The defeat of a Philistine army at Ebenezer (see I Sam. 7:10-13) seems to have held the Philistine forces in check for some time, thus upholding Samuel's position as leader of the Israelites. However, in his later years, while retaining his own judgeship, he appointed his two sons to share his responsibilities, stationing them in the southern frontier town of Beersheba. This was an unwise choice, for they "took bribes, and perverted judgment," leading "the elders of Israel" to demand their replacement by one whom they termed "a king to judge us like all the nations" (8: 3-5).
It is generally conceded that I Samuel contains at least two interwoven but widely variant accounts of Saul's appointment as Israel's first king. One of these early writers considers this as a normal development from judgeship to monarchy, demanded by the people and their elders, and in accord with the growing status of Israel as a strongly integrated national group.
However, another, and probably a later, writer views the rise of kingship as a bold denial of the sole leadership of Israel's God. The earlier source, then, considers monarchy as a practical and progressive step, in no way conflicting with the overall government of Deity. The later record, perhaps more ecclesiastical in its approach, pleads for God's exclusive rule, without trace or taint of human government.
