Bible Commentaries

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

1 Samuel 12

Introduction

1  Samuel testifies his integrity.
6  He reproves the people of ingratitude.
16  He terrifies them with thunder in harvest time.
20  he comforts them in God's mercy.

Verse 1

And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you.
Behold
8:5-8,19-22
have made
10:1,24, 11:14,15

Verse 2

And now, behold, the king walketh before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood unto this day.
walketh
8:20, Numbers 27:17
I am old
8:1,5, Psalms 71:18, Isaiah 46:3,4, 2 Timothy 4:6, 2 Peter 1:14
my sons
2:22,29, 3:13,16, 8:3
I have walked
3:19,20

Verse 3

Behold, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.
his anointed
5, 10:1, 24:6, 2 Samuel 1:14-16, Matthew 22:21, Romans 13:1-7
whose ox
Numbers 16:15, Acts 20:33, 2 Corinthians 12:14, 1 Thessalonians 2:5,10, 1 Peter 5:2
bribe
Heb. ransom. blind mine eyes. or, that I should hide mine eyes at him.
Exodus 23:8, Deuteronomy 16:19
I will
Exodus 22:4, Leviticus 6:4, Luke 19:8

Verse 4

And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man's hand.
Psalms 37:5,6, Daniel 6:4, 3 John 1:12

Verse 5

And he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.
The Lord
Job 31:35-40, 42:7
his anointed
26:9
ye have
John 18:38, Acts 23:9, 24:16,20, 1 Corinthians 4:4, 2 Corinthians 1:12
in my hand
Exodus 22:4, Psalms 17:3

Verse 6

And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
It is the Lord
Exodus 6:26, Nehemiah 9:9-14, Psalms 77:19,20, 78:12-72, 99:6, 105:26,41, Isaiah 63:7-14, Hosea 12:13, Micah 6:4
advanced
or, made.

Verse 7

Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before the LORD of all the righteous acts of the LORD, which he did to you and to your fathers.
reason
Isaiah 1:18, 5:3,4, Ezekiel 18:25-30, Micah 6:2,3, Acts 17:3
righteous acts
Heb. righteousnesses or benefits.
Judges 5:11
to
Heb. with.

Verse 8

When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.
Jacob
Genesis 46:5-7, Numbers 20:15, Acts 7:15
cried
Exodus 2:23,24, 3:9
sent Moses
6, Exodus 3:10, 4:14-16,27-31, 6:26
brought
Exodus 12:51, 14:30,31
made them
Joshua 1:2-4,6, 3:10-13, Psalms 44:1-3, 78:54,55, 105:44

Verse 9

And when they forgat the LORD their God, he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.
forgat
Deuteronomy 32:18, Judges 3:7, Psalms 106:21, Jeremiah 2:32
he sold
Deuteronomy 32:30, Judges 2:14, 3:8, 4:2, Isaiah 50:1,2
of the Philistines
Judges 10:7, 13:1
into the
Judges 3:12, Isaiah 63:10

Verse 10

And they cried unto the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.
And they
7:2, Judges 3:9,15, 4:3, 6:7, 10:10,15, Psalms 78:34,35, 106:44, Isaiah 26:16
Baalim
Judges 2:13, 3:7
deliver
Judges 10:15,16, Isaiah 33:22, Luke 1:74,75, 2 Corinthians 5:14,15

Verse 11

And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe.
Jerubbaal
Judges 6:14,32, 8:29,35
Bedan
Bedan, whose name occurs no where else as a judge of Israel, Bp. Patrick and others suppose to be a contraction of ben Dan, "the son of Dan;" by which they suppose Samson is meant, as the Targum reads. The LXX., Syriac, and Arabic, however, instead of Bedan read Barak; and the two latter versions, instead of Samuel have Samson. These readings are adopted by Houbigant, and appear to be genuine; for it is not probable that Samuel would enumerate himself.
Judges 13:1-16
Jephthah
Judges 11:1-33
Samuel
7:13

Verse 12

And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king.
Nahash
11:1,2
Nay
8:3,5,6,19,20, Judges 9:18,56,57
when the Lord
8:7, 10:19, Genesis 17:7, Exodus 19:5,6, Numbers 23:21, Judges 8:23, Psalms 74:12, Isaiah 33:22, Hosea 13:10

Verse 13

Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you.
behold
10:24, 11:15
whom ye
8:5, 9:20
have desired
Psalms 78:29-31, Hosea 13:11, Acts 13:21

Verse 14

If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God:
If ye will
Leviticus 20:1-13, Deuteronomy 28:1-14, Joshua 24:14,20, Psalms 81:12-15, Isaiah 3:10, Romans 2:7
commandment
Heb. mouth. continue. Heb. be after.

Verse 15

But if ye will not obey the voice of the LORD, but rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall the hand of the LORD be against you, as it was against your fathers.
But if ye
Leviticus 26:14-30, Deuteronomy 28:15-68, Joshua 24:20, Isaiah 1:20, 3:11, Romans 2:8,9
against

Verse 16

Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes.
stand
7, 15:16, Exodus 14:13,31

Verse 17

Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.
Is it
In northern latitudes, thunder and rain are far from being un-common during harvest. But rain is hardly ever known in Palestine during that season, which commences about the end of June, or beginning of July. This fact is abundantly confirmed by modern travellers, and is demonstrative to every unprejudiced reader of the Holy Scriptures, that the thunder and rain, which at Samuel's invocation, was sent at this season of the year, was a miraculous interposition of the power of God; for we read in ver. 16, it was a "great thing which the Lord will do." Thus were the Israelites warned of their sin in having asked a king, and of the omnipotence of that God, whose gracious promises they virtually neglected by this act.
Proverbs 26:1
I will call
7:9,10, Joshua 10:12, Psalms 99:6, Jeremiah 15:1, James 5:16-18
your wickedness
8:7

Verse 18

So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.
sent thunder
Exodus 9:23-25, Revelation 11:5,6
feared
Exodus 14:31, Ezra 10:9, Psalms 106:12,13

Verse 19

And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.
Pray for thy
7:5,8, Genesis 20:7, Exodus 9:28, 10:17, Job 42:8, Psalms 78:34,35, Isaiah 26:16, Malachi 1:9, Acts 8:24, James 5:15, 1 John 5:16

Verse 20

And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;
Fear not
Exodus 20:19,20, 1 Peter 3:16
turn not
Deuteronomy 11:16, 31:29, Joshua 23:6, Psalms 40:4, 101:3, 125:5, Jeremiah 3:1

Verse 21

And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.
vain things
Deuteronomy 32:21, Jeremiah 2:5,13, 10:8,15, 14:22, 16:19, Jonah 2:8, Habakkuk 2:18, 1 Corinthians 8:4
cannot profit
Psalms 115:4-8, Isaiah 41:23,24, 44:9,10, 45:20, 46:7, Jeremiah 10:15

Verse 22

For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people.
the Lord
Deuteronomy 31:17, 1 Kings 6:13, 2 Kings 21:14, 1 Chronicles 28:9, 2 Chronicles 15:2, Psalms 94:14, Isaiah 41:17, 42:16, Jeremiah 33:24-26, Lamentations 3:31,32, 5:20, Hebrews 13:5
for his great
Exodus 32:12, Numbers 14:13-19, Deuteronomy 32:26,27, Joshua 7:9, Psalms 106:8, Isaiah 37:35, Isaiah 43:25, 48:11, Jeremiah 14:7,21, Ezekiel 20:9,14, Ephesians 1:6,12
it hath
Exodus 19:5,6, Deuteronomy 7:7,8, 9:5, 14:2, Malachi 1:2, Matthew 11:26, John 15:16, Romans 9:13-18, 11:29, 1 Corinthians 4:7, Philippians 1:6

Verse 23

Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
God forbid
Acts 12:5, Romans 1:9, Colossians 1:9, 1 Thessalonians 3:10, 2 Timothy 1:3
in ceasing
Heb. from ceasing. I will teach.
Psalms 34:11, Proverbs 4:11, Ecclesiastes 12:10, Acts 20:20, Colossians 1:28
the good
1 Kings 8:36, 2 Chronicles 6:27, Jeremiah 6:16

Verse 24

Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you.
fear the Lord
Job 28:28, Psalms 111:10, Proverbs 1:7, Exodus 12:13, Hebrews 12:29
in truth
Psalms 119:80, John 1:47
consider
Ezra 9:13,14, Isaiah 5:12, Romans 12:1
how great things
or, what a great thing, etc.
Deuteronomy 10:21, Psalms 126:2,3

Verse 25

But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
But if
Deuteronomy 32:15-44, Joshua 24:20, Isaiah 3:11
ye and
31:1-5, Deuteronomy 28:36, Hosea 10:3

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