Глава 8

Establishment of royal power among the Jewish people. 1 Samuel 8:1. When Samuel was old, he made his sons judges over Israel. “His sons”: the Nazirite vow (see note to 1 Samuel 1:11) was not combined with the obligatory celibacy of the one who made this vow. 1 Samuel 8:3. But his sons did not walk in his ways, but turned aside into greed and took gifts and judged wrongly. Bathsheba is a city near the southern borders of Canaan. The remoteness of Bathsheba from the main residence of Samuel Rama (see note to 1 Samuel 1:1) largely explains the freedom of action that Samuel's sons allowed themselves (v. 3). 1 Samuel 8:5. and they said to him, Behold, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways; Therefore, place a king over us, so that he will judge us like other nations. The people believed that the strong hand of the sovereign tsar would serve as a sufficient guarantee against various kinds of abuses on the part of secondary authorities. 1 Samuel 8:6. And Samuel did not like this word when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed to the Lord. “And Samuel did not like the saying.” The form of Jewish government established by this time had the character of a theocracy, i.e. Divine rule, in the narrow sense of the word. Being equally God and the Heavenly King of all nations in general (theocracy in the broad sense of the word), the Lord was at the same time an earthly King in relation to his chosen people. From Him came laws, decrees, and orders not only of a purely religious nature, but also of a family, social, and state nature. As a King, He was at the same time the Chief Leader of the military forces of his people. The Tabernacle, being the place of the special presence of the Lord God, was at the same time the residence of the Sovereign of the Jewish people: here the will of their Heavenly and earthly King was revealed to the people in all the most important cases of their religious, family, social and state life. Prophets, high priests, leaders, judges were only obedient executors and conductors of the will of the Heavenly Ruler of the people. From this it becomes clear why the zealous guardian of Jehovah, Samuel, did not like the desire of the people: in this desire, he saw the betrayal of the Jews to their original King (1 Samuel 8: 7–8). Moreover, when asking for a king, the Jews expressed themselves: “like other (i.e., pagan) peoples.” From what follows, however, we see that the Lord allowed Samuel to satisfy the people’s desire, finding that the fulfillment of this desire may not contradict the form of God’s rule established among the Jews, since the earthly king of the theocratic state of the Jews is and should be nothing more than a zealous executor and guide in the people entrusted to him with the laws of the King of Heaven (Deut. 17:14-20). 1 Samuel 8:9. therefore, listen to their voices; just present to them and declare to them the rights of the king who will reign over them. 1 Samuel 8:10. And Samuel related all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king, 1 Samuel 8:11. and he said: These will be the rights of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and put them in his chariots and make them his horsemen, and they will run before his chariots; 1 Samuel 8:12. and he will appoint them captains of thousands and captains of fifties, and so that they will till his fields, and reap his grain, and make him weapons of war and his chariot implements; 1 Samuel 8:13. and he will take your daughters to make ointments, cook food and bake bread; 1 Samuel 8:14. and he will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his servants; 1 Samuel 8:15. And he will take a tenth of your crops and of your vineyards and give it to his eunuchs and to his servants; 1 Samuel 8:16. and he will take your male and female servants, and your best young men, and your donkeys, and use them for his business; 1 Samuel 8:17. He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will be his slaves; 1 Samuel 8:18. and then you will groan at your king, whom you have chosen for yourself; and the Lord will not answer you then. Samuel did not draw a statute of power for the Jewish king, but a picture of the behavior of the king that was usual in the East at that time. The harsh tones of this picture should have inspired great caution in the Jews in their planned enterprise. 1 Samuel 8:20. and we will be like other nations: our king will judge us, and go before us, and fight our wars. Along with other considerations, in the expressed desire of the people there was also an impulse, so to speak, of national pride: “and we will be like other peoples.” 1 Samuel 8:22. And the Lord said to Samuel, Hear their voice and make them a king. And Samuel said to the Israelites, “Go every one to your own city.” The first two kings - Saul and David - were a visual and tangible image for the people of what the king of the Jews (Saul) should not be, but what the king of the Jews (David) should be. You might be interested in: