Ep 41: 1 Samuel 8 | A Biblical Critique of Monarchy

In this episode, we explore how the writer of 1 Samuel 8 expressed concerns about Israel’s monarchy in particular and human government in general. We set 1 Samuel in the context of the Old Testament’s narrative of Israel’s covenant with God and the consequences of failing to remain faithful. We will compare this with Murray Rothbard’s observation in Anatomy of the State that the state has a monopoly on violence and generates revenue through coercion. We then look at some of the Biblical and p...