One lesson our ancestors taught over and over was that trying to have a king, or to be an armed nation state, nearly destroyed us, every time. The teachers who founded Rabbinical Judaism knew this. The scribes and leaders who first wove together our sacred texts knew this – while they recorded the stories of our kings, they were very explicit about what having a king would cost.

1 Samuel is so brilliantly clear about this – the people demand a king, and YHVH, through Samuel, tells them every exact way having a king will make their lives miserable (8: 10 – 19):

He said, “This will be the practice of the king who will rule over you: He will take your sons and appoint them as his charioteers and riders, and they will serve as outrunners for his chariots.
He will appoint them as his chiefs of thousands and of fifties; or they will have to plow his fields, reap his harvest, and make his weapons and the equipment for his chariots.
He will take your daughters as perfumers, cooks, and bakers.
He will seize your choice fields, vineyards, and olive groves, and give them to his courtiers.
He will take a tenth part of your grain and vintage and give it to his eunuchs and courtiers.
He will take your male and female slaves, your choice young men, and your donkeys, and put them to work for him.
He will take a tenth part of your flocks, and you shall become his slaves.

This is a text begging to be re-written as a prophetic warning about the cost of forming an ethno-nation state, and so I have. It’s called “Asking of God a King.” You can read it below or download it here.