It's good to be the king

I'm reading 1 Samuel right now. Definitely my favorite book in the Old Testament. I love the story of David. He is such a perfect, flawed man. But before we get to David, let's consider the social and political conditions of the time before his rise. Samuel is Judge in Israel. His sons aren't the fine upstanding young men they ought to be. And so the people clamor for a king. They don't want to be judged by priests anymore. They call for change. Here's the exact description of the referendum:

"Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations." (1 Sam. 8.5)

The reasons for their change are clear: 1.) Samuel is old; 2.) his sons aren't righteous. Were those the only two reasons, I think they could possibly make a valid case against the current system. But then they add another reason, perhaps the true motive. 3.) so they can be "like all the other nations."

I wonder how this applies to us. Our political system is relatively stable, no where near as bad as many countries who still ballot stuff. I'm not sure about those hanging chads in FL or the 2004 election in OH, but I hope the system is relatively clean. It certainly has many other nations trying to emulate us. In this sense, this scripture is completely not applicable to our situation.

But really, this verse is much less about a people wanting a different political system. It's more about the people of God wanting to be like the world. In this aspect, we have much to worry about. Do I keep myself unspotted from the world? Do I need the latest gadget? The finest clothes? At what point is the money I earn more than sufficient for my needs (and a few of my wants)?

President Kimball warned us years ago:

"In spite of our delight in regarding ourselves as modern, and our tendency to think we possess a sophistication that no people in the past ever had—in spite of these things, we are, on the whole, an idolatrous people—a condition most repugnant to the Lord."

President Kimball goes on to describe us in terms even more appropriate today. Although not perfectly in line with my theme, I couldn't resist quoting this:

"We are a warlike people, easily distracted from our assignment of preparing for the coming of the Lord. When enemies rise up, we commit vast resources to the fabrication of gods of stone and steel—ships, planes, missiles, fortifications—and depend on them for protection and deliverance... We forget that if we are righteous, the Lord will either not suffer our enemies to come upon us... or he will fight our battles for us."

("The False Gods We Worship")

So this is the charge, to leave the world... to not do things just because we want to be "like other nations." I wonder how best to avoid this?