Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 1 Samuel · Chapter 12
CHAP. XII.
Verſ. 1. ANd Samuel ſaid unto all Iſrael, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye ſaid unto me, &c.] Samuel preſſeth them now more cloſely and ſharply then ever, with their ſinne in rejecting the government which God had eſtabliſhed among them: firſt, becauſe in this their jollity, for that glorious victory which their new king had obtained againſt the Ammonites, they were in danger to be puffed up with an opinion, that God approved that which they had done, and that they had not ſinned in deſiring a king: ſecondly, becauſe having eſtabliſhed Saul in the throne, & actually reſigned the government into his hands, he might now ſpeak the more freely, without giving the leaſt ground of ſuſpition that he was loth to give over the government, and therefore condemned them for chooſing a king.
Verſ. 2. And now behold, the king walketh before you.] This is meant of Sauls being now ſettled in the ſupreme magiſtracy, as a ſhepherd or captain to lead and govern the people, and to be as a ſhield unto them, to ſtand betwixt them and harms way: the like phraſe there is Numb. 27.17. concerning which ſee the note there.
And I am old, and gray-headed, and behold, my ſonnes are with you.] To imply how good cauſe he had to be very well content in regard of himſelf, that the burden of the government ſhould be taken from his ſhoulders, he wiſheth them to remember that he was now grown aged, I am, ſaith he, old and gray-headed, and then he addes, and behold my ſonnes are with you, that is, they are amongſt you, as one of you, they ſhall lay no claim to the government no more then I do; ſo that this he ſaith: either firſt, the more to clear his integrity who was willing his ſonnes ſhould lay down the power of government as well as himſelf: or ſecondly, to intimate that if they could charge him for any wrong done, his ſonnes ſhould make ſatisfaction: or elſe to imply, that of them they might be ſatisfied concerning his courſe of life; and particularly, whether he did any way incourage them in thoſe wicked courſes they ranne into, chap. 8.3.
Verſ. 3. Behold, here I am, witneſſe againſt me before the Lord, and before his anointed, &c.] As if he ſhould have ſaid, being now the power of government is transferred to another, ye need not fear to ſpeak your minds of me, and therefore if ye can accuſe me of any evil, ſpeak it freely. And this proteſtation of his innocency he makes: Firſt, that he might the more freely reprove them. Secondly, to manifeſt the greivouſneſſe of their ſinne, who had without any juſt cauſe rejected the government which God had erected among them. And thirdly, to propound this covertly, as a pattern for their new choſen king to follow, before whom all this was ſpoken, witneſſe against me before the Lord, and before his Anointed.
Verſ. 7. Now therefore ſtand ſtill, that I may reaſon with you before the Lord, of all the righteous acts of the Lord, &c.] That is, both mercies and puniſhmen…; but cheifly I conceive this is meant of his mercies, wherein the Lord approved his faithfulneſſe, in performing the covenant which he had made with them; for theſe he preſſeth upon them, to diſcover the hainouſneſſe of their ſinne in rejecting his government, who had ſo carefully protected them againſt all their enemies, and ſo abundantly bleſſed them in every regard.
Verſ. 8. The Lord ſent Moſes and Aaron, which brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place.] This making them to dwell in the land of Canaan, is aſcribed to Moſes and Aaron: Firſt, becauſe they led the people from Egypt through the wilderneſſe, and brought them unto the land which God had promiſed them: and ſecondly, becauſe Moſes put them in poſſeſſion of that part of the land which was without Jordan, and ſubſtituted Joſhua in his place, who afterward gave them the poſſeſſion of the reſt of the land. But the chief thing intended, is to put them in mind of Gods mercy in giving them that land, without whom, neither Moſes, nor Aaron, nor Joſhua could have done it.
Verſ. 9. And when they forgat the Lord their God, he ſold them into the hand of Siſera, &c.] Samuel here calls the rebellion of the Iſraelites againſt God, a forgetting of the Lord; becauſe if men did indeed think upon God as they ought to do they would not dare ſo to tranſgreſſe his commandments: and thence it is alſo, that David ſaith of wicked men, that God is not in all their thoughts, Pſal. 10.4.
Verſ. 11. And the Lord ſent Jerubbaal▪ and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, &c.] Some conceive that Jair is here called Bedan, and that to diſtinguiſh him from that former Jair of whom Moſes ſpeaks, Numb. 32.41. and indeed there is one Bedan a Manaſſite mentioned, 1. Chron. 7.17. Others again think that this Bedan was ſome Judge of Iſrael, that is not mentioned in the book of Judges. But the more common, and I think the more probable expoſition is, that Samſon is here meant, and that he is called Bedan, becauſe he was of the tribe of Dan; for Bedan ſignifieth in Dan, or, of Dan, and Bendan ſignifieth the ſonne of Dan. As for Samuels ſpeaking of himſelf as of a third perſon, it is uſuall in the Scripture, as we ſee Gen. 4.23. And Lamech ſaid unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my ſpeech: for I have ſlain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt. He particularly puts them in mind of Gods delivering them by him, becauſe the deliverance which God had given them by him, was beſt known to them, and beſt ſerved to condemn them for rejecting in his dayes that government which God had ſettled among them, and that in part for fear of their enemies.
Verſ. 14. Then ſhall both ye, and alſo the king that reigneth over you, continue following the Lord your God.] That is, God will not deſtroy you, but you ſhall ſtill continue a peculiar people to the Lord, ſhrouded under his conduct and protection.
Verſ. 17. Is it not wheat-harveſt to-day? I will call unto the Lord, and he ſhall ſend thunder and rain.] In Paleſtina thunder and rain in wheat-harveſt was moſt unuſuall, whence is that of Solomon. Prov. 26.1. As ſnow in ſummer, and as rain in harveſt: ſo honour is not ſeemly for a fool: and that Amos 4.7. And alſo I have with-holden the rain from you, when there were yet three moneths to the harvest; and I cauſed it to rain upon one city, and cauſed it not to rain upon another city. Now the rather did the Lord convince them of their ſinne by this miracle, becauſe hereby they might ſee their folly, both in rejecting the Lord, ſuch a mighty protectour, who was able by thunder to deſtroy their enemies, as they had ſeen formerly chap. 7.10. and likewiſe in rejecting Samuel, who could by his prayers fetch down thunder and rain from heaven.
Verſ. 18. And the Lord ſent thunder and rain that day.] To wit, in ſome very extraordinary manner, in ſo much that the people were not onelyonly fully convinced hereby, that they had ſinned in deſiring a king, but were alſo afraid that by this terrible tempeſt they ſhould have been deſtroyed; whence is that in the following verſe, Pray for thy ſervants unto the Lord thy God, that we die not.
Verſ. 20. And Samuel ſaid unto the people, Fear not.] That is, deſpair not of Gods goodneſſe and mercy.
Verſ. 21. And turn ye not aſide: for then ſhould ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver.] Idols may be the vain things here principally meant, as Deut. 32.21. They have moved me to jealouſie with that which is not God, they have provoked me to anger with their vanities: and Jer. 2.5. Thus ſaith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone farre from me, and have walked after vanitie, and are become vain? but withall we may well underſtand it of every thing elſe, wherein they ſhould ſeek for help and happineſſe, having turned aſide from following the Lord.
Verſ. 22. For the Lord will not forſake his people, for his great names ſake.] That is, becauſe Gods name is called upon you, and ſo it would not be for his glory to forſake you; and indeed all the good which God doth for his Church and people, is more for his own glory, then for any good he ſees in them.
Verſ. 23. Moreover, as for me, God forbid that I ſhould ſinne againſt the Lord, in ceaſing to pray for you.] They had deſired him to pray for them, verſ. 19. but the injury they had done him might make them fear he would not regard them; the rather, becauſe the thunder he had prayed for, might argue ſome diſpleaſure conceived in him againſt them, and therefore he aſſures them that he would not ceaſe neither to pray for them, nor to inſtruct them, but (ſaith he) I will teach you the good and the right way.
Verſ. 24. OnelyOnly fear the Lord, and ſerve him in truth, &c.] As though he ſhould ſay, elſe my praying for you will do you no good.