9 SAMUEL’S FAREWELL

Just after confirming and celebrating Saul as the new king (recorded at the end of 1 Samuel 11), Samuel’s farewell address in chapter 12, gives a short account of the recent changes in their government from theocracy to monarchy, as a preface to more he wanted to say. He had spent his days since his youth in their service. As soon as he was illuminated with the light of prophecy, in his early days, he began to be a burning and shining light to Israel. “And now my best days are done: I am old and gray-headed.” If they were rejecting him, they were the more unkind to cast him off, yet because of his age, he was the more willing to resign, finding the weight of government heavy on his stooping shoulders. He was old, and therefore the more able to advise them, and the more observant they should have been of what he said, for those with many days shall speak and the multitude of years shall teach wisdom.

There is a particular reverence due to the aged, especially aged Christian leaders and ministers. “I am old, and therefore not likely to live long, perhaps may never have an opportunity of speaking to you again, and therefore take notice of what I say. My sons are with you, you may, if you please, call them to an account for any thing they have done amiss. They are present with you, and have not, during our national changes, fled from their country. They are on the same level with you, subjects to the new king as well as you. If you can prove them guilty of any wrong, you may prosecute them now by due course of law, punish and oblige them to make restitution. I have given you the king you asked for. He is with you in public, ready to serve you in national business. Now that you have made yourselves like the nations in your civil government, and have turned away from God’s administration, be careful not to make yourselves like the nations in religion and cast off the worship of God.”

He solemnly appeals to them concerning his own honesty in governmental and personal affairs. Did he do this to convince them of the injury they had done to him in setting him aside when he had done nothing amiss with which to charge him? His government had no fault but that it was too inexpensive, too easy, too gentle, and also of the injury they had done themselves in rejecting one that did not so much as take an ox or donkey from them, and this, in order to put themselves under the power of one who would take their very sons, daughters, fields and vineyards from them. The king’s administration would be very unlike Samuel’s manner.

Does he seek to preserve his own reputation or is he using his own uprightness, high moral and ethical standard as a teaching method? Had some heard of Samuel’s being rejected and were ready to suspect that certainly he had done some evil thing, or he would never have been rejected? Was it necessary for him to make this challenge, so that it might appear on record that it was not for any iniquity in his hands that he was rejected? Was he attempting to gratify the humor of a silly people, who thought they could not have a better man to rule them, only they desired a bigger man? There is a just obligation which every man owes to his own good name, especially men in public stations, which is to guard it against unjust accusations and suspicions. Samuel may have simply wanted to finish his course with honor as well as joy. Did Samuel design in this speech to leave a good name behind him, so as to leave his successor a good example to follow? Was Samuel in the close of his discourse, about to reprove the people, and therefore he intentionally begins with a vindication of himself? After all, if anyone wants to confidently reprove another, he should first establish it that he himself is clear. Samuel had led an upright life and he could do this.

He had never, under any pretense whatsoever, taken what was not his own, ox or donkey; had never  taken their cattle for tribute, fines, or forfeitures, nor used their service without paying for it. He had never defrauded those with whom he dealt, nor oppressed those who who were under his power. He had never taken bribes to pervert justice, nor was ever biassed by favor for affection to give judgment in a cause against his conscience. He calls on anyone whom he had slighted to bear witness concerning his conduct: “Here I am; witness against me. If you have any thing to lay to my charge, do it before the Lord and the king, the proper judges.” He puts honor on Saul, by considering himself accountable to him if he were guilty of any wrong.

In this appeal he is honorably acquitted. He did not expect that they would do him honor at parting, though he well deserved it, and therefore did not mention any of the good services he had done for them. All he wanted was that they should do him justice, and they did that readily stating that he had not made his government oppressive to them, nor used his power to their wrong or that he had made it expensive for them.

Like Nehemiah, he did not require the bread of the governor and had not only been righteous, but generous, had coveted no man’s silver, or gold, or apparel. This honorable testimony attesting to Samuel’s integrity is given to us as a record to his honor. Verse 25 says, “The Lord is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.’ ‘He is witness,’ they said.” The testimony of our neighbors, and especially the testimony of our own consciences, that we have lived honestly, will give us peace and comfort against insults and criticisms. Demetrius was a happy man to have such a reputation. 3 John 12 says, “Demetrius is well spoken of by everyone—and even by the truth itself. We also speak well of him, and you know that our testimony is true.” Let us live so that that can also be said of us.

Samuel, having sufficiently defended his own reputation, instead of criticizing the people regarding their unkindness to him, sets out next to instruct them, and keep them on track in their duty. Then the change of the government would be the less damaging to them. He reminds them of the great goodness of God to them and to their fathers, gives them an abstract of the history of their nation, that, if they will remember the great things God had done for them, they might be forever eager to love and serve Him. He prepares to reason with them. Verse 7 says, “Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.” Godliness has reason on its side. The work of ministers is to reason with people, not only to exhort and direct, but to persuade, to convince men’s judgments, and so to gain their wills and affections. Let reason rule men, and they will be good. He reasons of the righteous acts of the Lord because in them he gives proof of His own honor.

He not only puts them in mind of what God had done for them in their days, but of what He had done of old, in the days of their fathers, because the present age had the benefit of God’s former favors. He refers to Moses, Aaron, Philistines, Moab, Gideon, Barak, Jephthah and even himself, Samuel, as he reminds them of God’s past deliverances. He also reminds them of their fathers’ repentance and humiliation before God for their idolatries. He reminds them of the glorious deliverances God had worked for them, the victories with which He had blessed them, and their happy settlements, many a time, after days of trouble and distress.

Then in verses 12 - 15 he delivers his powerful conclusion and challenge to them. Evidently, they were now facing opposition from Nahash of the Ammonites. See how he challenges them, “But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. 13 Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! 15 But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.” Now it appears that this was the immediate cause of their wanting a king: Nahash threatened them. They wanted Samuel to nominate a general so he told them that God was commander-in-chief in all their wars and they needed no other; that what was lacking in them should be made up by His power: The Lord is your king. But they insisted on it, No, but a king must reign over us. “And now,” said he, “you have a king, a king of your own asking—let that be spoken to your shame; but a king of God’s making—let that be spoken to His honor and the glory of His grace.” God did not cast them off, even when they in effect cast Him off.

Samuel shows them that they and their king are now on their good behavior. Let them not think that they had now removed themselves from dependence on God, and that now, having a king of their own, their fate was in their own hands. No. Still their welfare must proceed from the Lord. He tells them plainly, that their obedience to God would certainly be their happiness and that their disobedience would as certainly be their ruin. Samuel aims to convince the people of their sin in desiring a king. They were now rejoicing before God in and with their king and offering to God the sacrifices of praise, which they hoped God would accept; and this perhaps made them think there was no harm in their asking a king, though really they had not done well in it.

Therefore Samuel here charges it as their sin, as wickedness, great wickedness in the sight of the Lord. Though we meet with prosperity and success in a way of sin, yet we must not therefore think the more favorably of the wrong we did. They have a king, and if they conduct themselves well, their king may be a very great blessing to them, and yet Samuel will have them perceive that their wickedness was great in asking a king. We must never think well of what God in His law frowns on, though in His kindness He may seem to smile on it. Samuel wants them to know of God’s displeasure against them for asking a king.

At Samuel’s word, God sent amazingly timely thunder and rain on them, at a season of the year when, in that country, rain did not fall. Thunder and rain have natural causes and sometimes terrible effects. But Samuel made it appear that this was designed by the almighty power of God intentionally to convince them that they had done very wickedly in asking a king; not only by its coming in an unusual time, in wheat-harvest, and this on a fair clear day, when no sign of a storm appeared, but this was made even more clear by Samuel telling of it before it happened. If the Israelites could not hear God’s message of disappointment in asking for a king in Samuel’s small voice, perhaps they will hear it in dreadful claps of thunder and the great rain pouring down on them.

Samuel called to the Lord, and, in answer to his prayer, even while he was yet speaking, the Lord sent thunder and rain. By this Samuel made it understood, not only what a powerful influence God has on this earth, that He could, of a sudden, when natural causes did not work towards it, produce this dreadful rain and thunder and bring them out of His treasures, but also what a powerful interest a praying man can have in heaven; that God would answer Samuel’s prayer so dramatically. Samuel, that son of prayer, was still famous for success in prayer. Could their king thunder with a voice like God’s? Could their prince command such forces as the prophet could by his prayers? This display startled them very much, as well it might.Verse 18 says, “So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel.” Though when they had a king they were ready to think they must fear him only, God made them know that He is greatly to be feared and His prophets for His sake.

So the people now did a very good thing. They earnestly begged Samuel’s prayers, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other sins the evil of asking for a king” (19).  Samuel’s response to this request is certainly a model for every Christian leader. The most important thing we can do for people is to pray for them. Samuel comforts them with an assurance that he would continue his care and concern for them. They wanted him to pray for them. Ha! He might have said, “Go to Saul, the king that you have put over yourselves in place of me, God’s prophet and get him to pray for you.” But the generous and gracious Samuel is so far from criticizing them for their disrespect for him that he promised them much more than they asked. They asked it of him as a favor; he promised it as a duty, and startles himself and them at the thought of neglecting it. Pray for you! says he, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in not doing it.

It is a sin against God not to pray for the Israel of God, especially for those of them that are under our charge. Good men are afraid of the guilt of omissions. They asked him to pray for them now, and at this event, he promised to continue his prayers for them and not to stop as long as he lived. Our rule is to pray without ceasing. We sin if we reduce our prayer in general and in particular if we cease praying for the Church. They only asked him to pray for them, but he promised to do more for them, not only to pray for them, but to teach them; though they were not willing to be under his government as a judge, he would not therefore deny them the benefit to them of his instructions as a prophet. And they might be sure he would teach them no other than the good and the right way. “And I will teach you the way that is good and right.” The right way is certainly the good way: the way of duty is the way of pleasure and profit.

He concludes with an earnest appeal to them for practical and serious godliness. He says, in verse 24, “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you.” He was not requiring them to be afraid of God with a slavish fear, but to respectfully recognize their obligation and duty to be careful not to displease the One who had taken such good care of them. As a faithful watchman, Samuel gave them warning, and so fulfilled his own obligation as a faithful shepherd of God flock.

Lets review: Samuel led them faithfully for many years from his youth until he was an old man, confronted them with their mistake, showed himself to be an honest person, reviews their history so they could see God’s faithfulness, prayed for and received a miracle which shows that he was indeed God’s prophet, promised with great emphasis to always pray for them and promised to continue to teach them the way that was good and right. Those are all marks of a good Christian leader. In every way except that he evidently failed to give enough attention to the raising up of godly sons, Samuel is a great example to us.

May the Lord raise you up to be the blessing to your nation that Samuel was to his nation. God needs men and women like Samuel today. Be a Samuel, raise up a Samuel, influence your children and grandchildren to become like Samuel. Tell the story of Samuel again and again.