In T.H. White’s retelling of the story of King Arthur in The Once and Future King Arthur laments the failure of Camelot. He had hoped to bring about a just society by means of “Force Majeure,” by superior power. But he found that justice cannot be established by force. Something similar lies at the heart of the conflict between the prophet Samuel and the people who want a king. The people believe that having a king will give them sufficient power to resist the enemy. Samuel reminds them that the ways of God are not based on force but on compassion and mercy. God tells Samuel to establishing a king even though “It is not you they reject, they are rejecting me as their king.”
