Page 200 - Bible History

Unit Four
HOW GOD'S CHOSEN PEOPLE LIVED UNDER THEIR KINGS
I. SAUL, THE FIRST KI OF THE ISRAELITES
1. SAUL Is ANOINTED KING BY SAMUEL
The Israelites ·were not content with the rule of the I l
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Judges. They longed to be umted under one leader- a king a king-like the other nations around them. In the time of Samuel, the people became very restless and insisted that he appoint a king to rule over them. In vain did Samuel remind them that God was their King. They would not listen to him. They wanted a human king to lead them to a nal victory over the Cha­ naanites and the Philistines. They thought a human king would prevent civil war and stop them from rob- bing one another, ile he kept the neighboring ene- mies at a distance. Moreover, though Samuel was a good ruler and governed them well, they were afraid
that his sons, who were weak men, would not continue in the footsteps of their father.
Samuel tried to reason with them. He showed them sa l's that they would have to su er the hardships of taxa- advice tion for the support of a king-that soldiers must be supplied for a standing army. In order to be a united nation, it was only necessary for them to obey God's
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