1 Samuel 12:1

I have hearkened. The kingdom of God is based upon the principle of free choice. The fact that God knows the end from the beginning does not in any way limit man’s making his own decisions (see Ed 178). When God made known to the people before they entered Palestine that the time would come when they would ask for a king (Deut. 17:14), He was not expressing His will in the matter, but only unfolding to them the course events would take.

In all that ye said. God had given them a king who measured up to their ideals, at least in so far as appearance was concerned, and seemed also to meet the spiritual standards desired by God. During the past few months Saul had proved himself to be possessed of the Spirit of God. He was quiet of demeanor, patient toward his enemies, humble before the Lord, obedient to the counsel of the prophet, energetic in warfare, decisive in emergencies, and foremost in self-sacrifice.

A king over you. Had the Lord permitted Israel to hold an election, the political aspirations of the larger tribes would no doubt have resulted in confusion and bitter division. Through the casting of lots, one was taken from the smallest of the tribes. Israel was to realize the continuing need of divine guidance. Even though they now had a king in accordance with their desires, they must remember that it is not by might nor by power but by the Spirit of God that progress can be made (see Zech. 4:6). They should have been willing to follow their judge, Samuel, who had led them through many a crisis during the decades of his ministration. But now that their decision in favor of a monarchical form of government had been irrevocably confirmed, Samuel sought to make it clear to them that a leader can go no faster than his people are willing to follow, and that his moves must be conditioned by their voluntary choice. Though he sensed untold dangers ahead, he bore no resentment in his heart toward them, nor did he in any way whatsoever forsake them and leave them to their own devices.

Here I am. The aged prophet was not self-centered. He sought to bring the people, now greatly excited as a result of their recent victories and happy over the appointment of a king, calmly to take inventory of God’s dealings in the past and to survey the prospects of the future. Under the monarchy now established Samuel’s services as judge would no longer be needed. The king would surround himself with men of war (ch. 14:52), and the moral influence of Samuel would be overshadowed by the physical force at Saul’s command. Yet Samuel could still be God’s spokesman and could still be the channel through which the Spirit of God would direct His people.

It was a time of great crisis for Samuel, and he felt that to a large extent the convincing quality of the message he was about to present depended upon his own integrity of character. Except for this his counsel would have little weight. They had known him from his birth; they had known of his work as a prophet; they were witnesses of his conduct as judge and prophet; they knew of his exemplary character; they were personally acquainted with the justice and fairness of his judicial decisions; they readily admitted that he had never enriched himself by his office; they were convinced that his sole object in life was to enforce the mandates of God for their welfare.

Samuel’s life shows distinctly that character, like a plant, is of gradual growth. From his childhood, a spirit of consecration had controlled his faculties. As the sap supplies the elements of growth to the plant, so the Holy Spirit became an inner, silent force permeating all his thoughts, feelings, and actions, until all men could see that his life followed the divine pattern. Samuel’s symmetrical character was the result of individual acts of duty, performed under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Thus it is today. “In all who submit to His power the Spirit of God will consume sin” (DA 107). It is fully as possible to be a Samuel today as it was a thousand years before Christ.