent leadership of the whole people would suffice ( 1 Samuel 9:15; 1 Samuel 10:1); and thus the rule of the Judges gave way to the monarchy.

You see, the writer of that article thought exactly like the Israelites. They didn’t need individual obedience. They needed more government! Only a strong and permanent leadership of the whole people would suffice! Thus the rule of the Judges gave way to the monarchy!

By that thinking, what Israel needed was socialism, communism, fascism. If the people couldn’t control themselves, then they needed a strong government to control them. God allowed the people free choice. He did not force them to obey. A human king would force his subjects to obey. Totalitarianism will totally control the people! Then their problems would be over!

Other Bible commentators say the same thing — that Israel needed a king to control the people.

Matthew Henry, on Judges 17:6
There was no king in Israel, no judge or sovereign prince to take cognizance of the setting up of these images (which, doubtless, the country about soon resorted to), and to give orders for the destroying of them, none to convince Micah of his error and to restrain and punish him, to take this disease in time, by which the spreading of the infection might have been happily prevented. Every man did that which was right in his own eyes, and then they soon did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord. When they were without a king to keep good order among them, God’s house was forsaken, his priests were neglected, and all went to ruin among them. See what a mercy government is, and what reason there is that not only prayers and intercessions, but giving of thanks, should be made for kings and all in authority, 1Ti_2:1, 1Ti_2:2. Nothing contributes more, under God, to the support of religion in the world, than the due administration of those two great ordinances, magistracy and ministry.

Notice again that last statement: Nothing contributes more, under God, to the support of religion in the world, than the due administration of those two great ordinances, magistracy and ministry.

We will qualify his statement this way: Nothing contributes more to the support of organized religion in the world than political and religious governments.

Notice, too, Henry’s conclusion. When they were without a king to keep good order among them, God’s house was forsaken, his priests were neglected, and all went to ruin among them. Henry concluded that if Israel had a human king instead of God, then God’s house will not be forsaken, his priests will not be neglected, and there will be no ruin among them.

Powerful conclusion! If Israel just has a human king, then the temple will not be forsaken, the priests will not be perverts, and the nation will not come to ruin.

Bible commentator Adam Clarke reached the same conclusion.

Adam Clarke – Judges 17:6
When a man’s own will, passions, and caprice, are to be made the rule of law, society is in a most perilous and ruinous state. Civil government is of God; and without it the earth must soon be desolated. There was a time when there was no king in England; and that was, in general, a time of scandal to religion, and oppression to men.

Clarke infers that once England got a king, they were free from scandal in religion and oppression of men.

Clarke lived in England for about seventy years, from 1760-62 to 1832. The American colonies revolted against King George during that time — because of the oppression of that king! In 1620, the Pilgrims came to America only and specifically because of the oppression of another British king — King James, he who had the presumptuousness to authorize his Bible for his church. Still earlier, King Henry VIII broke with Rome and set up the king’s church, so that he could do whatever he wanted with his wives. Henry had six: divorced two, executed two, one died after birthing a son, and one outlived Henry — and all this was approved by Henry’s church!

Is there not a hint of scandal there under the kings of England?

Isn’t it interesting how so many people agree that Israel needed to replace God their king with some guy down the road?

England had kings and all other nations had kings in some form. God’s people are not supposed to be like all those other nations. They had human kings. Israel had God. But just about everybody agrees that what Israel needed was to trade Yahweh their king for a human king so they could be like all those other nations.

And that’s exactly what Israel thought.

After three centuries of confusion and chaos, disarray and disunity, attacks and oppression from kings of other nations —

Israel decided they wanted a king, just like those other nations. They told Samuel:

… now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.

Why did Israel want to have a king like all the other nations?

1. Kings look good.

Somehow it’s easier to identify with a big organization than it is with a big God.

2. Unity.

Under the judges, Israel looked like a bunch of cats, each person doing what he wanted. Anarchy! A king or organization creates unity, by simply not allowing disunity. There is comfort in unity, a collective confirmation of correctness, the security of being part of a crowd, even if the crowd is wrong.

However, the king’s unity lasts only until the coup of another king, or a split in the organization. This is a false, temporary unity, by coercion and not conviction, unity not by the spirit, but by the spear.

3. Kings can get more done.

When everyone works together under a king or an organization, it appears that they get more done, because they have to do what the king or organization orders. At the same time, individual effort slackens, because it’s not individual effort. For a while, the Soviet Union looked great, until the people began to starve. And when sermons are given to please an organization, the people also starve.

4. A king can protect the flock.

When Israel asked for a king, they were about to be attacked by Nahash the king of Ammon.

(1 Samuel 12:11,12)
Yahweh sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you lived in safety. When you saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, you said to me, No, but a king shall reign over us; when Yahweh your God was your king.

Because of Nahash, Israel wanted a king like Nahash. Samuel pointed out how many times God had protected them, but they said No. They believed that a king could protect God’s people better than God could.

So Israel wanted a king like all the other nations. Such an organization looked good, they were unified, they could get more done, and a king could protect the flock from outside attack.

Most of all, a king could control the people, as ISBE, Matthew Henry and Adam Clarke believed.

Israelites are often looked at as just a bunch of carnal clods. We assume that we could never be as carnal as they were. However, when Israel decided to put a human king in front of God, they thought just like normal people think, and like almost all Bible commentators think.

Could it be that almost all Christians think like that, too?

Israel had an enormous problem during the period of the judges. The problem was that the people were out of control. Their normal human nature was naturally disobedient to the spiritual law of the Creator and inevitably that brought catastrophe. Israel thought that the way to control their people and avoid catastrophe was to have more government control. So they demanded a human king.

What’s more, Israel had a really good excuse for kicking God upstairs.