We Don’t Need No Stinking Kings! Or, Do We?

Ancient Israel functioned without a monarchy from the time of the Exodus to the anointing of Saul as her first God-chosen king. Depending upon the much-debated date of the Exodus, this is a period of at least one hundred seventy-five years and perhaps more than four centuries.

Saul did not have the backing of a group of thugs who forcibly made him king. His selection was more consensual. So, did Israel need a king? The statist can certainly find enough scriptures to support a “Yes” answer. The libertarian can just as easily back a “No” answer. The truth is more nuanced.

Israelite Government Before the Monarchy

Before the establishment of the monarchy, ancient Israel’s government, such as it was, consisted of two components, the Elders and the Judges.

It is not clear how Elders were chosen, but they appear to be older individuals who were recognized for their wisdom. Elders existed among both the Israelites and their neighbors, including the Egyptians (Gen. 50:7). At God’s direction, Moses talked to the Elders and then took them with him to talk to Pharaoh (Ex. 3:16-18.)

Elders existed at the community, tribal and national levels. They continued throughout the monarchy, exile and into New Testament times. Their functions included general shepherding of the people, witnessing transactions and judging. The office of Elder was carried into the early Church.

Judges had two primary functions: settling disputes and military leadership. The office of Judge was effectively established at the Exodus. The first Judges were Moses and his successor, Joshua, although Joshua is never styled as such. The last two Judges were Eli and Samuel. These were not hereditary offices. (But, see 1 Sam. 8:1-3.)

The Book of Judges

The book of Judges covers the period after Joshua and preceding Samuel (and Eli). It is often cited as proving the need for a king.

The book first narrates a repeating cycle of idolatry, oppression, repentance and (God-provided) deliverance. But, in each cycle, the nation spirals lower and lower. The stories of each Judge are told in this thematic order, but not necessarily chronologically. Because each Judge only ruled a portion of the entire nation, some of their terms of office likely overlapped.

The last five chapters of Judges narrate two horrific historical events of idolatry, sexual abuse, murder and civil war. Four times, a statement along these lines appears: “In those days Israel had no king” (17:6, 18:1, 19:1 and 21:25). In two cases, including the very last verse of Judges, this statement is followed by “each man did what was right in his own eyes.” Many interpreters take this to mean that these problems would not have existed if Israel had a king.

Beware of Kings

Even in the period of the Judges, some knew that the monarchy was a bad idea. Some of the Israelites asked Gideon to become king because, as a Judge, Gideon had delivered them from the Midianites. His response was, “I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you” (Jdg. 8:23).

Gideon had seventy sons through his polygamous marriages. He also fathered Abimelech by his concubine. Abimelech, with the help of his mother’s relatives, murdered all but one of his half-brothers and made himself king for three years. That did not end well for anyone (Jdg. 9).

Moses warned against kings, not by prohibiting the monarchy, but by setting rules for kings to follow, including not accumulating horses (instruments of war), not marrying many wives, not accumulating silver and gold (the result of taxation), not exalting himself above the other Israelites, but always reading and following the scriptures (Dt. 17:14-20).

The best known warning was read by Samuel to the people when they requested a king. His statement contained multiple warnings against civilian and military conscription and taxation (1 Sam. 8:11-18). This is often cited to prove that Israel had no need for a king.

The Establishment of the Monarchy

The Prophet-Judge, Samuel, appointed his sons as Judges over Israel, but they were corrupt. Then, the Elders came to Samuel and asked him to appoint a King to rule over them like the other nations (1 Sam. 8:1-5). Two issues immediately present themselves. First, Samuel attempted to make the office of Judge hereditary. Rather than object to Samuel’s action, the Elders jumped to requesting a King. Second, they wanted to be like other nations. But, Israel had been warned long before that she should not be like the other nations. (See Dt. 18:9 ff., for example.)

Samuel prayed about their request and the Lord told him that the people were not rejecting Samuel, but rejecting the Lord, their true King. God told Samuel to warn the people about the dangers of a King, but to give them what they want. Samuel reported the Lord’s words, but the Elders insisted upon a King anyway (1 Sam. 8:11-18).

The Early Monarchy

At God’s direction, Samuel anointed Saul, son of Kish, as King of Israel (1 Sam. 10 ff.) But, God ultimately rejected Saul as King (1 Sam. 15:10 ff.) Saul’s “dynasty” ended with his death.

At God’s new direction, Samuel anointed David as Saul’s successor (1 Sam. 16:1 ff.). Later, God promised David a perpetual dynasty (2 Sam. 7:10 ff.).

Division of the Kingdom

David was succeeded by his son Solomon as King. Solomon was succeeded by his son Rehoboam as King. The northern tribes rejected Rehoboam and formed a separate kingdom, retaining the name Israel. The southern Kingdom took the name Judah, after the tribe of David (1 Ki. 12:1 ff.).

(Northern) Israel continued under various Kings until it was fully conquered by the Assyrians in 720 B.C. (2 Ki. 17:5-6). Judah continued under the Davidic Dynasty, with a short hiatus under Queen Athaliah (1 Ki. 11:1-16), until it was fully conquered by the Babylonians in 587 B.C. (2 Ki. 25:8 ff.).

Effectiveness of the Kings

God made a covenant with Israel to give them a land. That covenant was contingent upon obedience to the Law, especially the prohibition of idolatry (Dt. 28:58-64). Neither the Judges nor the Kings were able to prevent that. However, some of the Kings tried.

The Bible gives most of the Kings of Judah an assessment such as, “He did evil in the sight of the Lord.” Some are viewed more favorably, but criticized for not eliminating the high places (locations for idolatrous worship). A few are lauded for following in the footsteps of King David and for eliminating the high places. The fact that several Kings eliminated the high places is proof that the people continued to worship idols, especially when an evil King took office.

More Questions

Several questions present themselves: 1. God said that He is the King, yet He allowed the Israelites to reject Him and follow other Kings. Why did He do that? 2. Israel failed under both Judges and Kings. So, what sort of government, if any, works? 3. How can God make a non-contingent promise to David of a perpetual dynasty over a kingdom that is contingent on obedience?

God allows us to learn the hard way. Following other gods and other kings never ends well. But, what people intend for evil, He can use for good (Gen. 50:20; Ro. 8:28). A monarchy is the best form of government if these four conditions are met:

1. The King is infinitely good;
2. The King is infinitely knowledgeable;
3. The people know the King’s laws; and
4. The people are willing to obey them.

Jesus, of course, is the fulfillment of a multitude of God’s promises. He is a descendant of David (Ro. 1:3 and elsewhere). He is currently seated as King of the Kingdom of God (Eph. 1:20-21 and elsewhere). He makes His citizens into new creations (2 Cor. 5:17.) with new hearts who know His laws and willingly obey them (Heb. 8).

His Kingdom is not like other kingdoms. It is from above and not based on force and violence (Jn. 18:36). Its rulers don’t “lord it over” the people (Mt. 20:25-29). It is both now and not yet (Heb. 2:9).

Do We Need a King?

Yes, we need a king, but not just any king. We need the One who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So, we continue to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom and the supremacy of King Jesus, and we pray, “Your Kingdom come; Your will be done.”

Source: https://libertarianchristians.com/2024/07/30/we-dont-need-no-stinking-kings-or-do-we/