Continuing a chronological Bible study:
(1 Samuel 12:1) And Samuel said to all Israel, "Behold, I have hearkened to your voice in all that you said to me and have made a king over you."
Samuel had done what the people asked and what God told him to do, and he anointed Saul as the Israelites' king. In the last chapter, Saul led Israel to a great victory over the Ammonites, and he gained the admiration and support of the people. Now the prophet Samuel began an address to the people, telling them how he had listened to them and had done what they wanted and found them a king.
(2) "And now, behold, the king walks before you, and I am old and gray headed, and behold, my sons are with you, and I have walked before you from my childhood to this day."
Samuel told the people that they now had a king, and he was old and gray, indicating his plan to step aside and let the king rule the people. He told them he had walked before them since his childhood, and now his sons were with them, too. His point was that they had observed him since his childhood, and they could observe his sons, as well, so they knew him well.
(3) "Behold, here I am. Witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose ass have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or of whose hand have I received a bribe with which to blind my eyes? And I will restore it to you."
Samuel stood before the people encouraging them to tell him where he had wronged them. Had he ever taken anything of theirs? Had he defrauded or oppressed anyone? If he had ever wronged anyone, he wanted them to tell him before God and His anointed king, and he would restore whatever he owed to them.
(4) And they said, "You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything of any man's hand." (5) And he said to them, "The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." And they answered, "Witness!"
The people said Samuel had never done any of those things to wrong anyone. Then Samuel told the people that God and His king were witnesses to the fact they had said that, should anyone later try to accuse him of something. He had been fully cleared before God and the king of any misdeeds.
(6) And Samuel said to the people, "It is the Lord who advanced Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. (7) Now therefore stand still that I may reason with you before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord, which He did to you and to your fathers."
Samuel reminded the people that it was the Lord who raised up Moses and Aaron to lead the people, and it was the Lord who brought their forefathers out of the land of Egypt. He asked them to stand there while he reviewed all the great and righteous things the Lord had done for His people.
(8) "When Jacob had come into Egypt, and your fathers cried to the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron who brought forth your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place."
Samuel reminded the people about when Jacob and his family had gone to Egypt and stayed there. The posterity of Jacob became greatly oppressed by Pharaoh and the Egyptians, and the people cried out to the Lord. In response to their cries, the Lord sent Moses and Aaron to deliver them out of Egypt and into their promised land flowing with milk and honey and all good things.
(9) "And when they forgot the Lord their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them."
When their fathers had forgotten their Lord God and turned away from Him and toward idolatry, the Lord put them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the army of Jabin, king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor (Judges 4:2). Other times the Lord sold them into the hand of the king of Moab (Judges 3:14), and into the hand of the Philistines (Judges 13:1). Sisera, and the king of Moab, and the Philistines all fought against the Israelites and overcame them so that they fell into their hands. It was a merciful thing when the Lord allowed His people to become oppressed by an enemy. When they chose to turn away from Him, He allowed them to have what they wanted and turned away from them. Then they would see their need for Him, which He knew to be the best for their welfare, and they would willingly come back to Him.
(10) "And they cried to the Lord, and said, 'We have sinned because we have forsaken the Lord and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth, but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.'"
Each time they were oppressed by their enemy, the people would cry out to the Lord, repenting of their sins, praying that He deliver them from their enemy, and promising to serve Him only.
(11) "And the Lord sent Jerub-Baal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you dwelled safe."
Samuel reminded the people how each time they cried out to the Lord and repented, He sent the people a deliverer, one in Jerub-Baal who was Gideon. The Lord also sent "Bedan." There was no judge named Bedan in the history of the judges. Biblical scholars have different ideas about who this might be. Some say it might refer to Samson, as it could be interpreted "of Dan" rather than as a name. However, in 1 Chronicles 7:17, there was a Bedan who was the son of Ulam, but it doesn't necessarily mean that it was the same Bedan. Other scholars think that the name was meant to be Barak, and others say that Bedan could be a textual corruption or a scribal error arising from the similarity of Hebrew letters. This theory suggests that the original text may have intended to refer to a different deliverer entirely. Whoever was meant, the people would have understood who Samuel meant. Samuel told the people that the Lord had also sent Jephthah and Samuel himself to deliver the people out of the hands of their enemies, and they had dwelt in safety.
(12) And when you saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, you said to me, "No, but a king shall reign over us when the Lord your God was your king."
Even though the Lord had always saved them from their enemies, raising up judges to deliver them, when Nahash king of the Ammonites came against them, they decided they would rather have a king, when the Lord had always been their king.
(13) "Now therefore, behold the king whom you have chosen, whom you have desired! And behold, the Lord has set a king over you. (14) If you will fear the Lord and serve Him and obey His voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both you and also the king who reigns over you continue following the Lord your God."
Samuel told the people to observe the king whom they had desired. Even though the Lord and Samuel saw it as a rejection of the Lord, still the Lord gave them the king they desired. And He even told them through Samuel that if they would fear the Lord, serve Him, and obey Him, and not rebel against His commandments, then both the people and their king could continue in the Lord's guidance and protection, as always.
(15) "But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord and rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall the hand of the Lord be against you as against your fathers."
However, Samuel continued, if the people did not obey the Lord and rebelled against His commandments, then the Lord would be against them with His righteous judgments, just as He had done with their fathers.
(16) "Now therefore, stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes. (17) Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to the Lord and He shall send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for a king."
Samuel instructed the people to stand there and observe the great thing the Lord was about to do. He pointed out that it was wheat harvest time. He was going to call on the Lord to send thunder and rain, which was very unusual for that time of year. Proverbs 26:1 speaks of things extremely rare and unheard of, like "snow in summer" and "rain in harvest." Therefore, the people would know that it was the Lord sending the thunder and rain as judgment against them, that they would understand their wickedness in rejecting the Lord as their king.
(18) So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel.
Samuel indeed called to the Lord, and He sent thunder and rain that day. The historian Josephus said that He sent a terrible storm with thunder, lightning, and hail. No wonder the people feared God and His power and Samuel who had such favor and therefore power from God.
(19) And all the people said to Samuel, "Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we do not die, for we have added to all our sins evil, to ask for a king."
In their fear, they asked Samuel to pray for the people that they not die, for they could perceive and understand that they had added to their sins by asking for a king. Note that the people had rejected Samuel as their judge in desiring a king, but they now called themselves his servants.
(20) And Samuel said to the people, "Fear not; you have done all this wickedness, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart, (21) And do not turn aside after vanity which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are nothing."
Samuel told the people not to fear, for even though they had done all that wickedness, God was not going to destroy them as they feared, provided they follow Him and serve Him with all their hearts and did not turn aside to vain idols that could do nothing for them because they were nothing.
(22) "For the Lord will not forsake His people for His great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you His people."
Samuel assured the people that God would not forsake them, not because of anything they had done, but for His great name because it had pleased Him to make them His people, again not because of their merit. If God had given the people what they deserved, there would have been no more Israelite people and therefore no Christian church. God's purpose in preserving His people was not yet accomplished, so He would always save at least a remnant of His people no matter how wicked they were.
It pleased the Lord to make Israel His people, and it pleased Him to graft us Gentiles into the vine of Israel. God first made us only for His pleasure and fellowship. He did not need us for any fulfillment. God is already all perfect. It pleased Him to make us in His own image and after His own likeness (Genesis 1:26). Micah 6:8 said that the Lord had shown us what was good, and all He required from us was that we "do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God." Be righteous, love, and walk with God. That gives Him pleasure. However, we let sin come between us and God. God is all-good and all-perfect and cannot abide in sin. But because God's nature is love, He provided a way for us to remain in communion with Him through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ whose shed blood covers our sins. Why would He do that? Why not destroy us all because we did not live up to the purpose for which He created us in the first place? Because He is love, and because it pleased Him to have us in fellowship with Him.
(23) "Moreover, as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you, but I will teach you the good and the right way."
I believe Samuel's point was that he would also forgive them for rejecting him as their judge. He would not sin against the Lord by being arrogant and self-centered when the Lord Himself forgave His people. He would not cease to pray for them as he always had, and he would teach them the good and right way of the Lord.
(24) "Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart, for consider how great He has done for you. (25) But if you shall still do wickedly, you shall be consumed, both you and your king."
In contrast to the fear Samuel spoke of in verse 20, this fear he spoke of was a reverential fear out of love for the Lord and the knowledge of how great and awesome He was. He told the people to serve God in truth with all their hearts, considering all the great things He had done for them. However, if they rebelled against their Lord and chose to depart from Him, they would be consumed. Without God, they would be destroyed and die, and their king would not be able to save them, as he would perish with them.
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