Samuel's Final Address To the Israelites (1 Samuel 12:19-25)

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Okay, we're gonna get started this morning. I'd like to welcome you all to Kootenai Community Church Sunday school, adult

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Sunday school. And we are continuing in the book of Samuel.

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First Samuel 12, and we'll be looking at verses 19 through 25.

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If you would, beginning with verse 19 of first Samuel 12.

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Then all the people said to Samuel, pray for your servants to the Lord your

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God so that we may not die. For we have added to all our sins this evil by asking ourselves for ourselves a king.

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Samuel said to the people, do not fear, you have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the

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Lord, but serve him, serve the Lord with all your heart. You must not turn aside, for then you would go after futile things which cannot profit or deliver, because they are futile.

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For the Lord will not abandon his people on account of his great name, because the

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Lord has been pleased to make you a people for himself. Moreover, for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the

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Lord by ceasing to pray for you, but I will instruct you in the good and right way.

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Only fear the Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart, for consider what great things he has done for you.

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But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away.

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So let's open in prayer. Father, we just thank you this morning for your word.

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We thank you that your Holy Spirit can illuminate your word. And as we open up this text in 1

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Samuel 12, I just pray, Lord, that you would minister through your word to edify us, to strengthen us, to reprove us, to correct us, and also instruct us in righteousness.

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And Father, we recognize that we are merely men, and yet we are your people, all those that have called upon you in faith of our

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Lord Jesus Christ. And we pray this morning that you would be glorified and that we would be edified.

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And most of all, Father, that we would put into our lives the truths of your word, that we might serve and obey you all our days.

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We just pray this in Jesus' name, amen. So Samuel, in the first part of chapter 12, because many of you here have not been with us in 1

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Samuel at this point. So Samuel has remained judge over Israel, and he does so all his days.

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As we remember back in the early chapters of Samuel, in chapter seven, verse 15, we read,

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Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. So he was dedicated by Sarah, I mean, by Hannah, his mother, and he lived for the

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Lord, not perfectly, all his days. So Samuel remains judge over Israel.

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However, all the affairs of the military and civil life are entrusted to their new king,

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Saul. So they have gathered in Mizpah, or Gilgal, and they gathered together along with the king, and Samuel gives his longest address of any passage in 1 or 2

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Samuel. So we understand that this address had multiple intent.

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One, he wanted to clarify that he had walked in a manner of serving the

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Lord. He took nothing from anyone. So the first portion, he states that, and the people, after hearing it, they responded in verse four by saying this.

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You have not defrauded us, or oppressed us, or taken anything from any man's hand.

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He said to them, his anointed is witness this day that you have found nothing in my hand.

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And they said, he is witness. So as we think of that, his anointed, as David later refers to, is

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King Saul. At this point, he was anointed by God in this position.

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So also back in 1 Samuel verse nine, we look in, excuse me, let's go back.

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Samuel now is going to remind them of what's happened and what their fathers have done.

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So then all the people said to Samuel, after they have acknowledged,

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Samuel has called upon the Lord to bring a miracle. He did so. This was during the harvest season.

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They were all gathered. Samuel called down thunder and rain upon the people.

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This was not an anomaly, because on occasion that had happened. But on this occasion, it was a miracle, because it was direct result of Samuel praying to his

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God, Jehovah. And they knew it. And when he performed this great miracle, they recognized how sinful they had been against their

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God, their true King. It was Jehovah that was their

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King. Yet they had demanded an earthly King. So Samuel continues in verse 19.

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Pray for your servants to the Lord, your God, so that we may not die. For we have added to all our sins this evil by asking for ourselves a

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King. So Samuel said, verse 20, to the people, do not fear, you have committed all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the

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Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. Now, he was not telling them in this context, not to fear

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God. In this context, they had recognized their sin, and he was telling them, you do not have to fear

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God for the consequences right now of the sins you have committed.

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So it wasn't that they were to fear God, we're all called to fear

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God. It was just simply telling them not to fear God at this time, even though he had brought this miracle and displayed his awesome power, even over the elements.

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Verse 21, you must not turn aside, for then you will go after futile things, which cannot profit or deliver, because they are futile.

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So they were following what? Those of you who've been with us, what were the

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Israelites doing prior to their repentance? What are some of their sins that they had committed against God?

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Did you hear that? They insisted upon having an earthly king to rule over them, like all other nations.

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They were no different than the pagans at this point. They were actually apostate.

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What else did they do? What kind of sin were they continually committing?

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Idolatry, that's key here, because they not only abandoned God, but they embraced all the idols of the pagan nations.

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What a disgrace for these people of God to turn from the living holy

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God to idols. Fashion with men's hands, clay objects, objects made out of bronze and precious metals.

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They worshiped them. And what good would that do? These idols fashioned with hands could do nothing but one thing, bring upon themselves the wrath of God.

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So the Israelites now have recognized their grievous sins against the holy God, following the great display of God's power.

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The people also acknowledge their whole history was one of disobedience and rebellion, and they had entered into an ungodly line, like all the kings of the pagan nations.

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Now they also are showing their fear of their holy God, Jehovah.

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So what do they do? They're in such a state of sin that they can't pray, but they need an intercessor, one who is a follower of God.

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So they don't pray, but they call upon Samuel to pray for your servants to the

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Lord. This is another indication of just how low they were spiritually and morally.

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Complete apostasy. They next request for this intercessor who is

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Samuel, but that likens to one thing that we can recall in Exodus.

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When God had brought destruction and sent his death angel that would kill all the firstborns, the

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Pharaoh had enough. And in Exodus chapter 12, we read this in verses 29 through 32.

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Now it came about at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of the

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Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, the firstborn of the cattle.

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Now, Pharaoh rose in the night, he and his servants and all the

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Egyptians. And there was a great cry in Egypt. There was no home where there was not someone dead.

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Then he called upon Moses and Aaron at night. And he said, quote, rise up, get out from among my people, both you and the sons of Israel and go worship the

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Lord as you have said. Take them both, your flocks and your herds as you have said and go.

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But he closes with this, and bless me also. Pharaoh, he recognized he wasn't a follower of God.

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He couldn't pray, but he's asking Aaron and Moses to pray.

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These were the people who were following God. So he interceded.

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What difference is there between the people of Israel at this point and what happened when the

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Pharaoh came under God's wrath? Pharaoh had no basis for approaching

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God. So he asked for an intercessor. In verse 19, all the people of Israel through their own idolatry and wickedness had degraded themselves to the status of Pharaoh.

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As we go through 20 and 21, when Samuel was trying to calm their fears because they had repented and God had heard their prayer of repentance.

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Now Samuel tries to calm their fears. In verse 21, you must not turn aside, then you would go after futile things which cannot profit or deliver because they are futile.

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For the Lord will not abandon his people on account of his great name because the

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Lord has been pleased to make you a people for himself.

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Imagine the God that created the universe, the

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God that sustains the universe and the one true God who can deliver them.

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And they wanted to pray to idols. See any parallels today?

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For those professing to be Christians. So as we continue this, we recognize once again that Samuel was in that right place with God.

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Indeed, he could intercede. Samuel's instruction to the

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Israelites is direct and it's concise. He told him to put away the futile things, the vain things is better translated, and to turn to God and obey him.

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Obedience is always God's desire for his people. In the Old Testament, he provided the

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Israelites with the law and the prophets. Though they could never fulfill the law because they had not the capability, they would only be able to serve

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God by following his commandments. And by doing this, they were rewarded.

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God had made a covenant with them through Moses in chapter 28. If you do this, if you read and obey

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God's law, you'll be rewarded with this. But then the caveat, if you do not, this is what will happen to you.

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Of course, we know that we're under the new covenant, no longer under the law, but under grace. Those of you who may have read

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John MacArthur's book on the gospel according to Jesus, he has a quote in there that I thought very appropriate for this text.

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It was by Lewis Perry Schaeffer. He was the theologian that started

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Dallas Seminary back in the late 1800s.

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And he lived till mid 1900s. That's when they were actually following sound doctrine.

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God's grace is not static, begin quote. It's an attribute whereby he passively accepts hardened, unrepentant sinners.

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Grace does not change a person standing before God, yet leave his character untouched.

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Real grace does not include, as Schaeffer claimed, Christian liberty.

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In other words, it doesn't permit us to be like the antinomians, set aside

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God's word, and because of his grace, to allow us to sin. It doesn't do that.

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But it's to deny the power to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and the power of God to fulfill our new covenant duties.

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Grace is inconsistently we obey at times.

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Clearly, grace does not grant permission in the flesh. It supplies the power to live in the spirit.

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Faith, like grace, is not static. Saving faith is more than just understanding the facts and mentally acquiescing.

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It is inseparable from repentance, surrender, and a supernatural longing to obey.

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None of those responses can be classified exclusively as a human work, any more than believing itself is solely a human effort.

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So we cannot come to God in our own merit, our own ability. God has to be the one to initiate our faith, to grant us faith, to be able to be turned to God from our sin.

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Remember, in the book of Ephesians, we were dead in our trespasses and sin.

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Yes? By his name, like today, over.

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Amen. Did you all hear that? Nathel is just reflecting on all the times in the

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Old Testament, even in the Pentateuch, as we read of Israel being led by men such as Moses and Aaron.

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And as we look at the continual message they had was to read the commandments, to follow the commandments, and to serve their true

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God. That is no different than today. No, we're not in the

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Old Testament economy, but we're called by God's grace to be able to resist sin and to be able to follow

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God. And we have that capability through Christ. I wanna read one of the

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Psalms, if you would. In Psalm 99, in verse six, we read this.

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And Samuel was among those who called on his name. They called upon the

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Lord and he answered them. So even the Psalmist refers to the faithful prayers of Samuel, that God heard him.

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Another text in Jeremiah, chapter 15, verse one.

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Then the Lord said to me, even through Moses and Samuel were to stand before me.

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My heart would not be with this people. Send them away from my presence and let them go.

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So God was speaking through Jeremiah and he had that capability and he recognized that Moses and Samuel also were able to be intercessors for God.

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Samuel goes on in verse 23. Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the

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Lord by ceasing to pray for you, but I will instruct you in the good and right way.

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What a perfect address. This is instructive for us and Christ.

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Here come the Israelites at this point, just freshly repenting, basically from idolatry to turning to the

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Lord. They come to him in this weakness and ask Samuel to intercede, to pray for them.

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What a privilege. How often do Christians have that same opportunity?

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A neighbor knows you're a Christian. They don't wanna hear the gospel, but when something happens, pick up the phone.

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Hey, would you pray for, we have a perfect open door to give them the reason why we can pray through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

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What a grand opportunity. Samuel points out that the sovereign immutable

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God would not abandon his people on account of his great name. The one

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God who had chosen and set apart the nation for himself was known by all the nations.

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His might, his power that he brought forth, not only to guide, but he revealed his miraculous and sovereign power over all things.

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God is sovereign. He's the same God today, yesterday, and for always.

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We have to understand that we serve a sovereign, immutable

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God, he never changes. He is all powerful. Today, how many

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Christians are waiting for the midterms? How many Christians are waiting for the 2024 election?

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Putting their hope in men who fail.

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There's no hope in this world. This world isn't gonna get better. It's only gonna get worse.

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The people of the world, we don't look to them. They're nothing before God.

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They're the enemies of God. Why would we look to the world, Satan's domain, and put our trust and hope in a man?

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Hoping for a little better comfort? Certainly, Paul didn't.

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He didn't live in comfort at all. Yet he never appealed to the governing authorities for comfort or provision.

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He only looked to God. That's what we're called to. And the apostle

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Paul demonstrated his love for those whom God saved as an intercessor.

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In Colossians 1, verse nine, we read this. For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will and all spiritual wisdom and understanding so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the

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Lord to please him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

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1 Timothy chapter one, verse three. I thank God whom

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I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day.

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This is Paul interceding on behalf of the church, on behalf of Timothy, who is ministering in Ephesus.

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He knew that he had the responsibility to intercede.

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These were young believers. They were in a horrible place, many of them.

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The Romans were brutal. They were vile in their behavior.

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And yet throughout all the epistles, Paul's great desire was to build them up, to further their faith in God's word, to protect them from false teachers.

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As we look back in the early portion of 1 Samuel, we recognize that Hannah was barren and that she had prayed fervently for a son.

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She did so, but she did so with a promise. If God would give her a son, he would serve the

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Lord all his days. So what does she do? God grants her prayer.

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And as a young boy, she takes them where? To Shiloh to assist and be raised up by Eli, the high priest.

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Now, of course, we know Eli turned out to be a failure in many ways because of his sons,

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Hophni and Phinehas, who were perverts. They desecrated the temple. They were supposed to be priests offering at the temple.

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They not only stole the food that was presented for offerings, but they also perverted their lives by sexual inimmorality for those that came there, the women that came there to bring offerings for the temple.

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So that was Eli's history. But in the early part of that, Samuel actually has a theophany, perhaps more a

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Christophany. Christ appeared to Samuel, not visually, but in his presence at night.

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He gave Samuel a prophecy of what was going to happen to Eli as well as his family.

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So he was told by God to inform Eli he was fearful.

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Here's the high priest, and he just basically condemns him and gives him a direct message from the

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Lord. But he did so, even though he was in fear and trembling, he was able to deliver the message to Eli.

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Eli's family would never hold the priesthood because of his great sin.

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So as we think of that, how powerfully God worked in Samuel early on, at the first portion of that passage, it says that Samuel did not know the

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Lord. That is, he was not a follower of God. But during this interchange, during this process, he became a follower of God, a believer.

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And in chapter three, verse 20, it says, thus Samuel grew and the

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Lord was with him and let none of his words fail. So through this interchange,

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Samuel had come to know Christ or came to know God and served him.

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God revealed himself. He responded obediently. Once Samuel agreed to pray, he did this.

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Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the

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Lord by ceasing to pray for you, but I will instruct you in the good and right way.

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So if we are aware as Christians, somebody comes to us and prays, asks us to pray for them, they're in a bad way with the

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Lord. What things should we consider doing to help them in the restoration process?

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How would a Christian respond to this? You have a loving brother or sister who is struggling in a snare, what do we do?

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Yes, as Nathal says, we minister to them through God's word and follow the directives of Galatians six.

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We who are spiritual restore such a one, but in the spirit of meekness, looking to yourself, lest you too sin.

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So we have to realize that yes, we are called to come alongside a brother and Christian women come alongside a sister and they help them realize their sin and help them follow

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God, to repent and turn and follow God. So we're able to do this intercession.

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And as we are asked to pray by someone is struggling, not just physically or other ways, but if they're in a true snare of sin, it would be not only our desire, but we're commanded to do so.

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In verses 24 and 25, we read this, only fear the

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Lord and serve him in truth with all your heart, for consider what great things he has done for you.

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So what is Samuel telling the Israelites at this point? He tells them to only fear the

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Lord, that is a reverent fear and a desire to obey him and serve him.

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How would they serve him? In obedience to his law. That's what he's directing them to.

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I will show you the way. The way of what? The way of the law, that you may follow him in obedience.

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So he was not only trying to intercede on their behalf, but he was also directing them back to God, directing them back to God's law and directing them back to a life of obedience.

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It'd be a big void there if he didn't direct them to follow and serve Jehovah. It would just be a matter of God saving him, delivering him from the hands of the

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Ammonites and return to their folly once again, to vain things.

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No, he didn't want that. He wanted them to be built up to serve God, to follow

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God and to follow his word. That's the type of exhortation he was giving.

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But then in verse 25, he ends this exhortation in this great edifying message that he has given with a strong admonition.

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Okay, I've asked you and I've directed you back to God. You've repented, turned from the vain things, followed

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God, serve him, verse 25. But if you still do wickedly, both you and your king will be swept away.

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That was pretty direct, concise, but direct. They knew because at this point they could hear.

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They could hear Samuel command. He wasn't telling them, well,

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God saved you now. You just go on your way. God loves you. No, we show our love to God by our obedience.

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That's what he directed them to. And if they'd failed to, then the consequences would be both you and your king will be swept away.

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That is the result, the consequence if they don't. Do this, you'll be rewarded, rewarded.

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Oh, they're gonna have many battles to face. Wait till we start in chapter 13. Saul faces the enemy once again, right off.

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First the Philippians, then the Edomites, the Moabites, all their enemies, battle after battle after battle.

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When they were obedient, God would give them victory. And they knew their victory was from the

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Lord. When they were disobedient, not so. Of course, following his reign, we look forward to seeing the reign of David and the

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Davidic covenant. So we have to understand this is where Israel was.

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This is the point of repentance. This is the point where they've been turned around. That's what repentance is.

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Turning from our sin, turning to God and following him. I would like to close with a quote from John MacArthur.

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I already read it. Okay, that was the one by Louis Barry Schaeffer. But the point that John was communicating here was the same thing.

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We have the grace of God now, we have God's word, and we have the ability to resist sin, though we fail daily, we still live in this fallen flesh.

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But we do have the capacity to turn from that on a regular basis, which we all do, to serve him.

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Not only to read his word, not only to meditate on his word, but to obey him.

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That is the way we show our love for Christ. If you love me, obey my commandments.

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Simple, no, it's not. We all know that, we battle it every day. But our trust is not in man.

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Doesn't matter what happens in the world, that's Satan's dominion. Oh yeah, we're gonna have the impact of it.

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But we don't put our trust in men here on earth. Our trust is only directed to the

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God, our creator and savior. Father, we thank you for this day.

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And Father, we recognize that these truths are eternal. We recognize that you gave us very instructive, understanding lessons through Samuel, your servant, your faithful servant, one who loved you, one who served you, one who prayed to you, and one who interceded on behalf of your people.

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Father, we thank you that you're sovereign. And we ask today that you would once again be honored and glorified as your word is brought forth to build up, to reprove, to correct all of us, and to instruct us in righteousness.

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And Lord, we thank you that we have this privilege to gather collectively to worship you.

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And may you be glorified through the remainder of our worship time together. In Jesus' precious name, amen.