19 Addressing the Nations Wickedness – Part 2

The final portion of First Samuel 12 continues following Samuel’s final “national” address. In it we see him present the clear choices the people have, whether they should continue following their own ways, or repenting and returning to the Lord, and following Him.

1 Given a Clear Choice

The Lord had given the people the flesh and blood king they’d insisted upon. But Samuel would then present them with the consequences of their sin, if they did not repent and show obedience to the Lord:

1 Samuel 12:13-15

The Israelites had dismissed the fact that God was their King but insisted upon having a man of flesh and blood to rule over them.

But Samuel wanted to show them, they had yet another choice confronting them, whether they would follow the Lord, or continue going their own way.

The Bible is clear that it’s foolish to follow our own hearts, which are deceitful and wicked:

Jeremiah 17:9

Samuel reminded the people of how they’d recently cried out to the Lord for deliverance, seen Him follow through, only for them to reject Him as King:

1 Samuel 12:12

Samuel showed how the people should fear (literally reverence) the Lord, which should lead to them serving and obeying Him.

Scripture tells us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge:

Proverbs 1:7

While Samuel showed that obedience would result in God’s blessings, verse 15 shows that failure to fear the Lord, would result in Him being against them, thus causing Him to chasten them as He’d done to their ancestors.

2 Confirming the Word

Next, Samuel spoke of how the Lord would confirm his words, by a sign from heaven:

1 Samuel 12:16-18

For the second time in the chapter, Samuel advised the people to “stand still” showing their need to pay absolute attention to what he would say.

In the sight of the people, Samuel prayed that God would confirm his words with a sign.

This is a perfect Biblical example of how signs work. The Word of God must always precede any signs since signs are only to confirm the already declared Word.

Sadly, many believers seek after signs and miracles, rather than to grow in the Word of God. Jesus spoke very negatively about those of His day who sought after signs:

Matthew 12:39

Signs were far more prevalent in the Old Testament, and in the first century of the church, because the Scriptures had not been completed. However, once the church had the fullness of the Bible, we are not in need of anything to confirm the Scripture.

Yet here, Samuel requested the people’s attention since the Lord would indeed confirm that Samuel’s words were from the Lord:

1 Samuel 12:16-18

The sign would be an unusual phenomenon, in that God would cause heavy rains and thunder during the wheat harvest season. It would be highly unusual, because that would normally be a drier season in that part of the world.

It would not only be unusual, but unwelcomed, since drier conditions would be needed for both the harvesting and sorting of crops. Heavy rains would destroy the months of planting and growing of crops.

The book of Proverbs addresses how rain during harvest is unwelcomed:

Proverbs 26:1

The Lord using this sign would not only cause fear among the people, but it couldn’t be easily dismissed.

3 Coming to Their Senses

In the final verses of the chapter, we find the people coming to a realization of their sins:

1 Samuel 12:19-25

The people were definitely afraid, after seeing the sign the Lord performed. They also they realized that their sins were twofold: constant rebellion against the Lord, and then rejecting Him and desiring a flesh and blood king.

And in their fear, they were afraid the Lord would kill them.

And even though they realized Samuel had been right all along in his words, they still showed a misunderstanding of the Lord, by not rightly discerning His faithful love for them.

They thought the sign meant God would judge and destroy them, rather than to rightly chasten them.

Sadly, there are believers today who have the same idea. Not understanding, that God reserves punishment for His enemies, while He chastens (disciplines) those He loves as His sons and daughters.

That chastening is always meant to bring about our repentance.

Therefore, in verse 20, Samuel told the people “not to fear”. Even so, Samuel wasn’t minimizing the peoples’ sin, but rather, was very clear to point it out:

1 Samuel 12:20

While sin will frequently cause some to flee from God’s presence, we are to confess and repent of our sin, and then once again closely follow the Lord.

Rather than struggling under the burden and guilt of sin (past or present), once we confess and repent of our sin, we should remember that our sins have been cleansed by the blood of Christ, and that we have become the righteousness of God in Christ.

Therefore, Samuel reassured the people that God would forsake or destroy them, for the sake of His name, which speaks to His faithfulness.

They needed (and we need) to understand that God loves His people. Of course, they were living before the cross, where the Father would send His Son to die for them, while we are living after the cross, and Jesus has already died for us.

Finally, Samuel showed that while he would no longer have the spotlight upon him, now that the nation had a king, he wasn’t about to retire, but he would spend his time properly teaching, and praying for the people. Which reveals the heart of this man who served the Lord and His people well.