1 Samuel 8:1-5

The Installation of Israel's First King, 1 Samuel 8:1 to 1 Samuel 10:27.

The people ask for a King. 1 Samuel 8:1-5

And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges over Israel.
2 Now the name of his first-born was Joel; and the name of his second, Abiah: they were judges in Beer-sheba.

3 And his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment.
4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to Samuel unto Ramah,
5 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.

4.

When Samuel was old, whom did he make judges over Israel? 1 Samuel 8:1

He made his sons judges over Israel. The reasons assigned for the appointment of Samuel's sons as judges stem from his own advanced age. The inference which we might draw from this alone is that they were simply to support their father in the administration of justice and that Samuel had no intention of laying down his office and still less of making the supreme office of judge hereditary in his family. This is still more apparent from the fact that they were stationed as judges of the nation in Beer-sheba, which was on the southern border of Canaan.

2.

What are the meanings of the names of Samuel's sons? 1 Samuel 8:2

Samuel chose very appropriate names for his sons. His firstborn's name means Jehovah is God. The other one had a name which means Jehovah is my father. This is some indication of the faith which Samuel had, and it should have been an encouragement to his sons to walk in Godly ways.

3.

What sort of men were they? 1 Samuel 8:3

The sons did not walk in the way of their father. They set their hearts upon gain, took bribes, and perverted justice, All of this was in opposition to the command of God (see Exodus 23:6; Exodus 23:8; Deuteronomy 16:19). One can only marvel that having witnessed the failure of Eli to train his sons Samuel failed to curb the lusts of his sons. It is not enough to say that this is just the common experience of the Orientals. This is just another instance of a good father without the blessing of faithful sons. It is this very failure on the part of Samuel that occasioned the Israelites-' demanding a king.

4.

Who were the elders? 1 Samuel 8:4

The elders of Israel were the leaders of the people. They were not elders in the same sense as leaders of the New Testament church (1 Timothy 3). Each tribe would have its appointed leaders. These men represented the tribes as they came to Samuel.

5.

What request did the people make of Samuel? 1 Samuel 8:5

The request was for a king. They used the age of Samuel, and the iniquity of his sons as an excuse. The people were represented by their leaders; and although in I Samuel 5:20 the desire is grounded in a need for a leader in war, the express reason here is the maladministration of justice. Samuel viewed this request as a sinful demand. He knew that the theocracy was the divinely appointed constitution for Israel. The substitution of another form was treason to God.