1 Samuel 12:5
Selflessness of Samuel
Samuel asks them if they can accuse him of something. Why does he ask this? He has listed in 1 Samuel 8 what kind of king their king will be, what he will ask of them (1Sam 8:11-17). Now he asks, as it were: “Have I been so? Are you better off now? Will you king be so?” Samuel has walked in humility and subservience; Saul will walk in self-will and self-enforcement. When he speaks these words, he brings himself and the whole people “into the presence of the LORD”. That makes it a serious event. The questions he asks must touch the hearts and conscience of the people. He also speaks his words in the presence of “His anointed”, that is Saul. The servant puts himself entirely at the service of God’s people, without asking anything of them, or even giving the impression of seeking profit and self-enrichment. Similar words as here from Samuel we also hear from Nehemiah (Neh 5:15) and Paul (Acts 20:33-34). How important it is for a servant to be able to say this. It is about giving oneself away for the people and not taking anything from them. It is about giving. True service has clean hands. Has there ever been a Head of State or Minister in any part of the world who was able to say so when he resigned and to count on the general agreement of the whole people?Samuel asks for evidence whether he has taken someone’s ox or donkey. We can apply this spiritually. We steal someone’s ox when we offer God the sacrifice of the thanks of our lips for what He gave in the Lord Jesus, but use the words of another person, that is to say, parrot others. It seems beautiful but is not his own. Words can be stolen (Jer 23:30). We can make the same application when it comes to taking someone’s donkey. The donkey is the animal of service. We can demand a service that is due to another person. This is a way Paul has kept far from himself (2Cor 10:13). The other things that Samuel asks the people to accuse him of, can also be applied in this way. Oppression means to impose the law on another, to take away his freedom in Christ (cf. Gal 5:1; cf. Isa 58:6). Taking a gift means giving preferential treatment. Then we turn a blind eye to evil. Accepting a gift can also be done by opening up for flattery. Whoever flatters us, we like, and we will favor.Of all the things Samuel mentions, the people must admit that there is nothing wrong with him in this respect. He has not been hard on them, has recognized each in the dignity that suits him, and has never accepted anything that would cause him lose his independence. Samuel confirms their affirmation and so do the people. The testimony of our neighbors and especially the testimony of our own conscience, that we have lived honestly and sincerely in our place and vocation, will encourage us if we are scorned. Demetrius is a happy man, because he “has received a [good] testimony from everyone, and from the truth itself” (3Jn 1:12).
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