Year of the Bible
1 Samuel 12
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Commentary on the First Book of Samuel, Chapter 12:
Now that Saul is publicly recognized as King, Samuel takes a step back from his leadership position. He calls the people together with a final public message. He points out that he has taken nothing from the people during his time of service. This sets him apart from the future kings who will take taxes, livestock, and children (8:11-17). Samuel reminds the people of their heritage with God and how, as long as they were obedient and repentant, God brought victory against their enemies. Despite all God had done for them, they still wanted a human King. Samuel concludes by explaining how their past history teaches that they and their King must be obedient if they want continued peace and prosperity.
The First Book of Samuel, Chapter 12:
Samuel’s Farewell Address
1 And Samuel said to all Israel, “Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you have said to me, and have made a king over you. 2 And now, behold, the king walks before you; and I am old and gray, and behold, my sons are with you; and I have walked before you from my youth until this day. 3 Here I am; testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? Or whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? Or from whose hand have I taken a bribe to blind my eyes with it? Testify against me and I will restore it to you.” 4 They said, “You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man’s hand.” 5 And he said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” And they said, “He is witness.”
6 And Samuel said to the people, “The Lord is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 7 Now therefore stand still, that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the saving deeds of the Lord which he performed for you and for your fathers. 8 When Jacob went into Egypt and the Egyptians oppressed them, then your fathers cried to the Lord and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them dwell in this place. 9 But
they forgot the Lord their God; and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Jabin king of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them. 10 And they cried to the Lord, and said, ‘We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and have served the Baals and the Ashtaroth; but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11 And the Lord sent Jerubbaal and Barak, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety. 12 And when you saw that Nahash the king of the Ammonites came against you, you said to me, ‘No, but a king shall reign over us,’ when the Lord your God was your king. 13 And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you. 14 If you will fear the Lord and serve him and listen to 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; 15 but if you will not listen to 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 Now therefore stand still and see this great thing, which the Lord will do before your eyes. 17 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 And Samuel said to the people, “Fear not; you have done all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart; 21 and do not turn aside after vain things which cannot profit or save, for they are vain. 22 For the Lord will not cast away 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 Only fear the Lord, and serve him faithfully with all your heart; for consider what great things he has done for you. 25 But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king.”
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
The Israelites sinned in asking for a king because it showed that even after all that God did for them in bringing them up out of Egypt, sustaining them in the wilderness, and giving them a land to dwell in, they still did not trust Him to be their leader. Lord, are there areas in my life where I am choosing unholy self-reliance rather than to trust you?
Biblical Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan. Join a Catholic Biblical School of Michigan class this September at Holy Family in Grand Blanc, or online.
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this.
If you're looking for a good Catholic edition of the Bible, look no further.
1 Samuel dijo a todo Israel:
–He atendido a cuantos ruegos
me habéis hecho y he designado un
rey sobre vosotros. 2 En adelante, el rey
irá al frente de vosotros y os guiará. Yo
soy ya viejo, he encanecido, y mis hijos
son uno más entre vosotros. He ido al
frente de vosotros y os he guiado desde
mi juventud hasta el día de hoy. 3 Aquí
estoy. Acusadme ante el Señor o ante su
ungido: ¿a quién he quitado un buey y
un asno? ¿A quién he humillado o he
perjudicado? ¿De quién he recibido soborno
para inclinar mis ojos hacia él?
Estoy dispuesto a restituiros.
4 Respondieron:
–No nos has explotado ni nos has
perjudicado. No has recibido nada de
manos de nadie.
5 Samuel añadió:
–Testigo es el Señor y testigo es su
ungido de que no habéis encontrado en
mí nada culpable.
Y el pueblo contestó:
–Testigos son.
6 Samuel dijo al pueblo:
–Testigo es el Señor que suscitó a
Moisés y a Aarón, el que hizo subir a
vuestros padres del país de Egipto. 7 Ahora,
pues, congregaos y os juzgaré ante el
Señor por todos los beneficios que el Señor
ha obrado con vosotros y con vuestros
padres. 8 Jacob y los suyos llegaron
a Egipto y los egipcios les oprimieron;
vuestros padres clamaron al Señor, y el
Señor les envió a Moisés y a Aarón y los
sacó de Egipto, estableciéndolos en este
lugar. 9 Ellos, en cambio, se olvidaron del
Señor, su Dios, y Él los entregó en manos
de Sísara, jefe del ejército de Jasor,
en manos de los filisteos y en manos del
rey de Moab, que lucharon contra ellos.
10 Luego suplicaron al Señor diciendo:
«Hemos pecado porque hemos abandonado
al Señor y hemos servido a los baales
y a sus astartés; pero líbranos de la
mano de nuestros enemigos y te serviremos
». 11 Entonces el Señor envió a Yerubaal,
a Barac, a Jefté y a Samuel, os libró
de la mano de los enemigos que os rodeaban
y pudisteis vivir en paz.
12 »Pero cuando visteis que Najás, rey
de los amonitas, venía contra vosotros
me dijisteis: «No. Tendremos un rey que
nos gobierne», siendo así que vuestro
rey es el Señor, vuestro Dios. 13 He aquí,
pues, a vuestro rey, el que habéis elegido
para vosotros, el que habéis pedido:
el Señor ya os ha dado un rey. 14 Si teméis
al Señor y le servís, si escucháis su voz y
no despreciáis lo que os diga, tanto vosotros
como el rey que os gobierne, seréis
fieles seguidores del Señor, vuestro
Dios. 15 Pero si no escucháis su voz y despreciáis
lo que el Señor os diga, la mano
del Señor caerá sobre vosotros y sobre
vuestro rey hasta dispersaros. 16 Y ahora,
congregaos y contemplad un gran
acontecimiento que el Señor va a realizar
ante vosotros. 17 Ahora es el tiempo
de la siega del trigo, ¿verdad? Pues invocaré
al Señor y enviará truenos y lluvia;
así reconoceréis y veréis que habéis cometido
ante el Señor una gran maldad
al pedir un rey sobre vosotros.
18 Samuel, en efecto, invocó al Señor
y, ese mismo día, el Señor envió truenos
y lluvia. Y todo el pueblo recobró el
temor a Dios y a Samuel. 19 Y el pueblo
dijo a Samuel:
–Ruega por tus siervos al Señor, tu
Dios, para que no muramos. Pues hemos
añadido a todos nuestros pecados
el más grave, pedirnos un rey.
20 Samuel tranquilizó al pueblo:
–No temáis. Vosotros habéis cometido
esta maldad. En adelante no volváis
la espalda al Señor; servidle con todo
vuestro corazón. 21 No os alejéis tras los
que no son nada, que ni os aprovechan
ni os salvan, porque no son nada. 22 En
verdad, el Señor, por el honor de su gran
nombre, no abandonará a su pueblo,
porque el Señor se ha dignado hacer de
vosotros su pueblo. 23 Por mi parte, lejos
de mí pecar contra el Señor dejando de
rogar por vosotros o de enseñaros el camino
bueno y recto. 24 Por tanto, temed
al Señor y servidle fielmente y de todo
corazón, puesto que habéis contemplado
las hazañas que ha hecho con vosotros.
25 Pero si os obstináis en el mal, pereceréis
vosotros y vuestro rey
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
Los israelitas pecaron al pedir un rey, demostrando que, incluso después de todo lo que Dios hizo por ellos al sacarlos de Egipto, mantenerlos en el desierto y darles una tierra en la que habitaran; no confiaban en El para ser su lider. Señor, ¿hay áreas en mi vida en las que estoy eligiendo una independencia no santa en lugar de confiar en ti?
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).