1 Samuel 12

The Explanation

The whole nation stood together on a wide field. Wheat stood ripe in the sun, golden and dry. Not a cloud in the sky. It was harvest time, the driest time of the year.

An old man walked to the front. His hair was grey, his back was bent. This was Samuel. He had listened to God since he was a little boy, and now he was old.

"Look at me," Samuel said. "I have walked in front of you my whole life. So tell me now. Whose ox did I steal? Whose donkey did I take? Did I ever cheat anybody? Did I ever take money to look the other way? Say it out loud, and I will give it all back."

It was quiet. Then the people called back, "You never cheated us. You never took anything."

Samuel nodded. But he was not finished. He began to tell them their own story, the way a grandfather tells it, and everyone listened.

"Remember Egypt? Your great-great-grandparents were slaves there. They cried, and God sent Moses. God brought them out. And then they forgot Him. Enemies came with swords and chariots. So they cried again, and God rescued them again. Over and over. God kept saving you."

Then Samuel's voice changed. "And now? An enemy king came, and you did not cry to God. You said, 'Give us a king!' But God was already your King."

Samuel looked at the golden wheat. "Stand still," he said, "and watch what God will do."

He lifted his hands and prayed out loud.

And then, in the driest month of the whole year, the sky turned black. Thunder cracked. Rain came pouring down on the harvest field.

The people were terrified. They grabbed Samuel's arm. "Pray for us! We don't want to die! We asked for a king, and it was wrong."

Would you have been scared too?

But listen to what the old man said. "Don't be afraid."

What Does This Mean?

That is a strange thing to say when the thunder is still rolling. You did something wrong, and God says: don't be afraid.

Samuel did not pretend it was nothing. He said plainly, "You have indeed done all this evil." That was true. But then he said something better: don't run away from God now. Turn back to Him. Serve Him with your whole heart.

And Samuel gave them the reason. God will not leave His people, because God chose them and God keeps His word. Not because they were good. Because He is.

Then Samuel promised something. "Far be it from me that I should sin against Yahweh in ceasing to pray for you." Meaning: I will never stop praying for you. Never.

The Common Thread

Samuel stood between God and the people. He prayed for them when they had messed everything up. He taught them the good and the right way.

Long after Samuel, someone else came who does exactly that, only better and forever. Jesus prays for His people too. He does not stop when we fail. He stands between us and God, and He tells us the same thing Samuel told that soaking wet crowd: don't be afraid, come back, God still wants you.

For You

When you do something wrong, what do you want to do? Hide under your bed. Say it was your brother. Hope nobody notices.

This week, try the harder thing. Go and say it: "I did it. I'm sorry." To your mum, your dad, your friend. And then say it to God too, out loud in your room.

And do what Samuel did. Pick one person and pray for them every day this week. Someone who is sad, or sick, or who nobody plays with. Don't stop.

Talk About It

Why do you think God sent thunder and rain instead of just telling the people they were wrong?

Who is someone you could promise to pray for, like Samuel promised?

Praying Together

God, thank You that You do not leave us, even when we get it wrong. Help us to say sorry instead of hiding. Thank You that Jesus keeps praying for us. Amen.