Samuel Calls Israel to Fear Our Father
12 1 Samuel said to all Israel, "I listened to your voice in all you told me, and made a king over you." 2 Now the king walks before you. I am old and gray-haired; my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until today. 3 Here I am — testify against me before our Father and his anointed. Whose ox or donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated or oppressed? Whose bribe have I taken to look away? I will repay you.
4 They said, "You have not cheated us or oppressed us or taken anything from anyone's hand."
5 He said to them, "Our Father is witness against you, and his anointed is witness today, that you found nothing in my hand." They said, "He is witness."
6 Then Samuel told the people, "It was our Father who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of Egypt." 7 Now stand, so I may state my case against you before our Father — all his just acts for you and your ancestors.
8 When Jacob entered Egypt, your ancestors cried to our Father, who sent Moses and Aaron, bringing them out of Egypt and settling them here. 9 But they forgot our Father, so he handed them to Sisera, Hazor's army commander, to the Philistines, and to Moab's king, who fought them. 10 They cried to our Father: 'We have sinned; we abandoned our Father and served the Baals and Ashtaroth. Now rescue us from our enemies' hand, and we will serve you.' 11 So our Father sent Jerubbaal, Barak, Jephthah, and Samuel, rescued you from enemies all around, so you lived safely. a a v11 Jerubbaal is another name for Gideon, the judge who tore down his father's altar to Baal. 12 When you saw Ammon's king Nahash coming against you, you told me, 'No, a king must rule us'—though our Father was your king. 13 Now here is the king you chose and asked for. Look, our Father set a king over you. 14 If you fear our Father, serve and obey him, and don't rebel against his command, and you and your king both follow our Father, all will be well. 15 But if you disobey our Father and rebel against his command, our Father's hand will oppose you, as it did your ancestors.
16 Now stand still and see this great thing our Father is about to do before your eyes. 17 Isn't it wheat harvest today? I'll call our Father—he'll send thunder and rain, so you'll know how great the evil of your asking a king for yourselves was in our Father's sight. b b v17 Rain almost never falls during the wheat harvest in early summer, so the sudden thunderstorm was unmistakably a sign from our Father.
18 Samuel called out to our Father; that day he sent thunder and rain, and all the people deeply feared our Father and Samuel.
19 All the people said to Samuel, "Pray to your Father for your servants, so we won't die: we've added evil to all our sins by asking for a king."
20 Samuel told the people, "Don't be afraid. You've done all this evil - yet don't turn from following our Father; serve him with all your heart." 21 Do not turn to empty idols—no help, no rescue, for they are empty. 22 For our Father will not abandon his people, for his great name's sake. He chose to make you his own people. 23 I too could never sin against our Father by stopping prayers for you; I will teach you the good and right way. 24 Only respect our Father, serve him faithfully with all your heart, consider his great deeds for you. 25 But if you persist in doing evil, both you and your king will be swept away.
