Chapter 12

And when they forgot the Lord their God, He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; (1 Samuel 12:9)

God permitted a disobedient Israel to be dominated by their adversaries, as a form of chastisement designed to bring them to repentance. A hard truth to swallow is that God’s discipline is just as righteous as His deliverance.

And the Lord sent Jerubbaal, Bedan, Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and you dwelt in safety. (1 Samuel 12:11)

In the book of Judges, Bedan does not make an appearance at all. It's possible that he was a deliverer who was famous in their history but whose exploits were not documented in the Book of Judges.

Is today not the wheat harvest? I will call to the Lord, and He will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord, in asking a king for yourselves.” (1 Samuel 12:17)

Heavy thunder and rain during the harvest could destroy all their crops. This also marked a sign of divine displeasure.

And do not turn aside; for then you would go after empty things which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. (1 Samuel 12:21)

The prophet Samuel warned the children of Israel not to go after empty things. He further warned them that these empty things would be characterised by their inability to profit or deliver. 

In the New Testament, we are warned about false teachers who do not profit or are unable to deliver what the word promises. 

“These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved forever.”  (2 Peter 2:17)

“clouds they are without water, carried about of winds. (Jude 12)

Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you (1 Samuel 12:23)

Prayerlessness is sin. We need to be honest about this. Prophet Samuel made this clear when he promised the people of Israel that he would pray for them:

Samuel recognized that a failure to pray for God’s people was a sin against God.

Lord Jesus warned us in Matthew 26:41: “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.” Prayerlessness will allow the arrows of temptation to hit us which lead us deeper and deeper in the mire of sin.

Also, Samuel could have felt hurt that the people rejected him and the LORD as leaders over the nation. He could have harboured ill will toward the people and chosen not to pray for them but Samuel was indeed a true man of God.