1Sa 12:9 | KingComments | STEP | After Samuel is declared completely righteous in his actions by the people, he does not begin to blame them for their stupidity in deposing him. He seeks only the honor of God. Therefore he gives an overview of what they have experienced with God and God with them. To bring the people to a deeper knowledge of their sin Samuel emphasizes what the LORD has done for them. It is He who called Moses and Aaron, and it is He who delivered their fathers from Egypt by them. If therefore the LORD did this then, and He is now present as a Witness at the declaration of Samuel’s selflessness and impartiality, then the people have seriously sinned by now coveting a king themselves. In the person of Samuel they have rejected the LORD their God ( ), Who has given them leaders. Samuel is the last judge and the first prophet ( ). It is the conclusion of an old and the beginning of a new era. He devotes his last words to the righteous acts of the LORD for His people. He tells them the cause of their misery and the way to be delivered from it. With “all the righteous acts of the LORD” he means all the benefits which the LORD has bestowed on His people. These acts are the result of His faithfulness to His covenant. On that account He has fulfilled His promises to His people. The first righteous acts of the LORD that Samuel mentions are the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt and bringing them into the land of Canaan. This is what the LORD did through Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron have delivered the people from Egypt, but they have not become king. They have been God’s instruments to carry out His will. And when God calls Moses “king in Jeshurun” ( ), He does so Himself and not the people. Samuel then shows the reaction of the people to the blessings of God. He starts with “but” ( ). This indicates a contrast on the part of the people. The people have always responded with unfaithfulness to the blessings of God. Because of the unfaithfulness of the people, their forsaken of the LORD, He has surrendered them into the power of the enemy. Over time, they have then discovered that these enemies are hard masters and have begun to cry out to the LORD. And always He has answered and given salvation. Thus has the LORD been their liberator from Egypt till now. The righteous acts of the LORD are evident both from the fact that He had to sell them into the hands of enemies because of their apostasy from Him and from the deliverance of the people from the hands of their enemies. These acts can be found in the book of Judges. Samuel refers to some events in that book. It shows that God always uses whomever He wants. He is sovereign. Samuel acknowledges that he is only one of several. God can redeem by whomever He wants, also by one or more. None of these saviors has become king. Gideon even explicitly refused it when asked ( ).

‏ 1 Samuel 12:9

Righteous Acts of the LORD

After Samuel is declared completely righteous in his actions by the people, he does not begin to blame them for their stupidity in deposing him. He seeks only the honor of God. Therefore he gives an overview of what they have experienced with God and God with them.

To bring the people to a deeper knowledge of their sin Samuel emphasizes what the LORD has done for them. It is He who called Moses and Aaron, and it is He who delivered their fathers from Egypt by them. If therefore the LORD did this then, and He is now present as a Witness at the declaration of Samuel’s selflessness and impartiality, then the people have seriously sinned by now coveting a king themselves. In the person of Samuel they have rejected the LORD their God (1Sam 8:7), Who has given them leaders.

Samuel is the last judge and the first prophet (Acts 13:20b). It is the conclusion of an old and the beginning of a new era. He devotes his last words to the righteous acts of the LORD for His people. He tells them the cause of their misery and the way to be delivered from it. With “all the righteous acts of the LORD” he means all the benefits which the LORD has bestowed on His people. These acts are the result of His faithfulness to His covenant. On that account He has fulfilled His promises to His people.

The first righteous acts of the LORD that Samuel mentions are the deliverance of the Israelites from Egypt and bringing them into the land of Canaan. This is what the LORD did through Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron have delivered the people from Egypt, but they have not become king. They have been God’s instruments to carry out His will. And when God calls Moses “king in Jeshurun” (Deu 33:5a), He does so Himself and not the people.

Samuel then shows the reaction of the people to the blessings of God. He starts with “but” (1Sam 12:9). This indicates a contrast on the part of the people. The people have always responded with unfaithfulness to the blessings of God. Because of the unfaithfulness of the people, their forsaken of the LORD, He has surrendered them into the power of the enemy. Over time, they have then discovered that these enemies are hard masters and have begun to cry out to the LORD. And always He has answered and given salvation. Thus has the LORD been their liberator from Egypt till now.

The righteous acts of the LORD are evident both from the fact that He had to sell them into the hands of enemies because of their apostasy from Him and from the deliverance of the people from the hands of their enemies. These acts can be found in the book of Judges. Samuel refers to some events in that book.

It shows that God always uses whomever He wants. He is sovereign. Samuel acknowledges that he is only one of several. God can redeem by whomever He wants, also by one or more. None of these saviors has become king. Gideon even explicitly refused it when asked (Jdg 8:22-23).