Israel's desire for a king is not wrong in itself, because God had already said in Deuteronomy 17 that the time would come when Israel would have a king. The problem in I Samuel 8:9-18 is that the Israelites wanted a king like the Gentile kings, not one God would appoint from among their own people. God forewarned them of the painful future they were creating. A self-appointed king and his government bureaucracy would open the door to systematic theft of their hard-earned wealth. God called it a curse beyond their imagination. The king would take their wealth legally and use it for his own political ends to extend his power. At this extreme end of the thievery cycle, the state assumes the right to steal indirectly through its taxing power, using anything and everything to its own ends. The government then ceases to be the servant and becomes the master. Yet nowhere does God give government, business, or individuals the right to steal another's property, however justified they may feel in taking it.