Samuel's Farewell Sermon
Book of 1 Samuel Chapter 12
Of all the tributes we can offer to the Lord, obedience to His Word is the greatest thing we can do to show the Lord that we love Him!
The next best thing we can do is to repent our sins.
Repent means much more than saying I am sorry.
To repent is a complete change of mind and a change of direction to mean walking as the Lord walked, walking with the Lord.
The next thing would be a faithful service in whatever we do in the ministry of the Lord.
We trust the promises of God because we know of God's faithfulness to His Word!
God is faithful!
1Co_1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.
Fellowship with the Lord consist of the knowledge of His will for us, and an agreement with His design for this world, which means a world built around families with mutual affection conforming to the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church is a group of families that worship together as the family of God.
Job 22:21 Acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee.
Rom 8:38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
Rom 8:39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1Jn 2:6 He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked.
1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
1Jn 1:3 That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
1Jn 1:4 And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
This has been the goal of our Lord Jesus since the first day of creation.
Gen 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
It is sin that breaks our fellowship with the Lord!
It is sin that is destroying our world, not climate change!
We must be faithful to the Lord once we know the truth!
Samuel had now become an old man and in all his days, he had been faithful to the Lord while being truthful to all of Israel.
Samuel would spend his last days on earth preparing the people of Israel to live under a monarchy.
Saul was now the first King of Israel.
Once both sides had repented, the people and the new king, they both could live a life of faithful service.
For the new government to succeed, the people would have to faithfully serve the Lord and faithfully fulfill their calling upon this earth.
Samuel preached this message to all of Israel and the to new King of Israel who was sitting within the voice of Samuel.
*****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.
Samuel closed his ministry before the people.
As Samuel was stepping aside, he stressed the necessity for King Saul to be faithful to Jehovah God as he had been.
Our success comes from our ability to remain in the will of God all our lives, or from the day we repent and return to the Lord.
Samuel talked of his own righteous life, not bragging, but as an example of the expectations he had for King Saul.
Samuel declared to the people that he had done exactly what they asked him to do, to give them a king to rule over them.
We know that God was the ruler of Israel so, to now have a king would be a terrible step backwards.
Samuel had lived a righteous life since he had been called at the age of twelve.
Samuel had executed justice to Israel all his days.
In order for Israel to prosper, King Saul would have to be faithful and execute true justice and we know that politicians are not really concerned for the people as they say, but most are more concerned with their own bank account.
Israel could have chosen the two sons of Samuel, but they were not considered to be like their father.
We do not know much truth about these two sons.
We do know that Israel was determined to have a king and that king like the kings of other nations, many of which they had destroyed or conquered.
Samuel knew he was too old to continue doing the things he had done all his life.
We all reach this time in our lives where we just cannot do the things we used to do.
Would Saul be a faithful king? We know that answer is no because we can read of his history.
Samuel had never stolen, or cheated, or oppressed anyone.
Samuel had never taken a bribe from the rich and powerful.
Samuel was not guilty of any wrong and if someone thought so, he would immediately make it right.
The people of Israel agreed with Samuel.
We know that King Saul was present as Samuel described his life, and we can just imagine what he was thinking.
Samuel had lived righteously, and this is what the Lord expects from each of us!
To be like the Lord Jesus Christ, we would have to be a lot like Samuel.
For Saul to be a great king, he would have to be a lot like Samuel.
1Co 15:57 But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
If we have the victory the Lord has given to us, then we need to abound in the work of the Lord!
1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
Samuel reminded all these people that it was the Jehovah that had gotten them out of the slavery of Egypt and not some man.
*****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.
We see in America that many groups are insisting that the history of America not be taught in our schools.
History is about facts.
Certainly, there are parts of our history of which we are not proud.
Certainly, slavery is one of those things.
It was not slavery that built our nation!
Slavery in America came from human trafficking which still exist today, and it needs to be stopped.
The pure fact is, more money can be made trafficking humans than can be made by illegal drugs.
The slavery of Israel came about by the ruthless kings of Egypt.
It was Jehovah God who put an end to this slavery!
It was Jehovah God who called and brought forth Moses to lead this people.
It was Jehovah God who put Aaron the first High Priest in place, and this would continue except for the changes that took place with Zadok.
Zadok was still in the family line of Aaron and was a Levite.
The family line of Eli would be stopped by the Lord Himself.
These children of Israel had become blind to the workings of the Lord and the same thing is taking place in America today.
I do not see how the Catholic Church can defend such people as Biden and Pelosi and some others, knowing that the stand they take goes against the Word of God.
There are many so-called Christians in politics and most everyone of them go against the truth of the Gospel, and they are proud to say so.
What kind of ruler would Saul be?
If he trusted the Word of God and used it to rule these people, he would do an excellent job.
If he ignored the Word of God and rejected Jehovah, his kingdom would fail and we can read what happened because God included it in the Scriptures.
The leaders we have in America today will go down as the people who destroyed the only free society on this planet, and it is intentional.
Corruption cannot be stopped; it must be removed.
2Pe_2:19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage.
What was the most disturbing history of these people?
They had consistently forsaken the Lord!
They had turned away from the Lord and lived their own lives as they wished, doing their own thing and this is the recipe for failure.
The Lord had judged them and chastised them, and they lived this way until they cried out to the Lord with great promises, which they would not keep.
If you want to know true history, then it is easy to see that our Lord has saved and delivered all who turn to Him by faith!
Today, that faith must be in the Lord Jesus Christ and this faith can remove anyone from any bondage of sin and wickedness, and all other bondage, such as drugs, alcohol, the gay lifestyle, homosexuality, immorality, depression, hatred, false worship, and any other bondage of sin.
This is the promise that God makes, and He has never broken a promise!
These things were just as true in the days of Saul, but his life led to failure.
Samuel continues with some history:
God had sold them into the hands of Sisaro, to the Philistines several times, and the King of Moab.
They had cried out and the Lord had sent men such as Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah and others.
God had sold them into the hands of the King of Ammon, and they had not recognized the fact, that God had delivered than many times and they asked for a king.
*****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.
In all these deliverances, it had been the Lord God who had delivered them who is much better than any king!
Samuel told Israel you already have a king, and He is the Lord God of all creation, there is no greater king than the Lord Jesus Christ.
We know the Lord Jesus Christ will return to this earth to be King of the Jews, and He will bring all of us with Him to rule and reign upon this earth for one thousand years, and I believe this is true.
If we reject the Lord and ask for some human ruler, we are committing a serious sin, it is called idolatry.
Every time someone votes for a Democrat today are voting for the policies of the Democrats and they are exposing themselves to idolatry, because the policies of the Democrats have rejected the Word of God.
I know this sounds political, but it is only the truth.
It is the same for Progressives.
It is the same for many Republicans.
If we refuse to vote, we are just as guilty because we are only helping those who are against the Lord.
It is the same for anyone who goes against the Word of God!
We will be judged for all the things we do in this lifetime!
Israel had rejected the rule of the Lord by rejecting the Word of God.
They had turned away from the Lord and we must not fall into this trap, and it is a deadly trap.
They now faced God's terrifying judgment!
America is now facing God's terrifying judgment!
This is what Samuel's last sermon was telling these tribes of Israel, yet they still chose idolatry.
Samuel says these are the things you know that are true of the Lord your true King, and now you can see the one you chose to replace Him.
*****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.
If you have chosen Lord as your ruler, you have chosen a Theocratic form of government in your heart.
Why in the world would we ever choose some human ruler who does not follow the Lord?
This is what Samuel was asking Israel.
Saul was a giant of a man in his physique as compared to the average Israelite.
Saul was less than a grasshopper when compared to the Lord the true King.
God had proven throughout the brief history of this nation that He was their Savior.
He was their Provider.
He was their Protector.
He was their Guide through the wilderness called life.
He is the same in all these things for each Christian today!
To ask for a king like all those other nations was a terrible thing to ask for.
Sometimes God will give us what we ask for just to teach us a lesson!
It would have much better to ask for a king, "after God's own heart", which would have been much better.
This is the same choice we should all make when we get the opportunity to choose.
Those in power today are trying their best to take this freedom to choose away from us, along with many of our other freedoms.
*****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.
What is the truth of God? If we will fear the Lord, serve Him, and obey His voice, which is the written Word of God, and not rebel against the written Word of God, which is a commandment for us and our rulers, and continue to follow the Lord, things will go well for us and our nation.
But if we rebel against the truth of God then, shall the hand of the Lord be against us.
We know our Lord never changes and He will not treat America any different than He treated Israel during these times of rebellion.
You cannot be a Christian and want some wicked ruler to rule over you!
Then Samuel says, just take a look at some small portion of the power of God.
*****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.
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.
These people realized that they had only added to their sins against God.
You know, we can get forgiveness of our sins if we are sincere in asking for forgiveness.
In Israel's case, they may have realized they were wrong but guess what, they still had Saul as king, and he would turn out to be an ungodly king.
There are a few men in the Bible that God would do things at their request but not many and not often.
We know of Moses and Joshua and the Lord had his own reasons each time.
We need to realize that our Lord is a Mighty God, with unlimited power and not some puny false god.
We will reap what we sow.
How can we ever expect some puny arm of flesh to replace the arm of God!
Is God showing the world that He can change the face of the heavens and persecute us with storms such as what is called "climate change"?
He did it once to Israel, why not do it today, to show this world which is so full of sin and idolatry?
We are in our own peril if we reject the power of the God of the Bible!
The Lord certainly has the power to bring judgment upon any people or all people at the same time!
For Israel it was an exceedingly rare thing for rain during harvest time, and we can be sure they lost a part of that harvest.
We know how destructive thunderstorms can be!
This sermon from Samuel had led the nation of Israel to confession.
Do we need a Samuel in America today to lead us to the point of confession of our sins, well this is not true because we already have the Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sins and who has given us the truth, and few are listening to His Words.
The truth is, rejecting the Lord will bring judgment against us!
If we forsake the Lord, forget, ignore, and neglect the Lord, we will face the judgment of God!
This also is the truth of the Scriptures!
People just do not want to hear the truth, because they are raised in a world where the truth is not important because we live in a world based on lies, beginning with evolution.
We must walk a righteous walk before God, no matter what this world is doing!
2Pe 2:9 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:
*****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.
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.
There is only one answer to the problems we face today, and it is to return to the Lord and to serve the Lord with all our heart!
If we have confessed our sins then, we can do this if we then repent and walk away from the lies of this world, and turn to the truth of the Lord.
The biggest problem people have today is that they do not want to give up their sin.
Almost everyone has a pet sin that they refuse to give up!
Sinners just do not want to repent and without repentance there is no forgiveness!
When sin becomes the most important thing in our lives, we are traveling on the road to damnation!
The Lord will not forsake any people who are committed to Him!
The Lord will not forsake any people He has made promises to.
The Lord Jesus will not forsake Israel because He has made promises to them.
The Lord will never leave us, nor forsake us, because He is bound by His promises to us.
You see our salvation is not on our own merits.
Our salvation has always depended upon the mercy of God and the promises He has made!
You see, if the Lord fails to keep even one promise, then His honor would suffer in this world.
The Lord must deliver Israel or He will be found to be a liar.
The Lord must deliver the true Church of He would be found to be a liar.
If the Lord God of this world does not keep His promises, then His Word is useless.
It is never too late to repent and return to the Lord while we are living.
It is impossible to repent after death!
The Lord made Israel His people.
The Lord made the Church His chosen people!
Then Samuel mentions prayer.
We immediately see that we sin against the Lord if we do not pray for sinners!
Samuel promised to pray for and to teach Israel all the days that remained in his life.
We must be intercessors for our children.
We must be intercessors for all our family, and it is a sin not to.
We must be intercessors for all sinners.
The key to our relationship with the Lord is to serve Him in truth that comes from the heart!
*****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.
You know, if the Lord does nothing else for us after we are saved, He has already done much more than we deserve by saving us from a burning Hell.
The Lord also wants to bless us in this life, but we must have a personal relationship with Him.
We must respect the Lord who is also the Creator of all we see, and all we cannot see in this universe.
We should understand that the new King Saul was present during this sermon from Samuel and heard every word he spoke.
Then Samuel issues a final warning to all of Israel, but this applies to all leaders in this world and to all believers.
If we continue to sin, we will be judged and chastised by the Lord!
For Israel many were destroyed until ultimately, they were exiled from the Promised Land.
This is why the return of Israel to the Promised Land was such a momentous day in fulfilled prophecy!
We should understand that the problem with Israel was not to have a king who would go out and win battles for them.
The problem with Israel was internal and it was spiritual!
The problem with America is not that America is still the most powerful nation on earth, at least for the time being.
The problems in America is internal and they are Spiritual.
Eph_6:12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
America will have to return to God and repent, to have a better future just as Israel will have to do.
Israel has the promises of God, America does not, only the believers do.
No king and no leader are powerful enough to stop the hand of God in judgment!
There is no approach to God that does not begin with repentance!
Much of the Church has forgotten this.
We must turn away from sin, in order to come face to face with the Lord!
Act 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
Act 3:20 And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:
The Word of God cannot be denied!
Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Amen
