1 Samuel 12:21

21 Don't chase after ghost-gods.

1 Samuel 12:21 Meaning and Commentary

1 Samuel 12:21

And turn ye not aside
From his worship: for then; if they turned aside from that:

should ye go after vain things;
idols, which are vanity, and less than vanity:

which cannot profit nor deliver;
neither bestow good things on their votaries, nor deliver them from evils, or from the hands of their enemies

for they are vain;
empty, useless, and unprofitable; an idol is nothing in the world, ( 1 Corinthians 8:4 ) .

1 Samuel 12:21 In-Context

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.
23 "And neither will I walk off and leave you. That would be a sin against God! I'm staying right here at my post praying for you and teaching you the good and right way to live.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.