Samuel raised his sons up to be his succesors and to judge Israel after his death, but they did not walk in the way of the Lord as he did. So the Israelites came to him and told him that they rejected his sons from ruling over them because of their ungodly lives, however instead of his sons they wanted a king to rule over them instead, the reason for this lay in their desire to be just like the surrounding nations, it is very dangerous for the people of God to want to be like the those in the world around them. Samuel was saddened by this decision from the people and poured out his complaint before the Lord, as we should do. But the Lord reassured Samuel and told him that that it wasn't him they were rejecting but the Lord Himself. This was prophetic of the rejection of the Lord Jesus by the the people of Israel before Pilate. So the Lord told Samuel to tell the people of Israel what kind of king they would have, and he did, but the people still demanded a king and so the Lord gave them the king they deserved.
