1 Samuel 12:20

20 Samuel said to them, "Don't be fearful. It's true that you have done something very wrong. All the same, don't turn your back on God. Worship and serve him heart and soul!

1 Samuel 12:20 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 12:20

And Samuel said unto the people, fear not
Being destroyed by the tempest:

ye have done all this wickedness;
in asking a king; that is, though they were guilty of so heinous a sin, yet there were grace and mercy with God, and they should not despair of it, so be it that they did not depart from him, but cordially served him; the Targum is,

``ye have been the cause of all this evil;''

the storm of thunder and rain; and though they had, he would not have them despond or indulge slavish fear;

yet turn not aside from following the Lord;
the worship of the Lord, as the Targum; provided they did not depart from the Lord, and forsake his worship, word, and ordinances, they need not fear utter ruin and destruction, though they had been guilty of this sin:

but serve the Lord with all your heart;
if their service of God was kept up, and was hearty and sincere, they might still expect things would go well with them.

1 Samuel 12:20 In-Context

18 Samuel prayed to God, and God sent thunder and rain that same day. The people were greatly afraid and in awe of God and of Samuel.

19 Then all the people begged Samuel, "Pray to your God for us, your servants. Pray that we won't die! On top of all our other sins, we've piled on one more - asking for a king!"

20 Samuel said to them, "Don't be fearful. It's true that you have done something very wrong. All the same, don't turn your back on God. Worship and serve him heart and soul!

21 Don't chase after ghost-gods.

22 There's nothing to them. They can't help you. They're nothing but ghost-gods! God, simply because of who he is, is not going to walk off and leave his people. God took delight in making you into his very own people.