Between the conquest of Canaan and the monarchy, the nation of Israel was ruled by thirteen different judges who were raised up by God to lead His people. There were no kings, these judges held the highest office a person could hold at that time. Two of these judges were also gifted prophets, Deborah and Samuel. We see the difference it made in their leadership for them to be attuned to the voice of God. Samuel, the last of the thirteen judges, was faced with Israel’s rebellion and the glaring problem that ended the era of judges: they wanted a king.
Samuel was disturbed by the people’s demand for a king, and consulted God. God responded to him, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them.”[1]
It wasn’t God’s way for the people to have earthly kings. His design was for them to have judges as the leadership in place, men and women who knew Him and were familiar with His ways, listening to Him for their guidance, rather than lusting after power and control—the undying, infamous motivation of earthly princes. God chose Israel to be set apart as a nation, holy and unique.[2] But Israel wanted to be like the world, and told Samuel to appoint them a king like the other nations had.[3] This was their rejection of Yahweh as their king.
God relented and gave them what they wanted, but He commanded Samuel to warn the people what they were asking for: an earthly king would oppress them and bring suffering, taking far more from them than he would ever give. By the time they would realize what having a king would mean, it would be too late, and God would not hear their complaints when they ask Him to undo it. Samuel obeyed, but they disregarded the warning and persisted. Of course, exactly what God warned of was what happened. The first king they were granted was Saul, and we all know how that went. With the exception of a couple leaders, the nation transitioned from Godly judges to wicked, power-hungry tyrants.
We must remember our own propensity to put stock in leaders who look “powerful” to us, lest we scoff at the Israelites for not recognizing who the real king was. We are obsessed with appointing leaders that God didn’t appoint. We’re fixated on hierarchy, placing people on pedestals, believing it’s going to solve the problems of a world still waiting for Jesus to return. We constantly place our hope in rulers and authorities, pleading for them to do what only God can do. We are constantly trying to be leaders and authorities, trying to do what only God can do. We so value power and authority, that we look to follow after those who appear “strong” to us. Forsaking the innumerable teachings in scripture about the importance of remaining lowly, we mimic the Israelites’ behavior in our pursuit of power and dominion. They were a people famous for turning from God and making other idols to worship. We still do this, our idols just look different.
I’m not saying we should be anti-leadership altogether. Romans 13 charges us to respect the authorities placed over us while we’re here, even if they’re wicked. Of course, that doesn’t mean this is God’s ideal design for us. God warned the Israelites that earthly rulers would take advantage of and oppress them in every way they could, and explicitly told them it wasn’t what He wanted for His people. It is our sin and brokenness that makes us long for broken leaders or become broken leaders. The problem isn’t kingship in general, it’s why we seek after kings other than the one true God. There’s a longing for a good king in all of us, but there is only One.
God had always planned to send the perfect king for the Israelites, the ultimate answer to all their prayers: Yeshua. But they refused to wait and trust Him. Their very demand for a king was evidence in and of itself of their need for a Savior. But even when Jesus finally came, they still didn’t recognize Him as Messiah—because they wanted Him to come as a king, but He came as a servant. They wanted Him to come in power, but He came in humility. It’s the age-old, stubbornly prevailing pitfall of mistaking humility for weakness. The kind of leadership we seek says a lot about us. If you saw a meek and lowly carpenter riding on a donkey, would you call Him king?
Jesus was gentle and humble in heart,[4] the truest leaders operate this way. He came not to be served, but to serve others.[5] His example forever put the deficiency of domineering leadership to shame. Not only did He come in meekness, but that was what qualified Him to sit on the throne. He is the Lamb—pure, innocent, and gentle—who gave Himself up to be slain. He is the Lion of the tribe of Judah, who is the only one worthy to inherit the earth. His people will sing a new song, saying:
“You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise.”[6]
His Kingdom will always outlast empire, His reign will dethrone every regime we built for the princes of this world. They will appear as nothing compared to the piercing light of His glory. When He returns, He will rule in power—and every crown will be cast at His feet.
Autumn Crew is the Managing Editor of FAI Publishing. She lives in the Middle East and serves a number of disciple-making initiatives. She can be reached at autumncrew@faimission.org.
[1] 1 Samuel 8:7
[2] Exodus 19:5, Deuteronomy 7:6
[3] 1 Samuel 8:5, 20
[4] Matthew 11:29
[5] Mark 10:45, Matthew 20:28
[6] Revelation 5