1 Samuel 12:1 – 25 “Then Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to your voice in all that you have said to me, and I have set over you a king. Now here is the king walking before you, and I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day. Here I am. Bear witness against me before the LORD and before His anointed: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe and closed my eyes? Tell me, and I will restore it to you.”
“You have not wronged us or oppressed us,” they replied, “nor have you taken anything from the hand of man.”
Samuel said to them, “The LORD is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness today, that you have not found anything in my hand.”
“He is a witness,” they replied.
Then Samuel said to the people, “The LORD is the One who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now present yourselves, so that I may confront you before the LORD with all the righteous acts He has done for you and your fathers.
When Jacob went to Egypt, your fathers cried out to the LORD, and He sent them Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. But they forgot the LORD their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them.
Then they cried out to the LORD and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and Ashtoreths. Now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, that we may serve You.’ So the LORD sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and He delivered you from the hands of your enemies on every side, and you lived securely. But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we must have a king to rule over us’—even though the LORD your God was your king.
Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you requested. Behold, the LORD has placed a king over you. If you fear the LORD and serve Him and obey His voice, and if you do not rebel against the command of the LORD, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the LORD your God, then all will be well. But if you disobey the LORD and rebel against His command, then the hand of the LORD will be against you as it was against your fathers.
Now, therefore, stand and see this great thing that the LORD will do before your eyes. Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call on the LORD to send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you have committed in the sight of the LORD by asking for a king.”
So Samuel called to the LORD, and on that day the LORD sent thunder and rain.
As a result, all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel. They pleaded with Samuel, “Pray to the LORD your God for your servants so that we will not die! For we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.”
“Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “Even though you have committed all this evil, do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart. Do not turn aside after worthless things that cannot profit you or deliver you, for they are empty. Indeed, for the sake of His great name the LORD will not abandon His people, because He was pleased to make you His own.
As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will continue to teach you the good and right way. Above all, fear the LORD and serve Him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things He has done for you. But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”
Samuel is close to the end of his ministry. Now Samuel is giving a final accounting of his ministry and calling the Israelites as witnesses. First, Samuel demands that the Israelites acknowledge that he has never benefited materially from his ministry among them. Next, Samuel reminds the Israelites of all the wonders God has done for them and the many ways God has delivered them throughout the years ever since they first left Egypt.
After doing everything possible to convince the Israelites not to demand a king, Samuel has anointed Saul upon God’s command, and Saul has won a major victory over the Ammonites. Samuel makes it clear that the demands for a king were rooted in fear of attack by the Ammonites, even though God defeated a much larger and more sophisticated army when He wiped out the Egyptians. Those demands have demonstrated a lack of faith in God for which the Israelites must repent. Sadly, the Israelites refuse to repent until Samuel calls on God to send a thunderstorm even though it’s not the season for rain. Only when the thunder and lightning begin and the rain starts beating the Israelites do they beg for Samuel to intercede with God for them.
APPLICATION: From childhood until old age, Samuel has always done God’s will and has tried to minister as carefully as possible. Despite having an obvious gift of prophecy, Samuel has never stooped to prophesying for profit. While the Israelites are more than willing to agree that Samuel has ministered honestly, nobody seems to realize that it’s now their turn. Samuel has done what God has called him to do; however, once Samuel is gone, who among the Israelites will stand for righteousness?
The Israelites have little or no faith themselves; instead, they are depending on a second – hand faith, faith by proxy. Samuel has been their main man as far as faith goes, but nobody wants to take his place. After all, what benefits has Samuel derived from being God’s prophet? Tragically, the Israelites fail to understand that faith is an individual matter and that each of them must decide whether or not to follow the Lord.
During Samuel’s lifetime, he has actually served as both prophet and priest, even though he was not originally from the tribe of Levi. But Samuel has been faithful and God has honored that faith. Now Samuel’s priesthood is nearly at an end, and he realizes what is likely to happen once he dies.
While the priests may not have studied the Law of Moses thoroughly, Samuel is well – versed in the Scriptures and he remembers the Song of Moses. If the Israelites prove faithless, the oppression they suffered under the Ammonites is only a small taste of future agonies.
Samuel has done everything he can, and now his remaining time on earth will be spent in intercessory prayer for Israel. Who knows how many tragedies have been averted because of Samuel’s prayers?
Sometimes we wonder if our prayers have any effect. Take heart! If Samuel, who was a godly a man as anyone whoever lived continued to pray, then we too should keep praying. You can designate times or locations to trigger certain prayers, but the most important thing is to follow Samuel’s example. Keep praying! Only in eternity will you learn how much your prayers have accomplished! May God help each of us so that at the end of our lives, our testimony will match Samuel’s!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, help us to follow Samuel’s example. Help us to always pray and to never give up! In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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