So you say you want a king, huh?

You can spend the entire day reading all the text in the Bible about Old Testament kings; you can be intellectually wrapped up in how God is going to keep David's royal chosen line safe in this hot mess of people killing people and terrible punishment coming down from Heaven. Jealousy in rage. Nations torn apart and all the world can see this divided house perfectly aligned for a fall. Somehow David's line is spared the bloody sword, even when the two opposing sides of Israel intermarry and God sends one replacement outside the line to murder both kings. Studying the carnage laced text, you can wonder how it got so bad. It all comes down to one verse. The intro to the saga explains it all-they asked for it.Hungry and thirsty, they demand one way to feed their souls. Their starvation blinds them to make a choice based on what they see in front of them and how they feel. But the people refused to listen to Samuel. "No!" they said. "We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles." 1Sam 8:19 Begging to be led in a way that will satisfy what they perceive is missing, the Israelites ask for a king. They see other people gaining much benefit from being led. Nations of people look strong and mighty with someone in power. This request comes from a people who believe God is sending them a mighty warrior to take out their oppressors and have them reigning in glory for eternity. They got it all wrong. Not much different than I did on the dating scene sometimes haha. Never compare your status to what or who you see around you and what other people have. Maybe that's why there are two commandments on coveting in Gods top 10 list of things to look out for. See Jesus was the leading man. But, He wasn't going to just come in blazing a trail of hurt for everyone who hurt me, pick up all the bills I can't afford to pay, raise my son so I'm not as stressed, heal all my families illnesses so everyone is well and spoil me till the end of my time. Nor was Jesus going to come this way to the Israelites. Jesus would come as a baby needing to be fed, burped, diaper changed and taught the ways of a proper Jewish servant. Dutiful and faithful to His earthly parents and Heavenly Father, He would be an "out-of the box" success story beaten right out of this world He created because they wouldn't get the eccentric demands of love He possessed and stressed everyone live by. Surely I felt the love Jesus offered. I knew who He was thanks to my loving parents. But in my teens I rebelled that love and never really got on track until I realized Jesus was my one true love. So in the meantime, I'd live like the Israelites in Judges doing my own thing and put kings in place of God to lead me.