I Samuel 12 · The Lantern

Samuel’s Farewell Address

And Samuel said to all Israel: “Look — I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and I have made a king reign over you.

And now — look, the king walks before you. And I have grown old and gray, and my sons — look, they are with you. And I have walked before you from my youth to this day.

Here I am. Testify against me before the LORD and before his anointed: Whose ox have I taken? And whose donkey have I taken? And whom have I oppressed? Whom have I crushed? And from whose hand have I taken a ransom, to shut my eyes with it? — and I will restore it to you.”

In this way, too, Samuel, who judged the people so many years, and bore rule over Israel without any pride, in the end cleared himself, saying, "I have walked before you from my childhood even unto this day: answer me in the sight of God, and before His anointed; whose ox or whose ass of yours have I taken, or over whom have I tyrannized, or whom have I oppressed?

That a priest must avoid covetousness even Samuel teaches when he proves before all the people that he has taken nothing from any one.

When wicked pastors are in charge, their principal aim is the plundering of their subjects. For because they know not how to look upon the abundance of eternal goods, the more ardently they desire present things, the more greedily they receive what is offered, and what is not offered they seize by violence.

And they said, “You have not oppressed us, and you have not crushed us, and you have not taken anything from any man’s hand.”

And he said to them, “The LORD is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have found nothing in my hand.” And they said, “Witness!”

And Samuel said to the people: “It is the LORD who made Moses and Aaron, and who brought your fathers up from the land of Egypt.

And now, present yourselves, and let me enter into judgment with you before the LORD, concerning all the righteous acts of the LORD that he did with you and with your fathers.

When Jacob had come to Egypt, your fathers cried out to the LORD; and the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.

But they forgot the LORD their God; and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army 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 out to the LORD and said, ‘We have sinned, for we have forsaken the LORD and served the Baals and the Ashtaroth. And now, deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.’

And the LORD sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel; and he delivered you from the hand of your enemies all around, and you lived in security.

And when you saw that Nahash, king of the sons of Ammon, was coming against you, you said to me, ‘No — but a king shall reign over us,’ though the LORD your God was your king.

And now — look, the king whom you chose, whom you asked for. And look, the LORD has set a king over you.

If you will fear the LORD, and serve him, and listen to his voice, and not rebel against the mouth of the LORD, then both you and the king who reigns over you will be followers of the LORD your God.

But if you will not listen to the voice of the LORD, and you rebel against the mouth of the LORD, then the hand of the LORD will be against you, as against your fathers.

Even now, present yourselves and see this great thing that the LORD is doing before your eyes.

That mighty deed Samuel is said to have accomplished through prayer is something that everyone who genuinely relies on God can accomplish spiritually even now, since he has become worthy of being heard.… For every saint and genuine disciple of Jesus is told by the Lord, "Lift up your eyes, and see how the fields are already white for harvest.

As a matter of fact, the works Moses did, Samuel did too. Moses resisted God and prevented him from destroying his people when God said to him, "Let me alone, that I may strike this people." Just see the power of Moses! What does God say to him? Let me alone; you are compelling me, your prayers, as it were, restrain me; your prayers hold back my hand.

Therefore it is well added: "But now also stand and see this great thing which the Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that you have done a great evil for yourselves in the sight of the Lord, in asking for a king over you." 9.

Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to the LORD, and he will give thunder and rain; and know and see that your evil is great, which you have done in the eyes of the LORD, in asking for yourselves a king.”

And Samuel called to the LORD, and the LORD gave thunder and rain on that day; and all the people greatly feared the LORD and Samuel.

And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the LORD your God, that we may not die — for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for ourselves a king.”

And Samuel said to the people: “Do not fear. You have done all this evil; only do not turn aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart.

And do not turn aside — for that would be after empty things that cannot profit and cannot deliver, for they are emptiness.

For the LORD will not abandon his people, for the sake of his great name — because the LORD has been pleased to make you a people for himself.

As for me also — far be it from me to sin against the LORD by ceasing to pray for you. And I will instruct you in the good and upright way.

What did Samuel profit Saul? Did he not mourn for him even to his last day, and not merely pray for him only? What did he profit the Israelites? Did he not say, "God forbid that I should sin in ceasing to pray for you"? Did they not all perish? Do prayers then, you say, profit nothing? They profit even greatly: but it is when we also do something.

Hence the Truth says: "When you stand to pray, forgive if you have anything in your hearts." We show the virtue of forgiveness more clearly if we bring forward one testimony from the Old Testament.

The exercise of the gift of piety consists in the abundance of interior compassion. Of this it is said in Ecclesiasticus: "These are men of mercy, whose acts of piety have not failed." So it was with Samuel, when the people sought a king; afterwards the people recognized that Samuel had governed the people well, and when the people had sinned, they feared that Samuel would not…

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

But if you do evil at all, both you and your king will be swept away.”

I Samuel12

Samuel’s Farewell Address