(Please read the Scripture passage before reading the homily.)
We want a king, one like all the other nations have. This passage is not about private rights versus public rights; nor is it about vaccine mandates or the availability of abortion, which are more modern issues.
This passage is about relationship, our relationship with God over making politics our religion. The question is who is going to control our lives, our selfish selves or God. Samuel saw the request for a king as an insult to God, as a turning away from God.
Who is going to run our lives, we or God? It is a perennial question. Whether we want to replace God with a certain kind of political leader, a relationship, a particular job or promotion, it is the same situation as the one described in this passage.
There is baggage with our preferential choices. With the monarchy for ancient Israel, the baggage was a high taxation on family members and on property. With wealth, the baggage is that, unless we get more money and power, we lose our standing among others. With popularity, the baggage is that our followers want to own us. When wealth, popularity, individual rights become our God, we surrender our lives and souls to a hard taskmaster.
The only baggage with God is God’s burden, which is light, easy, and allows us to grow. Such baggage is no baggage because God’s way gives us freedom to be human, as God has made us to be.
Our kings, our monarchs, our presidents never live up to our expectations. Our personal goals tend to bind us to a bitter yoke. Only God can live up to our expectations.
Samuel explained all this to the people, but they answered, “Not so! There must be a king over us!” Samuel explains this to us: how do we respond?