. . . God himself, channeled through his prophet Samuel. The precise issue was whether Israel, then a confederation of tribes, should have a king and a central government. God voted for a confederation of tribes, governed directly by him. The Israelites voted for a king.
"This is what the king . . . will do: He will take your sons and make them serve with his chariots and horses, and they will run in front of his chariots.
"Some he will assign to be commanders of thousands and commanders of fifties, and others to plow his ground and reap his harvest, and still others to make weapons of war and equipment for his chariots.
"He will take your daughters to be perfumers and cooks and bakers.
"He will take the best of your fields and vineyards and olive groves and give them to his attendants.
"He will take a tenth of your grain and of your vintage and give it to his officials and attendants.
"Your menservants and maidservants and the best of your cattle and donkeys he will take for his own use.
"He will take a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his slaves.
" When that day comes, you will cry out for relief from the king you have chosen, and the Lord will not answer you in that day."
(1 Samuel 8:11-18 (NIV), reparagraphed)
Corrected for the economic, cultural, and social changes through the centuries, this critique holds up remarkably well. It can be applied easily to the ragged collection of monarchs, mullahs, dictators, and prime ministers for life who claim authority over billions of people. But it can also be applied against the aggregators of government, the centralizers in Washington, D.C., and Brussels, for example, whose first thought of the morning and last thought of the evening is how to take more decisions away from the people and allegedly sovereign states under their control (as they see it).
Israel called for a king and found itself with Saul, then David, then Solomon. Within these three generations, the king -- Solomon -- lived in regal splendor and took Israel's daughters for more than perfumers, cooks, and bakers: He had 700 wives and 300 concubines.
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