Samuel Speaks to the Israelites for the Last Time
v1 Samuel said to all the Israelites, "‘I have done everything that you wanted me to do. I have given you a king to rule you. v2 Now you have a king to lead you. I am old and my hair is grey. My sons are here with you. I have been your leader from the days when I was young until now. v3 Here I am. I have not done any wrong things. If I have, you must accuse me to the Lord and his anointed king. I did not steal anyone’s ox or donkey. I did not hurt anyone because I had not been honest. I saw the wrong things that people did. But I never accepted money to pretend that I did not see them. However, if I have done any of these things, I will give you what I have taken’.
v4 The Israelites answered, "You have always been honest. You have not hurt any of us. You have not taken anything from anyone."
v5 Samuel said to the Israelites, ‘The Lord is a witness of what you have said today. The Lord’s anointed king is also a witness of this: You said that I am innocent."
They replied, "He is a witness."
Commentary
All the Israelites now accepted Saul as their king. Samuel had led them for a long time. He had been a good leader. Samuel had even given them the king that they wanted. Samuel was honest. He was fair. The people could trust him. He did not take anything from them. All the Israelites agreed with this. In chapter 8, Samuel had warned them that a king would take a lot from them. Perhaps Samuel wanted the king to hear how he should lead the people. God had chosen Samuel to lead the Israelites. Samuel led the Israelites in the way that God wanted. Then God chose and anointed Saul as king. Now Samuel wanted Saul to lead the Israelites in God’s way. Samuel was still the priest. The people could still trust Samuel to lead them as a good priest.
In verse 5, the people said, "He is a witness." The "‘He" could refer to the Lord or to the king as the witness.
Samuel Continues to Talk
v6 Then Samuel said to all the people, ‘The Lord chose Moses and Aaron. The Lord brought all the Israelites out from the country of Egypt. v7 You must stand up now because I will judge you. I will remind you about all the good things that God did. God did these things for you and for your families who lived many years ago. v8 Jacob and his family went to the country of Egypt. About four centuries later the people from the family of Jacob (the Israelites) asked the Lord to help them. The Lord sent Moses and Aaron. They brought the Israelites, your family, out from the country of Egypt. They brought them into this place.
v9 But the Israelites forgot the Lord their God. Sisera led an army from the town of Hazor. He fought against the Israelites. The Philistines and the king of Moab also fought against the Israelites. The Lord allowed these enemies to win. They made the Israelites become their slaves. v10 Then the Israelites called out to the Lord. They said, “We have sinned. We left the Lord and served the Baals and Ashtoreths. Save us from our enemies and we will serve you.” v11 So the Lord sent Gideon, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel. The Lord saved you from all your enemies. Then you lived in safety.
v12 But then you saw that Nahash, who was the king of the Ammonites, was coming to attack you. So you said to me, “No. We want a king to rule us. However, the Lord your God was your king. v13 Now here is the king that you chose. He is the one that you asked for. The Lord has made him your king. v14 You should fear the Lord and serve him. You must obey the Lord. You must not oppose his commands. You and the king who rules you must follow the Lord. v15 You might not obey the Lord. You might oppose his commands. If you do, he will oppose you. He will do to you what he did to the Israelites in the past."
Commentary
In these verses, Samuel spoke as a prophet. The Israelites knew a lot about what had happened to them in the past. In verses 6-11, Samuel reminded them again. God had given them all that they needed. He had rescued them from all their enemies. Samuel reminded them that God had chosen leaders for them. These leaders led them in the battles. The Israelites had success and won their battles. Then Samuel reminded the Israelites that they had often stopped worshipping God. Instead, they worshipped idols. So God let their enemies defeat them.
The Israelites' main sin is in verse 9 is they forgot the Lord their God. God wanted the Israelites to worship only him. He was their king. When they worshipped the Lord, their life was good. When they worshipped other gods, their enemies won the battles. But when the Israelites started to worship the Lord again, the Lord helped them.
In verses 12-15, Samuel reminds the Israelites that they refused the Lord as their king. Instead, they wanted a man as their king. But the Lord was still their king. The Israelites had to obey the Lord. Their king had to obey the Lord. In verse 15, Samuel warns the Israelites not to oppose the Lord. When they did this in the past, the Lord punished them. If they do it in the future, the Lord will punish them again.
Samuel Continues to Talk
v16 Now stand still. See the great thing that the Lord will do. v17 It is time for the wheat harvest now. I will pray. The Lord will send thunder and rain. Then you will know that you did an evil thing against the Lord. You asked for a king.
v18 Samuel prayed to the Lord. That day the Lord sent thunder and rain. All the people were afraid of the Lord and of Samuel. v19 All the people said to Samuel, "We are your servants. Pray to the Lord your God for us. Do not let us die. We have sinned many times in the past. Now we have sinned because we asked for a king."
v20 Samuel said, "Do not be afraid. It is true that you have sinned. But do not turn away from the Lord. Serve the Lord with all of your spirit. v21 Do not worship idols. They cannot help you. They cannot save you. They have no use. v22 The Lord does not change his decisions. He decided to make you his own people. He will not leave you. v23 As for me, I will not stop praying for you. I will sin against the Lord if I stop. I will teach you the good and the right things to do. v24 You must give the Lord honor. You must serve him with all your spirit. Remember the wonderful things that he did for you. v25 But if you continue to sin against God he will remove you and your king."
Commentary
The wheat harvest is in the dry season. There is no rain or thunder in this season. (In 7:10-11 God sent thunder to frighten the Philistines.) The Israelites were very frightened when God sent the rain and thunder in the dry season. The storm was the way that God spoke to the Israelites. They realized that they had sinned. They were afraid that God would kill them. But Samuel knew that God loved the Israelites. God chose them as his special people. The Israelites were afraid of God. But Samuel did not want them to turn away from God because of their fear. The people could not change what they had done. But Samuel encouraged them to live the right way in the future. The Lord had been very kind to them in the past. He would be kind to them in the future if they obeyed him. But if they did not obey the Lord, he would remove them. The Lord wanted his people to serve and worship only him.
One of Samuel’s duties as a priest was to pray to God. Samuel knew that this was very important. He said that he would sin against God if he did not pray for the Israelites. He also had to teach the people the right way to behave. Samuel had done both these things while he led the people. Samuel obeyed God, and he had to continue this work.
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