Wednesday, November 4, 2020

Bible Quote

I think sometimes about 1 Samuel 8, when the Jews requested a king. God didn't really want to give them one, and described it as a rejection... But gave in and gave them what they wanted.

Some of that is the recurring theme in the Old Testament (ie they want to be like all the other nations around them, and keep wondering why God wants them to be different), but it also says something about human nature and our desire for... Authoritarianism? Having one powerful person in charge? 

I think you could argue that God doesn't want that for us, but He goes along with our desire for it. I know it's not really good to project modern ideas on ancient societies, but I like to think this shows that the 'divine right of kings' is more a man made thing that God humors us with, and maybe He actually prefers democracy. 

"He will take a tenth of your flocks and you yourselves will become his slaves. When that day comes you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, but the Lord will not answer you in that day." 

Really, He's not an authoritarian and doesn't want that for us... But if we insist on it well, that's on us. 

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