Samuel’s Farewell Address (Part 1)
1 Samuel 12:1-11 NLT
12:1 Then Samuel addressed all Israel: “I have done as you asked and given you a king. 2 Your king is now your leader. I stand here before you—an old, gray-haired man—and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day. 3 Now testify against me in the presence of the Lord and before his anointed one. Whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe and perverted justice? Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong.”
4 “No,” they replied, “you have never cheated or oppressed us, and you have never taken even a single bribe.”
5 “The Lord and his anointed one are my witnesses today,” Samuel declared, “that my hands are clean.”
“Yes, he is a witness,” they replied.
6 “It was the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron,” Samuel continued. “He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now stand here quietly before the Lord as I remind you of all the great things the Lord has done for you and your ancestors.
8 “When the Israelites were in Egypt and cried out to the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them from Egypt and to bring them into this land. 9 But the people soon forgot about the Lord their God, so he handed them over to Sisera, the commander of Hazor’s army, and also to the Philistines and to the king of Moab, who fought against them.
10 “Then they cried to the Lord again and confessed, ‘We have sinned by turning away from the Lord and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth. But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Gideon, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety.
Examine the Scriptures
1 Samuel 12:1-11 NLT
Samuel’s Farewell Address
12:1 Then Samuel addressed all Israel:
“I have done as you asked and given you a king.
- With some personal reservations about a monarchy, Samuel, obeying the will of the Lord and the people, set the king of God’s choice over them.
1 Samuel 8:4-7 NLT
4 Finally, all the elders of Israel met at Ramah to discuss the matter with Samuel. 5 “Look,” they told him, “you are now old, and your sons are not like you. Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”
6 Samuel was displeased with their request and went to the Lord for guidance. 7 “Do everything they say to you,” the Lord replied, “for they are rejecting me, not you. They don’t want me to be their king any longer.
Application:
The people of Israel wanted a king.
“Give us a king to judge us like all the other nations have.”
The people of Israel were rejecting the Lord.
Psalm 118:8 NLT
8 It is better to take refuge in the Lord
than to trust in people.
Isaiah 2:22 NLT
22 Don’t put your trust in mere humans.
They are as frail as breath.
What good are they?
Proverbs 3:5-6 NLT
5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
6 Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.
- Don’t put your trust in politicians (of either party). God might give you what you are asking for.
2 Your king is now your leader.
The age of Kingship has begun in Israel.
Only three kings, Saul, David, and Solomon rule the entire nation of Israel.
Saul reigned 40 years.
Acts 13:21 LT
21 Then the people begged for a king, and God gave them Saul son of Kish, a man of the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned for forty years.
David reigned 40 years.
1 Kings 2:11 NLT
11 David had reigned over Israel for forty years, seven of them in Hebron and thirty-three in Jerusalem.
Solomon reigned 40 years.
1 Kings 11:42 NLT
42 Solomon ruled in Jerusalem over all Israel for forty years.
After these three kings, the nation is divided into Israel and Judah.
From this point on, there would be two kingdoms.
Israel in the north with their capitol in the city of Samaria
and Judah in the south keeping their capitol city of Jerusalem.
These kingdoms remained separate states for over two hundred years.
The history of both kingdoms is a litany of ineffective, disobedient, and corrupt kings.
Samuel will no longer serve as a judge in Israel, but he will continue to be a prophet, who gives the word of God to the king and people of Israel.
Later Samuel anoints David as the King of Israel.
Samuel stands before the people of Israel.
I stand here before you—an old, gray-haired man—and my sons serve you. I have served as your leader from the time I was a boy to this very day.
- Samuel stands up for himself.
3 Now testify against me in the presence of the Lord and before his anointed one (Saul). Whose ox or donkey have I stolen? Have I ever cheated any of you? Have I ever oppressed you? Have I ever taken a bribe and perverted justice?
Unlike his sons who did these things.
1 Samuel 8:3 NLT
3 But they were not like their father, for they were greedy for money. They accepted bribes and perverted justice.
Tell me and I will make right whatever I have done wrong.”
4 “No,” they replied, “you have never cheated or oppressed us, and you have never taken even a single bribe.”
5 “The Lord and his anointed one are my witnesses today,” Samuel declared, “that my hands are clean.”
Samuel’s life and leadership before Israel had been above reproach.
He never used his position for personal gain.
“Yes, he is a witness,” they replied.
Samuel is innocent. The nation is guilty.
A Judge or Prophet can be a good leader.
Samuel could be trusted in the future.
This could be an example for Saul in his new role.
- There are times when it is o.k. to defend ourselves.
In the scriptures we read how Paul defends has apostleship for the sake of the Gospel.
Samuel shifts from talking about himself, to talking about the nation of Israel.
6 “It was the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron,” Samuel continued. “He brought your ancestors out of the land of Egypt.
- When the “prophet” Samuel says “It was the Lord,” he is reminding the people of Israel to look to God for leadership rather than putting their hope and trust in an earthly king.
Psalm 121 expresses this well.
Psalm 121 NLT
1 I look up to the mountains—
does my help come from there?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth!
3 He will not let you stumble;
the one who watches over you will not slumber.
4 Indeed, he who watches over Israel
never slumbers or sleeps.
5 The Lord himself watches over you!
The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade.
6 The sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon at night.
7 The Lord keeps you from all harm
and watches over your life.
8 The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go,
both now and forever.
God is sovereign
Romans 13:1 NLT
Everyone must submit to governing authorities. For all authority comes from God, and those in positions of authority have been placed there by God.
7 Now stand here quietly before the Lord as I remind you of all the great things the Lord has done for you and your ancestors.
Samuel rebuked the people foe ignoring and rejecting all that God had done for the Israelites during the time they had no king.
“Remember”
- Remember the great things the Lord has done for you and your ancestors.
Psalm 105:1-5 NLT
1 Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
Let the whole world know what he has done.
2 Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
3 Exult in his holy name;
rejoice, you who worship the Lord.
4 Search for the Lord and for his strength;
continually seek him.
5 Remember the wonders he has performed,
his miracles, and the rulings he has given,
Teach
Psalm 78:1-7 NLT
1 O my people, listen to my instructions.
Open your ears to what I am saying,
2 for I will speak to you in a parable.
I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—
3 stories we have heard and known,
stories our ancestors handed down to us.
4 We will not hide these truths from our children;
we will tell the next generation
about the glorious deeds of the Lord,
about his power and his mighty wonders.
5 For he issued his laws to Jacob;
he gave his instructions to Israel.
He commanded our ancestors
to teach them to their children,
6 so the next generation might know them—
even the children not yet born—
and they in turn will teach their own children.
7 So each generation should set its hope anew on God,
not forgetting his glorious miracles
and obeying his commands.
An example of what the Lord has done.
The cycle of Apostasy.
8 “When the Israelites were in Egypt and cried out to the Lord, he sent Moses and Aaron to rescue them from Egypt and to bring them into this land. 9 But the people soon forgot about the Lord their God, so he handed them over to Sisera, the commander of Hazor’s army, and also to the Philistines and to the king of Moab, who fought against them.
(this is a partial list of enemies)
10 “Then they cried to the Lord again and confessed, ‘We have sinned by turning away from the Lord and worshiping the images of Baal and Ashtoreth.
1 Samuel 7:3-4 NLT
3 Then Samuel said to all the people of Israel, “If you want to return to the Lord with all your hearts, get rid of your foreign gods and your images of Ashtoreth. Turn your hearts to the Lord and obey him alone; then he will rescue you from the Philistines.” 4 So the Israelites got rid of their images of Baal and Ashtoreth and worshiped only the Lord.
The cycle of Apostasy.
- In the book of Judges, the Israelites repeated the cycle of apostasy (turning to idols), oppression (being placed into slavery), repentance, and restoration at least seven times.
But we will worship you and you alone if you will rescue us from our enemies.’
- God deserves obedience and worship because He is God, not because of favors He can perform.
Isaiah 43:7 NLT
7 Bring all who claim me as their God,
for I have made them for my glory.
It was I who created them.’”
Psalm 99:5 NLT
5 Exalt the Lord our God!
Bow low before his feet, for he is holy!
1 Chronicles 16:29 NLT
29 Give to the Lord the glory he deserves!
Bring your offering and come into his presence.
Worship the Lord in all his holy splendor.
11 Then the Lord sent Gideon, Bedan (this name is only found here. Possibly it is another form of the name Abdon or Barak), Jephthah, and Samuel to save you, and you lived in safety.
The Lord
“It was the Lord,” verse 6
- The Lord repeatedly used judges or prophets to deliver Israel from her enemies during the time they had no king.
Repeated deliverance (restoration).
Without me you can do nothing.
John 15:5 NLT
5 “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing.
Samuel’s farewell address is continued in the next lesson.
