Глава 12

Samuel's resignation as judge of the people. Samuel's farewell speech to the people. 1 Samuel 12:1. And Samuel said to all Israel, Behold, I have obeyed your voice in all that you have spoken to me, and I have set a king over you, 1 Samuel 12:2. and behold, a king walks before you; and I have grown old and gray; and my sons are with you; I have walked before you from my youth until this day; 1 Samuel 12:3. here I am; bear witness against me before the Lord and before His anointed, from whom I took an ox, from whom I took a donkey, from whom I offended and oppressed, from whom I took a gift and closed my eyes in the deed - and I will return it to you. 1 Samuel 12:4. And they answered: you did not offend us or oppress us and you did not take anything from anyone. 1 Samuel 12:5. And he said to them, The Lord is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have found nothing behind me. And they said: witness. The meaning of the speech is this: “Your desire is fulfilled, you have the king you wanted. My work as a judge among you is finished. I don’t know what the king will be like for you; as for me, I cannot reproach myself for any injustice towards you...” The people testified to the truth of Samuel’s words, after which the prophet addressed the people with a word of edification, fully confident that the people would see in this edification only the desire for the good of this people (1 Samuel 12:6-25 v.). 1 Samuel 12:6. Then Samuel said to the people: [is the witness] the Lord, who appointed Moses and Aaron, and who brought up your fathers out of the land of Egypt. 1 Samuel 12:7. Now stand up, and I will plead with you before the Lord for all the good deeds that He showed you and your fathers. 1 Samuel 12:8. When Jacob came to Egypt, and your fathers cried out to the Lord, the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, and they brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 1 Samuel 12:9. But they forgot the Lord their God, and He delivered them into the hand of Sisera, the commander of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, who fought against them. 1 Samuel 12:10. But when they cried out to the Lord and said: “We have sinned, for we have forsaken the Lord and served the Baals and the Asherahs, now deliver us from the hand of our enemies, and we will serve You,” 1 Samuel 12:11. Then the Lord sent Jerubbaal, and Barak, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you from the hand of your enemies who were around you, and you lived safely. 1 Samuel 12:12. But when you saw that King Nahash of Ammon was coming against you, you said to me, “No, let a king reign over us,” while the Lord your God is your King. 1 Samuel 12:13. Now, here is the king whom you have chosen, whom you have demanded: behold, the Lord has set a king over you. 1 Samuel 12:14. If you fear the Lord and serve Him and listen to His voice, and do not resist the commandments of the Lord, and you and your king who reigns over you walk after the Lord your God, [then the hand of the Lord will not be against you]; 1 Samuel 12:15. But if you do not listen to the voice of the Lord and begin to resist the commandments of the Lord, then the hand of the Lord will be against you, as it was against your fathers. 1 Samuel 12:16. Now stand and see the great work that the Lord will do before your eyes: 1 Samuel 12:17. Is this not the harvest of wheat? But I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain, and you will know and see how great the sin you committed in the eyes of the Lord, asking for a king for yourself. 1 Samuel 12:18. And Samuel cried to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain that day; and all the people came into great fear from the Lord and from Samuel. 1 Samuel 12:19. And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for thy servants before the LORD thy God, lest we die; for to all our sins we added another sin when we asked for a king. 1 Samuel 12:20. And Samuel answered the people: Do not be afraid, this sin was committed by you, but do not depart from the Lord and serve the Lord with all your heart 1 Samuel 12:21. and do not turn after insignificant gods, who will not bring benefit and will not deliver; for they are nothing; 1 Samuel 12:22. The Lord will not abandon His people for the sake of His great name, for the Lord was pleased to choose you as His people; 1 Samuel 12:23. and I also will not allow myself to sin before the Lord to stop praying for you, and I will guide you on the good and straight path; 1 Samuel 12:24. only fear the Lord and serve Him truly, with all your heart, for you have seen what great things He has done to you; 1 Samuel 12:25. if you do evil, then both you and your king will perish. The meaning of the prophet’s admonition is this: “Until now you have not had a king, but the Lord God has always saved you from your enemies as soon as you turned to Him. And then suddenly they demanded an earthly king for protection from enemies! As if the Lord can no longer save you and as if the earthly king himself can bring you this salvation! You have revealed a shameful lack of faith in God's help and excessive reliance on the strength of your own spear and sword. Know that just as without a king you were saved from enemies only when you did not deviate from the Lord and served Him with all your heart, so it will certainly be with the king. The royal power will be powerless to save you as soon as there is no inner moral strength within you. If you and your king walk after the Lord your God, no evil will befall you; If you begin to resist the commandments of the Lord, then know: you and your king will perish. And that everything I have said is true, the Lord will now confirm with a sign” (16-18). “Isn’t this the wheat harvest today? But I will call on the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain." In Palestine there are two periods of rain per year - early and late (Deut. 11:14); early (in relation to the beginning of the Jewish civil year from September) is the autumn rainy period, falling in the months of October and November; late - spring, falling at the end of February, March and beginning of April. In May and early June, when the wheat is being harvested, there is no rain at all: Canaanite rain at this time would be as strange as, in the words of the Wise One, snow in summer (Proverbs 26:1). You might be interested in: