Jacob Chanikuzhy

Poets may have flowery words about old age. But old age is still old age. Common physical problems like heart disease, diabetes, bone and joint related issues, loss of sense, and manifold other ailments make the life of the elderly difficult and insecure. Nevertheless, old age is better than the other alternative death. The common psychological problems like dementia, Alzheimer’s disease, insomnia and the like also make their life and that of their caretakers hard. However, the most common psychological problem that haunts them is depression. The feeling of loneliness, helplessness, uselessness, inferiority etc. deplete the joy from the life of the aged.
In the life of Prophet Samuel something very sad happened. Although he judged Israel with justice and fairness for so many years, when he became old, people wanted to replace him. They demanded him to appoint a king for them (1Samuel 8). More than the holiness, wisdom and long years of experience of Samuel, the people preferred the pomp and prestige of a king. Instead of a simple prophet they longed for a mighty king. Feeling rejected by the people because of his old age, Samuel turned to God. God instructed Samuel to appoint a king for the people of Israel after giving them sufficient warning about how the king would misuse his authority to abuse them. Even after receiving the warning, people persisted in their demand.
Why did the people demand a king rather than a prophet like Samuel? The obvious reason is that people of Israel wanted to be like other neighboring nations who were ruled by kings. The king with his royal palace and luxurious living fascinated them. They imagined that an army led by a mighty king could give them security and prosperity. Of course, they believed that it was Yahweh who gave them victory. But they also believed that it would be easier for Yahweh to defeat the enemies of Israel if there was a king in Israel. They thought that God alone is ideal; but God and king together is more practical.
It seems that today people depend more on kings than God or his prophets. It is not surprising that people who are thoroughly secular depend more on their kings. Kings in the contemporary world take the form of governments, political leaders, high ranking officers, scientific and technological progress, economic wealth, print/electronic/social media or whatever is useful for a successful living. These are the present-day kings secular people trust in. They vouch that they do not need an extra god apart from these. But it is ironical that the so called “religious people” or even the religious leaders have become the worshippers of these earthly kings. It is not that they do not believe in God; they do. But they trust more in the mundane kings to ensure their security and success, power and prestige. They forget that it is a drastic move that ensures short term gains and long-term losses.
Prophet Samuel promptly warned the people about the pitfalls of submitting themselves to a king other than God: “You shall be his slaves” (1 Sam 8,17). No one can enjoy the benefits from a king without paying the great price of freedom. The more godless the king is, the more miserable will be your slavery. He will interfere with your personal and household affairs, take away not only your possessions but also your freedom, and honour.
Had Samuel been successful in correcting his corrupt sons, people would have been happy to accept them as judges. But, their misappropriation of money made people abandon them although they were the sons of Samuel himself. When Samuel failed to rectify his own household affairs, people looked for other alternatives. The story of Samuel communicates a strong message to all of us, and especially religious leaders. We need to be ready to sort out at any price all our issues inside the community itself. If we opt to depend on the “kings of the earth” we are never going to be independent. These kings will take away not only our freedom, honour and glory but will take away our God himself as the subsequent history of Israel proves.