'Make us a king so that he may judge us like other nations.' I Samuel 8:5
This came with dread to Samuel who knew that the Israelites were rejecting God, after all the deliverances and establishment in foreign lands. Many of the clamourers of a king were born in Egypt or in the deserts and had seen the deliverance from plagues, enemies, droughts, hunger, thirst, snakes, even a raging sea. Yet, after they had conquered all Palestine and realised their valour, they- a chosen people- still wanted to be like other nations.
Today, we all have kings we pray for. When young, free and single except for our parents meddling with our rioting and exploits, many of us wish for other parents who would understand us. We even wish to belong to other families where we would feel better welcome. We ever run away from home comforts to be street people. Out there, we gain our freedom to choose mates and friends and the kind of drugs to partake of. We get the lovers we want, we get kinky and randy as we wish. For a few better mannered, the king they aspire for is good education, good jobs, more money and big mansions, posh cars and celebrity lifestyles, beautiful partners and kids, informed friends and neighbours, and a wonderfully networked social life. Success is our king. Yet for others, the king they pray for is power. They say, "just let me rule for one day, then I die." A ticket to the August House is sought through any means even by sacrificing partners, children, parents and faith and personal dignity- all for the title of Honourable Member.
A few poor of us only pray for a meal a day- but for that, they are ready to kill, steal and destroy. A blind would pray for sight- the king to make him like all others. The terminally ill would pray for healing in whichever form, even if by raping infants and chicken if that is what cures AIDS.
Many more pray for their faith to be strengthened. They seek churches and religions that promise that, only discounting the call unto salvation. Religion becomes a king that dictates edicts of life that even the Son of Man could not live by. The king religion becomes a yoke that demands prove of holiness and segregation of the not-so-holy-like-us in a classic pharisaic-sadusaic manner that negates the need for crying for forgiveness of sins. Our holiness becomes our chest-thumbing quest as we engineer a face-off with God exalting our faithfulness- singing loudly Holy Holy Holy me...
When our tantrums are not rewarded, we pout and sulk silently tallying our good deeds that have not been acknowledged. In the end, we are just like all other nations that happily murder, rape, pillage, worship idols, blaspheme and reject God. The chosen-few status to enter the kingdom of God evades us, as we justify ourselves.
