Lessons from the story of King Saul

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine recalled for me the King Saul story from the First Book of Samuel — the one where the Israelites beg the prophet for a king to rule over the nation.

Samuel is peeved by their request and basically says to the people, “Trust me. You don’t want a king.”

But they persist, so God tells Samuel to warn them about the ways of kings, who “will claim their rights” and be held accountable to no person nor institution.

Despite all warnings, they demand a king and, after a brief honeymoon phase, King Saul descends into paranoid madness, jealous of political rivals like David and fully enthralled by the trappings of power.

I’ve been carrying this story with me all week, I think, applying Samuel’s warning to almost every facet of the political circus holding our nation hostage right now.

“You don’t want a king,” rang in my ears as I watched Tennessee Sen. Lamar Alexander abdicate his responsibility to check executive power. The bells tolled again at Trump’s celebratory press conference following the acquittal and again when, at the National Prayer Breakfast, he claimed he’s done more for this country than Jesus.

To be fair, one might even impose the same teaching on the Iowa caucuses, as Democratic officials insisted that the paper ballot is no match for technology. In this case, Samuel might say, “Trust me. You don’t want an app for that.”

One might suggest that the Democratic primary is equally fallacious, so desperate are we to name a candidate mighty enough to take on Trump. The political math involved in casting a ballot in the primary now borders on the absurd.

We’re channeling all our fears and anxieties into calculations that will likely produce another king rather than a true servant leader.

Why didn’t the Israelites heed Samuel’s warnings? And why do we now continue to doubt that we know what real leadership looks like?

We’re strangling ourselves and our communities in service to a false certainty that looks a lot like a white guy in a really nice suit. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, do you even know what power is?

One of the things I love about living in a small town is that you can see good leadership — and the fruits of it — at work right in front of you. Servant leadership is no mystery here. It is an essential part of keeping our small community running.

We know the difference between leaders who stand in the current with us and leaders who prophesize morality from a distant bank. We know the difference between leaders who listen before responding, versus those who interrupt and react.

Many of us serve on committees and boards with leaders who must have the last word or own the final product. And we’ve also served with those who model curiosity and humility.

If we can name what real leadership looks like — good leadership — then we should be able to resist the voice blackmailing us to clamor for the dude with the reality TV show.

In that spirit and channeling Mister Rogers, I would ask us to take a minute and remember the people who have helped us be better versions of ourselves, people who have called us to a greater purpose.

With their names and faces in mind, cast your vote with true faith instead of false certainty.

“You don’t want a king.” No, no we don’t.

Whitney Kimball Coe is an Athens resident who serves as coordinator of the National Rural Assembly and director of national programs for the Center for Rural Strategies. She can be reached at whitneykcoe@gmail.com