seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
1 Samuel 12:6 Then Samuel said to the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of Egypt. 7 Now then, stand here, because I am going to confront you with evidence before the Lord as to all the righteous acts performed by the Lord for you and your ancestors.
8 “After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
9 “But they forgot the Lord their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them. 10 They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,[a] Barak,(b) Jephthah and Samuel,[c] and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.
12 “But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. 13 Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! 15 But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.
8 “After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the Lord for help, and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
9 “But they forgot the Lord their God; so he sold them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against them. 10 They cried out to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Ashtoreths. But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,[a] Barak,(b) Jephthah and Samuel,[c] and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety.
12 “But when you saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though the Lord your God was your king. 13 Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns over you follow the Lord your God—good! 15 But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors.
a. 1 Samuel 12:11 Also called Gideon
b. 1 Samuel 12:11 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac; Hebrew Bedan
c. 1 Samuel 12:11 Hebrew; some Septuagint manuscripts and Syriac Samson
I don't generally like to bring all the preachy commentary into the morning posts. Samuel, however, is preaching the past.
This is from the easy English site.
You can read about Jacob in the Old Testament book of Genesis. His birth is in chapter 25. He went to Egypt in chapter 46. The account of Moses and Aaron is in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. The book of Joshua describes how the Israelites came into the land where they now lived. The events in verses 9-11 are in the book of Judges. The Israelites asked for a king in 1 Samuel 8. But the account of the attack by Nahash is not until chapter 11. In the past, Nahash had probably attacked other countries that were near Israel. Perhaps the Israelites thought that Nahash would attack them in the future.
In these verses, Samuel spoke as a prophet. The Israelites knew a lot about what had happened to them in the past. In verses 6-11, Samuel reminded them again. God had given them all that they needed. He had rescued them from all their enemies. Samuel reminded them that God had chosen leaders for them. These leaders led them in the battles. The Israelites had success and won their battles. Then Samuel reminded the Israelites that they had often stopped worshipping God. Instead, they worshipped idols. So God let their enemies defeat them.
The Israelites’ main sin is in verse 9, ‘they forgot the *Lord their God’. God wanted the Israelites to worship only him. He was their king. When they worshipped the Lord, their life was good. When they worshipped other gods, their enemies won the battles. But when the Israelites started to worship the Lord again, the Lord helped them.
In verses 12-15, Samuel reminds the Israelites that they refused the Lord as their king. Instead, they wanted a man as their king. But the Lord was still their king. The Israelites had to obey the Lord. Their king had to obey the Lord. In verse 15, Samuel warns the Israelites not to oppose the Lord. When they did this in the past, the Lord punished them. If they do it in the future, the Lord will punish them again.
In these verses, Samuel spoke as a prophet. The Israelites knew a lot about what had happened to them in the past. In verses 6-11, Samuel reminded them again. God had given them all that they needed. He had rescued them from all their enemies. Samuel reminded them that God had chosen leaders for them. These leaders led them in the battles. The Israelites had success and won their battles. Then Samuel reminded the Israelites that they had often stopped worshipping God. Instead, they worshipped idols. So God let their enemies defeat them.
The Israelites’ main sin is in verse 9, ‘they forgot the *Lord their God’. God wanted the Israelites to worship only him. He was their king. When they worshipped the Lord, their life was good. When they worshipped other gods, their enemies won the battles. But when the Israelites started to worship the Lord again, the Lord helped them.
In verses 12-15, Samuel reminds the Israelites that they refused the Lord as their king. Instead, they wanted a man as their king. But the Lord was still their king. The Israelites had to obey the Lord. Their king had to obey the Lord. In verse 15, Samuel warns the Israelites not to oppose the Lord. When they did this in the past, the Lord punished them. If they do it in the future, the Lord will punish them again.
The other commentaries are equally preachy. This is from Bible.org.
Briefly, Samuel scans Israel’s history from the day of the nation’s birth at the exodus to the present moment, when Israel now has the king they demanded. Citing illustrations from the major periods (the exodus and Israel’s wilderness wanderings, the possession of the land under Joshua, and the period of the judges, ending with Samuel), Samuel seeks to demonstrate a very consistent pattern of behavior on Israel’s part, and on God’s part in dealing with His people. Although God graciously gives His people deliverance from their enemies, Israel forgets God and turns to other gods. God gives the nation over to its neighbors, who are the enemies of Israel and who oppress and afflict God’s people. The Israelites then acknowledge their sin and cry out to Him for deliverance, which He graciously grants. They acknowledge their idolatry and forsake it, promising to serve God if He will deliver them yet again.
Preach it Samuel.... we're still doing that.... it's crazy.
