Charles Spurgeon Commentary 1 Samuel 12:3

"Here I am: witness against me before Jehovah, 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 taken a ransom to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you." — 1 Samuel 12:3 (ASV)

It is so common a thing among Eastern judges and rulers to expect bribes, that you cannot, in those countries, take a single step in a court of law without bribery. It was therefore a very unusual circumstance that Samuel was able to challenge anyone to say that he had ever wrongfully taken so much as a single farthing.

And the great rulers, in those countries, are accustomed to enriching themselves by levying heavy taxes upon the people. But Samuel affirmed that his services had been perfectly gratuitous, so that all he had done for the people had cost them nothing. If they had any fault to find with his government, it could only be because it had been so just and also so cheap; his yoke had indeed been easy on their necks. What a fine sight it is to see an old man able, in this way, to challenge all who had known him, throughout a long life, to testify that he had not led a selfish life, or studied his own interests even in the least degree!