Samuel warns Israel about the king and the Lord

12:1 Samuel said to all Israel, “I have done everything you requested. I have given you a king. 12:2 Now look! This king walks before you. As for me, I am old and gray, though my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from the time of my youth till the present day. 12:3 Here I am. Bring a charge against me before the Lord and before his chosen king. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I wronged? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe so that I would overlook something? Tell me, and I will return it to you!” 12:4 They replied, “You have not wronged us or oppressed us. You have not taken anything from the hand of anyone.” 12:5 He said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and his chosen king is witness this day, that you have not found any reason to accuse me.” They said, “He is witness!” 12:6 Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is the one who chose Moses and Aaron and who brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt. 12:7 Now take your positions, so I may confront you before the Lord regarding all the Lord’s just actions toward you and your ancestors. 12:8 When Jacob entered Egypt, your ancestors cried out to the Lord. The Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and they led your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 12:9 “But they forgot the Lord their God, so he gave them into the hand of Sisera, the general in command of Hazor’s army, and into the hand of the Philistines and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them. 12:10 Then they cried out to the Lord and admitted, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the Lord and have served the Baals and the images of Ashtoreth. Now deliver us from the hand of our enemies so that we may serve you.’ 12:11 So the Lord sent Jerub-Baal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, and he delivered you from the hand of the enemies all around you, and you were able to live securely. 12:12 “When you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites was advancing against you, you said to me, ‘No! A king will rule over us’ – even though the Lord your God is your king! 12:13 Now look! Here is the king you have chosen – the one that you asked for! Look, the Lord has given you a king! 12:14 If you fear the Lord, serving him and obeying him and not rebelling against what he says, and if both you and the king who rules over you follow the Lord your God, all will be well. 12:15 But if you don’t obey the Lord and rebel against what the Lord says, the hand of the Lord will be against both you and your king. 12:16 “So now, take your positions and watch this great thing that the Lord is about to do in your sight. 12:17 Is this not the time of the wheat harvest? I will call on the Lord so that he makes it thunder and rain. Realize and see what a great sin you have committed before the Lord by asking for a king for yourselves.” 12:18 So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord made it thunder and rain that day. All the people were very afraid of both the Lord and Samuel. 12:19 All the people said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God on behalf of us – your servants – so we won’t die, for we have added to all our sins by asking for a king.” 12:20 Then Samuel said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. You have indeed sinned. However, don’t turn aside from the Lord. Serve the Lord with all your heart. 12:21 You should not turn aside after empty things that can’t profit and can’t deliver, since they are empty. 12:22 The Lord will not abandon his people because he wants to uphold his great reputation. The Lord was pleased to make you his own people. 12:23 As far as I am concerned, far be it from me to sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you! I will instruct you in the way that is good and upright. 12:24 However, fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Just look at the great things he has done for you! 12:25 But if you continue to do evil, both you and your king will be swept away.”

Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NET) are from the NET Bible®, copyright ©1996, 2019 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved.

Samuel ends his public leadership by proving that he has been honest, then he reminds Israel that the Lord has always saved them. Their real problem was not only wanting a king, but wanting a king while doubting the Lord’s rule. Samuel warns that both the people and their king must fear and obey the Lord.

Samuel speaks to all Israel before the Lord. He first shows that he has not used his office for gain. He did not take their oxen, donkeys, or bribes, and the people agree. This matters because Samuel is not attacking the new king out of selfishness. He is speaking as a faithful servant of the Lord.

Then Samuel reviews Israel’s history. The Lord chose Moses and Aaron, brought the people out of Egypt, and gave them the land. When Israel forgot the Lord, he let enemies oppress them. When they cried out and confessed their sin, the Lord sent deliverers. Again and again, rescue came from the Lord.

Samuel then explains the deeper issue in Israel’s demand for a king. When danger came, they wanted a king like the nations, even though the Lord was already their king. The Lord did give them the king they asked for. But that gift did not cancel covenant duty. Samuel says that if the people and the king fear the Lord, serve him, and obey him, things will go well. If they rebel, the Lord’s hand will be against both of them.

To show the seriousness of the matter, Samuel calls on the Lord to send thunder and rain during wheat harvest. The sign happens, and the people become afraid. They confess that they have sinned by asking for a king. Samuel does not tell them to despair. He tells them not to turn away from the Lord, but to serve him with all their heart. He also warns them not to follow empty things that cannot save.

Samuel promises to keep praying for them and to teach them what is good and right. He says the Lord will not abandon his people, because the Lord has chosen them and wants to honor his own name. But the final warning stands: if they keep doing evil, both the people and their king will be swept away.

• Samuel publicly proves that he has been honest in his leadership.
• The Lord, not human power, has been Israel’s true deliverer from the beginning.
• Israel’s request for a king was sinful because it showed distrust in the Lord’s kingship.
• A king in Israel must still fear, serve, and obey the Lord.
• The Lord uses judgment to warn his people, but he also calls them back to repentance.
• The Lord will not abandon his people because he is faithful to his own name.
• Empty things cannot save or deliver.
• Persistent evil will bring judgment on both the people and their king.

• Warning: if Israel and its king rebel, the Lord’s hand will be against both.
• Warning: if they continue in evil, both people and king will be swept away.
• Promise: the Lord will not abandon his people for his name’s sake.
• Promise: Samuel will keep praying for them and instructing them.
• Command: fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart.
• Command: do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver.
• Command: do not rebel against what the Lord says.
• Command: return to the Lord rather than despair over sin.

This passage shows the Lord ruling Israel through covenant, even as the monarchy begins. The king is not above God. He is under God. The chapter also keeps alive the need for a faithful king and a faithful people. That expectation prepares the way for the later hope of a righteous Davidic king, and in the full canon for the perfect King who fully obeys the Father.

God’s people should not trust leaders more than they trust the Lord. Leaders must act with honesty, not greed. When people sin, they should not run away from God in despair. They should confess, fear the Lord, serve him with all their heart, and leave empty substitutes behind. God’s faithfulness should move us to obedience, not to carelessness.

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