Dear Editor,
I am grateful for David Reynolds’ comments on my article about the monarchy. It is good to be challenged!
When Samuel tells Israel that a king would exploit them (1 Sam.8v1-22) David assumes that the elders are making a wrong-headed request for a king on the pagan model, “A king like the other nations have” (verses 5 and 19). They had a law for kings in Deuteronomy 17v14-20, but this is not the time and they are jumping the gun. The result is Saul who turns out to be a disaster.
