Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 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 12:20-22
And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not.
Danger or despondency
It is, I believe, no very unusual thing, however unwilling we may be to avow it, for persons to give way to a kind of despair, when they are called on to repent of their sins. They say to themselves, It is too late now: it is no use pretending to keep the commandments, after so many years of transgression. And what is very remarkable, men change all at once into this method of excusing themselves, from one the very contrary to it, in which they have spent all their lives. We know too well, most of us, by experience, how common a thing it is to break Gods plain commandments, and yet to keep ones conscience tolerably quiet, with the hope of repenting one day or another. At last we get ashamed and tired of dreaming of amendment, and promising it vainly to ourselves; we know by experience what the end will be if we again resolve and put off our resolutions: our consciences also have insensibly become hardened, and have lost all horror of sin as it is in itself: and in this state of mind it is no hard matter for the Evil Spirit to pervert our minds in a way exactly opposite to the former. Hitherto we have gone on, quieting ourselves every day with the notion that we might and would repent tomorrow; but now He keeps whispering to our disordered spirits, What if it should be too late for you to repent at all? Against such a snare as this it would seem that Samuel is guarding the children of Israel. They were to beware of that sullen fear which would make it impossible for them to repent; they were not to doubt that, wicked as they had been, and irremediable as their wickedness might be in some respects, still their best and only true wisdom lay in following the Lord for the future with all their heart. The great wickedness which the Israelites had done was this, that having been especially chosen and set apart by Almighty God to be His own people, and having so gone on for many years, receiving from Him peculiar and distinguishing favours, they were dissatisfied with their own condition, and rather wished themselves, as said the Prophet Ezekiel, like the Heathen, the families of the countries, if not directly to serve wood and stone, yet to take liberties of one sort and another, very inconsistent with the pure and holy character of a people redeemed and marked as they were to be Gods own. This was their sin; most dangerous to themselves, and most affronting to the Almighty: so that we need not wonder at the severity of Samuels reproof, nor at the awful warning which God sent them from Heaven. It was a voice from above, most mercifully sent, to warn them what would come of it if they went on in the way which they had begun, and how much worse and more ungodly the temper in which they were acting than they had themselves imagined. Too often have we taken a perverse pleasure in slighting and undervaluing our own privileges. Surely in this way we have most of us too much to answer for, and our Lord might most justly and reasonably cast us off. But He has not done so; therefore, in any case we must not cast ourselves away. We may not, we must not, go in any kind of sin, under pretence of its being too late to cure ourselves of that ill habit at least.
1. To be a little more particular. The cases in which people are most apt to give themselves up are generally such as these following. First, when after having gone on religiously and blamelessly for many years, perhaps through the whole of youth and early manhood, the Devil prevails against any man, and he gives way to temptation, slight or strong, and knowingly commits any kind of deadly sin. The same Evil Spirit, who has so far had his own way with him, will presently try to make him think the case desperate. Thus, at first, through a feeling of despair, and afterwards through a sense of thorough incurable bad habit, men knowingly throw away their only remaining chance of repentance, and with it, of course, their only remaining chance of salvation. One of the sins in which this sad and fatal process may be seen most distinctly is the inordinate love of strong drink. And if it is so in drunkenness, much more in those sins, which in mans sentence as well as Gods bring an irrecoverable stain on those who are guilty of them: such as unchastity, falsehood, dishonesty. One might well imagine that the Prophet Jeremiah was thinking on these two sorts of deadly sin–the unchaste and the deceitful–when he wrote that most fearful of all sentences, Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye do good who are accustomed to do evil; as much as to say, With men this is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible. On the other hand, it is well for all, even the worst, to be sure there is hope so far, as that no one holy desire or good purpose, no one prayer or sigh of sincere repentance through Faith in Christ Jesus our Lord, can ever fall to the ground useless and vain. Hitherto I have spoken of great and notorious sins; practices which naturally startle the consciences of all men, such as unchastity, drunkenness, dishonesty: and I have shown what danger we are in of becoming hardened in these by a kind of despair, as if, having been long bad, we must of course go on and be worse.
2. A word must now be added on another way of going wrong, somewhat in the same kind, that is, by mere lightness of temper and shallowness of principle: when men, for instance, continue in the custom of profane swearing, or of dissolute wanton talk, or of backbiting and slandering, or of lying in common conversation. These persons are in one thing unlike the sinful Jewish people as described in Samuel; they are far from acknowledging that in their way of going on they are adding a great evil to their former sins: they look upon their ill words, as I just now said, one by one, not as making up a sum of mischief; they do not consider that such sinful habits are, as it were, a smothered, inward fire, gradually consuming the whole body.
3. There is another class who are especially apt to encourage themselves in sinning again by the very remembrance which ought most to daunt and humble them;–the remembrance that they have sinned much and often before:–I mean those who sin mostly in the way of omission; the habitual scorner of the Church and Sacraments of God. They say to themselves and sometimes to others, It, is so very hard to recollect what for so many years we have allowed to slip out of our minds; and they fancy to themselves in some indistinct way that a little act of kindness or of devotion will go further, and tell for more, in their case, than in the case of one to whom such acts are familiar; making the great unpleasantness of the duty, which is an effect of their own sinful neglect, an excuse for their imperfect performance of it. Now the example of the Israelites and the Prophet in the text shows how all these and other like cases are to be treated. They must be spoken to very plainly, as Samuel spoke to those Jews: though full of all kindness towards them, he neither spared them at first, in reproving them plainly for their apostasy. It is true, he said, you have indeed done all this great wickedness; I cannot, I must not flatter you; your case is very bad; you have need to humble yourselves deeply before your God; but this one thing you must do; you must turn your attention earnestly from the Past to the Future; you must live in fear and trembling and watchfulness, that you add no more to your sad and heavy account: Ye have done all this great wickedness, yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. This one sentence of the grave and mild Prophet may convey to us the meaning of the whole Scripture of God. Your past sins, He tells you, are at least as bad as you imagine them: but they are done, and you cannot undo them; very likely you may forever have to bear the mark and stain of them; yet despair not; the worst consequence may yet, by Gods mercy, be averted; only lay hold in earnest of that Cross by which hitherto you have held so slightly: fear always, but not with such slavish, ungodly fear, as shall hinder you from doing your very best; preserve a holy obstinacy in following Christ for the future. (Plain sermons by contributors to the Tracts for the Times. )
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 20. Ye have done all this wickedness] That is, although ye have done all this wickedness: what was past God would pass by, provided they would be obedient in future.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Fear not, to wit, with a servile and desponding fear, as if there were no hope left for you.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
And Samuel said unto the people, fear not,…. Being destroyed by the tempest:
ye have done all this wickedness; in asking a king; that is, though they were guilty of so heinous a sin, yet there were grace and mercy with God, and they should not despair of it, so be it that they did not depart from him, but cordially served him; the Targum is,
“ye have been the cause of all this evil;”
the storm of thunder and rain; and though they had, he would not have them despond or indulge slavish fear;
yet turn not aside from following the Lord; the worship of the Lord, as the Targum; provided they did not depart from the Lord, and forsake his worship, word, and ordinances, they need not fear utter ruin and destruction, though they had been guilty of this sin:
but serve the Lord with all your heart; if their service of God was kept up, and was hearty and sincere, they might still expect things would go well with them.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Samuel thereupon announced to them first of all, that the Lord would not forsake His people for His great name’s sake, if they would only serve Him with uprightness. In order, however, to give no encouragement to any false trust in the covenant faithfulness of the Lord, after the comforting words, “ Fear not,” he told them again very decidedly that they had done wrong, but that now they were not to turn away from the Lord, but to serve Him with all their heart, and not go after vain idols. To strengthen this admonition, he repeats the in 1Sa 12:21, with the explanation, that in turning from the Lord they would fall away to idols, which could not bring them either help or deliverance. To the after the same verb must be supplied from the context: “ Do not turn aside (from the Lord), for (ye turn aside) after that which is vain.” , the vain, worthless thing, signifies the false gods. This will explain the construction with a plural: “ which do not profit and do not save, because they are emptiness ” ( tohu ), i.e., worthless beings ( elilim , Lev 19:4; cf. Isa 44:9 and Jer 16:19).
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament
(20) Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness.A very great and precious evangelical truth is contained in these comforting words of the great and good seer. They show how deeply this eminent servant of the Most High had entered into the Eternal thought. No sin or course of sin was too great to be repented of. Afar off these true ministers of the Lord saw, though, perhaps, in a glass darkly, the Lamb of God, whose blood cleanseth from all sin. Isaiah often pressed home the same truth to the sinning Israel of his own day in such terms as, Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be white as snow; and Samuels wordsbidding the people, in spite of the guilty past, yet press on, following the Lord and serving Him with all the heartwere taken up by Samuels prophet-successors, and repeated in coming ages again and again in such moving exhortations as, O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God (Hos. 14:1). They were re-echoed by men like Paul, who, with stirring loving words, bade their hearers, forgetting all the things that were behind, their past guilt and failure, press on still fearlessly for the real prize of life.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
20. Fear not Do not yield yourselves to inordinate terror, for even after all your rebellions, if now ye serve him with all your heart, he will be found plenteous in mercy.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
Samuel Promises Them That He Will Not Forget His Responsibility Towards Them as Their Prophet, Assures Them That He will Pray For Them And Continue To Teach Them The Right Way, And Warns Them Again Of The Necessity Of Being Faithful To YHWH ( 1Sa 12:20-25 ).
While they are in this state of remorse Samuel takes the opportunity to stress what they must do in the future. He assures them that he will not fail in his responsibilities of praying for them and teaching them in the future, and in return they are to ensure that they do not turn aside from following YHWH, but are to follow Him faithfully, serving Him with all their heart, and not turning after what is vain and cannot profit them or deliver them.
1Sa 12:20-21
‘ And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid. You have indeed done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following YHWH, but serve YHWH with all your heart, and do not turn aside, for then would you go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain.” ’
Samuel seeks to comfort them and assure them that for now at least YHWH intends them no harm. He accepts that they have done great evil, both in the past and in their present decision, but calls on them not to turn aside from following YHWH. Rather they are to serve Him with all their heart. For if they do turn aside it will only be to go after vain things (i.e. false gods who are nothings – compare the same word in Isa 41:29; Isa 44:9, and see 1Co 8:4) which can neither profit them nor deliver them. There really is no sound alternative from YHWH.
1Sa 12:22
“ For YHWH will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased YHWH to make you a people for himself.”
In return he guarantees that YHWH will never finally forsake His people. He reminds them that He has been pleased in His unmerited love to make them a people for Himself (see especially Deu 7:6-11), and that He will therefore, for His own Name and reputation’s sake, be faithful to His promises. Compare Moses’ argument in Exo 32:11-13.
Note the unconditional nature of God’s faithfulness. It is because of what He has determined and brought about in His sovereign will that He will be faithful to them. And that faithfulness continued throughout all Israel’s unfaithfulness, until it finally resulted in the new Israel founded on Christ through His Apostles of which all believers become a part, and to which God will be everlastingly faithful. God is faithful to Israel still.
1Sa 12:23
“ Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against YHWH in ceasing to pray for you, but I will instruct you in the good and the right way.”
Samuel guarantees that he also will be faithful to them. To sin against YHWH by ceasing to pray for them is something that is far from his heart. Rather they can be sure that he will continue faithfully to instruct them in the good and the right way, the way of YHWH. If they fail it will not be because he has failed.
Thus they are assured that whatever they have done, their faithful prophet who has watched over them for so long, will continue to look after their spiritual interests.
1Sa 12:24
“ Only fear YHWH, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great the things that he has done for you.”
So what they must do in response is walk before YHWH in the fear of God, and serve Him in truth as they consider all the great things that He has done for them.
1Sa 12:25
“ But if you shall still do wickedly, you will be consumed, both you and your king.”
On the other hand, if they do still behave sinfully, then they will be consumed, both them and their king. Thus their responsibility towards God is still the same. They cannot hide behind their king.
And with these exhortations, promises and pleas he relinquished his civic authority over them into the hands of Saul. From now on he would only have responsibility for their spiritual lives, and that only if they sought God with all their hearts.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
(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; (21) And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. (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. (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: (24) Only fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. (25) But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
How encouraging the sermon ends. Amidst all the unworthiness of the people, the Lord’s grace still reigns; for his mercy endureth forever. But is not Samuel here, a type of Jesus? In all the intercessions of the priests, or prophets of God, do we not view him, whom they shadow forth? Blessed Jesus! here I behold, as in numberless other instances, how thy Priesthood is an everlasting priesthood, and how the efficacy of it hath been, and still is, always prevailing. Though like Israel, I have sinned against thee, and slighted thy government, and too often made to myself a king of my own, to reign over me; yet dearest Lord! cease not to exercise that most precious, and glorious office of thine, for my soul. Oh! save me to the uttermost, seeing thou ever livest to make intercession for sinners!
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
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;
Ver. 20. Fear not, ] i.e., Despair not, cast not away your confidence: they that go down into this pit cannot hope for God’s truth. Isa 38:18 It is a kind of taking away the Almighty, to limit his boundless mercy; despair is a high point of atheism.
Yet turn not aside.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Fear not: Exo 20:19, Exo 20:20, 1Pe 3:16
turn not: Deu 11:16, Deu 31:29, Jos 23:6, Psa 40:4, Psa 101:3, Psa 125:5, Jer 3:1
Reciprocal: Exo 23:25 – And ye Exo 32:30 – Ye have Num 21:7 – And Moses Jos 22:5 – serve Jos 22:18 – following 2Sa 9:7 – Fear not 1Ki 22:43 – he turned Son 1:7 – for Luk 19:21 – I feared Joh 21:19 – Follow
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
THE ONLY WAY TO NATIONAL PROSPERITY
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 12:20
It is the special and most perilous curse of sin that it obscures, or blots out altogether, or terribly distorts the vision of God in our hearts; it gradually reduces us to that most desolate of all conditions, having no hope and without God in the world.
I. Those who need friends most are those who have fallen most and are in the most sore condition; but if even man despises and finds no forgiveness for our faults, is there any hope that He in whose sight the very heavens are not cleanthat He will pity us, and take us to His breast, and suffer us to live in the glory of His presence? Will He, who is the Friend of the innocent, be a Friend of the guilty too?
II. God loathes our sins but, knowing that we are but dust, He loves our souls.He sent His Son to seek and save the lost. When that blessed Son had taken our nature upon Him, He lived with the aged and the withered, the homeless and the diseased, with the palsied and the demoniac, with the ignorant and the blind.
III. Each new day is to you a new chance.Return to God and use it rightly, letting the time past of your life suffice you to have walked in the hard ways of sin and shame. The mistakes, the follies, the sins, the calamities of the past may, if you use them rightly, be the pitying angels to guide you through the future. If you put off the present time for repentance, the convenient season may never come. As yet the door stands open before you; very soon it will be too late, and the door be shut.
Dean Farrar.
(SECOND OUTLINE)
Notice four things in this text.
I. We have sinned some sins which we cannot repair.God, in His great love, takes us still as we are; takes us back to His bosom; only asks one thing; that at least we will go on in simplicity and sincerity now.
II. Though the temporal punishment may remain, it yet may be no sign that the sin is unforgiven.It is a difficulty in our way, raised by ourselves. God takes us back though we are fallen. Let us serve Him still, though the vigour of the old days is gone.
III. This punishment is a sign, a sure sign, of destruction following unforgiven sin.If God so punish those whom He receives as repentant, what will befall us if we repent not? Surely nothing else than that we shall be consumed.
IV. What an argument with us ought His longsuffering to be.What peace is in the thought of forgiveness so large, so full, so free, as God has promised! Not friends, nor repose, nor confession, nor resolution avails anything without the very presence of God; but each of these things in Him may work us weal, and He in them can bring us absolution and perfect peace.
Archbishop Benson.
Illustrations
(1) Comforting them with their sins, and persuading them to heartfelt contrition, Samuel points out to Israel anew the way of life. He sums up all in the clear, solemn words, Only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you. But if ye shall do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king. Thus in Gilgal a word is spoken for all time. Into that vital word nothing accidental or circumstantial enters. The law of national life is written as with the pen of the Medes and Persians. The basis of true national prosperity is revealed for evermore. In simplest paraphrase it stands now as then, that highest national well-being is only secured by hearty obedience to God.
(2) Here is the secret of national prosperity. Read it in three words, Fear serve obey. Reverence, service, obedience, these three ensure happiness and success. This is true of a nation, and it is true of an individual. The more of righteousness, said the Talmud, so much the more of peace. Then the dark side of the same truth gives us the secret of national decay. In just two words, not obey but rebel. There are great lessons for us in this parting principle. The fear of the Lord is still the beginning of wisdom. His service is still perfect freedom. To obey is still better than sacrifice. On these three notes, fear, serve, obey, the true national anthem is written.
(3) Let Anglo-Saxon righteousness be lost, and supremacy would soon go with it. It is not inconceivable that, should we forget God as Israel did, and should China receive Him fully, the splendid intrepidity and faithfulness shown by the Chinese Christians during the Boxer ordeal, and the proverbial patience and tenacity of the race, and vast resources of the country, might give to the world a new war-cryChinese supremacy. Let no self-conceit blind us to the fact that God demands righteousness of any people who would prosper.
Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary
12:20 And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: {m} yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;
(m) He shows that there is no sin so great, but it shall be forgiven, if the sinner turn again to God.