The idea of Israel as a monarchy was never against the will of God or even contrary to His promise. Israel only had “to wait for the proper time and God’s selection.” The theocratic Israel had God as their king; therefore, it would be logical that if Israel would have a monarch then God Himself would make the selection. The Lord foretold that when Israel would dwell in the Promised Land that they would desire an earthly king like the neighboring nations. “Thou shalt in any wise set him king over thee, whom the LORD thy God shall choose: one from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother” (Deuteronomy 17:15). The promise of the coming seed would be in that Semitic bloodline. A stranger, or foreigner, ruling the kingdom of Israel would definitely be in sharp contrast to God’s plan.
The search for a king will prove a daunting task, namely because Israel will not wait upon the Lord’s selection. The hasty decision to appoint a king is also a rejection of the Lord’s ultimate appointee. There were nominees that appeared to be natural leaders in human eyes, but turned out not to be God’s choice. After defeating the Midianites, Gideon’s leadership skills emerge showing him as the people’s selection to be the first king. Although Gideon declines the offer, he lives like royalty even naming his son “Abimelech” which means “My father is king.” However, neither is God’s choice.
The people’s demand for a king uncovers a “goodly” person by the name of Saul. Saul stood head and shoulders above everybody else. Saul looked like a true leader. The Lord tells Samuel of a man, that the prophet will meet the very next day, whom will be “captain over my people Israel” (1 Samuel 9:16). “And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over my people” (1 Samuel 9:17). So, Saul looked like a king, a handsome man with an overbearing figure. And though Saul was God’s anointed and dealt with the Philistines as God had desired of him, he did not obey as the Lord had commanded and therefore, the monarchy of Saul will not continue (1 Samuel 13:14).
The Lord looked for a man “after his own heart” (1 Samuel 13:14). Indeed, Saul looked like a king should, so did David’s oldest brother Eliab, but God said, “Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1Samuel 16:7).
Acting on instruction from God, Samuel travels to Bethlehem to a man named Jesse. God tells Samuel that one of Jesse’s sons will be the next king of Israel. One by one, each son is presented to the prophet, but none are God’s next chosen ruler. Finally, Jesse fetched the youngest son, David, from tending sheep in the field. Then the Lord told Samuel, “Arise, anoint him: for this is he” (1 Samuel 16:12). And David, a man after God’s own heart, becomes the Lord’s anointed.
The Lord gives David another promise in 2 Samuel 7 of a dynasty. Not just another promise, but an addition to the original promise of a seed. “And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever” (2 Samuel 7:16). The theological thread of unity can be traced from the promised seed of Genesis 3:15 to the bloodline of Shem, expanding into a nation through the patriarchs of Israel and into a promised dynasty through the house of David. An everlasting throne is promised for an everlasting seed. An established kingdom is promised for an established seed. The Lord said, “Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy throne to all generations. Selah” (Psalm 89:4). Old Testament history is linked together by the ever-expanding promise of God by His will and His plan that will fulfill the prophecy of the coming seed of the Lord Jesus Christ that deal the fatal blow to the head of the serpent.
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