Matthew Henry Commentary 1 Samuel 12
Matthew Henry Commentary
1 Samuel 12
Matthew Henry Commentary
1 Samuel 12
"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. 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 youth unto this day. 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. And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken aught of any man`s hand. And he said unto them, Jehovah is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found aught in my hand. And they said, He is witness." — 1 Samuel 12:1-5 (ASV)
Samuel not only cleared his own character but set an example before Saul, while he showed the people their ingratitude to God and to himself. There is a just debt that all men owe to their own good name, especially men in public stations: to guard it against unjust blame and suspicions, so that they may finish their course with honor, as well as with joy. And that we have lived honestly in our positions will be our comfort, under any slights and contempt that may be put upon us.
"And Samuel said unto the people, It is Jehovah that appointed Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. Now therefore stand still, that I may plead with you before Jehovah concerning all the righteous acts of Jehovah, which he did to you and to your fathers. When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto Jehovah, then Jehovah sent Moses and Aaron, who brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them to dwell in this place. But they forgat Jehovah their God; and 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. And they cried unto Jehovah, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken Jehovah, and have served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. And Jehovah sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and ye dwelt in safety. 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. If ye will fear Jehovah, and serve him, and hearken unto his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, and both ye and also the king that reigneth over you be followers of Jehovah your God, [well]: but if ye will not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah, but rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, then will the hand of Jehovah be against you, as it was against your fathers." — 1 Samuel 12:6-15 (ASV)
The work of ministers is to reason with people: not only to exhort and direct, but also to persuade, to convince their judgments, and so to gain their wills and affections. Samuel reasons about the righteous acts of the Lord.
Those who follow God faithfully, he will enable them to continue following him. Disobedience would certainly be the ruin of Israel.
We are mistaken if we think that we can escape God's justice by trying to shake off his dominion. If we resolve that God shall not rule us, yet he will judge us.
"Now therefore stand still and see this great thing, which Jehovah will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest to-day? I will call unto Jehovah, that he may send thunder and rain; and ye shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of Jehovah, in asking you a king. So Samuel called unto Jehovah; and Jehovah sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared Jehovah and Samuel. And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto Jehovah thy God, that we die not; for we have added unto all our sins [this] evil, to ask us a king. And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not; ye have indeed done all this evil; yet turn not aside from following Jehovah, but serve Jehovah with all your heart: and turn ye not aside; for [then would ye go] after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain. For Jehovah will not forsake his people for his great name`s sake, because it hath pleased Jehovah to make you a people unto himself. Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Jehovah in ceasing to pray for you: but I will instruct you in the good and the right way. Only fear Jehovah, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king." — 1 Samuel 12:16-25 (ASV)
At Samuel's word, God sent thunder and rain at a time of year when, in that country, such an occurrence was not usually seen. This was to convince them that they had acted wickedly in asking for a king: this happened not only through the storm's arrival at an unusual time (during the wheat harvest and on a clear day) but also through the prophet's having given notice of it beforehand. He showed them their folly in desiring a king to save them, rather than God or Samuel, as they promised themselves more from an arm of flesh than from the arm of God or from the power of prayer.
Could their prince command such forces as the prophet could by his prayers? This startled them greatly. Some will not be brought to see their sins by any gentler methods than storms and thunders. They entreated Samuel to pray for them. Now they saw their need for him whom they had slighted shortly before. In this way, many who will not have Christ reign over them would still be glad to have Him intercede for them, to turn away the wrath of God.
Samuel aimed to confirm the people in their religion. Whatever we make a god of, we will find that it deceives us. Creatures are good in their proper places; but when put in God's place, they become vain things. We sin if we restrain prayer, and particularly if we cease praying for the church. They only asked him to pray for them, but he promised to do more: to teach them.
He urged that they were bound by gratitude to serve God, considering what great things He had done for them; and also that they were bound by self-interest to serve Him, considering what He would do against them if they continued to act wickedly. Thus, as a faithful watchman, he gave them warning and so delivered his own soul. If we consider what great things the Lord has done for us, especially in the great work of redemption, we can lack neither motive, encouragement, nor assistance in serving Him.
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