“And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not hear you in that day.”

I Samuel 8

The first of the readings in Boaz’s collection isn’t exactly what I expected. I don’t know about you, but the words “libertarian” and “Old Testament” aren’t quite the same as “Earhart” and “lost over the Pacific Ocean.” But the story in Samuel is strikingly relevant (and smarter men than Boaz thought so: apparently Thomas Paine, among others, noted the passage in his attacks on government).

The story is fairly straightforward. Sam’s sons, appointed as judges, were doing a pretty crap job. The people of Israel weren’t too keen on this state of affairs. So, they talked to Samuel, old though he was, and put in a request for a king. Samuel knew the danger of this request, and consulting with God only made him more certain of this fact. He let the elders of Zion know just what the danger they were facing was and rattled off a list that would have frightened even Robert Byrd: nationalization of agriculture, mandatory draft, high tax rates, and, worst of all, the daughters were to become confectioners. Joking aside, the story is quite amazing, as it concludes with the people of Israel refusing to heed Samuel’s dire warnings and instead embracing a kingship, rather than the simple system of judges that previously characterized the state of affairs.

Any biblical scholars are welcome to comment on this passage as I necessarily read it out of context. I’ll ad that as I read and wrote about this bit of biblical verse, the skies have been exploding in a formidable lightning show, only heightening the drama of the story. Any and all feedback is welcome. I’ll be posting more as I wade through the next few selections, concerning Thomas Paine among others.