1 Samuel 8:7-8 And the Lord said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.
Israel wanted a king to rule over them because Samuel’s sons were not fit, the 12 tribes had problems working together, and they wanted to be like the neighboring nations. But God saw it differently. Their desire for a human king was a rejection of the Lord as their sole ruler. This rebellious, independent, and stubborn worldly attitude was in the people since the great Exodus Salvation Event. This desire for a human king was the last evidence of their rebellious, unbelieving spirit. They have forsaken the God who saved them, and served worldly gods.
We don’t even realize how quickly and easily we can forget God in our lives, what He does for us, and reject His Kingdom rule over us. It is easy to put our trust in what we can see and go the world’s way. We need the Spirit’s help to seek first the kingdom of God. So we repent of forgetting and forsaking, receive forgiveness and blessing, and believe the Gospel, for the kingdom draws nigh in Jesus. We are just as weak as Israel, as we need daily reminders and encouragements of God’s presence, goodness, mercy, and loving rule.