Audio Download

1 Samuel 12:1–25 Samuel’s Farewell Address

[Study Aired March 23, 2026]

The chapter today under review is about Samuel’s farewell speech where he vindicated his integrity, reproved the Israelites for demanding a king and warned them of the consequence of disobedience. The study focuses on Samuel’s revelation of how the Lord had shown mercies in the past to the people of Israel, and confirmed their sins by calling for thunder and rain in the time of wheat harvest. The study ends with Samuel urging the people of Israel to continue serving the Lord faithfully as he continues to intercede on their behalf. 

Samuel’s Farewell Address

1Sa 12:1  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. 
1Sa 12:2  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 childhood unto this day.
1Sa 12:3  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? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. 

In verse 1, Samuel represents our Lord Jesus Christ. Throughout the history of the people of Israel, the Lord has been their king. However, in asking for a king in the previous chapter, the people of Israel were rejecting the rulership of the Lord Jesus. However, the Lord told Samuel to do according to what the people of Israel desired – to have a king rule over them. It was in obedience to the Lord’s word that Saul was appointed as king of Israel.

Samuel agreeing to the demand of the people of Israel and giving them a king is therefore the Lord satisfying the desire of the people. There are times the Lord permits His people to have what they request, with the view of showing them the deceitfulness of their hearts and minds and to fulfill a larger purpose. As we know, all things are going according to the counsel of His will. This implies that both good and evil are used by the Lord to fulfill His eternal purpose. Therefore, both day and night are the same in the sight of the Lord.

Eph 1:11  In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:

Psa 139:12  Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

During the wilderness experience of the people of Israel, the Lord gave the people of Israel what they requested, but in the final analysis, He sent a wasting disease to destroy them.

Psa 106:13 But they soon forgot his works; they did not wait for his counsel.
Psa 106:14 But they had a wanton craving in the wilderness, and put God to the test in the desert; 
Psa 106:15 he gave them what they asked but sent a wasting disease among them. (ESN)

Bringing a wasting disease among the people of Israel means that although they received the physical satisfaction for their request, they experienced severe spiritual decay. This was all to fulfill His purpose of rejecting the commonwealth of Israel and choosing us in Him according to the riches of His mercy towards us.

Rom 11:30 For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31 Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.
Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.
Rom 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 
Rom 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 
Rom 11:35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?
Rom 11:36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen.

We had also rebelled against the Lord just like the people of Israel when we became futile in our thinking and therefore the Lord gave us up to our desires. The Lord led us through this evil path so that we shall come to see that our hearts are desperately corrupt. It is when we come to know that without the Lord’s intervention we cannot help ourselves, that the Lord comes with the spirit of His mouth and His brightness to lead us to Himself, such that our evil cravings are destroyed through His judgment.

Rom 1:21 For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.
Rom 1:22 Claiming to be wise, they became fools, 
Rom 1:23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. 
Rom 1:24 Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves,

This was the situation in which the people of Israel found themselves when they requested a king and the Lord gave them their heart’s desire.

Verses 2 and 3 focus on Samuel being a witness for Christ. The Lord has called us to become His witness just like Samuel. Being His witness means living our faith through Christlike behavior, service, and love, which serves as a living testimony. It is when we become witnesses of Christ that we can bear fruit which abides.

Joh 15:16  Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you.

1Sa 12:4  And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken ought of any man’s hand.
1Sa 12:5  and he said unto them, The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found ought in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.

These verses show us that we must indeed serve as the Lord’s witnesses during our time here on earth. This implies that our righteousness must be evident to all – not only to the household of faith, but all those outside the faith who come into contact with us. 

1Ti 3:7  Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

We know from the word of the Lord that it is not in our power to learn righteousness. It is only the judgment of our flesh by the Lord that makes us to become like Him – having no spot or blemish. This is what the Lord is working out within each of us, to become like Him.

Rev 14:4 These (His elect) are they which were not defiled with women; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. 
Rev 14:5 And in their mouth was found no guile: for they are without fault before the throne of God.

The Lord’s Righteous Acts

1Sa 12:6  And Samuel said unto the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 
1Sa 12:7  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. 
1Sa 12:8 When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.

Here in verse 6, we see Samuel reminding the Israelites of how the Lord intervened in their circumstances and brought up Moses and Aaron to lead their fathers from bondage in Egypt.  In our case, it is the Lord who is reminding us that He has raised His elect, represented by Moses and Aaron, to bring us out of our bondage to the flesh. Through what every joint supplies, we are able to come out of our bondage to the flesh.

Eph 4:16  From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

In verse 7, we see that what the Lord did in raising up Moses and Aaron to lead His people out of Egypt is called ‘the righteous acts of the Lord.’ The Lord coming to us to lead us out of the church system of this world or Babylon, which is represented by Egypt here in verse 7, to become part of the church of Jerusalem above, or the firstborn, is all part of His righteous acts toward us.

Heb 12:22  But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, 
Heb 12:23 To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,
Heb 12:24 And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel. 
Heb 12:25 See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much more shall not we escape, if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven: 

1Sa 12:9  And when they forgat the LORD their God, 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. 
1Sa 12:10  And they cried unto 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 thee. 
1Sa 12:11 And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and ye dwelled safe. 

When our attention is turned from the Lord, we become a prey to our flesh symbolized by the Philistines. Sisera was the commander of the army of Jabin, king of Canaan. Both Sisera and the king of Moab in verse 9, represent the devil, who empowers our flesh. The question is, “How do we forget the Lord?” It is usually during times of prosperity, comfort, and success, that we forget about the Lord. This usually leads to self-reliance and pride instead of dependence on the Lord.

Deu 8:11 Beware that thou forget not the LORD thy God, in not keeping his commandments, and his judgments, and his statutes, which I command thee this day:
Deu 8:12 Lest when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; 
Deu 8:13 And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied; 
Deu 8:14 Then thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the LORD thy God, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage;

Through the mercies of the Lord, He brings us to repentance as we cry to Him for deliverance from our flesh.  The Lord sends Jerubbaal according to verse 11 to deliver us from bondage. Jerubbaal means ‘let Baal contend’ or compete. Baal means ‘lord’ or owner and was a Canaanite god which Israel frequently turned to worship. The first step in the Lord’s deliverance from our flesh as we cry to Him is to let the false doctrines in our hearts and minds, which empower our flesh, represented here as Baal, compete with the truth of the Lord’s word. As a result, we are overcome by our flesh, giving the Lord the occasion that He is seeking to come into our lives with His judgment.

Jdg 14:1 And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. 
Jdg 14:2 And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife. 
Jdg 14:3 Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. 
Jdg 14:4 But his father and his mother knew not that it was of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.

The Lord then sends Bedan which means ‘in judging.’ That is to say that the Lord comes to judge us. It is through this judgment that we are gradually delivered from our flesh. The Lord then sends Jephthah which means ‘He opens.’ It is through this judgment that the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven are opened to us. Finally, the Lord sends Samuel which is the name of God. In other words, the Lord comes to establish His throne in our hearts and minds.

Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
Act 3:21 Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.

1Sa 12:12  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 the LORD your God was your king. 
1Sa 12:13  Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the LORD hath set a king over you. 
1Sa 12:14  If ye will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both ye and also the king that reigneth over you continue following the LORD your God: 
1Sa 12:15  But if ye 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.

Here in verse 12, we are given a reason why the Israelites wanted a physical king, when the Lord was their king. It was because they wanted a physical king to fight their battles for them.  When we are under the control of the flesh, we seek physical instead of spiritual reality to address the issues we face. However, in the wisdom of the Lord, the demand for a physical king was all part of the Lord’s design, to bring the people of Israel to an expected end.

Verses 14 and 15 show us that our past mistakes are not relevant. What is important is to forget those things which are behind and focus on being obedient to our Lord. That is when we experience His rulership in our walk with Him. On the other hand, our refusal to submit to Christ will cause the hand of the Lord to be against us.

Php 3:13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,
Php 3:14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. 
Php 3:15 Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you. 

1Sa 12:16  Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do before your eyes. 
1Sa 12:17  Is it not wheat harvest to day? I will call unto the LORD, and he shall send thunder and rain; that ye may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king. 
1Sa 12:18 So Samuel called unto the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.

In verse 16, the Lord is requesting us to stand still and see the great thing the Lord will do on our behalf. The great thing is our salvation as we see the Lord destroy the old man or our flesh for us to become overcomers. Standing still means that the Lord is the one who does the work of destroying our flesh. 

Exo 14:13 And Moses said unto the people, Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the LORD, which he will shew to you today: for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them again no more forever. 
Exo 14:14 The LORD shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace. 

In verse 17, Samuel told the Israelites that in spite of the fact that no rain falls in the wheat harvest, He, the Lord, will send thunder and rain to fall. We must remember that the Israelites in this study represent us when we were in the churches of this world or Babylon. In Babylon, the weather is just like a period of the wheat harvest. That is to say that there is no rain or the truth of the Lord’s word. However, the Lord is assuring us, His elect, that He will bring in the truth of the word of the Lord because of our time of drought in Babylon.

Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail [the truth of His word] shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

As shown in verse 17, the coming of thunder and rain during the wheat harvest was for the purpose of realizing that our wickedness is great before the Lord in asking for a king. Spiritually, what the Lord is telling us is that the truth of the Lord’s words which we experience after this drought in Babylon, is for the purpose of realizing that we were like beasts before the Lord when we thought we make our own decisions and therefore, are kings of our own destiny.

Psa 73:22  So foolish was I, and ignorant: I was as a beast before thee.

In verse 18, the thunder and rain that day caused all the people to greatly fear the Lord and Samuel. Samuel here also represents the Lord’s elect. It is as the Lord rains down on us the truth of His word and also through His judgment or thunder that we become a blessing to those we come into touch with – they come to fear the Lord. In other words, our witness to Christ becomes more effective.

1Sa 12:19  And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto the LORD thy God, that we die not: for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. 
1Sa 12:20  And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;
1Sa 12:21  And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.

In the fullness of time, our brothers and sisters will ask us to intercede on their behalf as we see the people requesting Samuel to pray for them. It is during this period that they will be aware of their sins and receive mercy just we have received mercy in this age.

Rom 11:30  For as ye in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained mercy through their unbelief:
Rom 11:31  Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. 
Rom 11:32 For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all.

1Sa 12:22  For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the LORD to make you his people. 
1Sa 12:23  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: 
1Sa 12:24  Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. 
1Sa 12:25 But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king. 

It is heartwarming to note that in verse 22, the Lord is assuring us that He will not forsake us because of His name’s sake. Before the world was created, God had desired to have a people called by His name – His elect.

Eph 1:4  According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Eph 1:5  Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 
Eph 1:6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 

In verse 23, Samuel assured the people of His intercession for them. As indicated earlier, Samuel represents the Lord who is interceding on our behalf before the Father.

Heb 7:24  But this man [Jesus], because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. 
Heb 7:25 Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. 

If we are to receive the reward, then we must follow what Samuel said in verse 23 about the good and the right way to serve the Lord. We must fear the Lord and serve Him in truth. As our understanding is enlightened to know the truth of the Lord’s word, we automatically come to fear Him and serve Him in truth.

Pro 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

It is through His word that we come to appreciate the great things He has done for us as mentioned in verse 24. On the other hand, as indicated in verse 25, if we do wickedly, we shall be consumed by the enemy, the devil. However, as Paul said, we are persuaded of better things on our behalf, that is, things that accompany our salvation. 

Heb 6:9  But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.
Heb 6:10  For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister. 
Heb 6:11 And we desire that every one of you do shew the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end:

Our confidence is not in ourselves but in the fact that He who has began a good work in us will see to its completion. Amen!