democracy

is the primary role of a king to uphold his own power or to protect his subjects?
and is the primary role of a priest to uphold the church or to guide his flock?

there is an argument to be made that by concentrating upon the first, one achieves the second;
but the temptation for king and priest alike is that he concentrates so much upon the first that he loses sight of the second.

this, I suppose, is the crucible in which democracy, in all its messy absurdity, is born.

on this subject God is clear: that he stands always beside the poor, the weak and the orphan.

those who would wield power wisely should do so with reluctance and a sense of foreboding and, when the time comes, should lay it down with a sigh of relief.
those who rejoice in power have had their reward.
these are the ones who cling to it like lichen to a rock, knowing that, once they are deposed, nothing remains for them but emptiness.

kingship still baffles me;
priesthood less so.
that there is a link is indisputable.

didn't samuel say that God was angry when the israelites cried out for a king instead of a priest?
I guess he thought: 'pandora's box'.