Could There Be a More Qualified King?

As the story moves from Judges into First Samuel, Israel starts asking for a king. They had judges like Gideon, Samson, and Samuel—leaders raised up by God, with Samuel serving as both judge and prophet. But Israel kept looking around at the nations nearby, all of whom had kings, and they finally said, “We want a king like everybody else.”

God, through Samuel, warned them. Kings will take from you—your land, your food, your sons and daughters, even your livestock. “Don’t reject God as your king,” Samuel says. But the people insisted, and God relented. So Saul became Israel’s first king—chosen, according to the text, because he was tall and handsome. That’s it. And as we know, it didn’t go very well.

Then came David, the shepherd boy with the heart God desired. And things went well—until they didn’t. David, too, became the kind of king God warned about. Solomon followed; wise, yes, but deeply flawed. After him, the kingdom fractured, and most of the kings who came after led Israel into idolatry.

So the prophets began to look forward to a different kind of king—a righteous branch from David’s line, a shepherd who would lead with justice, wisdom, and peace. And friends, we in the church proclaim that this king has come: Jesus. The Gospels reveal Him as the humble King, the crucified and risen Lord whose kingdom is not like any earthly kingdom.

Jesus rules not with the blood of war but with the blood of His cross. He reconciles, redeems, and brings us out of darkness into His kingdom of light. And so we ask: Could there be any ruler more worthy of our trust? Any Lord more qualified to hold our lives?

Thanks be to God—there is none like Jesus.