# 1 Samuel 12 š: Samuel's Farewell Address
[[š Explore the Bible Books]]
[[-1 Samuel Overview]] | [[1 Samuel 11]] | [[1 Samuel 13]]
> [!info] Table of Contents
> [[#š Scripture Text (NET)]]
> [[#š Verse-by-Verse Commentary]]
> [[#š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights]]
> [[#š§ Chapter Summary]]
> [[#āļø Christ in This Chapter]]
> [[#š Key Principles / š Life Application]]
> [[#š¬ Discussion Questions]]
> [[#āļø Key Verses to Remember]]
> [[#š Related Passages/Cross Reference]]
> [[#š Devotional Reflection]]
> [[#š Internal Notes]]
## š Scripture Text (NET)
(The NET Bible: New English Translation. Biblical Studies Press, 2005)
[[#Verse 01.]] Samuel said to all Israel, āI have doneĀ everything you requested.Ā I have given you a king.Ā
[[#Verse 02.]]Ā Now look! This king walks before you. As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have walked before you from the time of my youth till the present day.Ā
[[#Verse 03.]]Ā Here I am. Bring a charge against me before theĀ LordĀ and before his chosen king.Ā Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I wronged? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe so that I would overlook something? Tell me,Ā and I will return it to you!ā
[[#Verse 04.]]Ā They replied, āYou have not wronged us or oppressed us. You have not taken anything from the hand of anyone.āĀ
[[#Verse 05.]]Ā He said to them, āTheĀ LordĀ is witness against you, and his chosen kingĀ is witness this day, that you have not found any reason to accuse me.āĀ They said, āHe is witness!ā
[[#Verse 06.]]Ā Samuel said to the people, āTheĀ LordĀ is the one who chose Moses and Aaron and who brought your ancestorsĀ up from the land of Egypt.
[[#Verse 07.]]Ā Now take your positions, so I may confront youĀ before theĀ Lordregarding all theĀ Lordās just actions toward you and your ancestors.Ā
[[#Verse 08.]]Ā When Jacob entered Egypt, your ancestors cried out to theĀ Lord. TheĀ LordĀ sent Moses and Aaron, and they led your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
[[#Verse 09.]]Ā āBut they forgot theĀ LordĀ their God, so he gaveĀ them into the hand of Sisera, the general in command of Hazorās army,Ā and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, and they fought against them.Ā
[[#Verse 10.]]Ā Then they cried out to theĀ LordĀ and admitted,Ā āWe have sinned, for we have forsaken theĀ Lord and have served the Baals and the images of Ashtoreth.Ā Now deliver us from the hands of our enemies so that we may serve you.āĀ
[[#Verse 11.]]Ā So theĀ LordĀ sent Jerub Baal,Ā Barak,Ā Jephthah, and Samuel,Ā and he delivered you from the hands of the enemies all around you, and you were able to live securely.
[[#Verse 12.]]Ā āWhen you saw that King Nahash of the Ammonites was advancing against you, you said to me, āNo! A king will rule over usāāeven though theĀ LordĀ your God is your king.Ā
[[#Verse 13.]]Ā Now look! Here is the king you have chosenāthe one that you asked for! Look, theĀ LordĀ has given you a king.
[[#Verse 14.]]Ā If you fear theĀ Lord, serving him and obeying himĀ and not rebelling against what he says,Ā and if both you and the king who rules over you follow theĀ LordĀ your God, all will be well.
[[#Verse 15.]]Ā But if you donāt obeyĀ theĀ LordĀ and rebel against what theĀ LordĀ says, the hand of theĀ LordĀ will be against both you and your king.
[[#Verse 16.]]Ā āSo now, take your positions and watch this great thing that theĀ LordĀ is about to do in your sight.Ā
[[#Verse 17.]]Ā Is this not the time of the wheat harvest? I will call on theĀ LordĀ so that he makes it thunder and rain. Realize and see what a great sin you have committed before theĀ LordĀ by asking for a king for yourselves.ā
[[#Verse 18.]]Ā So Samuel called to theĀ Lord, and theĀ LordĀ made it thunder and rain that day. All the people were very afraid of both theĀ LordĀ and Samuel.
[[#Verse 19.]]Ā All the people said to Samuel, āPray to theĀ LordĀ your God on behalf of usāyour servantsāso we wonāt die, for we have added to all our sins by asking for a king.ā
[[#Verse 20.]]Ā Then Samuel said to the people, āDonāt be afraid. You have indeed sinned.Ā However, donāt turn aside from theĀ Lord. Serve theĀ LordĀ with all your heart.Ā
[[#Verse 21.]]Ā You should not turn aside after empty things that canāt profit and canāt deliver, since they are empty.Ā
[[#Verse 22.]]Ā TheĀ LordĀ will not abandon his people because he wants to uphold his great reputation.Ā TheĀ LordĀ was pleased to make you his own people.Ā
[[#Verse 23.]]Ā As far as I am concerned, far be it from me to sin against theĀ LordĀ by ceasing to pray for you! I will instruct you in the way that is good and upright.Ā
[[#Verse 24.]]Ā However, fear theĀ LordĀ and serve him faithfully with all your heart. Just look at the great things he has done for you!Ā
[[#Verse 25.]]Ā But if you continue to do evil, both you and your king will be swept away.ā
## š Verse-by-Verse Commentary
###### Overall.
###### Verse 01.
###### Verse 02.
###### Verse 03.
###### Verse 04.
###### Verse 05.
###### Verse 06.
###### Verse 07.
###### Verse 08.
###### Verse 09.
###### Verse 10.
###### Verse 11.
###### Verse 12.
###### Verse 13.
###### Verse 14.
###### Verse 15.
###### Verse 16.
###### Verse 17.
###### Verse 18.
###### Verse 19.
###### Verse 20.
###### Verse 21.
###### Verse 22.
###### Verse 23.
###### Verse 24.
###### Verse 25.
## š¤ Interesting Facts / Historical and Cultural Insights
1. Samuel's speech is often compared to Joshua's farewell (Joshua 24), a covenant renewal at a turning point in Israel's history.
2. Samuel called the people to testify before the Lord and His anointed that he had cheated no one (12:3-5).
3. Samuel retold Israel's story from Jacob and Moses through the judges (12:8-11).
4. Jerubbaal (12:11) is another name for Gideon (Judges 6:32).
5. The name Bedan (12:11) appears nowhere in the book of Judges. The Greek Septuagint reads Barak, and many translations follow it.
6. Samuel even listed himself among the deliverers God had sent (12:11).
7. The wheat harvest (12:17) came around May and June, during the dry season, when thunder and rain were very unusual.
8. The people saw the storm as God's confirmation of Samuel's words and asked him to pray for them (12:18-19).
9. Samuel called idols "empty things" (12:21), using a Hebrew word that also describes the formless earth in Genesis 1:2.
10. Samuel's promise that the Lord would not abandon His people rested on God's own name, not on Israel's faithfulness (12:22).
## š§ Chapter Summary
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## āļø Christ in This Chapter
Christ is the faithful Intercessor who never stops praying for His people. Samuel refused to sin by ceasing to pray for Israel (12:23), and Christ is at the right hand of God interceding for us (Romans 8:34).
## š Key Principles / š Life Application
> [!note] š± Still growing. This section is on its way.
## š¬ Discussion Questions
1. Samuel invited the people to name anything he had taken unjustly (12:3-5). What would it take for you to live with that kind of integrity?
2. Samuel told the people not to turn aside after empty things that cannot save (12:21). What empty things compete for our trust today?
3. Samuel said it would be a sin for him to stop praying for the people (12:23). Who has God called you to keep praying for?
## āļø Key Verses to Remember
- š verse 22: The Lord will not abandon His people for the sake of His great name.
- š verse 23: Samuel says it would be a sin against the Lord to stop praying for them.
- š verse 24: Fear the Lord, serve Him faithfully, and remember the great things He has done.
## š Related Passages/Cross Reference
- š [[Joshua 24#Verse 14.|Joshua 24:14-15]] - Choose whom you will serve.
- š [[Psalm 99#Verse 06.|Psalm 99:6]] - Samuel was among those who called on the Lord's name.
- š [[Romans 08#Verse 34.|Romans 8:34]] - Christ intercedes for us.
- š [[1 Thessalonians 05#Verse 17.|1 Thessalonians 5:17]] - Pray without ceasing.
- š [[Hebrews 13#Verse 05.|Hebrews 13:5]] - God will never leave or forsake His people.
## š Devotional Reflection
š SOAP: [[1 Samuel 12 - SOAP|There Is No āOff Seasonā for Prayer]]
## š Internal Notes