Jewish Sources and Republican Exclusivism (How a Midrash Made Democracy)

(14) If, after you have entered the land that the LORD your God has assigned to you, and taken possession of it and settled in it, you decide, “I will set a king over me, as do all the nations about me,” (15) You shall set a king over yourself, one chosen by the LORD your God. Be sure to set as king over yourself one of your own people; you must not set a foreigner over you, one who is not your kinsman. (16) Moreover, he shall not keep many horses or send people back to Egypt to add to his horses, since the LORD has warned you, “You must not go back that way again.” (17) And he shall not have many wives, lest his heart go astray; nor shall he amass silver and gold to excess. (18) When he is seated on his royal throne, he shall have a copy of this Teaching written for him on a scroll by the levitical priests. (19) Let it remain with him and let him read in it all his life, so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God, to observe faithfully every word of this Teaching as well as these laws. (20) Thus he will not act haughtily toward his fellows or deviate from the Instruction to the right or to the left, to the end that he and his descendants may reign long in the midst of Israel.

(4) All the elders of Israel assembled and came to Samuel at Ramah, (5) and they said to him, “You have grown old, and your sons have not followed your ways. Therefore appoint a king for us, to govern us like all other nations.” (6) Samuel was displeased that they said “Give us a king to govern us.” Samuel prayed to the LORD, (7) and the LORD replied to Samuel, “Heed the demand of the people in everything they say to you. For it is not you that they have rejected; it is Me they have rejected as their king. (8) Like everything else they have done ever since I brought them out of Egypt to this day—forsaking Me and worshiping other gods—so they are doing to you. (9) Heed their demand; but warn them solemnly, and tell them about the practices of any king who will rule over them.” (10) Samuel reported all the words of the LORD to the people, who were asking him for a king. (11) He said, “This will be the practice of the king who will rule over you: He will take your sons and appoint them as his charioteers and horsemen, and they will serve as outrunners for his chariots. (12) He will appoint them as his chiefs of thousands and of fifties; or they will have to plow his fields, reap his harvest, and make his weapons and the equipment for his chariots. (13) He will take your daughters as perfumers, cooks, and bakers. (14) He will seize your choice fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his courtiers. (15) He will take a tenth part of your grain and vintage and give it to his eunuchs and courtiers. (16) He will take your male and female slaves, your choice young men, and your asses, and put them to work for him. (17) He will take a tenth part of your flocks, and you shall become his slaves. (18) The day will come when you cry out because of the king whom you yourselves have chosen; and the LORD will not answer you on that day.” (19) But the people would not listen to Samuel’s warning. “No,” they said. “We must have a king over us, (20) that we may be like all the other nations: Let our king rule over us and go out at our head and fight our battles.” (21) When Samuel heard all that the people said, he reported it to the LORD. (22) And the LORD said to Samuel, “Heed their demands and appoint a king for them.” Samuel then said to the men of Israel, “All of you go home.”

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel, "Everything mentioned in the portion of the King, the king is permitted to do". Rav said, "The portion only refers to [the king's powers] to strike fear into [the people], as it says "You shall place a king over you", meaning that the fear will be upon you.

This is a matter of dispute between Tannaim: R' Yose says "Everything mentioned in the portion of the King, the King is permitted to do". Rav Yehudah said, "The portion only refers to [the king's powers] to strike fear into [the people], as it says "You shall place a king over you", meaning that the fear will be upon you."

And so R' Yehudah said: "Israel was commanded to do three mitzvot upon entry to the land: To appoint a king for themselves, to eradicate the offspring of Amalek and to build a Holy Temple for themselves."

R' Nehorai says, "This passage was only said in response to [the people's] complaints, as it says, "And you [will] say, I shall place a king over me".

R' Eleazar bar Tzadok says, "The wise men of the generation made a proper request, as written, "Appoint a king for us, to govern us" (I Samuel 8:4-5), but the common people amongst them spoke wrongly, as written, "that we may be like all the other nations".

(23) You shall not follow the practices of the nation that I am driving out before you. For it is because they did all these things that I abhorred them

(1) Israel was enjoined with three Commandments upon entering the Land: to appoint a king, as it says, “you shall set a king over yourselves” (Deut. 17:15); to destroy the descendents of Amalek, as it says “erase the memory of Amalek” (Deut. 25:19); and build the Temple, as it says, “you shall seek His habitation, and there you will come” (Deut. 12:5).

(2) The appointment of the king comes before the war with Amalek, as it says, “G-d has sent me to anoint you king…Now, go and smite Amalek” (I Samuel 15:1-3). The eradication of Amalek precedes the construction of the Temple, as it says, “and it was so, when the king was settled in his home, and G-d allowed him respite from his enemies all around. And the king said to Nathan, the Prophet, ‘I am living in a house of cedar…’” (II Samuel 7:1-2). Now, since the appointment of a king is a Commandment, why did G-d not want (a king) when the people asked Samuel for one? Because their request was merely due to resentment, and not for the purpose of fulfilling a Commandment. They had rejected Samuel the Prophet, as it says, “as they have forsaken Me…so do they also with you” (I Samuel 8:7).

'When Thou art come unto the land'…The Rabbis say: God said to Israel: ‘I planned that you should be free from kings.’ Whence this? As it is said, A wild ass used to the wilderness {Jer. Two: Twenty-Four}: just as the wild ass grows up in the wilderness and has no fear of man, so too I planned that you should have no fear of kings; but you did not desire so: ‘that snuffeth up the wind in her pleasure’ (Jer. 2:24), and ‘wind’ is nothing but kingship. Whence this? As it is said, And, behold, the four winds of the heaven broke forth upon the great sea (Dan. 7:2). God said: ‘Should you assert that I do not know that in the end you will forsake me, already long ago I have forewarned [you] through Moses, and said to him: ‘Seeing that in the end they will ask for a mortal king, let them appoint one of their own as a king, not a foreigner.’’ Whence this? From what we have read in the section, AND SHALT SAY: I WILL SET A KING OVER ME, ETC. (Deut. 17:14).

…the Rabbis say: When kings arose over Israel and began to enslave them, God exclaimed: ‘Did you not forsake me and seek kings for yourselves?’ Hence the force of, I WILL SET A KING OVER ME.

This bears out what Scripture says, Put not your trust in princes (Ps. 146:3). R’ Simon said in the name of R’ Joshua b. Levi: Whosoever puts his trust in the Holy One, blessed be He, is privileged to become like unto Him. Whence this? As it is said, Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose trust the Lord is (Jer. 17:7). But whosoever puts his trust in idolatry condemns himself to become like [the idols]. Whence this? As it is written, They that make them shall be like unto them (Ps. 115:8). The Rabbis say: Whosoever puts his trust in flesh and blood passes away and his dignity also passes away, as it is said, Nor in the son of man in whom there is no help (Ps. 146:3). What follows on this verse? His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his dust. God said: ‘Although they know that man is nought, yet they forsake my Glory and say: ‘Set a king over us.’ Why do they ask for a king? By your life, in the end you will learn to your cost what you will have to suffer from your king.’ Whence this? As it is written, All their kings are fallen, there is none among them that calleth unto Me (Hos. 7:7.

Another comment on, I WILL SET A KING OVER ME. The Rabbis say: The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘In this world you asked for kings, and kings arose in Israel and caused you to fall by the sword.’ Saul caused them to fall on Mount Gilboa. Whence this? And the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines (I Sam 31:1). David brought about a plague, as it is said, So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel (II Sam. 24:15). Ahab was the cause of the withholding of rain from them, as it is said, There shall not be dew nor rain these years, etc. (I Kings 17:1) Zedekiah was the cause of the destruction of the Temple. When Israel saw what befell them on account of their kings they all began to cry out: ‘We do not desire a king, we desire our first king,’ [as it is said], For the Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King; He will save us (Is. 33:22). Whereupon God replied: ‘By your life, I will do so.’ Whence this? For it is said, And the Lord shall be king over all the earth, etc. (Zc. 14:9).’