But not by me

Israel hath cast off the thing that is good: the enemy shall pursue him. They have set up kings, but not by me: they have made princes, and I knew it not: of their silver and their gold have they made them idols, that they may be cut off.  Hosea 8.3-4

Among the charges God lays out against Israel is that they have cast off that which is good. They have made silver and gold their idols.

And they have ‘set up kings, but not by me.’

That’s intriguing. We just read in Daniel not that long ago that ‘the Most High rules in the kingdom of men and He gives it to whom He will’ and now we read that Israel have ‘set up kings’ but not by God.

How do we reconcile that? How can the Most High give the rule to whoever He will and at the same time Israel set up kings that are not by him.

I think we get a hint back to the time of Samuel. He was the last of the judges, but the people were demanding a king. God warned them that a king would do terrible things but they dug in and demanded a king. Samuel was saddened, but God said – they have not rejected you – they have rejected me. God gave them what they asked for an they suffered the consequences.

So it looks like to me that God is in control. He does set up and bring down rulers, but sometimes He lets people get their way and then suffer to results of their choice.