Samuel’s Farewell Message

1 Samuel 12:1-25

Key verse: 12:23

“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is right.”

Last time we saw how God established Saul as king. God gave Saul powerful leadership to rescue the city of Jabesh in ch.11. Saul properly gave glory to God saying, “…this day the Lord has rescued Israel.” (11:13)

In today’s passage we have the farewell message of Samuel. Samuel had been a faithful leader for Israel his whole lifetime. Now that the people demanded a king and Samuel was old, it was time for Samuel to step down. Samuel gave God’s people and their king good direction and a choice: obey God and have his blessing or disobey and have God’s hand against them. May God have mercy on us to follow his way as the right and only way.

I. God’s Faithfulness (1-11)

In v.1-5 Samuel begins his farewell address to all the nation of Israel. He told them how he set a king over them as they demanded. He had been their leader from the time of his childhood when he succeeded Eli the priest. As he prepared to step down as their leader, Samuel asked the nation a series of questions: Whose ox or donkey have I taken? (like car…) Whom have I cheated or oppressed? From whom have I accepted a bribe? If I have done any of these things I will make it right. (v.3) Why did Samuel ask Israel these questions? He wanted to be on record that he was faithful to God in serving God’s people. He was not resigning in disgrace. Last month the mayor of Baltimore resigned in disgrace for stealing money meant for the poor. But she never admitted she did anything wrong. She was unfaithful and let a lot of people down. We see it a lot with worldly leaders corrupted by power.

Read v.4-5. “You have not cheated or oppressed us,’ they replied. ‘You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.’ Samuel said to them, 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.” When Samuel asked them about his character, Israel responded in unison that Samuel took nothing from them. They testified that God was their witness that Samuel was faithful to them as their leader. There was nothing in his hands- they were empty and clean. Samuel did not proclaim it himself. He asked the people, and they confirmed his faithfulness as their leader. In this way Samuel had authenticity as a leader and servant of God. He had integrity of doing what was right before God and men. Samuel’s integrity was a reflection on God, just as children are a reflection on their parents. God is faithful. God is beyond reproach. God is many times better and greater than such an authentic man of integrity as Samuel. Like Samuel, we must live our lives in the sight of God. Our character reflects on God. People see God and Jesus not just through what we say, but through what we do- through our lives. Billy Graham had a fruitful ministry because he lead with a clean character. He never let a woman come in alone to his office. His leadership was held in check by board members. The ministry’s financial dealings were open and accurate- he didn’t use extra money to go on lavish vacations. The board often wanted to give him higher pay, but he declined and said he should be limited to the salary of the pastor of a large U.S. church. As a result, believers and unbelievers around the world respected him and consider him a servant of God so they listened to him and many believed the gospel message through his good character and influence. As servants of God we should be like Samuel. Live before God and live before men with clean godly character. Then we can be a credible witness and a good influence representing God to other people.

After the people recognized Samuel’s unblemished record as their leader, Samuel moved on to give them a history lesson. Look at v.7. “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 fathers.” Here Samuel sounds like a lawyer in a court room. God is their judge and Samuel is about to present evidence of how God has been working in their nation. In v.8, Samuel mentions the birth of the nation of Israel. They had been enslaved by the superpower nation Egypt for 400 years. There seemed to be no hope. But God raised Moses and Aaron as leaders to bring them out of land of slavery to the Canaan land where they were currently living. It was a great work of God. Soon it will be the time of the Jewish Passover holiday. To this day Jews celebrate this holiday in remembrance of how God delivered their ancestors out of Egypt. But after Israel enjoyed a time of freedom from their enemies, v.9 says they forgot the Lord their God. They turned from obeying God to following the false gods of the Canaanite people around them, including the Baals and Ashtoreths- the gods of agriculture, food, fertility and sex. So v.9 says God sold them into the hands of the Philistines and the Moabites who fought and defeated Israel. They thought they were free to do whatever they wanted without God’s restrictions. But without God they became slaves of their enemies again, just as they were in Egypt. It was God’s discipline for their rebellion. In v.10 Samuel recounts how they repented and cried out for God’s deliverance, and God sent them leaders we read about in book of Judges: Jerub-Baal (Gideon-Jdg 6-8), Barak (w/Deborah-Jdg4), Jephthah (Jdg 10-11) and Samuel (Samson- Jdg 13-16). Accdg. to v.11 God used these leaders to deliver Israel from their enemies on every side so that they lived securely once again. We see a cycle happening in Israel’s history: slavery, crying out to God, God’s deliverance, security, rebellion against God, slavery, crying out to God, God’s deliverance again, security. Is it only the Israelites case? It happens to all people. When I was a struggling college student with academic and personal problems, I was very humble to study the Bible and devote myself to God. I cried out to God and he delivered me in every way. Now I have God’s blessings of career, house, family. I feel secure. I find myself getting attracted by the comforts and pleasures of the world and away from depending on God. This happens not just individually, but as a nation as well. America became a great nation declaring we are one nation under God starting with our founding by the Pilgrims who were persecuted in Europe as Bible believing Christians. God blessed us because of our faith and love for God. But Americans loved the riches of God’s blessing and security more than God. So we are vulnerable to enemies and are at war and threatened by terrorism and economic problems. It comes from forgetting God’s deliverance in our lives personally and as a nation. How important it is to remember God who delivered and is the source of our every blessing.

II. A Servant Shepherd for God’s People (12-25)

After giving Israel a history lesson, Samuel begins to address their current national situation. And he counsels them regarding the direction they should be careful to take from that time and in the future in order to have God’s promised blessings and protection. In v.12 Samuel recounts how they responded when they recently saw Nahash king of the Ammonites moving against them. They did not cry out to the Lord for protection as they had in the past. Instead they came to Samuel and demanded a king to fight for them and protect them. Samuel reminds them how they did this even though God was their king. So they had rejected God as their king. Samuel said, “Here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you.” Though they sinned in asking for a king, God had mercy on them and told Samuel to anoint Saul as their king. They could not complain to God. But now the people and the king had a responsibility if they were to be God’s nation. Read v.14-15.

“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! 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 fathers.” Samuel gave the nation and the king a serious charge. It was very much the same as the covenant God gave with Israel when they came out of Egypt. Israel and their king had a choice: would they be faithful to follow God- obey his commands? Or would they rebel against God’s commands and follow their own ways or the ways of the godless nations around them? It would be good for them to keep God’s ways. They would be right with God and have God’s protection and blessing. But if they did not, God would withdraw his hand of protection and be against them. He would use enemy nations to punish them for their rebellion as his did to their forefathers. Samuel was like a parent giving direction to teenage children. He was not forcing them to behave a certain way. But he was making clear the consequences of their choice. God loves us and wants to be with us and protect us. But he cannot do so if we run away from him. God does not force us though. It comes down to our choice.

In v.16-19 Samuel helps the people see the glory of the Lord. He said, “I will call upon the Lord to send thunder and rain. And you will realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.” What was Samuel talking about? It was the harvest time, a time when it did not rain in their land. Maybe there was barely a cloud in the sky. But v.18 says, “Samuel called upon the Lord, and that same day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel.” In great fear, the people cried out to Samuel, “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.” What a shock it was to the Israelites. First, Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent a thunderstorm on them. So the people were afraid of Samuel, whom they usually thought was very gentle and meek. But even more they were afraid of the Lord who confirmed their asking for a king was evil. Probably they thought everything was fine with God who gave Saul a victory over Ammonites in ch.11. But now they realized they did evil before God who sent this great thunderstorm upon them. They trusted in their king. Could their king call for a thunderstorm like Samuel? Could their king control nature like the Creator God? When they realized their foolishness, they were overcome with fear and cried out to Samuel that God would not strike them dead for their presumption and sin. They were struck by the glory and fear of the Holy God. Like them we can take God’s people for granted and take God for granted. We forget God has all power is full of glory and holiness. When we realize the holiness of God, we are convicted of our sins and foolishness and can only cry out for God’s mercy on us.

The people were full of fear of the Lord following the powerful display of God’s glory. Let’s see how Samuel helped them. Read v. 20-21. “’Do not be afraid,’ Samuel replied. ‘You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless.’” After they were full of fear of God, the people were humble. They were listening to every word of Samuel so they could be saved from one of God’s lightening bolts from the thunderstorm. They must have been soaking wet wondering what would become of them. Samuel did not condemn them for their sin, but told them, “Do not be afraid.” Thunder, rain and lightning at Samuel’s command, and then he says, “Don’t be afraid.” Does Samuel have some kind of split personality? He was expressing the love of God for his people. Sh. Cyril said it’s like a parent who disciplines their child for running in the street, then tells them, “Daddy loves you, but Daddy doesn’t want you to get hurt.” So Cyril can be a loving father for Naadu. A loving parent disciplines to show child what is the right way, so they will be blessed and not harmed. So God disciplines his people like this. Samuel’s words gave comfort to the people. He encouraged them not to turn away from the Lord to useless idols that cannot save them. Rather, in v.20 he instructed them to serve the Lord with all your heart. We are not to serve our own ideas or self-made security systems like money making and materialism, but serve and obey God with all our heart. Then Samuel told them in v.22, “For the sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because he was pleased to make you his own.” What a comfort this was to the people. Though they were evil, God would not reject them. He said God was pleased to make you his own. When they heard that, their desperate hearts were filled with hope. We have many evil ways and desires. But God is ready to forgive us. God trains us and teaches us what is right. How encouraging it is to know that God is please to calls us his own people. God is our Heavenly Father. We belong to him and he loves us.

Read verse 23. “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teach you the way that is good and right.” Samuel had been talking about the people’s responsibility before God. But now he share’s his part- his responsibility before God and God’s people. Samuel was stepping down from his leadership position after a lifetime of serving. We would think he would have a retirement mentality- “Yes, I’m finally through with those stubborn people! I’m going on vacation cruises and play golf for the rest of my life!” But instead Samuel had a shepherd’s heart for God’s people. He promised to do two things for the people: to pray for them and to teach them. Here Samuel shows us the attitude and responsibility of a shepherd and Bible teacher. We should think much of ourselves. We should not complain about stubborn people. We should pray to God for them- if we don’t, we are sinning before the Lord. And we teach them the way that is good and right. Samuel would continue to teach them to obey the commands of God so they could do what is good and right in the sight of God. He would teach them the Bible. So we also study and teach the Bible. Before Bible study I thought I knew what was good and right. But I only followed the culture and the consensus of those around me. I tried to appear a little more righteous than others on the outside. But inside my heart was not any better than my friends. When I studied the Bible I came to know that only God is good and right, and I was full of my own selfish ways. I learned I had to submit my life to God’s authority and rule. God taught me his ways through the Bible and is always changing my life and heart to be more like him and his Son Jesus. There are many students like me and like the Israelites. They are following ways that are opposite God’s ways and suffering for it. M. Paul teaches Andrew and M. Grace teaches Mary so they can know God’s ways that are good and right. I need to pray to teach Phil, Carlo and Sam God’s ways.

Read v.24-25. “But be sure to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all you heart; consider what great things he has done for you. Yet if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.” As Samuel concludes his farewell address, he summarizes what the people should do from now on. First, fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all their heart. He said this earlier in v.20. We serve God as prayer servants and Bible teachers. This is what God’s people do. In American Christianity, it is considered normal to go to a large church on Sunday and listen to a message and that’s it. And they feel their obligation to God is fulfilled. Then we spend most of the time in serving ourselves or some empty pursuit. Is that serving God faithfully with all your heart? God calls us to a life of serving him, from the beginning when Adam and Eve were to take care of the Garden. Before his ascension Jesus told his disciples to make disciples of all nations. We serve him as Bible teachers. We invite people to Bible study. I heard Joseph wants to serve God through music as SWS. YDJ can serve God through conference skit. Usually when I serve God less my spiritual life declines. We do not serve for the sake of serving. We serve God because we love him with all our heart and want to obey him and please him by being a blessing to others around us.

Also, Samuel reminded them to consider what great things he has done for you. They were to remember God’s grace of deliverance in their history- from the beginning of their nation to their current situation. When we remember God’s grace we can be thankful and love God more. Samuel words were a warning to them. If they persisted in doing evil, both they and their king would be swept away. If we keep rejecting God’s ways, we separate ourselves from God’s protection and leave ourselves open to judgment. We must fear the holiness of God.

Through Samuel’s farewell address we learn the shepherd’s heart of God. We learn Samuel who was a good leader because he loved God and led God’s people with integrity and the shepherd heart of God. May God change our hearts to be more like himself and use us as shepherds who teach others God’s way is good and right.

Read key verse 23.