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 have made a king over you.

And now, look, the king walks before you: and I am old and grayheaded; and my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my childhood to this day.

Look, here I am: witness against me before the LORD, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose donkey have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I received any bribe to blind my eyes with it? and I will restore it 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 defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither have you taken anything of 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 not found anything in my hand. And they answered, He is witness.

And Samuel said to the people, It is the LORD that advanced Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.

Now therefore stand still, so 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.

When Jacob had come into Egypt, and your fathers cried to the LORD, then the LORD sent Moses and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.

And when they forgot the LORD their God, 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 to the LORD, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the LORD, and have served the Baals and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.

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 you dwelled safe.

And when you saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, you said to me, No; but a king shall reign over us: when the LORD your God was your king.

Now therefore look, the king whom you have chosen, and whom you have desired! and the LORD has set a king over you.

If you will fear the LORD, and serve him, and obey his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the LORD, then shall both you and also the king that reigns over you continue following the LORD your God:

But if you 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.

Now therefore stand and see this great thing, which the LORD will do 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 shall send thunder and rain; that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the LORD, in asking you a king.

So Samuel called to the LORD; and the LORD sent thunder and rain 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 die not: for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask us a king.

And Samuel said to the people, Do not fear: you have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;

And turn you not aside: for then should you go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain.

For the LORD will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it has pleased the LORD to make you his people.

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:

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 consider how great things he has done for you.

But if you shall still do wickedly, you shall be consumed, both you and your king.

I Samuel12

Samuel’s Farewell Address