Charles Spurgeon Commentary 1 Samuel 12:12-13

"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 Jehovah your God was your king. Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have asked for: and, behold, Jehovah hath set a king over you." — 1 Samuel 12:12-13 (ASV)

"He has consented to your request, though it was a foolish one."

Remember, brothers, it is not every answer to prayer that is a sign of God's favor. If our prayers are very foolish, and even if there is sin in them, God may sometimes give us what we ask in order to show us our foolishness and make us suffer for having offered such a prayer.

Though, under God's government, they had been most highly privileged, they insisted on having a king, like the nations which were not so favored.

"So now," says Samuel, "God has given you this king, so do your best with him."

Samuel had a hopeful spirit; he hoped that, though the circumstances were not as he would have wished them to be, the people might still do well after all.