What really grinds my gears.

One of the things that really bothers be about 1 Samuel is that the Israelites once again show how short their memory is. Typically, this loss of memory is attributed to a generation coming along who haven't experienced God's providence in this way or that way. But in 1 Samuel 8, the people want a king. Why?

1. To be like other nations; okay, fair enough.
2. They really really wanted one, man.
3. Samuel's sons were pretty wicked.

This third reason sounds like a really good reason, until we consider that there was little or no precedent for a Judge's kids getting power after the Judge dies. Gideon resisted being made king, and his son tried to get some of his power handed down, but c'mon, we all know how that turned out (see Judges 9). And more recently, Eli's sons had been awful, and that's what led to Samuel's rise.

The lesson here is a pretty simple one: we need to remember what God has done for us, or we'll ask for things we really don't need as protection. If the Israelites had remembered that God has protected them from the sons of Eli, maybe they would have counted on God to choose the next Judge over them as well.