Monarchy One reason the nation of Israel wanted a king was to be “like all the other nations.” The institution of kingship in other ancient Near Eastern nations was almost two thousand years old by the time of Saul and David, especially in the Egyptian and Babylonian empires. Other much smaller nations—such as Philistia, Moab, and Edom—also had kings with permanent bureaucracies and standing armies. Kings were believed to be the chosen instruments through which deities governed human affairs, so kings reigned either on behalf of the gods or as presumed gods themselves. The Israelites envied other nations and were not interested in the long-term implications of monarchy, in spite of Samuel’s warnings (1 Sam 8:10-18). Several hundred years of monarchy would prove that Samuel’s apprehensions were justified: Wicked kings eventually led God’s chosen nation into foreign domination and exile. Yet God used the monarchy to fulfill his purposes, as he would provide the Messiah through David and his dynasty, establishing an eternal kingdom (see 2 Sam 7:8-16; Matt 21:1-11; Rev 5:5; 11:15). Passages for Further Study Deut 17:14-20; 33:5; Judg 17:6; 21:25; 1 Sam 8:5-22; 10:1, 24-25;...