1 Samuel 12:18

18 Samuel called upon the LORD, and God sent thunder and rain on that very day. Then all the people were in awe of the LORD and Samuel.

1 Samuel 12:18 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 12:18

So Samuel called unto the Lord
Not in an authoritative way, or by way of command, but by prayer; so the Targum renders the clause in the preceding verse,

``I will pray before the Lord:''

and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day;
immediately, though there was no appearance of it; it was harvest time, and a fine harvest day. Josephus says ^F16 he sent thunder, lightning, and hail, a terrible storm and tempest it was:

and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel;
the Lord that sent this tempest, and Samuel who had such power with God in prayer. Clement of Alexandria ^F17 thinks that from hence the Greeks borrowed their fable concerning Aeacus invoking God, when there was a drought in Greece; and as soon as he prayed, immediately there was thunder, and the whole air was covered with clouds; but perhaps they rather framed it from the instance of Elijah praying for rain ^F18, at whose request it came, ( 1 Kings 18:42-45 ) .

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FOOTNOTES:

F16 Antiqu. l. 6. c. 5. sect. 6.
F17 Stromat. l. 6. p. 630.
F18 Vid. Schmid. in Pindar. Nemea, Ode 5. p. 110.

1 Samuel 12:18 In-Context

16 "So now take a stand! Look at this awesome thing the LORD is doing.

17 Isn't the wheat harvest today? I will call upon the LORD to send thunder and rain. Then you will know and will see for yourselves what great evil you've done in the LORD's eyes by asking for a king."

18 Samuel called upon the LORD, and God sent thunder and rain on that very day. Then all the people were in awe of the LORD and Samuel.

19 All of them said to Samuel, "Please pray for us, your servants, to the LORD your God so we don't die because we have added to our many sins the evil of asking for a king."

20 But Samuel answered the people, "Don't be afraid. Yes, you've done all this evil; just don't turn back from following the LORD. Serve the LORD with all your heart.