HUMANITY WOULD RATHER VENERATE ITSELF, THAN THE GOD WHO CREATED ALL THINGS

Here in 1 Samuel, the people rejected God and instead wanted a human king. God granted them their wish, and then immediately relayed the natural consequences of their desire:

1Sa 8:10  And Samuel told all the words of the LORD unto the people that asked of him a king. 
1Sa 8:11  And he said, This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. 
1Sa 8:12  And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instruments of his chariots. 
1Sa 8:13  And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. 
1Sa 8:14  And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. 
1Sa 8:15  And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. 
1Sa 8:16  And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. 
1Sa 8:17  He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. 
1Sa 8:18  And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. 

Thousands of years ago, God was already describing the submersive nature of human governments. From warfare, to taxation, to eminent domain laws, to this very day, we experience these same negative consequences of human rule. Of course, today we have the smokescreen of 24-7 propaganda, which wonderfully succeeds at dividing-and-conquering the public, via cultivating a real or imagined 50% vs 50% mindset. Meaningless terms (republican, democrat, independent, etc.), aid greatly in solidifying this division. 

Those in power are desperate to maintain it at all costs, and the best way to accomplish that is to prevent the masses from coming together and comprehending its collective power over their would-be oppressors. This is why the emphasis is always on diversity, rather than commonality, and media's primary role is not to inform, but instead to splinter people into as many separate warring factions as possible. The result of this intentionally cultivated divisiveness that we see everywhere today is summed up perfectly in the simple slogan: United we stand, divided we fall.

The question is, why does humanity always insist on elevating and revering its own, rather than its collective Creator? Whether it's political or religious figures; athletes; actors; musicians; intellectuals, or any number of other subdivisions, the masses would rather revere people than God. Of course, those who wield this great power understand it well, and that's why the power of celebrity is always harnessed like a plow horse, to aid in accomplishing social and political objectives.  

This is why human rulers have always worked so tirelessly to eradicate God from society: in His absence, they become the de facto gods of this world. Those with the most power; money; fame; intellect, etc., are then adored and worshipped by the masses. From there, Godly values become displaced by physical and material lusts of all kinds, and everything gets flipped upside down. Whether it be net worth, social status, or social media followers, success becomes based on what we possess, rather than how we live our lives. Humility and respect are replaced by pride and arrogance; meekness and kindness are abandoned for aggression and apathy. 

The irony is that power, wealth, and popularity are nothing but superficial veneers, which assist their possessors in projecting a facade of elitism. If one could be a fly on the wall in the presence of any of society's "important people", when they aren't in performance mode, their elevated status would immediately crumble. You would see that despite all the worldly accolades and external appearances to the contrary, they are no better off than you, and in many cases, much worse off. 

There is one, and only one person in history who has ever deserved worship and adulation, and that's Jesus Christ. If not for His sacrificial atonement on the cross, each and every one of us would be facing eternal damnation, as we could never begin to measure up to God's perfect moral standards. Jesus paid that price for us, and all who genuinely believe and trust in Him, rather than ourselves will be saved:

Act 16:30  And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? 

Act 16:31  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.