1 Samuel 12

CHAPTER 12

Samuel’s Farewell Speech (12:1–25)

1–5 Samuel had been Israel’s leader (judge) from his youth (verse 2); now that Saul was king, Samuel could step down from political and military leadership—though not from spiritual leadership (see verse 23). This chapter recounts Samuel’s final public speech to the Israelites; it was probably delivered at Gilgal just after Saul was confirmed as king (1 Samuel 11:15).

The first thing Samuel did was to make sure the people had no complaint against him. He had never used his leadership position for personal gain; he had treated all men justly and impartially. “Testify against me if you can find any wrongdoing on my part,” said Samuel (verse 3); “testify in the presence of the LORD and his anointed (the king). ” Samuel was speaking as if he were in a courtroom where the Lord was the Judge and Saul was His agent for administering justice.

When the people declared Samuel innocent of wrongdoing, he told them that the Lord would be a witness against them if they later tried to bring a charge against him (verse 5). And the people agreed: “He (the Lord) is witness.”

6–11 After establishing his own innocence, Samuel next proceeded to talk about the Lord’s covenant faithfulness toward Israel ever since Jacob⁴² entered Egypt (verse 8). At that time the Lord heard the Israelites’ cry for help and sent Moses and Aaron to bring them out of EGYPT (Exodus 2:23–24; 3:9–10).

But when the Israelites were settled in the land God had promised them, they forgot Him (verse 9) and instead served the Baals and the Ashtoreths (verse 10); because of this, God sold them into the hands of their enemies⁴³ (see Judges 2:10–15 and comment). But each time the Israelites were oppressed they cried out to God, and He sent them deliverers, judges,⁴⁴ to save them (verse 11).

Samuel reviewed all this history in order to show how faithful God had been in keeping His covenant with Israel. God had been Israel’s Deliverer and King; the only times the Israelites were defeated were when they abandoned God and broke their part of the covenant. In contrast to God’s faithfulness, the Israelites had been utterly unfaithful.

12–13 The final instance of the Israelites’ unfaithfulness came when they asked Samuel for a king. In asking for a king, they were in fact rejecting God, who had been their King all along (see 1 Samuel 8:6–9 and comment). They were also rejecting God’s covenant, according to which God was their Protector and in return they were to serve and obey Him.

Apparently Nahash king of the Ammonites had been threatening Israel even before he attacked the city of Jabesh Gilead (1 Samuel 11:1); this was the initial reason that the Israelites had asked for a king—even though the Lord had been their King (verse 12). Instead of repenting and turning to the Lord, the Israelites had placed their hopes on having a human king to protect them. And so the Lord gave them what they had asked for (verse 13).

14 -15 Then Samuel repeated the main conditions of Israel’s covenant relationship with God: “If you fear the LORD⁴⁵ and serve and obey him . . . good! You will be rewarded” (see Leviticus 26:3–13 and comment). “But if you do not obey the LORD, you will be punished” (see Leviticus 26:14–39 and comment). Even though the Israelites had asked for a king for the wrong reasons, God would still grant them the blessings of the covenant as long as they and their new king continued to obey Him (see Exodus 19:5–6 and comment).

16–19 Then Samuel called upon God to give the people a sign that his words were true; and God did as Samuel asked: He sent thunder and rain that very day—even though it was the wheat harvest, that is, the dry season (verse 18). It was clearly a supernatural sign. The people stood in awe, in fear; they were afraid that God might destroy them for having asked for a king on top of all their other sins (verse 19).

20–22 But Samuel reassured the people. He first admonished them, just as Moses had admonished them in an earlier age, to serve God with all their heart (see Deuteronomy 6:5; 10:12–13) and to stay away from useless idols (verse 21). Then Samuel, speaking for God, assured the people that for the sake of his great name—that is, for His own sake—God would not reject his people (verse 22). Punish them, yes; reject them, no. Why? Because God Himself had chosen them; He had been pleased to make [them] his own (see Exodus 19:56; Deuteronomy 7:7–8).

23–25 In these final verses, Samuel promises that he will continue to be Israel’s spiritual leader; he will continue to be God’s prophet, praying to God on behalf of the people and speaking to the people on behalf of God—speaking even to their king (see 1 Samuel 13:13–14).

Samuel ended with a prophetic warning: if the people persisted in doing evil, they and their king would be swept away (verse 25). Saul was “swept away” in the midst of his reign (1 Samuel 31:1–6). But Samuel here is probably looking four hundred years into the future when all Israel would be “swept” in to exile. But even then, God would not reject His people.⁴⁶

The future of the Israelites—whether good or bad—was ultimately in their own hands. Yes, God is sovereign, but He gives people choices: to obey or not to obey. The Israelites had made many bad choices; but when they repented, God in His mercy kept giving them new chances. And He does the same for us.