1 Samuel 12:19-25

1 Samuel 12:19-25

[19] And all the people  said  unto Samuel,  Pray  for thy servants  unto the LORD  thy God,  that we die  not: for we have added  unto all our sins  this evil,  to ask  us a king.  [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  [25] But if ye shall still  ye shall be consumed,  both ye and your king. 

What does 1 Samuel 12:19-25 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The people"s rebellion against God was not something they could undo. Consequences would follow. Nevertheless Samuel counseled them to follow and serve the Lord faithfully from then on. They should not fear that God would abandon them because of their sin of demanding a king. He would not cast them off because He had promised to stay with them and had committed Himself to them ( Exodus 19:5-6). His name (reputation) would suffer if He abandoned them.
Not only did the Israelites need to walk in obedience to God, they also needed the supportive intercession of Samuel that would bring down God"s enablement so they could follow Him faithfully. This Samuel promised them too. Intercession is a vitally important ministry of leaders of God"s people, and Samuel realized this ( Jeremiah 15:1; Psalm 99:6).
"Prophetic intercession is regarded as essential to Israel"s continued prosperity; only when her doom is sealed is a prophet told to desist ( Jeremiah 11:14; Jeremiah 14:11). Samuel"s ministry of intercession and teaching, exercised independently of the offices of state, becomes the norm for those who followed him in the prophetic succession. These are "the irreducible aspects of the prophetic office" (McCarter, p219)." [1]
To fear and serve God faithfully, the Israelites would need to remember God"s faithfulness to them in the past, and to bear in mind the certain consequences of disobedience (cf. Deuteronomy 28:41; Deuteronomy 28:45-64; Deuteronomy 30:15-20). The dark alternative was being swept away in exile.
This chapter sets forth clearly the basic principles by which God deals with His people. As such it is very important. It explains why things happened as they did in Israel and in the personal lives of the major characters that the writer emphasized. God articulated these principles earlier in the Torah, but He repeated them here.
In chapters8-12 , the record emphasizes that even though the people insisted on having a human king instead of God, God gave them one who was personally admirable and victorious in battle. Everything about Saul in these chapters is positive. God gave blessing to His people as long as their representative submitted to His authority.