Verses 4-5 [The elders ask Samuel for a king]
“Then all the elders of Israel gathered
themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah. And said unto him, Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now
make us a king to judge us like all the nations.
Verses 6-7 [Give us a king!]
But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give
us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all
that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. It was not
God’s desire for the people to have an earthly king to rule over them, rather He wanted them to live in obedience to Him alone. Moses
introduced a system of judges, whereby a group of elders would judge and decide day to day matters according to His Laws and Commandments.
Unfortunately, the people desired to be like the heathen nations all around them, to have an earthly king ruling over them.
Verses
8-9 [They have forsaken Me and served other gods]
According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them
up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee. Now therefore
hearken unto their voice: howbeit yet protest solemnly unto them, and show them the manner of the king that shall reign over them.
Verses
10-11 [And he will take your sons to serve him]
And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king.
And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself,
for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots.
Verses 12-13 [He will take your daughters to serve
him]
And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to make his
instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to
be bakers.
Verses 14-15 [Property expropriated]
And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best
of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers,
and to his servants.
Verses 16-17 [Ye shall be his servants]
And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest
young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants.
