1 Samuel · chapter 12 of 31
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1 Samuel 12 is Samuel's farewell speech to all Israel at Gilgal. Samuel defends his integrity, reviews how the Lord delivered Israel again and again, and points out that asking for a king was a mistake. Thunder and rain in the middle of the wheat harvest confirm his words, and Samuel urges the people not to fear, to serve the Lord with all their heart, and promises to keep praying for them.
With Saul now confirmed as king at Gilgal, Samuel takes the floor to close his time as judge and guide. The speech is a kind of covenant renewal: Samuel recalls the history of God's faithfulness, warns of the danger of disobedience and shows that king and people remain under the authority of the Lord.
Samuel tells all Israel that he has listened to their voice and set a king over them, that he is now old and gray, and that his sons are with them. He asks them to testify whether he has taken anyone's ox or donkey, or defrauded, oppressed or accepted a bribe. The people answer that he has not, and the Lord and his anointed are witnesses.
Then Samuel has them remember the righteous acts of the Lord: how he brought their fathers out of Egypt through Moses and Aaron, how, when they forgot the Lord, he sold them into the hand of their enemies, and how, when they cried out and confessed their sin, he sent deliverers such as Jerubbaal and Jephthah and finally Samuel. When they saw that Nahash, king of the Ammonites, was coming against them, they said they wanted a king, although the Lord was their king.
Samuel presents the king they have asked for and declares that if they fear the Lord, serve him and obey his voice, and both they and the king follow the Lord, all will be well; but if they rebel, the hand of the Lord will be against them. To show his power, Samuel calls on the Lord, who sends thunder and rain in the middle of the wheat harvest, something unusual. The people greatly fear the Lord and Samuel, ask him to pray for them so that they do not die, and acknowledge that they have added to all their sins the evil of asking for a king.
Samuel answers that they should not fear: they have done evil, but they must not turn aside from the Lord and should serve him with all their heart and not follow empty things that cannot profit or deliver. The Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it pleased him to make them his people. Samuel promises not to stop praying for them and to keep teaching them the good and right way, and closes with a warning: if they still do wickedly, they will be swept away, both they and their king.
References follow ESV book names and verse numbers. Read each verse in your Bible before the explanation.
Samuel asks, before the Lord and his anointed, whether he has taken anyone's ox or donkey, or defrauded or oppressed anyone. He stands before the people with a transparent life: a leader of public integrity.
Samuel recalls that when Nahash the Ammonite came against them, they asked for a king although the Lord was their king. It uncovers the root of the problem: they did not trust God as their defender.
Samuel assures them that the Lord will not abandon his people for his great name's sake, because it pleased him to make them his own. Israel's continuance rests on God's faithfulness and not on their merit.
Samuel declares it would be a sin to stop praying for the people, and that he will go on teaching them the good and right way. It is a model of a spiritual leader's faithful service, praying and instructing even when rejected.
6 questions with answers and references, ready for Sunday school, small group or a Bible quiz night.
Answer: Whether he had taken anyone's ox or donkey, or defrauded, oppressed or accepted a bribe. — 1 Samuel 12:3
Answer: That he had not defrauded or oppressed them or taken anything from anyone. — 1 Samuel 12:4
Answer: They brought Israel's fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. — 1 Samuel 12:6-8
Answer: Because Nahash king of the Ammonites was coming against them, although the Lord was their king. — 1 Samuel 12:12
Answer: Thunder and rain in the middle of the wheat harvest. — 1 Samuel 12:17-18
Answer: That he would not stop praying for them and would go on teaching them the good and right way. — 1 Samuel 12:23
Samuel's speech is a good mirror for those who lead. First, integrity: whoever teaches others must be able to look the community in the eye and say he has not abused anyone. Second, memory: recalling how the Lord has been faithful helps us avoid repeating the mistakes of the past. Third, intercession: Samuel does not turn bitter at rejection but keeps praying.
For a small group, the phrase do not fear is a good starting point. Sin is real and so are its consequences, but God does not abandon those who return to him. You can ask each person to think of something they regret and how the Lord keeps inviting them to serve him with all their heart.
1 Samuel 12 closes the transition from the time of the judges to that of the monarchy with an exhortation to faithfulness. In chapter 13 we will see Saul's first major failure, when he offers a sacrifice without waiting for Samuel.
At that time of year rain was not normal in Israel, and the wheat harvest was done in dry weather. That is why the sign impressed the people: it showed that the Lord controls nature and backed Samuel's word.
Samuel refers to idols and anything that replaces the Lord, which have no power to help or deliver. It is a warning against turning away from God to seek security in something that cannot give it.