02_Walton_179_200_179_200 10/07/15 11:58 Pagina 195 195 A KING LIKE THE NATIONS: 1 SAMUEL 8 IN ITS CULTURAL CONTEXT 195 Bergen agrees and also recognizes the parallel themes of ch. 8: “[Sending for the ark] might have been an attempt by the elders to twist God’s arm into helping them instead of trying to find out the reason for God’s displeasure. 1 Sam 8,4 doesn’t speak well for the elders’ spiritual wisdom” 71. This similarity is also noticed by Tsumura: “Here [the elders] took the initiative in bringing the ark of the Lord from Shiloh while Eli was still officially the judge. At a later time, the elders of Israel took the initiative in demanding a king of Samuel the judge” 72. He goes on to observe: “The people treated this sacred object without respect as an instrument through which victory might be attained. [...] that the ark would inevitably grant victory is a persistent idea” 73. Likewise Campbell: “The pres- ence of the ark, therefore, can be counted on to assure victory” 74. The ark of course fails to achieve this objective, but the story does not end there. Israel’s military history resumes in 7,7, where now it is Samuel who is accompanied by YHWH in battle. 1 Sam 7,13 indicates that he fills this role successfully, and the ark is duly aban- doned (7,2) and plays no further role until it is brought to Jerusalem by David 75. Since, as noted above, the elders demonstrate little spiritual enlightenment between chs. 4 and 8, it is likely that they believe Samuel has YHWH on a leash as well. This is why they are not rejecting him (8,7); he has performed admirably, as they say so themselves in ch. 12. But they also have enough pattern recognition to know that when he goes, his sons are not going to be able to make the ark “work” any more than Hophni and Phinehas could. However, rather than “return to the Lord” as Samuel tells them to do in 7,3 (and again in 12,14.20-21), they fall back on the same trick of divine manipulation. “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways” (5a). Their judge is dying and their palladium is useless, so what do they ask for? This is the same thing their neighbors use to manipulate their gods: “Now appoint a king to lead us, such as all the nations have” (5b). 71 BERGEN, Samuel, 91. 72 TSUMURA, Samuel, 190. See also WÉNIN, Samuel, 146. 73 TSUMURA, Samuel, 190-91. 74 CAMPBELL, Ark, 150. 75 See CAMPBELL, Ark, 201.