The first king of the Jews was Saul. Here's why he was chosen:
1 Samuel 8:1-10 - Now it came to pass when Samuel was old that he made his sons judges over Israel. The name of his firstborn was Joel, and the name of his second, Abijah; they were judges in Beersheba. But his sons did not walk in his ways; they turned aside after dishonest gain, took bribes, and perverted justice.Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah, and said to him, "Look, you are old, and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, "Give us a king to judge us." So Samuel prayed to the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, "Heed the voice of the people in all that they say to you; for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even to this day-with which they have forsaken Me and served other gods-so they are doing to you also. Now therefore, heed their voice. However, you shall solemnly forewarn them, and show them the behavior of the king who will reign over them." So Samuel told all the words of the Lord to the people who asked him for a king.
Samuel then delivered a litany of abuses future kings might commit (v.11-18).
1Sa 8:19-22 - Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said, "No, but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us and go out before us and fight our battles." And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in the hearing of the Lord. So the Lord said to Samuel, "Heed their voice, and make them a king." And Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Every man go to his city."
1 Samuel 9 then goes on to tell of the choosing of Saul. Verse 2: And he had a choice and handsome son whose name wasSaul. There was not a more handsome person than he among the children of Israel. From his shoulders upward he was taller than any of the people.
Samuel anoints Saul the first king of the Jews across the closing verses of chapter nine and the opening verses of chapter 10.
[Quotes from NKJV]
Answer:
The Israelites at that time were coming to the end of an era which was unique in world history. They had undertaken a grand experiment: whether a nation could govern themselves for centuries without a king or organized government.
In Samuel's old age, nearly four centuries after the Exodus, the people (including their Torah-scholars) felt that the time had come to take a regular government. The Torah itself permitted this (Deuteronomy ch.17); and they saw that Samuel's sons didn't seem to have reached his spiritual level (1 Samuel 8:2-3).
The first Israelite king was Saul. The Israelites at that time were coming to the end of an era which was unique in world history. They had undertaken a grand experiment: whether a nation could govern themselves for centuries without a king or organized government.
Instead, there were the officers of tens, fifties, hundreds and thousands (Exodus ch.18), and the court of Elders (Sanhedrin), who were Torah-scholars that provided Torah-rulings and guidance. Each of the leading Judges (Gideon, Deborah etc.) was a private citizen (not a head of government) who led the nation only during a brief episode of battle. (See: The Judges)
During that era (of the Judges, about 360 years), when someone raised the possibility of having a king, the answer was: God will rule over you, not a king (Judges 8:23). The events of the Exodus and the Giving of the Torah were so fresh in the nation's memory that they didn't need a king; God was their King. (The missteps which did take place in that era, is a subject beyond the scope of the present question.)
In Samuel's old age, over four centuries after the Exodus, the people (including their Torah-scholars) felt that the time had come to take a regular government. The Torah itself permitted this (Deuteronomy ch.17); and they saw that Samuel's sons didn't seem to have reached his spiritual level (1 Samuel 8:2-3).
Their usage of the expression "like the other nations around us" need not be a problem, since they were deliberately quoting the Torah itself (Deuteronomy 17:14).
What then was their mistake (why did Samuel criticize them)?
According to the Malbim commentary (on 1 Samuel), they should have waited at least until Samuel was too old to function.
According to the K'li Yakar commentary (on Deuteronomy), their precise choice of language ("for us," instead of the "over us" which the Torah had said), hinted that they wanted a king who might be affected by public pressure (which later happened with Rehoboam). See Talmud, Yoma 22b.
According to Samuel himself (1 Samuel 8:10-18), they were taking a regrettable risk because later kings might be overbearing.
One more point: in Judaism we have a general rule which is called "the descent of the generations." This means that according to our tradition, the earlier a generation lived, the higher was their spiritual level (Talmud, Shabbat 112b). No Talmud-sage would dare to negate a verse of the Prophets; and no later Rabbi would dare to belittle a Talmud-sage.
For this reason, we must not judge that generation. And concerning Saul, our tradition explicitly states that he was a righteous man (Talmud, Moed Katan 16b; and Midrash Breishit Rabah 54:4); and he unified the Israelites and defeated their enemies round about (1 Samuel 14:47).
See also:
The magi asked where is the king of the jews
The Isarealites wanted a king , like the other tribes who livede near them. But Samuel said why do you need a king when we have god, and sadly Saul was chosen as the first king.
A kingdom was visual. It is a part of the world that is ruled by a King. The 1st century Jews lived under the Romans. This was the same concept: the Romans ruled over them. The Jews were hoping for a Messiah to establish visual kingdom; to restore the kingdom of Israel and its power.
Christianity was founded because God sent Jesus to save his chosen people (the Jews).
The old testament is made of the history of the Jews and the prophecies of the prophets , and life of the Jews under king.
The first Israelite king was King Saul.
The magi asked where is the king of the jews
they didn't choose christinaity. Christianity chose them. they're the chosen people. God chose the Jews to be his first people.
Go to Israel, conquer the country, and call yourself the king. o_o The only reference I know of "The King of the Jews" is in the Bible, and it was used at first as a reference to Jesus and, later on, as a sign of mockery. every christian is a king of Jews
Saul
According to the Tanach (Hebrew Bible), Jews are the chosen people. In this context, 'chosen' refers to Jews having been chosen to follow the teachings of the Tanach.
He was what we now call Jewish.See also:How Saul was chosen as the first Israelite king
Jews do not today have a king. For kings in the past, see this linked page.
No, it doesn't. King of the Jews In Hebrew would spell "MH":The King of the Jews = מלך היהודים ("Melech Hayehudim")The "King of the Jews" title acronym that you are thinking of is INRI: Iēsus Nazarēnus, Rēx Iūdaeōrum, which is Latin for: Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews. This, however, has no connection with the tetragrammaton YHWH or YHVH or JHVH which represents the name of God in Hebrew.
King Saul is chosen as the very first king of Judah, very much against the wishes of the prophet Samuel, as the people wanted a king just like the other tribes who lived around them, Samuel said that God is there but the people paid no heed to him , and Saul was chosen.
No king Solomon was not the last king of the Jews.
loin of judah who is king of kings, lord of lords,its Jehovah ,jesusas they r chosen tribe my god himself The protector of the Jews is St Michael the Archangel. (Check it out yourself) Wikipedia