The author of 1 Samuel relays the story of Israel’s desire for a King like the nations:
Then all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah and said to him, “Behold, you are old and your sons do not walk in your ways. Now appoint for us a king to judge us like all the nations.” But the thing displeased Samuel when they said, “Give us a king to judge us.” And Samuel prayed to the LORD. And the LORD said to Samuel, “Obey the voice of the people in all that they say to you, for they have not rejected you, but they have rejected me from being king over them. According to all the deeds that they have done, from the day I brought them up out of Egypt even to this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are also doing to you. Now then, obey their voice; only you shall solemnly warn them and show them the ways of the king who shall reign over them.” (1 Sam. 8:4-7)
As Richard Pratt explains God was not rejecting Israel’s need of a King in the years prior to Samuel but he wanted them to be patient and believe that one day he would come as their King. They did not want YHWH as their King, rather they wanted a king like the nations - they judged righteousness in terms of status (i.e., many horses, many wives, iron chariots, etc.). This impatience on the part of Israel showed that they did not trust God’s promise to Abraham that he would inherit a mighty empire. This is a worse sin than works-righteousness. That is one thing I have learned from the New Perspective on Paul. Sure, the 1st Century Jews were prideful and arrogant. However, this does not mean that they considered salvation to be primarily individual, which is what the concept of merit implies. Paul states,
Brothers, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for them is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For, being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Rom. 10:1-4)
The Jews of Paul’s day did not submit to the Messiah Jesus. They sought to establish the Kingdom by force and religious zeal. Jesus declairs, “From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force.” (Matt. 1:12) I think the reaction to the New Perspective has been justified in certain areas but where I am there are many folks who reject it wholesale. I don’t think the NPP has said anything that you can’t get from the Old Testament. I think the New Testament presents the same picture of Israel. Unless you interpret the whole Old Testament as a system of works righteousness (which many Reformed folks do) then you can’t interpret the New Testament in that manner.
