D² E¹ c¹ 1,2-. The king presented. Desired.
d¹ e -2-5. Samuel's past administration.
f 6-12. Remonstrance.
c² 13. The king presented. Given.
E² c³ 14,15. The king presented. Conditions.
d² f 16-22. Remonstrance.
e 23. Samuel's future action.
c4 24,25. The king presented. Conditions.1060 B.C.
1 Samuel 12)
1: And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you all said to me, and have made a king over you. (This isn't necessarily good! God will be using tough love here)
2: And now, behold, the king walks before you: (Leadership passes to king [conditional, see v.14])
and I am old and gray-headed; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.
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? or whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you.”
4: And they said, “You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything of any man's hand.”
5: And he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you all have not found anything in my hand.” And they answered, “He is witness.”
6: And Samuel said to the People, “It is the Lord that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
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.
8: When Jacob was come into Egypt (cp. Gen. 46:5,6), and your fathers cried to the Lord, then the Lord sent Moses and Aaron (cp. Ex.4:16), which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and He caused them dwell in this place.
9: And when they forgot the Lord their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor (Sept. reads "of Jabin king of"), and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them.
10: And they cried to 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 You.’
11: And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan (the Sept., Syr., and Arab. read "and Barak" [the words being much alike in Hebrew]), and Jephthah, and Samuel (the Peshito [or Revised Syr.] reads "and Samson". But, if "Samuel, these are not Samuel's words, but Yehovah's in Samuel's mouth), and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you all dwelled safe.
12: And when you all saw that Nahash the king of the sons of Ammon came against you, you all said to me, ‘No; but a king shall reign over us:’ when the Lord your God was your king.
13: Now therefore behold the king whom you all have chosen, and whom you all have desired! and, behold, the Lord has set a king over you.
14: If (or, as long as. Here's the condition) you all will revere (or love) the Lord, and serve Him, and obey His voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then shall both you all and also the king that reigns over you continue following the Lord your God:
15: But (2nd part of condition started in v.13) if you all 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 (the Sept. reads "and against your king").
16: Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. (This gives us an example)
17: Is it not wheat harvest today? (= May - June. It hardly ever rains then) I will call to the Lord, and He shall send thunder and rain (it had to be sent, for rain in harvest time was most exceptional; and would be regarded as sent in judgment. Cp. Prov.26:1); that you all may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you all have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking you a king.”
18: So Samuel called to the Lord; and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day: and all the People greatly revered the Lord and Samuel.
19: And all the People said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God (Mosses and Samuel specially named as intercessors. Ps. 99:6. Jer. 15:1), that we die not: for we have added to all our sins this wickedness, to ask us a king.” (They won't change!)
20: And Samuel said to the People, “Fear not: you all have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord (another condition), but serve the Lord with all your heart;
21: And turn you all not aside: for then should you all go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.
22: For the Lord will not forsake His People (cp. Gen.28:15. Josh.1:5. Quoted in Rom.11:1,2) for His great name's sake: because it has pleased the Lord to make you a People for Himself. (This includes every living being that loves/reveres Him)
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: (this office was not let go from the priesthood!)
24: Only love the Lord, and serve Him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things He has done for you.
25: But (another condition. Don't "play" church) if you all shall still do wickedly, you all shall be consumed, both you all and your king.”