I Samuel 9:1-6, 14-17
From the time the children of Israel entered into the Promised Land they were led by judges. These were people that God raised up, who were mightily endued with the Spirit of God. This period lasted for some three hundred years. Deborah was one of those judges, as was Gideon was, and Samson was also a judge. By the time we get to 1 Samuel 9, Israel is under her final judge, the prophet Samuel.
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During this three-hundred-year period, the nation was truly a theocracy. God was her King. He was her great shepherd. He was her able advocate and saving defense. The eyes that run to and fro throughout all of the earth stood watch over little Israel.
Israel was unlike any of the other nations of the earth. She was strong, yet had no standing army — Almighty God was in her camp. The people prospered. Moreover, when she was in a right relationship with the Lord, she was invincible against her enemies, for the Lord fought her battles.
However, like many of us, the people did not realize they had a good thing going when they had it. One morning, the people of Israel woke up, and they wanted to be like all the other nations. Listen, make no mistake anytime you find yourself wanting to be conformed to this world and be like this world, you are moving in spiritual reverse.
The Bible says, "If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him," (I John 2:15). However, on that terrible day, Israel wanted to be like the world. She wanted a king. This was an utterly offensive and despicable request. God Almighty had led and fed, superintended, protected, and provided. He had allowed these people to see His glory and manifest power. The heart of the Almighty and Holy God was deeply hurt. I Samuel 9:7 says, "And the Lord told Samuel: 'Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected Me as their King."' Do you realize that God almighty was so great that He was willing to stand for it? When the nation said, "We no longer want God to be King over us, but rather we want a man to be king over us," they were essentially dethroning the sovereign, holy Lord God from His rightful place. How utterly odious!