Scripture Sunday: The Giver and the Taker

1 Samuel 8:4-20, 11:14-15
8:4 Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah,
8:5 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."
8:6 But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to govern us." Samuel prayed to the LORD,
8:7 and the LORD said to Samuel, "Listen to the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them.
8:8 Just as they have done to me, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so also they are doing to you.
8:9 Now then, listen to their voice; only--you shall solemnly warn them, and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them."
8:10 So Samuel reported all the words of the LORD to the people who were asking him for a king.
8:11 He said, "These will be the ways of the king who will reign over you: he will take your sons and appoint them to his chariots and to be his horsemen, and to run before his chariots;
8:12 and he will appoint for himself commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and some to plow his ground and to reap his harvest, and to make his implements of war and the equipment of his chariots.
8:13 He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
8:14 He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive orchards and give them to his courtiers.
8:15 He will take one-tenth of your grain and of your vineyards and give it to his officers and his courtiers.
​8:16 He will take your male and female slaves, and the best of your cattle and donkeys, and put them to his work.
8:17 He will take one-tenth of your flocks, and you shall be his slaves.
8:18 And in that day you will cry out because of your king, whom you have chosen for yourselves; but the LORD will not answer you in that day."
8:19 But the people refused to listen to the voice of Samuel; they said "No! but we are determined to have a king over us,
8:20 so that we also may be like other nations, and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles."
11:14 Samuel said to the people, "Come, let us go to Gilgal and there renew the kingship."
11:15 So all the people went to Gilgal, and there they made Saul king before the LORD in Gilgal. There they sacrificed offerings of well-being before the LORD, and there Saul and all the Israelites rejoiced greatly.

All of creation held their breath. “No, they won’t eat the fruit. Everything is good and we have been given so much, what more could they want?”

But “when the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it.”

Creation groaned. The thorns and thistles were given power, the animals put into enmity. The humans took what was not theirs and they all suffered because of it.

Creation watched on again a second time. This time the humans were given a direct warning. The king they wanted like other nations would also be one who “took.” The king would take their daughters, take the best of the cattle and donkeys, take their best produce, and take their slaves. Creation thought, “God is the Creator, the one who led them miraculously out of Egypt and performed miracles and gave them the land. The one who promised, “I will fight for you, you only have to be silent and stay calm” (Ex 14:14). We want God as our King, the ultimate Giver, why would they want a king who takes?”

And the people yelled, “No! But we are determined to have a king over us, so that we also may be like other nations and that our king may govern us and go out before us and fight our battles.”
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The Lord’s warning became true, and the people’s rejoicing soon turned into groans alongside creation. Still now we often yell something similar, “Make me comfortable and make everything easy, and don’t make me have to see the consequences of all that I am taking. I want my own protection that I can see right now.” Our actions only furthering the groans and cries of creation and everyone in it. From the beginning, all life was a gift given by God, but humans decided to “take” and strive instead of praise God for the gift they had been given.


​Caroline Hiler is a Seminary Intern at Creation Justice Ministries.