Israel Rejected God as Their King Story Summary

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Bible Story: Israel Rejected God as Their King

Bible Text: 1 Samuel 8-9:2; 10

Story Truth(s):

  • Israel rejected God as their king.
  • Israel wanted an earthly king.

Story: At one time, God was the King of Israel. He spoke to them through His prophet, Samuel. At first, the people listened to Samuel, but as the prophet aged, Israel wanted a change.

Israel wasn’t like other nations. God was their King. Other nations had earthly kings. Israel wanted an earthly king like the other nations.

Have you ever dreamt of something, and when you got it, found it was less than you expected? Were you disappointed? Samuel tried to warn Israel that an earthly king would disappoint them. Kings are demanding. They take the best of your work and your wealth.

Samuel tried to explain that having an earthly king wouldn’t be better. It would actually be harder. But, Israel didn’t want to listen to Samuel. “No!” Israel said, “We want a king to rule over us so we can be like everyone else.” So, Samuel spoke to God, and God gave Israel what they thought they wanted.

Israel demanded a king because they didn’t want to have to obey God. They thought things would be better for them if they had a king like the other nations. They rejected God as their king because their hearts were hard.

A man named Saul would become the first king. Saul looked like a king, but wasn’t a good king. King Saul didn’t fix their heart problem. They needed more than he could offer, and it didn’t take long for the people to be unhappy again.

God loved Israel, but He was unhappy with Israel’s desire for an earthly King. Still, God gave them what they thought they wanted to show them that no earthly king could make them happy. What they really wanted was more than any king could give. They needed Jesus, the Redeemer, to come and fix all the brokenness in this world, and even the brokenness in their own hearts so they could obey God and enjoy Him as their King forever!

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