1 Samuel 8:6

But the thing displeased Samuel,.... Not that they called him an old man, and suggested that he was incapacitated for his office, nor for observing the unbecoming walk of his sons, but for what

But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD. The thing displeased Samuel. Personal and family feelings might affect his views of this public movement.

The thing displeased Samuel; not their complaint of his sons, but their desire of a king, as is apparent from the following words, and from the whole course of the story; which was so grievous to him, partly because of their injustice and ingratitude to himself, whose government, though it had been so sweet and beneficial to them, they plainly show themselves weary of; and principally because God was hereby dishonoured and provoked, by that distrust of God, and that vain-glory and ambition, and that itch after changes, which were the manifest causes of this desire; and because of that great servitude and misery which he wisely foresaw the people would hereby bring upon themselves, as he particularly informs them, , &c. Samuel prayed unto the Lord, for the pardon of their sin, and desire of direction and help from God in this great affair.

1 Samuel 8:6 But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.Ver. 6. But the thing displeased Samuel.] Chiefly because he knew it was displeasing to God, and then as an indignity done to himself, by shaking off his government even while he lived. But this is the manner of the many headed multitude, Cui praesentia fastidio, insueta desiderio sunt, to loath things present, and to affect novelties; αειγαρτοπαρονβαρυ, saith Thucydides, the present government is ever grievous; neither is the beauty of benefits seen but on the backside, that is, till men are bereft of them. And Samuel prayed unto the Lord.] He was not so far displeased at the ungrateful people, but that he could, at the same time, pity them and pray for them. So did Moses before him, and our Saviour after him. Samuel prayed for the pardon of that sin of theirs, which they afterwards came to a sight of, and confessed against themselves. He also prayed, doubtless, for direction in that weighty work whereupon the people had put him. Sulpit. Sever., ibid. Consuluit Dominum praemissa oratione. - Vat.

(6) The thing displeased Samuel.—It is clear that it was perfectly justifiable in the elders of the people to come to the resolution contained in their petition to Samuel. The Deuteronomy directions contained in 1 Samuel 17:14-20 are clear and explicit in this matter of an earthly king for the people, and Moses evidently had looked forward to this alteration in the constitution when he framed the Law. No date for the change is specified, but from the terms of the Deuteronomy words no distant period evidently was looked on to. Then, again, though Samuel was naturally displeased, he at once, as prophet and seer, carried the matter to the God-Friend of Israel in prayer, and the Eternal King at once bids His old true servant to comply with the people’s desire. The displeasure of the prophet-judge was very natural. He felt—this we see from the comforting words his Master addressed to him (see 1 Samuel 8:7)—that the people, notwithstanding the vast claims he possessed to their gratitude, craved another and a different ruler, and were dissatisfied with his government. Samuel too was conscious that Israel by its request declined the direct sovereignty of the Eternal. The change to an earthly sovereign had been foreseen, foretold, even arranged for, by Moses, but, in spite of all this, to one like Samuel it was very bitter. It seemed to remove the people from that solitary platform which they alone among nations had been allowed to occupy. They had found by sad experience, as Moses,—“their Rabbi,” as the old teachers loved to style him—had predicted, that such a form of government was, alas! unsuited to them, and that they must descend here to the level of ordinary peoples. But though all this was undisputably true, it was very bitter for the hero patriot to give up for ever the splendid Hebrew ideal that his people were the subjects of the Eternal King, ruled directly by Him.

Verse 6. The thing displeased Samuel] Because he saw that this amounted to a formal renunciation of the Divine government. Samuel prayed unto the Lord] He begged to know his mind in this important business.

6–9. Jehovah’s answer to the request 6. the thing displeased Samuel] 1 Samuel 8:7 implies that Samuel’s displeasure arose from a feeling of the ingratitude of the Israelites toward himself in desiring that one who had done so much for them should be superseded by a king. God’s answer, “Not thee (their judge) have they rejected, but me (their true king) have they rejected from reigning over them” (the Heb. order is emphatic) at once consoles him and points out the real sinfulness of the request. This consisted not in the mere desire for a king, which would not necessarily have been wrong, but in the spirit of distrust of the invisible sovereignty of Jehovah and desire for the splendour of a visible monarch which really prompted the request. Samuel prayed] He does not let his own personal feelings decide, but endeavours to learn what is the Will of God in the matter.

See the margin which implies that the thing spoken of caused anger, indignation, or some revulsion of feeling (see Genesis 21:11-12). The answer of the Lord 1 Samuel 8:7 shows that Samuel’s personal feelings had been hurt.

6. The thing displeased Samuel — The elders presented the matter very skilfully to Samuel, implying (1 Samuel 8:5) that they would be quite content if they could always have him for their ruler, or