1 Samuel 12: For Want of a King

The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king.”

“Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. For the sake of his great name the LORD will not reject his people, because the LORD was pleased to make you his own. As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right. But be sure to fear the LORD and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.” - 1 Sam. 12:19-25 NIV

It's so much easier to have a king, someone to make all the decisions for us.  Of course, when men run after a king, they seldom consider the consequences, the price of giving someone ultimate authority.  Having a king is as useless as worshipping idols.  Neither can save.  There is only one king that can preserve and protect us, not just in this life, but in the world to come, yet we continue to chase after poor substitutes and are always disappointed when our chosen object of worship fails to provide for us as we would like.  The people were disappointed with Saul.  When David became king, some of them were disappointed with him.  Each king, after all, was only human.  they still looked after nimber one.  How much better to surrender to the king who loves his creation above anything else, the one who only wants good things for us, the one who would go to the most extreme lengths to rescue us.