The first government given to Israel was the highest conceivable—the direct government of God. They could say with truth, “The Lord is our Judge, the Lord is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King.” That they should prove themselves unworthy of this supreme honor, this exalted government, which set them above all the nations of the earth, might perhaps be expected; but that they should reject it was the basest ingratitude, and, surrounded as they were by powerful enemies on all sides, the greatest folly. It was this grave dishonor put upon the Lord which called forth the address that now invites our attention. “They have not rejected thee,” God said to Samuel, “but they have rejected Me that I should not reign over them.”
We need not dwell now on Samuel's challenge as to his own conduct among them from childhood. It evidently afforded no excuse for their sin, and this they own. He was free therefore to remind them of the faithful and merciful ways of the Lord with them, and for this the prophet was eminently fitted, not only by his gifts but by his experiences. His memorial (Ebenezer) tells us how he loved to recall past help and deliverances, and he could well bid them “stand still, that he might reason with them before the Lord of all the righteous acts of the Lord which He did to them and their fathers.” It is probable that we have only a brief summary of this address, but the scope of the retrospect which he takes is complete. He begins with Jacob going down into Egypt, and he continues it to his own time when, notwithstanding all their sins, “the Lord had delivered them out of the hand of their enemies on every side, and they dwelled safe.” What a moment to manifest their distrust of Him! What a time to desire a man to take the place of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel!
But we shall be in danger of falling under the condemnation of the hypocrite in Matt. 7:4-54Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye? 5Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye. (Matthew 7:4‑5) if, while dwelling on their sin, we lose sight of the ingratitude and folly of the church, and it may be of ourselves. That God was present in the church of a truth even strangers owned where His word was obeyed. That Christ by the Spirit was supreme, the Son over the house of God, is clearly revealed. That there were diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit; differences of administration, but the same Lord diversities of operations, but the same God Who worketh all in all, is insisted on in scripture with peculiar emphasis. But when the pure worship of God by the Spirit declined, and confidence in the flesh revived, when the love of Christ waned and delight in His assured presence with those gathered to His name failed, the desire for a visible head arose. The spiritual rule and order of 1 Cor. 12 xiv. no longer sufficed, nay, was even counted as disorder, and contentions began as to what was to take its place. Enemies poured in on every side, grievous wolves not sparing the flock, and even those who ought to have fed it as the flock of God, sought to draw the sheep after themselves and thus have flocks of their own. But Paul, who foresaw the danger, pointed out the only resource—return to dependence on God, and obedience of His word. “And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified” (Acts 20). Paul's farewell address and Samuel's are remarkably alike; and the church has heeded the one as little as Israel the other.
This digression seemed to be needed, but the reader will judge. We return to the address. With intense solemnity Samuel told them that, although the Lord will never change His purposes, He assuredly would change His method of procedure with them, and God accompanied the warning with thunder and rain, although it was wheat-harvest, a sign that, if it reminded them of the discomfiture of the Philistines at Mizpah, it also bore witness to their own danger of provoking the anger of the Lord as they had done. As to the divine purpose he said, “The Lord will not forsake His people for His great name's sake; because it hath pleased the Lord to make you His people.” This is absolute; the sovereign purpose of love which nothing can change. Israel is “the dearly beloved of His soul” (Jer. 12:77I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage; I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies. (Jeremiah 12:7)). But, as they had desired a king and thrown off their allegiance to the Lord, Samuel told them plainly that in this self-chosen position all would depend on their conduct, “If ye shall do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.”
And here we may again pause, because, for abiding peace and humble submission under the mighty hand of God, it is most important for every Christian to distinguish, as Samuel did here, between the purposes of God for His people and His ways with them. In His absolute and unchanging grace “He will not forsake them,” though in His dealings in government “He will consume them.” According to the conclusions of the natural mind these two principles are so opposed that any attempt to reconcile them would appear to be hopeless, and, as a fact, two schools of doctrine divide Christendom on them. Yet to faith there is no difficulty, for faith brings in God. They simply resolve themselves into this, Is the Lord not to use the rod with a people whom He loves and saves? Or shall He not save a people on whom He may inflict the rod? Christians are sadly afraid of an “if,” although it is a very salutary little word to a dormant conscience. The effort to get rid of the whole point of the exhortation in Heb. 12:2929For our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:29), “For our God is a consuming fire,” by interpreting it, “God out of Christ,” is another proof of the difficulty that some find in this subject. They forget that it is an inspired apostle writing to his brethren who says, “Our God,” and hence the need of grace to worship Him aright (ver. 28). Think of the crowds of professed worshippers every Lord's day and is not the exhortation needed by Christians now as much as by the Hebrews? But in the case of Israel we must bear in mind that when their salvation is spoken of it is as a nation and for the earth, while the salvation which the gospel offers is of individuals and for heaven; but these two principles apply to both. Israel is now cast out of their land, scattered among the nations, and often treated with exceptional rigor, as now in Russia. The question is raised in Rom. 11. Are they cast off as well as cast out? Paul admits the latter, but denies the former. He says that severity characterizes the dealings of God with them now because of their unbelief; but he also says, “all Israel shall be saved." Severity is the dealing of God in government. Salvation is His purpose, the fruit of His grace. They, having forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters, have to learn experimentally the evil of hewing them out cisterns that can hold no water. How soon they proved it in their first king, Saul. His desired reign ended in disaster and death. They are proving it now under the Gentile yoke, which they wickedly preferred to the Prince of life, heartlessly saying to Pilate, to force him to crucify Jesus, “We have no King but Caesar.” And they will finally and more bitterly prove it when they receive the one of whom the Lord spake in John 5, who shall come in his own name, the king who shall do according to his will (Dan. 11:36-3936And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done. 37Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor regard any god: for he shall magnify himself above all. 38But in his estate shall he honor the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honor with gold, and silver, and with precious stones, and pleasant things. 39Thus shall he do in the most strong holds with a strange god, whom he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall divide the land for gain. (Daniel 11:36‑39)).
No prophecy concerning the sufferings has failed, and assuredly none will, for God will never let His word fall to the ground. “You only have I known of all the families of the earth: therefore will I punish you for all your iniquities.” Shall He prove less faithful as to their promised future blessings? Impossible. “Thus saith the Lord: Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them” (Jer. 32:4242For thus saith the Lord; Like as I have brought all this great evil upon this people, so will I bring upon them all the good that I have promised them. (Jeremiah 32:42)). Would we know something of this good? Read Isa. 60; Isa. 65:17-2517For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. 18But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. 19And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying. 20There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accursed. 21And they shall build houses, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. 22They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. 23They shall not labor in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord, and their offspring with them. 24And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. 25The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 65:17‑25); Isa. 66:10-1610Rejoice ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her: 11That ye may suck, and be satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that ye may milk out, and be delighted with the abundance of her glory. 12For thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream: then shall ye suck, ye shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled upon her knees. 13As one whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be comforted in Jerusalem. 14And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the Lord shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. 15For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. 16For by fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many. (Isaiah 66:10‑16); (et al. freq.).
And now as to individual souls. The first truth of the gospel is extremely simple—God is just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus (Rom. 3). That is, every believer in Jesus is accounted righteous by God. “It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth?” From this first point of blessing, which cannot fail to faith, the Spirit of God leads on to others, until in Romans chap. viii. the purpose of God in them all is disclosed. It is this: to conform all those whom He has justified to the image of His Son, that He might be the first-born among many brethren. No higher glory, no more perfect bliss, can be communicated to the creature, and in the purpose and the power of God it shall be reached by all the justified. Their chain of blessings are here seen to stretch from eternity to eternity, and the last link is as certain as the first.
When however we read in Gal. 6, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to the flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting,” we are clearly upon other ground; the ground of the righteous government of God in respect of conduct here. He will visit faults now which he has forgiven for eternity. Hence the Christian's duty is to keep a close watch on himself, for “if we would judge ourselves we should not be judged. But when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world” (1 Cor. 11:3131For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. (1 Corinthians 11:31)). The chastenings specially referred to here are weakness, sickness, and death (ver. 30), and are purely temporal; while condemnation, from which they are distinguished, is eternal. The adorable fullness and clearness with which these two principles are treated in scripture must be our plea for dwelling thus on this part of Samuel's address. Let the reader search for himself, and he will have cause to say with Augustine, “Adoro plenitudinem scripturæ.”
A brief word now as to Samuel himself. There was real nobility of character displayed in him at this time, and all by grace. Whatever the ingratitude of the people in desiring his deposition after he had served them from childhood with spotless integrity and sincere devotion; whatever the secret sorrow of his heart for having listened to nature in his old age in making his sons judges, instead of leaving it with the Lord; whatever the shame brought on him by those sons, nothing of self appears. He would still serve the people of God in the only way left, he would not cease to pray for them. He was a man of prayer, an intercessor of whom the Spirit makes honorable mention in later times (Psa. 99; Jer. 15:11Then said the Lord unto me, Though Moses and Samuel stood before me, yet my mind could not be toward this people: cast them out of my sight, and let them go forth. (Jeremiah 15:1)). Once indeed he failed, in the matter of his sons, and the elders of Israel took occasion of an aged man's faults to accomplish what their unbelieving hearts were set upon, making it the ostensible reason for asking for a king. The plea was a weak one even if true, but it was not true. It was their utter want of faith in God in the presence of some threatened attack of the Ammonites (ver. 12); Ebenezer was lost on them. They chose their own method of deliverance to their shame and subsequent ruin. Samuel went patiently on, seeking the good of the nation and their king; and the Lord was with him. Saul's course made this unselfish path most difficult and distressing; but in it Samuel was brought to know the man after God's own heart, the king of His sovereign choice, and to share in his rejection. “So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth” (1 Sam. 19:1818So David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth. (1 Samuel 19:18)). It was a beautiful close to a remarkable life. All confidence in the flesh was gone. The difficult lesson of true separation from it was learned, and Samuel now found all his rest in communion with David at a time when, in his experiences, he was a remarkable type of Him Who “was despised and rejected of men; a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”