In this chapter, Samuel reminds the people of Israel of what the Lord has done for them, and he instructs them to refrain from turning away from the Lord and worship Him with all of their heart. The chapter begins, “Then Samuel addressed the people again: “I have done as you asked and given you a king. I have selected him ahead of my own sons, and I stand here, an old, gray-haired man. I have served as your leader since I was a boy. Now tell me as I stand before the Lord and before his anointed one -- whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong.”
“No,” they replied, “you have never cheated or oppressed us in any way, and you have never taken even a single bribe.” “The Lord and his anointed one are my witnesses,” Samuel declared, “that you can never accuse me of robbing you.” “Yes, it is true,” they replied.
“It was the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron,” Samuel continued. “He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt. Now stand here quietly before the Lord as I remind you of all the great things the Lord has done for you and your ancestors.” (1 Samuel 12:1-7)
Samuel then reminds them of when their ancestors cried out to the Lord, God sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them in Egypt and bring them to this land. But the people quickly forgot about the Lord, and as a result, the Lord allowed them to be conquered by Hazor’s army, the Philistines, and the king of Moab. “Then they cried to the Lord again and confessed, “We have sinned by turning away from the Lord and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.” Then the Lord sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety. “But when you were afraid of Nahash, the king of Ammon, you came to me and said that you wanted a king to reign over you, even though the Lord your God was already your king. All right, here is the king you have chosen. Look him over. You asked for him, and the Lord has granted your request.” (1 Samuel 12:10-13)
Samuel then reminds them if they fear, worship, listen to God’s voice, and they and their new king follow the Lord and His commands, all will be well. But if not, God’s hand will be heavy on them as it was on their ancestors.
“Now stand here and see the great thing the Lord is about to do. You know that it does not rain at this time of the year during the wheat harvest. I will ask the Lord to send thunder and rain today. Then you will realize how wicked you have been in asking the Lord for a king!” So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain. And all the people were terrified of the Lord and Samuel. “Pray to the Lord your God for us, or we will die!” they cried out to Samuel. “For now we have added to our sins by asking for a king.” “Don’t be afraid,” Samuel reassured them. “You have certainly done wrong, but make sure now that you worship the Lord with all your heart and that you don’t turn your back on him in any way. Don’t go back to worshiping worthless idols that cannot help or rescue you -- they really are useless! The Lord will not abandon his chosen people, for that would dishonor his great name. He made you a special nation for himself.”
The chapter ends with Samuel encouraging the people to think about all of the wonderful things God has done for them. However, he warns them that they and their king will be destroyed if they continue to sin.
Lord, thank you for your Word today! Thank you for continually saving us even when we didn’t deserve to be saved. Though you have disciplined us, you have never abandoned us! We love you!
May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)
….AND MAY WE ALL PRACTICE THIS WITH ONE ANOTHER.
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