Charles Ellicott Commentary 1 Samuel 10:18

"and he said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith Jehovah, the God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms that oppressed you:" — 1 Samuel 10:18 (ASV)

Thus says the Lord. — Before proceeding to the election, Samuel again reminds Israel of its folly and ingratitude in their voluntarily rejecting the glorious Eternal King for an earthly sovereign.

It was perfectly true that, under the present circumstances of Israel, the establishment of a mortal king was necessary for the development of the Hebrew power, but it was none the less true that such a change in the Hebrew constitution would never have been necessary had the nation not forsaken their own Eternal Sovereign, who in the past had saved them out of far greater perils than any then threatening them.

Now a change in the government of Israel was necessary; therefore God gave them their desire; but the change would involve the loss forever of the higher blessedness for which the people had shown itself utterly unworthy.