God Bless America
In discussing his politics, Terry Drew told the reporter Stephanie McCrummen, "I hate it," he said. "My wife and I talk about it all the time. We rationalize the immoral things away. We don't like it, but we look at the alternative, and think it could be worse than this."
1 Samuel 8:4-20
⁴Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. ⁵They said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us, to govern us, like all the nations." ⁶But the thing was evil in Samuel's eyes when they said, "Give us a king to govern us." And Samuel prayed to the Lord. ⁷And the Lord said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in everything they say to you. They have not rejected you; they have rejected me from being king over them. ⁸Just as they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day — forsaking me and serving other gods — so they are doing also to you. ⁹So now, listen to their voice. But solemnly warn them, and tell them the customs of the king who will reign over them." ¹⁰So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who were asking him for a king. ¹¹He said, "These will be the customs of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and put them to his chariots and his horsemen, and they will run before his chariot. ¹²He will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and to make his weapons of war and the equipment for his chariots. ¹³He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers. ¹⁴The best of your fields, vineyards, and olive groves he will take, and he will give them to his officials. ¹⁵He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vineyards, and he will give it to his officers and his officials. ¹⁶Your male servants and your female servants, the best of your young men and your donkeys, he will take and use for his own work. ¹⁷He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves. ¹⁸And on that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you chose for yourselves, but the Lord will not answer you on that day." ¹⁹But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel. They said, "No! We will have a king over us, ²⁰so that we also may be like all the nations, and our king may govern us, and go out before us, and fight our battles."
Terry Drew has reasons for his politics. The elders of Israel did too. They're weighing the problem: Samuel is getting old, his sons are corrupt, and all the other nations have kings. To ensure their nation's security, they want what works: a king. They're in unanimous agreement. After all, they only want to be "like all the nations." But the hidden cost of conformity is losing allegiance to their invisible King. The Lord tells his prophet to listen closely. They aren't rejecting Samuel, but the God he represents. Then the Lord tells the elders to listen closely. Through Samuel, he clarifies what happens if they take matters into their own hands: the king will take, and take, and take some more. The sociologists Philip Gorski and Samuel Perry found that "religious terms like 'Christian' and 'evangelical' are becoming markers of social identity and political views rather than just religious conviction." For instance, the phrase "Christ is King" has become a rallying cry for far-right political influencers. It allows them to talk about honoring God so that they can mobilize their followers for political action. Perhaps we should be careful how we pray. God wants to give us what is good, but if we demand his removal from our affairs, we would find that his "yes" was the worst "no" of our lives. It's not that God didn't care about Israel's politics. But the challenge was for Israel to trust their true King. Where Israel's kings kept taking, Jesus came to break the pattern. He "came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Mark 10:45). Because Jesus served us, we can confidently approach his throne with boldness, and find help in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).
The elders thought they were being reasonable, but God heard their rejection of his authority. Why couldn't God approve of their politics?
Israel's kings take. Jesus gives his life away. Which king does your politics look like?
Where have you uncomfortably justified your political choices? Be specific.
If you're able, bow your head and open your hands, palm up. Tell God, "You're my King. I trust you to keep me safe." Without arguing about politics, share with a friend one way you each have tried to be like the nations instead of like Jesus.