Is it not the wheat harvest today? I will call on the LORD to send thunder and rain, so that you will know and see what a great evil you have committed in the sight of the LORD by asking for a king." Is it not the wheat harvest today?Wheat harvest in Israel came at the close of the spring rains, when clear, dry weather was expected. Rain at that time could damage ripe grain lying in the fields and threaten a family’s food supply. Samuel deliberately points to the season because an immediate storm would be unmistakably extraordinary. 1Sa 6:13 Now the people of Beth-shemesh were harvesting wheat…
Jdg 15:1 Later on, at the time of the wheat harvest,…
I will call on the LORD to send thunder and rain, Samuel does not claim power over the weather; he appeals to the LORD, who rules creation and confirms His word through His prophet. Thunder and rain in the harvest season would recall God’s judgments in Egypt and demonstrate that Israel’s true King remained active among His people. Exo 9:23-29 So Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven,…
1Ki 18:41-45 And Elijah said to Ahab, “Go up, eat and drink,…
so that you will know and see what a great evil you have committed Israel needed more than an argument; they needed to witness God’s response to their rebellion. Their demand for a king was not merely a desire for political stability or military strength. They had sought to be like the surrounding nations rather than trusting the LORD who had delivered, protected, and governed them. Num 16:28-30 Then Moses said, “This is how you will know”…
Exo 32:30 The next day Moses said to the people…
in the sight of the LORD Israel’s decision had been made before the God who searches hearts and judges motives. Though the people had requested a king through Samuel, their deeper rejection was directed against the LORD’s rule. Human choices, public policies, and national desires remain accountable to God’s holy authority. 1Sa 15:19 So why did you not obey the LORD? Why did you rush…
Jdg 2:11 And the Israelites did evil in the sight of the LORD…
by asking for a king.” The LORD had anticipated that Israel would one day have a king and had given laws for such a ruler, yet the people’s present request arose from unbelief and dissatisfaction with God’s kingship. Saul’s reign would expose the weakness of merely human rule, while God’s covenant purpose would ultimately lead to David’s line and to Jesus Christ, the righteous and eternal King. Deu 17:14-15 When you enter the land that the LORD your God is giving you…
Hos 13:10-11 Where is your king now to save you in all your cities…
Persons / Places / Events 1. SamuelThe last judge of Israel, a prophet, and a key figure in the transition from the period of judges to the monarchy. He is addressing the Israelites in this passage. 2. The IsraelitesThe people of God who demanded a king to rule over them, rejecting God's direct rule. 3. The LORD (Yahweh)The covenant God of Israel, who is about to demonstrate His power and displeasure through a miraculous sign. 4. Wheat HarvestA significant agricultural period in Israel, typically dry, making the coming rain and thunder an extraordinary event. 5. Thunder and RainA divine sign used by God to confirm Samuel's words and to convict the Israelites of their sin in asking for a king. Teaching Points God's Sovereignty and PowerGod controls nature and uses it to communicate with His people. The unusual rain during the wheat harvest was a clear sign of His displeasure and power. The Consequences of Rejecting GodThe Israelites' demand for a king was a rejection of God's kingship. This passage reminds us of the importance of seeking God's will rather than conforming to worldly desires. The Role of ProphetsSamuel's role as a prophet was to guide and correct the people. We should value and heed godly counsel in our lives. Repentance and Recognition of SinThe Israelites needed to recognize their sin in asking for a king. We, too, must be willing to acknowledge our wrongdoings and seek God's forgiveness. Bible Study Questions 1. What does the timing of the thunder and rain during the wheat harvest reveal about God's control over nature and His communication with His people? 2. How does the Israelites' request for a king reflect a broader human tendency to seek security in worldly systems rather than in God? 3. In what ways can we be tempted to reject God's direct rule in our lives today, and how can we guard against this? 4. How does Samuel's role as a prophet inform our understanding of the importance of spiritual leadership and accountability in the church? 5. Reflect on a time when you recognized a sin in your life. How did you respond, and what steps did you take to seek God's forgiveness and realign with His will? Connections to Other Scriptures Deuteronomy 11:14Discusses the seasonal rains in Israel, highlighting the unusual nature of rain during the wheat harvest. 1 Samuel 8:7God tells Samuel that the people's request for a king is a rejection of Him, not Samuel. James 5:17-18Elijah's prayer for rain, showing the power of prayer and God's control over nature. People Aaron, Ammonites, Barak, Bedan, Egyptians, Jabin, Jacob, Jephthah, Jerubbaal, Nahash, Samuel, SiseraPlaces Egypt, Gilgal, Hazor, MoabTopics Asking, Conscious, Cry, Cutting, Desiring, Evil, Grain, Harvest, Isn't, Perceive, Rain, Realize, Sight, Sin, Thunder, To-day, Voices, Wheat, Wheat-harvest, Wickedness, YourselvesDictionary of Bible Themes 1 Samuel 12:17 4464 harvest 1 Samuel 12:16-18 1305 God, activity of 1 Samuel 12:16-19 7236 Israel, united kingdom 1 Samuel 12:17-18 4844 rain
4852 thunder
4854 weather, God's sovereignty 1 Samuel 12:17-19 8640 calling upon God Library Old Truth for a New Epoch
'Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have desired! and, behold, the Lord hath set a king over yon. 14. If ye will fear the Lord, and serve Him, and obey His voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord; then shall both ye, and also the king that reigneth over you, continue following the Lord your God: 15. But if ye will not obey the voice of the Lord, but rebel against the commandment of the Lord; then shall the hand of the Lord be against you, as it was against …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy ScriptureThe Whole Heart
LET me give the principal passages in which the words "the whole heart," "all the heart," are used. A careful study of them will show how wholehearted love and service is what God has always asked, because He can, in the very nature of things, ask nothing less. The prayerful and believing acceptance of the words will waken the assurance that such wholehearted love and service is exactly the blessing the New Covenant was meant to make possible. That assurance will prepare us for turning to the Omnipotence …
Andrew Murray—The Two Covenants The King after Man's Heart
'And Samuel called the people together unto the Lord to Mizpeh; 18. And said unto the children of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed you; 19. And ye have this day rejected your God, who Himself saved you out of all your adversities and your tribulations; and ye have said unto Him, Nay, but set a king over us. Now therefore present yourselves …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture The Old Judge and the Young King
'Now the Lord had told Samuel In his ear a day before Saul came, saying, 16, To-morrow, about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be captain over My people Israel, that he may save My people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon My people, because their cry is come unto Me. 17. And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over My people. 18. Then Saul drew …
Alexander Maclaren—Expositions of Holy Scripture Exposition of the Doctrines of Grace
? Perseverance of the Saints--"The Final Perseverance of Believers in Christ Jesus," by William O'Neill (message 5). The Rev. C. H. SPURGEON took the chair at 3 o'clock. The proceedings were commenced by singing the 21st Hymn-- Saved from the damning power of sin, The law's tremendous curse, We'll now the sacred song begin Where God began with us. We'll sing the vast unmeasured grace Which, from the days of old, Did all his chosen sons embrace, As sheep within the fold. The basis of eternal love …
Charles Haddon Spurgeon—Spurgeon's Sermons Volume 7: 1861 Restraining Prayer: is it Sin?
"Thou restrainest prayer before God."--JOB xv. 4. "What profit should we have, if we pray unto Him?"--JOB xxi. 15. "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you."--1 SAM. xii. 23. "Neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the accursed from among you."--JOSH. vii. 12. Any deep quickening of the spiritual life of the Church will always be accompanied by a deeper sense of sin. This will not begin with theology; that can only give expression to what God works …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession Twenty-Sixth Day for the Holy Spirit on Young Converts
WHAT TO PRAY.--For the Holy Spirit on Young Converts "Peter and John prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Ghost; for as yet He was fallen upon none of them: only they had been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus."--ACTS viii. 15, 16. "Now He which establisheth us with you in Christ, and anointed us, is God; who also gave us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts."--2 COR. i. 21, 22. How many new converts who remain feeble; how many who fall into sin; how many who backslide …
Andrew Murray—The Ministry of Intercession The Sick Person Ought Now to Send for Some Godly and Religious Pastor.
In any wise remember, if conveniently it may be, to send for some godly and religious pastor, not only to pray for thee at thy death--for God in such a case hath promised to hear the prayers of the righteous prophets, and elders of the church (Gen. xx. 7; Jer. xviii. 20; xv. 1; 1 Sam. xii. 19, 23; James v. 14, 15, 16)--but also upon thy unfeigned repentance to declare to thee the absolution of thy sins. For as Christ hath given him a calling to baptize thee unto repentance for the remission of thy …
Lewis Bayly—The Practice of Piety The Work of Jesus Christ as an Advocate,
CLEARLY EXPLAINED, AND LARGELY IMPROVED, FOR THE BENEFIT OF ALL BELIEVERS. 1 John 2:1--"And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." By JOHN BUNYAN, Author of "The Pilgrim's Progress." London: Printed for Dorman Newman, at the King's Arms, in the Poultry, 1689. ADVERTISEMENT BY THE EDITOR. This is one of the most interesting of Bunyan's treatises, to edit which required the Bible at my right hand, and a law dictionary on my left. It was very frequently republished; …
John Bunyan—The Works of John Bunyan Volumes 1-3 A Cloud of Witnesses.
"By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau, even concerning things to come. By faith Jacob, when he was a-dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph; and worshipped, leaning upon the top of his staff. By faith Joseph, when his end was nigh, made mention of the departure of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones.... By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been compassed about for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot perished not with them that were disobedient, …
Thomas Charles Edwards—The Expositor's Bible: The Epistle to the Hebrews The Lamb of God, the Great Atonement
Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! G reat and marvellous are the works of the LORD God almighty! We live in the midst of them, and the little impression they make upon us, sufficiently proves our depravity. He is great in the very smallest; and there is not a plant, flower, or insect, but bears the signature of infinite wisdom and power. How sensibly then should we be affected by the consideration of the Whole , if sin had not blinded our understandings, and hardened …
John Newton—Messiah Vol. 1 Samuel
Alike from the literary and the historical point of view, the book[1] of Samuel stands midway between the book of Judges and the book of Kings. As we have already seen, the Deuteronomic book of Judges in all probability ran into Samuel and ended in ch. xii.; while the story of David, begun in Samuel, embraces the first two chapters of the first book of Kings. The book of Samuel is not very happily named, as much of it is devoted to Saul and the greater part to David; yet it is not altogether inappropriate, …
John Edgar McFadyen—Introduction to the Old Testament Links 1 Samuel 12:17 NIV1 Samuel 12:17 NLT1 Samuel 12:17 ESV1 Samuel 12:17 NASB1 Samuel 12:17 KJV
1 Samuel 12:17 Commentaries
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