King of KingsEven though the people of Israel were under the leadership of Almighty God, they were not happy with it. They wanted a human king, someone fallible and imperfect to lead them. Even then God was merciful and appointed a human king over them. As I intend to demonstrate, the kingdom was not a good thing for the nation of Israel because the kings were corrupt and sinful. They imposed harsh labors and laws on the people who followed them. But most of all, by having a king, they were turning their backs on God. There were some benefits that came with having a king, but these turned out to be an illusion. Many will argue that a king was good for Israel. Supporters of a king argue that kings brought political stability to the country. By imposing taxes and labor, they claim that the country's economic stability has been established. A king would unite all the tribes of Israel into one country under his leadership. A human king was someone who all the people could approach and talk to, while God appeared only to a select few people. While David was king over Israel, the kingdom reached its peak in terms of territories and conquests. He captured the strongholds of Zion and Jerusalem; 2 cities that had great importance for the people of Israel. Solomon, with the knowledge God had given him, was perhaps the wisest man of his time. He was a great arbiter of justice and the depth of his knowledge amazed all who came to seek his counsel. A king was also the leader of the army and led his troops into battle. While these were positive aspects of having a king, they did not outweigh the negative aspects of kingship. I will argue that having a king was bad for the nation of Israel. I will refute the arguments of the supporters of a king. Although the Israelites made many territorial gains under the leadership of King David, these gains were only temporary. They would later lose much of the land they had gained. Even David, despite being a good king, sinned against God. He lusted after someone else's wife and indirectly had her husband killed. Even though Solomon was wise, all his wisdom could not keep him from sinning against God. A king and his kingdom are not permanent. A good king may sit on the throne, but he will die, and the king who follows him may not be a good king at all.