1 Samuel 12:1-5

1 Samuel 12:1-5

[1] And Samuel  said  unto all Israel,  Behold, I have hearkened  unto your voice  in all that ye said  unto me, and have made  a king  over you. [2] And now, behold, the king  walketh  before  you: and I am old  and grayheaded;  and, behold, my sons  are with you: and I have walked  before  you from my childhood  unto this day.  [3] Behold, here I am: witness  against me before the LORD,  and before his anointed:  whose ox  have I taken?  or whose ass  have I taken?  or whom have I defrauded?  whom have I oppressed?  or of whose hand  have I received any bribe  to blind  mine eyes  therewith? and I will restore  it you. [4] And they said,  Thou hast not defrauded  us, nor oppressed  us, neither hast thou taken  ought  of any man's  hand.  [5] And he said  unto them, The LORD  is witness  against you, and his anointed  is witness  this day,  that ye have not found  ought  in my hand.  And they answered,  He is witness. 

What does 1 Samuel 12:1-5 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

Why did Samuel feel the need to justify his behavior publicly? Perhaps he knew that because the people had rebelled against God by demanding a king, they would experience discipline from the Lord. When it came, he did not want anyone to think he was responsible for it. Also, it is likely that Samuel took the people"s request for a king as a personal rejection of himself. [1] He probably wanted to show the people that they had no reason to reject him because of his behavior. Samuel"s words may seem to expose personal pride. I think more probably they express his concern that no one should conclude that living a life of commitment to God, as he had lived, would bring God"s discipline. The discipline to come would be a result of the sin of the people, not Samuel"s. Furthermore, by his life and ministry among them, Samuel had given the people no reason for demanding a king. He was also seeking to vindicate the type of rule he represented that was God"s will for Israel then.
"Here, as in 1 Samuel 8:11-18, a keyword is the verb take: if kingship was to be characterized by the tendency to take rather than to give, it was otherwise with the prophet. As he stepped down from high office, Samuel"s hands were empty ( 1 Samuel 12:5)." [2]