1 Samuel 12: Samuel’s Farewell Sermon
THREE OF THE LONGEST SPEECHES BY SAMUEL ARE FOUND HERE.
HERE SAMUEL COVERED MUCH GROUND IN THIS LAST AND LONGEST SERMON.
HE REPEATED ISRAEL’S HISTORY AND ASSESSED IT, REMINDING THE CONGREGATION OF THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD.
HE OFFERED STERN WARNINGS AND HEARTFELT ENCOURAGEMENTS, AND EVEN CALLED UPON GOD TO SEND A STORM AMONG THE LAND IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DRY SEASON.
HERE WAS THE HIGH POINT OF SAMUEL’S CAREER OF PUBLIC SERVICE AND ISRAEL’S JUDGE AND GOD’S PROPHET.
THE GATHERING WAS AT GILGAL WORSHIPPING GOD AND INAUGURATING SAUL AS KING AND SAMUEL USED THIS TIME TO ADDRESS THE PEOPLE.
VERSES 1-5
HE WAS AN OLD MAN AND WAS THE LAST OF THE JUDGES.
SAMUEL USED THE SAME WORDS THAT HE HAD USED BEFORE WHEN HE ANSWERED GOD’S CALL, “HERE I AM”.
HE SOUGHT AN ANSWER FROM THE PEOPLE AS TO WHETHER HE HAD BEEN A FAITHFUL AND HONEST LEADER AMONG THEM.
HE CALLED ON BOTH GOD AND KING SAUL TO BE HIS WITNESSES.
ISRAEL CONFIRMED SAMUEL HAD BEEN A RIGHTEOUS LEADER, NOT ACCEPTING BRIBES (SUCH AS THE SONS OF ELI) NOR USING HIS POSITION TO OPPRESS THE PEOPLE.
SAMUELS’ LIFE HAD BEEN ONE OF INTEGRITY.
HE MAKES NO MENTION OF ANY ACCOMPLISHMENTS OR ACHIEVEMENTS SO HIS LEGACY WAS NOT IN WHAT HE DID BUT IN WHAT HE WAS.
VERSES 6-11
SAMUEL’S SERMON REMINDED THE PEOPLE OF THE GRACE OF GOD THAT HAD ARRANGED THEIR DELIVERANCE FROM BONDAGE IN EGYPT.
GOD HAD ADVANCED MOSES AND AARON TO BE HIS MESSENGERS AND THE PEOPLE HAD INDEED LEFT EGYPT EXACTLY AS GOD HAD INTENDED.
THE PEOPLE HAD ORIGINALLY REJECTED MOSES (ACTS 7:25-41) BUT GOD DID NOT WAVER IN HIS SUPPORT OF MOSES.
WHEN THE NATION ARRIVED FINALLY IN THE PROMISED LAND THEY CONTINUED TO FAIL GOD, EVEN TO WORSHIP OF FALSE GODS, WHICH JOSHUA REBUKED THEM FOR DOING.
SAMUEL SPECIFICALLY MENTIONED THE CANAANITES OF THE NORTH AND THE PHILISTINES TO THE SOUTHWEST AS CONTINUING ENEMIES.
DESPITE ISRAEL’S SIN, GOD NEVER FORSOOK THEM AND HAD CONTINUED TO DELIVER THEM WHEN THEY CRIED OUT TO HIM.
GOD’S PATIENCE HAD BEEN IMMENSE AND SAMUEL MENTIONED THAT WHEN THE PEOPLE WORSHIPPED GOD, THEY DWELLED SAFE.
VERSES 12-13
IN SPITE OF THE MANY INSTANCES OF DELIVERANCE BY GOD, PROVING HOW POWERFUL HIS HAND WAS IN THEIR DEFENSE, THE PEOPLE STILL INSISTED ON AN EARTHLY KING TO FIGHT THEIR BATTLES.
CONSIDERING THE ATTACK BY THE AMMONITES IN CHAPTER 11 IN WHICH GOD GAVE THEM THE VICTORY, HIS PATIENCE AND GUIDANCE CONTINUED.
SAMUEL REMINDS THE PEOPLE THAT IN THESE TIMES OF DELIVERING, THEY SHOULD SERVE GOD EVEN STRONGER AND SAMUEL IS PREPARING THEM FOR THE PART OF HIS SERMON TO COME NEXT.
VERSES 14-15 & 24
SAMUEL SAYS THAT EVEN WITH A HISTORY OF REBELLION AND EVEN AFTER REJECTING GOD AS THEIR KING, IF THE PEOPLE HAD FOLLOWED GOD AND OBEYED HIM, HE WOULD HAVE BLESSED THEM AND THEIR NEW KING.
BECAUSE THEY DID NOT OBEY, THEY RECEIVED THE SAME DISCIPLINE THAT THEIR ANCESTORS HAD RECEIVED.
IF THE PEOPLE WOULD FEAR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY, HIS BLESSING WOULD SPREAD OVER THE NATION AS THE RECENT VICTORY PROVED.
WE REMEMBER THAT IN OTHER OLD TESTAMENT TEACHINGS WE ARE TAUGHT THAT THE FEAR OF THE LORD IS THE BEGINNING OF WISDOM.
SAMUEL’S IDEA OF WISDOM WAS TIED TO SERVICE AND OBEDIENCE WHICH IS A TRUTH STILL AS TRUE TODAY AS IT WAS THEN.
MOSES IN EXODUS 20:20, JOSHUA IN 24:14, AND KING SOLOMON IN ECCLESIASTES 12:13 ALL TEACH THIS SAME IMPORTANT LESSON.
IN MANY REVIVAL SERMONS IN OUR OWN TIME WE CONSISTENTLY ARE CHALLENGED TO REMEMBER THAT THE STUDY OF GOD’S WRITTEN WORD WILL BRING OBEDIENCE IF WE APPROACH IT HUMBLY.
VERSES 16-19
IN THESE VERSES SAMUEL CALLS UPON GOD TO SUPPORT HIS WORDS AND TO DEMONSTRATE HOW SERIOUS THIS MATTER WAS IN THE SERMON.
WHILE LISTENING TO THE SERMON OF SAMUEL, THE PEOPLE SAW THE SKY DARKEN AND A LARGE STORM BROKE OVER THE PEOPLE.
DURING THESE TIMES WHICH WERE THE WHEAT HARVEST TIME, THERE WAS LITTLE IF ANY RAIN AND SUCH A STORM WAS UNHEARD OF AT THIS TIME OF YEAR.
THUNDERINGS AND LIGHTNINGS, TRUMPET NOISES, MOUNTAINS WERE SMOKING, DURING THE DAYS OF MOSES ON MOUNT SINAI AND THE PEOPLE ASKED MOSES TO INTERCEDE AND TO SPEAK TO GOD AS THEY FEARED TO DO SO THEMSELVES
THIS STORM REQUESTED BY SAMUEL AS A SIGN PROMPTED A CONFESSION BY THE PEOPLE AND THEY ASKED SAMUEL TO PRAY FOR THEM (AS MOSES DID) AND THE PEOPLE SAID THEY HAD ADDED TO THEIR SINS WHEN THEY ASKED FOR A KING.
VERSES 20-22
IN THE STORMS OF MOUNT SINAI MOSES SAID THE PEOPLE WERE TO FEAR NOT, AND SIN NOT. (EXODUS 20:20)
SO THE MESSAGE OF SAMUEL TO THE PEOPLE IS THAT THEY HAVE BOTH SINNED AND REJECTED GOD, BUT DO NOT MAKE A BAD SITUATION WORSE BY NEGLECTING TO SERVE GOD NOW AND IN THE FUTURE.
IF THEY DID NOT UNDERSTAND AND AGREE, THEY WOULD BE COMMITTING “VAIN THINGS”, WHICH WOULD BE THE EMPTINESS AND VANITY OF A WASTELAND RATHER THAN A LAND DEVOTED TO GOD.
VAIN THINGS MAY ALSO BE SEEN IN FALSE GODS & IDOLS.
SAMUEL NOTED IN VERSE 22 ENCOURAGING WORDS TO THE PEOPLE, TELLING THEM GOD WILL NOT FORSAKE THEM AND HIS FAITHFULNESS WAS NEVER DEPENDENT ON THEM, BUT ONLY UPON HIS OWN GREATNESS.
HE FURTHER REMINDED THEM THAT GOD HAD CHOSEN THEM NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. HE COMFORTED THEM BY ASSURANCE THAT IT HAS PLEASED GOD TO HAVE THEM AS HIS CHOSEN ONES.
KNOWING THAT GOD NEVER MAKES MISTAKES IN HIS SOVEREIGN WILL, THAT LAST THOUGHT SHOULD ALLOW THEM TO REST IN GOD’S CHOOSING WHILE UNDERSTANDING THAT HE CHOSE THEM TO SERVE HIS WILL TO BE A BLESSING TO ALL NATIONS.
VERSES 23-25
HERE SAMUEL PROVIDES A POWERFUL NOTE NEAR THE COMPLETION OF HIS MESSAGE BY SAYING THAT IF HE SHOULD NOT PRAY FOR THESE PEOPLE, IT WOULD BE A SIN.
CLEARLY HIS PRAYERS WERE HAND IN HAND WITH HIS CONSTANT TEACHING OF THE RIGHT WAY TO LIVE AS GOD’S SERVANTS.
SAMUEL SAYS THEY ARE TO SERVE WITH A HEART IN TRUTH.
THIS FINAL THOUGHT IS AMONG THE MOST POWERFUL PREACHED BY SAMUEL, WHICH IS THAT PAST FAILURES DO NOT RULE OUT OUR FUTURE SERVICE.
ISRAEL FAILED GOD FOR MANY GENERATIONS BUT HE NEVER FAILED THEM.
THROUGH THE FAITHFULNESS OF GOD, PETER’S GREATEST FAILURE WAS FORGIVEN AND HE WAS RESTORED TO GOD’S SERVICE.
HE MAY HAVE PREACHED THE GREATEST SERMON EVEN GIVEN IN ACTS 2 AT PENTECOST TIME AND THEN WENT ONWARD TO SERVE THE LORD UNTIL HE BECAME A MARTYR FOR CHRIST.
SAMUEL BEGAN THIS SERMON WITH THE WORDS:
“I have walked before you from my childhood” (VERSE 2)
AND HE CONCLUDES WITH THE ASSURANCE THAT HE WILL CONTINUE TO REPRESENT THEM TO GOD AND TO TEACH THEM WHAT IS RIGHT IN VERSE 23.
HIS COMMITMENT WAS SO STRONG THAT HE SUGGESTED THAT IT WOULD BE A SIN FOR HIM TO CEASE TO PRAY FOR THEM.
WHILE HIS ROLE CERTAINLY CHANGED, HE WAS NOT A MAN WHO WAS STEPPING DOWN.
HE WAS GOING TO CONTINUE TO COUNSEL BOTH PEOPLE AND THE KING AS TO GOD’S WORD.
IT WILL BE UP TO BOTH THE PEOPLE AND THE KING TO OBEY.
IN OUR NEXT STUDY STOP WE SEE HOW AND WHY THE LORD REJECTS KING SAUL.