6 And Samuel saith unto the people, 'Jehovah—He who made Moses and Aaron, and who brought up your fathers out of the land of Egypt! 7 and, now, station yourselves, and I judge you before Jehovah, with all the righteous acts of Jehovah, which He did with you, and with your fathers. 8 'When Jacob hath come in to Egypt, and your fathers cry unto Jehovah, then Jehovah sendeth Moses and Aaron, and they bring out your fathers from Egypt, and cause them to dwell in this place, 9 and they forget Jehovah their God, and He selleth them into the hand of Sisera, head of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fight against them, 10 and they cry unto Jehovah, and say, We have sinned, because we have forsaken Jehovah, and serve the Baalim, and Ashtaroth, and now, deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we serve Thee. 11 'And Jehovah sendeth Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivereth you out of the hand of your enemies round about, and ye dwell confidently. 12 'And ye see that Nahash king of the Bene-Ammon hath come against you, and ye say to me, Nay, but a king doth reign over us; and Jehovah your God 'is' your king! 13 And, now, lo, the king whom ye have chosen—whom ye have asked! and lo, Jehovah hath placed over you a king. 14 'If ye fear Jehovah, and have served Him, and hearkened to His voice, then ye do not provoke the mouth of Jehovah, and ye have been—both ye and the king who hath reigned over you—after Jehovah your God. 15 'And if ye do not hearken to the voice of Jehovah—then ye have provoked the mouth of Jehovah, and the hand of Jehovah hath been against you, and against your fathers.

Matthew Henry's Commentary on 1 Samuel 12:6-15

Commentary on 1 Samuel 12:6-15

(Read 1 Samuel 12:6-15)

The work of ministers is to reason with people; not only to exhort and direct, but to persuade, to convince men's judgments, and so to gain their wills and affections. Samuel reasons of the righteous acts of the Lord. Those who follow God faithfully, he will enable to continue following him. Disobedience would certainly be the ruin of Israel. We mistake if we think that we can escape God's justice, by trying to shake off his dominion. If we resolve that God shall not rule us, yet he will judge us.