This reading also addresses the verses from 1 Samuel 11:14-15: All the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, “You are old and your sons do not follow in your ways; appoint for us, then, a king to govern us, like other nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the Lord, and the Lord said to Samuel, “Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they h

In the story we read today from 1 Samuel, where the Israelites went to him and asked God to give them a king … to be like other nations … we see how God granted their wish. From the ancient Chinese proverb that Judge Ito used to quote during the O.J. trial: “Be careful what you wish for … you just might get it.” God gave Samuel a “laundry list” of commands, which focuses on what serving a human king entailed for the Israelites. By then, none of the Israelites had ever breathe