Samuel's Farewell Address as Judge

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.

Saul Defeats the Ammonites

Continuing a chronological Bible study:

(1 Samuel 11:1) Then Nahash the Ammonite came up and encamped against Jabesh Gilead, and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us, and we will serve you."

In the last chapter, Saul had just been made king of the Israelites.  Nahash, king of the Ammonites, came and encamped across from Jabesh in Gilead in the half tribe of Manasseh on the eastern side of the Jordan River.  The men of Jabesh, desiring peace and not war, asked to make a covenant with Nahash and they would serve as tributaries paying tax to him.

(2) And Nahash the Ammonite answered them, "On this I will make a covenant with you, that I may thrust out all your right eyes and lay it a reproach on all Israel."

Nahash told the men of Jabesh that the only way he would make a covenant with them was if he was able to put out the right eye of every man.  In this way, he would disable them for war, but they would still be able to do menial jobs for him.  Soldiers fought with shields in their left hands which covered their left eye, so that a soldier without his right eye was in effect blind.  However, they would still be able to do labor.  It would be a reproach on all Israel that they were weak and cowardly to allow such misery on some of their own and not do anything about it.

(3) And the elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days' respite, that we may send messengers to all the coasts of Israel, and then if there is no man to save us, we will come out to you."

The elders of Jabesh actually asked for a seven days' respite before they would agree to Nahash's condition.  I suppose if they had not had time to ask their brethren to help them and be refused, it would not be the reproach Nahash was looking for, so it seems he granted it.

(4) Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul and told the news in the ears of the people, and all the people lifted up their voices and wept. (5) And behold, Saul came after the herd out of the field, and Saul said, "What ails the people that they weep?" And they told him the news of the men of Jabesh.

The messengers from Jabesh went to Gibeah where Saul was.  They told the people of Gibeah the news of Nahash's threat, and the people wept aloud.  Saul came out of the field after his herd and heard the people.  He asked what the problem was, and he was told about the predicament of the people of Jabesh.

(6) And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kindled greatly. (7) And he took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent them throughout all the coasts of Israel by the hands of messengers, saying, "Whoever does not come forth after Saul and after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen." And the fear of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out with one consent.

The Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard the news, and his anger was hot against Nahash for his cruel threats against the inhabitants of Jabesh.  He took a yoke of oxen and cut them in pieces and sent the pieces throughout Israel with messengers telling the people that whoever did not come forth with Saul and Samuel, the same thing would be done to their oxen.  The fear of the Lord fell on the people making them fear what the Lord might do to them if they did not obey Saul, and they all came out in one accord.

(8) And when he numbered them in Bezek, the children of Israel were three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah, thirty thousand.

When Saul numbered the men at a place called Bezek, there were 300,000 men from Israel and 30,000 from Judah.  Some Biblical scholars suggest that Judah was mentioned separately because they were usually the first to go to battle.  However, Albert Barnes, in his Notes on the Bible, makes more sense to me when he wrote that "This looks like the language of later times, times perhaps subsequent to the establishment of the two kingdoms of Israel and Judah."  Since Samuel surely wrote his accounts later in his life, it is reasonable to expect he might have written it that way.

(9) And they said to the messengers who came, "Thus shall you say to the men of Jabesh Gilead, 'Tomorrow, by the time the sun is hot, you shall have help.'" And the messengers came and showed it to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad.

"They" were probably Saul and Samuel, after counting the men in their army, who told the messengers to go back to the men of Jabesh in Gilead and tell them that the next day, by the time the sun was hot in the sky, they would have help.  The messengers carried that message to the men of Jabesh, and they were glad to hear it.

(10) Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "Tomorrow we will come out to you, and you shall do with us all that seems good to you."

Upon hearing that news, the men of Jabesh told Nahash that they would come out to him the next day, and he could do to them whatever he wanted to do.  They did not tell him that they indeed had help but let him believe that he would be ridiculing Israel and plucking out the eyes of the men of Jabesh.

(11) And it was on the next day that Saul put the people in three companies, and they came into the midst of the host in the morning watch and killed the Ammonites until the heat of the day, and it came to pass that they who remained were scattered so that two of them were not left together.

The next morning Saul put the people into three companies, and they went into the midst of the Ammonites before daybreak, as the morning watch was the last watch of the night before daybreak.  They began killing the Ammonites and continued killing them until the heat of the day, probably around noon.  Those who were left of the Ammonites were scattered and fled alone, no two being left together.

(12) And the people said to Samuel, "Who is he who said, 'Shall Saul reign over us?' Bring the men, that we may put them to death."

The Israelites then asked Samuel who the men were who had derided Saul (1 Samuel 10:27).  They wanted him to bring them forward so that they be put to death.

(13) And Saul said, "There shall not a man be put to death this day, for today the Lord has wrought salvation in Israel."

However, it was Saul who spoke out and said that they would not kill any one of them for the Lord had brought them victory and saved them from the Ammonites.  He still had that forgiving spirit he had had when those men rejected him in 1 Samuel 10:27.  I'm sure they had participated in the battle when Saul had called them, begrudgingly or not, and the Lord had saved them, so there was no need to kill anybody.

(14) Then said Samuel to the people, "Come and let us go to Gilgal and renew the kingdom there."

Saul then called for the people to gather at Gilgal where the tabernacle and ark first were when they had first camped when they had crossed over the Jordan.  He called for them to renew the kingdom there.  Saul had shown himself worthy to command the people and while the people's hearts were eagerly toward him, he took the opportunity to very publicly anoint Saul as king a second time.

(15) And all the people went to Gilgal and there they made Saul king before the Lord in Gilgal, and there they sacrificed sacrifices of peace offerings before the Lord, and there Saul and all the men of Israel rejoiced greatly.

All the people did go to Gilgal and unanimously declared Saul to be their king before the Lord.  They made sacrifices of peace offerings to the Lord for the victory and probably for their king they had so desired.  Saul and all the people rejoiced together greatly, the people in their king, Saul in the good will of his people, and all of them in the victory God had given them.

Thus Saul had proved himself worthy to be called the king of Israel.  God had shown the people in the last chapter His choice for their king, but some people had doubted that Saul was worthy.  Samuel had very much been against the people having an earthly king, but how graciously and unselfishly he directed the people to renew the kingdom and rejoice in their king.  He felt no jealousy toward Saul for taking over as head of the people.  When Saul had correctly given the glory to God for their victory (verse 13) and had shown mercy to those who had opposed him, he had proven himself to be a Godly choice for a king.  The good old prophet Samuel would have accepted Saul as king anyway because the Lord had chosen him, but at this point, he felt satisfaction in the choice of Saul as king and wanted the people to confirm their feelings and rejoice in their king, as this was the way it was to be now.