1 Samuel 12 Study Notes

12:1 Samuel spoke to all Israel, that is, to all who gathered at Gilgal. In light of Israel’s king now being in place and Samuel’s advancing age, God’s prophet may have decided this was the time to begin wrapping up his leadership. At the same time, Samuel’s speech was powerful, calling Israel to remember its past failures and to live in light of God’s covenant in the days ahead.

12:2 Samuel’s tenure of service had begun when he was a boy serving Eli (1:24-28). Now Saul was doing (leading) what Samuel had done (led). The kingship was in place and would bring a new and more comprehensive administration than Israel had known under Samuel’s leadership.

12:3 Samuel called the people to bring before God and the new king any complaint about Samuel’s lack of integrity. Samuel wished to settle any wrongs publicly, with God and Saul as his witnesses, before all the people.

12:4 The people’s reply concerning Samuel provides believers a standard for which we can strive as we seek to finish our lives faithful to the Lord.

12:5 The people’s reply, he is a witness, expressed their agreement with Samuel’s statement.

12:6 Samuel’s identification of the Lord as the one who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up from the land of Egypt reminded the people of God’s central role in making them the people they were.

12:7 Samuel’s command present yourselves is the same command he gave the people in 10:19, when they gathered to see God’s choice for king. This time Samuel wanted to declare to them all the righteous acts God had performed in their lives personally and in the lives of their ancestors.

12:8 Over four centuries separated Jacob’s trip to Egypt and the exodus. In the end, after Moses and Aaron died, God settled them in the promised land. As they considered the awesome truth of this one verse, the Israelites should have realized that God was their all-sufficient King. But Samuel had much more history to recount.

12:9 The period of the judges saw Israel repeat a four-stage cycle: sin, suffering, supplication, and salvation. The people sinned, then suffered at the hands of their enemies for a time: Deborah’s and Barak’s army battled Sisera (Jdg 4-5), Samson battled the Philistines (Jdg 13-16), and Ehud battled Moab (Jdg 3:15-30).

12:10 The third of the four stages (see note at v. 9) involved supplication as the people confessed their sin. They agreed to lay aside the Baals and the Ashtoreths (see note at 7:3) so they might serve the Lord alone.

12:11 Samuel recited some of the judges whom God had used to bring salvation, the fourth stage in the cycle (see note at v. 9). The Lord also used others, but Samuel mentioned these four leaders (including himself) to drive home his point. God faithfully defended his people whenever they followed him fully.

12:12 Samuel rebuked the people for desiring a human king. When Nahash threatened them, they forgot the Lord’s past acts of deliverance and clamored to be like the other nations.

12:13 The words the king you’ve chosen, the one you requested emphasize that ultimately Saul was the people’s choice. The Lord guided the process and put him in command, but only in response to the people’s denial of God’s kingship.

12:14-15 To fear the Lord includes an attitude of reverence and awe toward God. Worship literally means “serve” in this verse. Rather than you will follow, D. T. Tsumura translates, “you will be following.” The result that they will have the Lord’s favor is assumed rather than stated. The opposite is stated in v. 15: the Lord’s hand will be against you.

12:16 On present yourselves, see note at v. 7. The Lord was about to perform a heavenly sign to confirm that the people had sinned grievously by asking for a king.

12:17 The wheat harvest normally occurred around late May, and it was officially marked by the Festival of Weeks (Hb shavu‘oth; Nm 28:26-31). Thunder and rain normally do not come in Israel from about late April to sometime in October. Their coming would function as a sign of an immense evil the people had committed . . . by requesting a king.

12:18 The Israelites realized the miraculous nature of what was happening and greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. Such an amazing sign could only mean they had offended God.

12:19 The people pleaded with Samuel because he was clearly God’s representative. The words we have added to all our sins seem to indicate a certain depth of repentance, to which Samuel responded in the next verse.

12:20 Samuel agreed the people had committed . . . evil by asking for a king. The commands, don’t be afraid and don’t turn away, emphasize immediacy. The people were afraid and were considering turning away in light of God’s judgment. Rather than fear or flight, Samuel instructed, they should worship (or “serve”) the Lord wholeheartedly.

12:21 The command Don’t turn away is different in structure from the command in v. 20. Here it emphasizes a general prohibition—“Don’t ever turn away.” The Hebrew word translated worthless things and worthless is tohu (Gn 1:2, “formless”) and here probably designates the worthlessness of following false gods. False gods are likened to “emptiness” in Is 41:29, and “nothing” in Is 44:9.

12:22 God’s honor was at stake because he had entered into covenant with the Israelites and determined to make them his own people. He would keep his word so the whole world might know his faithful and gracious character.

12:23 The words I vow could also be translated “far be it from me.” Samuel’s assurance to the people was expressed in the strongest terms. Samuel had been the people’s shepherd leader, and ceasing to pray on their behalf was sin in his eyes.

12:24 Samuel’s concluding words summarized commands he already had given the people. Remembering God’s past faithfulness would guide the Israelites in living for him in the present and into the future.

12:25 Disastrous consequences awaited both ruler and people if they persisted in doing evil. God’s covenant with his people might continue, but a rebellious generation could not presume on his blessing.