People want kings to look after them

People Want Kings to Take Care of Them

            No book illuminates political human nature better than the Bible and 1 Samuel 8 offers a timeless example. In the time of the Judges Samuel appointed his sons Joel and Abiah judges in Beersheba. But his sons “…walked not in his ways but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.”(3) Because of the corruption of Joel and Abiah, the elders of Israel asked Samuel to end rule by judges and to give them a king. Feeling rejected Samuel prayed to the Lord. The Lord assured Samuel that the elders were not rejecting him but were rejecting the Lord, who then revealed to him the things a king would do, which Samuel passed on to the elders:  

“And he will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some will run before his chariots.”(11) Sons will be conscripted into the king’s army.

            “And he will appoint him (himself) captains over thousands … and make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots.”(12) He will build a powerful imperial army.

            “And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries (concubines?), and to be cooks, and to be bakers.”(13) Daughters will also be drafted into his service.

            “And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants.”(14)

“And he will take the tenth of your seed, and your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants.”(15) In order to satisfy his imperial needs he will impose confiscatory taxes upon everything you produce.   

 “And ye shall cry out in that day because your king which ye have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”(18) Looking to a king for salvation instead of to the Lord, Israel must suffer the king’s depredations.  

After Samuel told the people what the king would do and what they would suffer, they “… refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, Nay; but we will have a king over us.”(19) They rejected the Lord and chose a king, substituting an earthly father for their heavenly father.  

So the people got their kings, and the kings did as Samuel predicted, especially Solomon, who multiplied horses, wives, and gold. After Solomon the Kingdom split, to be followed by the Babylonian Captivity.  

What does all this say about human nature? In all eras, complex political systems notwithstanding, kings (we call them Presidents) behave like Samuel’s kings. But people still want kings, in reality powerful earthly fathers, to protect them, to give them bread and circuses, and to bring about earthly salvation. Because Presidents are the American versions of kings, Americans look to Presidents for salvation. During every election cycle citizens search the political landscape for a new savior. King makers then give them two choices, usually Tweedledumb and Tweedledumber. When the new king inevitably fails, citizens look back nostalgically to the mythical great kings of old (who also failed): Lincoln, Wilson, Roosevelt (FDR), Truman, Kennedy, or Reagan. Unfortunately, each new king is like the old and does as Samuel predicts in 1 Samuel 8.

During the past two Presidential election cycles one of the potential kings declared himself the king of change. After four disastrous years, I hope no one is holding his breath. As the psalmist says, “Put not your trust in princes….” (Psalm 116)