The Divine Right of Kings

The reigns of the kings begin in the first book of Samuel, and although the prophet Samuel strongly discourages the idea, God is the one to permit it. In these passages, we can see that these kings are granted divine rights, therefore directly granted the power from God himself. The discovery of the first king and how he is introduced into the Bible is a little bit disappointing and quick. Saul, a random person who comes up to Samuel about losing donkeys, is chosen by God with mystical signs to become the king. Since God has chosen Saul, giving him the divine right, it should not be surprising to assume that Saul should be some special leader who will influence the Israelites as their first king. However, we see that Saul is unfit as the king pretty quickly, as he disobeys God’s orders by sparing the life of the Amalekite leader and a portion of his flock. It seems confusing, that Saul, who God himself has chosen to be the king, makes the mistake and ultimately becomes unfit. In the Bible, God makes decisions and gives certain orders that does not seem to hold, causing the reader to wonder if God really has predicted the future or if people can change, out of God’s control.