Day 1058: Don't turn away - 1 Samuel 12:14- 25

14-15 If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey his voice and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord, and if both you and the king who reigns over you will follow the Lord your God, it will be well. But if you will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you and your king. 16-17 Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call upon the Lord, that he may send thunder and rain. And you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking for yourselves a king.” 18 So Samuel called upon the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared the Lord and Samuel. 19 And all the people said to Samuel, “Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins this evil, to ask for ourselves a king.”

20-21 And Samuel said to the people, “Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart. And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty. 22 For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself. 23 Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you, and I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 24-25 Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you. But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.” 1 Samuel 12:14-25 English Standard Version

Despite everything God had done for them over hundreds of years, the Israelites demanded a king. So God gave them a king, and He granted the king a wonderful victory over a huge Ammonite army. Perhaps the people now felt justified in having demanded a king. Human nature can be quick to interpret any success as meaning we are on the right track! But what was the real situation? (vs 16-17)

They had been terribly wrong to reject God's protection to demand a king. Yet, because our hearts can be so stubborn in thinking we are in the right, Samuel asked God for a sign to show them they had done wickedly. And God sent a storm at a time of the year when it was most unusual. What was the people's response when they realised that God was affirming Samuel's words, that they had indeed sinned greatly by turning their backs on Him? (vs 19)

They pleaded with Samuel to be their mediator, and to ask God for forgiveness so that their disobedience would not lead to death – their own death, and the death of the nation. They were in the position of any and all who have rejected God's Lordship, and gone their own way. Yet what was God's amazing response? (vs 22)

Because He had chosen to make His name known to the world through Israel, God would not forsake them. Even their sin would not cause God to disown them. Christians today can draw at least three lessons from this. Firstly, it's because Jesus said “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37), that a believer is able to humbly confess their sin, and know for sure that God will not disown us. Secondly, just as the Israelites were encouraged by Samuel's words “far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray for you” (vs 23) – so we also can draw encouragement from what the apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:1-2. He said “My little children, I'm writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

The third lesson is that God's mercy should lead to fresh obedience. In vs 14-15 Samuel reminded them how both they and the king needed to remain faithful to the Lord, and not turn away from Him. And in vs 24-25 he warns them how they and the nation would come to grief if they thought grace and forgiveness meant they could continue to live wickedly. Sin will surely trip us up on our journey. But we mustn't let our stumbles turn us away from Christ. Fear the Lord, said Samuel, and serve Him faithfully with all your heart.