Intro

A key moment in the history of Israel is the transition from the period of the judges to the period of the monarchy. This is a common way to characterize the change, but it doesn’t quite get at its real significance. As we’re about to cover, it’s better to think of this change in terms of statehood — a transition from a stateless society to a state-run society. And this transition is one that, according to 1 Samuel 8, was not good.

Much more could be said than what we’ll be able to cover here,¹I hope to publish something fuller on this soon.↓ but this post will provide you with the basics for understanding the significance of 1 Samuel 8.

Defining Our Terms

First, what exactly is a state? Let’s have Max Weber answer:

“A compulsory political organization with continuous operations will be called a ‘state’ insofar as its administrative staff successfully upholds the claim to the monopoly of the legitimate use of physical force in the enforcement of its order.” Economy and Society, p. 54²You can read Weber’s book Economy and Society here.↓

This is quite broad, but it has a couple of critical components. One is that a state is a compulsory political order. In other words, a person is subject to a state not by voluntary association, but simply by living in the territory controlled by the state. The next critical component is that the means by which the political organization is maintained and enforced is through a monopoly on the legitimate use of force, otherwise known as a monopoly on violence. One thing this means is that within a state, those who act as its representatives are authorized to compel its subjects, by use or threat of violence, to do various things regarded as necessary or beneficial for the maintenance of the state. This usually includes things like obeying laws, paying taxes, and serving in the military — especially during times of war.

Next, it’s important to understand that, these days, there are many different types of states. For example:

• Monarchic States – in which the power is centralized in a single individual (the monarch)
• Republican States – in which the power is exercised by elected representatives of the people
• Theocratic States – in which the power is exercised by state clergy
  … and there are others.

Kingship is sometimes equated with monarchy, but sometimes viewed as a sub-type of monarchy. In either case, the most important thing to understand about kingship is that it is monarchic (a single person is the head of state) and the transfer of power is hereditary, usually passing from father to son.

1 Samuel 8

Even though people often view 1 Samuel 8 as critical of kingship, this is too narrow a description. In fact, as we’re about to see, what it criticizes isn’t the hereditary transfer of power, nor even the investment of power in a single individual. Instead, it objects to a social organization in which people are subjected to things like military conscription, state taxation,³To be clear, even though this passage is critical of political organizations that compel taxation, it in no way supports evading taxes once one is within such a system. Jesus is the perfect example for how to live within a state, and he complied with the state to the maximal extent possible while remaining consistent with moral principle. One instance of this is his counsel to pay taxes (Mark 12:17).↓ and forced labor. In other words, it objects to statehood, not just kingship. Kingship is implicated too, but not due to the distinctives of kingship; it is implicated due to the features it shares with all other types of states.

There’s one last aspect I should mention before quoting the passage; it is the word translated “king.” The Hebrew word is מֶלֶךְ (mélekh – originally malk). While this word is commonly translated as “king,” it would be better translated as something like “ruler.” The reasons for this are too detailed to explain in this post, but if you examine the occurrences of the word (and others from the same root) using a concordance or Bible software, you should be able to see that the concept of “kingship” is narrower than the concept of מלך, and that its meaning is close to “rule.” In light of this, I’ve modified the translation below so that words from the root מלך will be translated with English words like “ruler” and “rule.”

Now, to the passage:

4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together and came to Samuel to Ramah. 5 They said to him, “Behold, you are old, and your sons don’t walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations.” 6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a ruler to judge us.”
Samuel prayed to Yahweh. 7 Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they tell you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me as the ruler over them. 8 According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, in that they have forsaken me and served other gods, so they also do to you. 9 Now therefore, listen to their voice. However, you shall protest solemnly to them, and shall show them the way of the ruler who will rule over them.”
10 Samuel told all Yahweh’s words to the people who asked him for a king. 11 He said, “This will be the way of the ruler who shall rule over you: he will take your sons and appoint them as his servants, for his chariots and to be his horsemen; and they will run before his chariots. 12 He will appoint them to him for captains of thousands and captains of fifties; and he will assign some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest; and to make his instruments of war and the instruments of his chariots. 13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers, to be cooks, and to be bakers. 14 He will take your fields, your vineyards, and your olive groves, even your best, and give them to his servants. 15 He will take one tenth of your seed and of your vineyards, and give it to his officers and to his servants. 16 He will take your male servants, your female servants, your best young men, and your donkeys, and assign them to his own work. 17 He will take one tenth of your flocks; and you will be his servants. 18 You will cry out in that day because of your ruler whom you will have chosen for yourselves; and Yahweh will not answer you in that day.”
19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; and they said, “No, but we will have a ruler over us, 20 that we also may be like all the nations; and that our ruler may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.”
21 Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he rehearsed them in the ears of Yahweh. 22 Yahweh said to Samuel, “Listen to their voice, and make them a ruler.”
Samuel said to the men of Israel, “Everyone go to your own city.”
– 1 Samuel 8:4-22⁴This is the World English Bible, yet modified so that words from the root מלך are translated with “ruler” and “rule” rather than “king” and “reign.” This also applies to the other passage from 1 Samuel quoted in the rest of this blog post.↓

You probably noticed while reading this that Samuel’s protest is not a protest against kingship as kingship, but a protest against the people placing themselves under a ruler with power to do such things as compel taxation and military service. This sort of coercive power does exist within kingships, but it exists just as much within theocratic states, democratic states, etc. In other words, these are features of states and the transition to a state-run society is what Samuel was objecting to. Notice also that, in placing themselves under such a ruler, they were rejecting Yahweh. This is something Samuel repeats later.

19 But you have today rejected your God, who himself saves you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and you have said to him, ‘No! Set a ruler over us!’ Now therefore present yourselves before Yahweh by your tribes and by your thousands.”
– 1 Samuel 10:19

17 Isn’t it wheat harvest today? I will call to Yahweh, that he may send thunder and rain; and you will know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in Yahweh’s sight, in asking for a ruler.”
18 So Samuel called to Yahweh, and Yahweh sent thunder and rain that day. Then all the people greatly feared Yahweh and Samuel.
19 All the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to Yahweh your God, that we not die; for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for a ruler.”
– 1 Samuel 12:17-19

So, what is the lesson to learn from this? It is not that we should cultivate an attitude of resentment or rebellion against the state. It is that we should realize that a state-run society isn’t actually God’s plan. God doesn’t want people setting up a Christian state today, just as he didn’t want the Israelites setting up a state 3000 years ago. This is just one application of a deeper principle: the principle of nondomination. The reason why God doesn’t want his people to establish a state is because an inherent component of statehood is violence and coercion — domination. The way to meet this isn’t counter-domination, but practicing nondomination, not just in political relations, but in all our relations. To learn more about this important principle, read Jesus’ Teaching on Nondomination: The Basics.

More on Nondomination

More on The State

More on Kingship

• 1
  I hope to publish something fuller on this soon. ↩︎
• 2
  You can read Weber’s book Economy and Society here. ↩︎
• 3
  To be clear, even though this passage is critical of political organizations that compel taxation, it in no way supports evading taxes once one is within such a system. Jesus is the perfect example for how to live within a state, and he complied with the state to the maximal extent possible while remaining consistent with moral principle. One instance of this is his counsel to pay taxes (Mark 12:17). ↩︎
• 4
  This is the World English Bible, yet modified so that words from the root מלך are translated with “ruler” and “rule” rather than “king” and “reign.” This also applies to the other passage from 1 Samuel quoted in the rest of this blog post. ↩︎