"...the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel... and they said to him, 'Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations."
1 Samuel 8
How It Began
"Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you...'
So Abram went forth... thus they came to the land of Canaan...
And the Lord appeared to Abram and said, 'To your descendants I will give this land.' So he built and altar there to the Lord who appeared to him."
Genesis 12:1, 2, 5, 7
"And the Lord said to Abram... 'Now lift up your eyes and look from the place where you are, northward and southward and eastward and westward; for all the land which you see, I will give it to you and to your descendants forever...
Arise, walk about the land through its length and breadth; for I will give it to you.'"
Genesis 13:14-17
"...the Lord came to Abram in a vision saying... 'I am the Lord who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to possess it...'
On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram saying, 'To your seed I have given this land, from the river of Egypt as far as the river Euphrates...'"
Genesis 15:1, 7, 18
The Exodus from Egypt
"Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 'Command the sons of Israel and say to them, "When you enter the land of Canaan, this is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance, the land of Canaan, according to its borders.'"
Numbers 33:1, 22
Solomon's kingdom was the only one that fully occupied the land deeded to them by God.
"Now the angel of the Lord came... And he said, 'I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into this land which I have sworn to your fathers; and I said I will never break My covenant with you, and as for you, you shall make no covenant with the inhabitants of this land; you shall tear down their altars. But you have not obeyed Me; what is this you have done? Therefore I also said, "I will not drive them out before you; but they will become as thorns in your sides. And their gods shall be a snare to you."'
Then the Lord raised up judges who delivered them from the hands of those who plundered them."
Judges 2:1-3, 16
"Now Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life..."
1 Samuel 7:15
"And it came about when Samuel was old that he appointed his sons judges over Israel. His sons however, did not walk in his ways, but turned aside after dishonest gain and and took bribes and perverted justice.
Then the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel... and they said to him, 'Behold, you have grown old, and your sons do not walk in your ways, now appoint a king for us to judge us like all the nations.'
And Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, 'Listen to the voice of the people in regard to all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me from being king over them. Like all the deeds which they have done since the day that I brought them out of Egypt even to this day -- in that they have forsaken Me and served other gods -- So they are doing to you also. Now then, listen to their voice; however, you shall solemnly warn them and tell them of the custom of the king who will rule over them...'
And he said... 'he will take your sons and place them for himself in his chariots and among his horsemen... And he will take the best of your fields and your vineyards and your olive groves... and a tenth of your flocks, and you yourselves will become his servants.
Then you will cry out in that day because of your king whom you have chosen for yourselves, but the Lord will not listen.'"
1 Samuel 8 (Excerpts)
A Brief Review
"...and the Lord said to Samuel, 'Listen to their voice and appoint them a king...'"
1 Samuel 9:22
Saul was 40 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 32 years over Israel. And Saul committed a grievous error on the battle field by offering the burnt offering to the Lord himself.
"And Samuel said to Saul, 'You have acted foolishly, you have not kept the commandment of the Lord, your God... now your kingdom shall not endure. The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed him as ruler over His people...'"
1 Samuel 13:13, 14
God Chose David
"I have found David, a man after My own heart who will do all My wills."
Acts 13:22
"Now these are the last words of David...
'The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me,
And His word was on my tongue.
The God of Israel said,
The Rock of Israel spoke to me,
"He who rules over men righteously,
Who rules in the fear of God,
Is as the light of the morning when the sun rises,
A morning with clouds,
When the tender grass springs out of the earth,
Through sunshine after rain."
Truly is not my house so with God?
For He has made an everlasting covenant with me,
Ordered in all things, and secured;
For all my salvation and all my desire,
Will He not indeed make it grow?'"
2 Samuel 23:1-5
"David served the purpose of God in his generation."
Acts 13:36
"For Thou, O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, hast made a revelation to Thy servant, saying, 'I will build you a house... For Thou, O Lord, hast spoken; and with Thy blessing may the house of Thy servant be blessed forever.'"
2 Samuel 7:25, 29
After Solomon's death, his sons fought over his throne and the kingdom split into two portions -- Israel and Judah. Time and warfare caused the northern kingdom to vanish from the scene and its people were dispersed to the far corners of the world. And in the time of Nebuchadnezzar's invasion the final Jewish king was deposed.
After 70 years a remnant of the people of Judah returned to rebuild the temple but until 1946 the Jewish people did not rule again over their own land.