We live in a world increasingly dominated by social media. Studies show how much time people spend on it daily, and if we're honest with ourselves, many of us experience what's now called "doom scrolling" - sitting down to check social media and suddenly realizing much more time has passed than intended. The fear of missing out keeps us scrolling to see what's next.
If you've ever scrolled long enough on Instagram, eventually a warning appears: "Hi there, you've been scrolling for quite a while. You might want to take a break and go outside." When social media itself warns you about too much social media, that might be an important warning sign to pay attention to.
Warning signs are good. Unfortunately, we often become immune to them. We see or hear them so often that we space out and go through life on cruise control. Our text this morning is 1 Samuel chapter 12, a chapter full of warning signs.
Warning signs are a gift. They're a gift of grace. They're not meant to cause us to cower in fear but to wake us up to the reality and importance of our lives. Let's look at the warning signs in 1 Samuel chapter 12 together.
It starts this way: "Samuel said to all of Israel, 'Behold, I have obeyed your voice in all that you have said to me, and I have made a king over you.'" (1 Samuel 12:1)
Last week, we saw that Saul was finally installed as the first king of Israel. He was first anointed by Samuel, then chosen by God through the casting of lots. After he led Israel to victory over Nakash and the Ammonites, the people gathered and formally installed him as king over Israel.
Now in chapter 12, Samuel is transitioning out of his role leading Israel. As the last of the judges, he had been the leader over Israel - the one God used to guide, rescue, deliver, instruct, and speak to Israel. But they asked for a king, so God gave them one. Now Samuel is transitioning out of leadership because Saul has it.
As he goes, Samuel gives a farewell speech to the nation. All Israel is there - probably not every person but representatives from all twelve tribes. This is Samuel's longest recorded speech, his farewell to leadership and final warnings to the people.
Notice his language - he's drawing a contrast: "I have obeyed your voice in all that you have said to me, and I have made a king over you. Now behold, the king walks before you, and I am old and gray, and behold, my sons are with you." (1 Samuel 12:1-2)
Samuel is drawing a line in the sand, a distinction between himself (the prophet and judge who has been faithful to Yahweh, satisfied with Yahweh's leadership) and the people. "You asked for a king. I gave you a king. I didn't want to give you a king, but God told me to do it." He even includes this detail: "even my sons are with you."
In that sense, Samuel stands alone in his faithfulness in all of Israel. It's a tragic reality. Israel as a whole has been set apart by God as his special and treasured possession, to be a kingdom of priests, God's instrument in the world, the light upon the hill. But here, all of Israel is not looking to God to lead, protect, and provide for them. They've asked for a king like all the other nations. Samuel stands before them saying, "I've done what you asked, but there's a difference between me and you." Tragically, even his sons are with them.
He continues: "I have walked before you from my youth until this day." (1 Samuel 12:2) That's true. We saw how Elkanah and Hannah were unable to conceive, how she prayed, God answered, and Samuel was miraculously born. He was placed into the service of the Lord once weaned, heard from the Lord, and became a prophet. He has served God since youth and now is old and gray, faithful the whole time.
Then he says, "Here I am." This is significant because when God first called him as a child sleeping in the tabernacle, Samuel eventually responded with these same words: "Here I am." At the beginning of his ministry as he stepped into his role as judge and leader, God came to him and he said, "Here I am." Now at the end of his ministry, as he's transitioning out, he still stands before them as an old man, still faithful, still saying, "Here I am."
But it goes in an interesting direction: "Here I am. Testify against me before the Lord and before his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Or whose donkey have I taken? 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." (1 Samuel 12:3-4)
He uses courtroom language, putting himself on trial. He stands before them at the end of his ministry saying, "I'm an open book." He wants to stand before God, before God's anointed king, and before all the people. If he has acted without integrity, sinned, or used his role for personal gain, he invites them to call him out so he can make it right.
That's gutsy. Samuel is essentially saying, "If I have done something wrong, I want to make it right now." And they respond: "You have not defrauded us or oppressed us or taken anything from any man's hand." Samuel replies, "The Lord is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand." And they affirm, "He is witness." (1 Samuel 12:4-5)
Samuel wants it formalized - we might say "notarized" today. He wants everyone to know that he led Israel as God's prophet and judge with integrity, honesty, and justice. And the nation agrees.
This is a beautiful moment and a powerful warning sign to us. We need to be, like Samuel, people who inspect our integrity regularly and value a clear conscience. A clear conscience is a gift from God - to stand in openness, authenticity, and transparency, to take off masks, stop playing games, and stop trying to control everything.
What we do matters. The choices we make, the lives we live, the decisions we follow through on - they matter. Sometimes we make right choices, sometimes wrong ones. Having a clear conscience doesn't mean always making the right choices, but it does mean dealing with the wrong ones.
The Apostle Paul said, "I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man." (Acts 24:16) Not just "I want a clear conscience" but "I take pains to have a clear conscience" - before both God and man. In our individualistic society, people often say, "I don't care what others think." But as the body of Christ, called to be God's ambassadors and ministers of reconciliation, how could we say that? Of course we care what people think about us.
Paul doesn't say he lives perfectly or sinlessly, but that he strives to have a clear conscience before both God and man, so that when he sins, he owns it.
Psalm 32 says: "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man against whom the Lord counts no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit." (Psalm 32:1-2) It doesn't say "blessed is the one who has no sin" but rather the one whose sin is forgiven, whose spirit has no deceit - who acknowledges sin, confesses, and doesn't deny, manipulate, justify, or rationalize.
The psalm continues: "For when I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer." (Psalm 32:3-4)
The wages of sin is death. Sin kills - it corrupts, breaks, destroys, and infects. When we sin, it's not abstract rule-breaking but a relational encounter with the power of brokenness. When we rationalize sin, it hurts us. Sin offers quick, temporary pleasure that becomes a binding chain.
"But I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not cover my iniquity; I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and you forgave the iniquity of my sin." (Psalm 32:5)
Repentance is not a burden but the greatest blessing given by God. If we couldn't repent, we would be stuck in our sins. We should rejoice that we have the opportunity to repent.
Samuel's desire for a clear conscience is the first warning sign in this text. Inspect your integrity. How's your conscience? Are you hiding things or playing games? Are you free to be yourself? Do you joyfully bring your brokenness to the Lord, knowing that in him is grace, forgiveness, redemption, and freedom?
Samuel continues: "The Lord is witness, who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt." (1 Samuel 12:6) Having established his own integrity, Samuel now addresses the relationship between God and his covenant people, discussing who has been faithful to the covenant. Spoiler: God has been faithful; Israel hasn't.
"Now therefore stand still that I may plead with you before the Lord concerning all the righteous deeds of the Lord that he performed for you and for your fathers." (1 Samuel 12:7) The word "plead" is courtroom language - standing on trial.
"When Jacob went into Egypt and the Egyptians oppressed them, your fathers cried out to the Lord and the Lord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought your fathers out of Egypt and made them dwell in this place. But they forgot the Lord their God." (1 Samuel 12:8-9)
What a tragic sentence: "They forgot the Lord their God." Isn't that the story we've seen throughout Scripture? God moving faithfully, graciously, generously creating, guiding, loving, protecting, giving to His people - and His people forgetting their God.
"So he sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab, and they fought against them." (1 Samuel 12:9) These are the terms of the covenant we saw in Judges. They would move away from God, run after idols and other gods, and God would bring judgment. Eventually they would cry out, and God in his mercy would send a judge to deliver them.
"And they cried out 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, that we may serve you.'" (1 Samuel 12:10)
"And the Lord sent Jerubbaal [Gideon] and Barak and Jephthah and Samuel and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side, and you lived in safety." (1 Samuel 12:11) When Israel kept the covenant, they experienced its blessings. Even when they failed but repented, God would send a judge, and they would experience the covenant blessings again - until they forgot the Lord their God once more.
"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." (1 Samuel 12:12)
Samuel frames this differently than the narrative did. The presence of Nahash and the Ammonites oppressing Israel meant one thing: Israel was violating the covenant. If they weren't, God would have given them peace. They were experiencing covenant judgment through Nahash's attack.
But this time, instead of following the pattern of the judges - repenting and asking God to send a deliverer - they said, "We want a king like all the other nations." They weren't asking for a righteous or godly king, but one like the other nations. What a tragedy! Instead of asking God to rescue them, they asked for a king to save them.
"And now behold the king whom you have chosen, for whom you have asked; behold, the Lord has set a king over you." (1 Samuel 12:13) Be very careful what you ask for - sometimes God will give it to you.
"If you will fear the Lord and serve him and obey 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." (1 Samuel 12:14)
Samuel moves into conditional statements. They did a terrible thing asking for this king, but God is gracious and faithful to the covenant. If they and their king will fear God, serve him, and keep the covenant, all will be well.
"But if you will not obey 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." (1 Samuel 12:15)
This conditional covenant reality continues: if you keep the covenant, blessings; if you don't, curses. Even in the New Covenant, this principle remains: "Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life." (Galatians 6:7-8)
This is life's reality - a warning sign. Choose your course carefully. Choose wisely whom you will serve. Don't go through life on cruise control. How you live matters. The choices you make matter, and their consequences differ vastly.
It's so easy to forget. We might be tempted to think, "I can't believe Israel kept forgetting," but we're just as forgetful. We get excited about what Jesus did for us, then caught up in life's realities and our expectations of what God should do for us. It subtly turns into entitlement: "God, you're not doing what I think you should do for me."
Israel's forgetfulness should be a blaring siren for us. Be careful not to forget God's goodness in your life. Make gratitude a priority. It takes effort and intention to keep God in front of us.
"Now therefore stand still and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes." (1 Samuel 12:16) This echoes Exodus 14:13, where Moses said, "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord." The Hebrew literally says, "Stand still and see this great word that the Lord will do before you." This is the language of theophany - God showing up to make a point.
If only they had done this before asking for a king! This is the heart of the problem - they're trying to control and do what only God can and should do. Now Samuel says, "Stand still and see what God will do."
"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." (1 Samuel 12:17)
The wheat harvest in Israel occurs during the dry season. Rain during harvest is dangerous - it can damage grain, cause mold, and wipe out crops. Samuel says, "You're not expecting rain today, are you? I'm going to call on the Lord to send thunder and rain, and you'll see that your wickedness is great in asking for a king."
This is a visual demonstration of what they gave up. They have Saul, who is tall and handsome, but God can send rain and thunder from a simple prayer during the dry season.
"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." (1 Samuel 12:18) Can you imagine? Samuel raises his hands, calls to Yahweh, and the thunder comes. Israel is confronted with what they gave up to get what they didn't need.
"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.'" (1 Samuel 12:19) Notice they say "the Lord your God" - isn't He their God too? They don't even want to own who they are. "We have added to all our sins this evil."
"And Samuel said to the people, 'Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil.'" (1 Samuel 12:20) A bad shepherd would say, "Don't be afraid, what you did wasn't that bad." But Samuel says, "Don't be afraid. You really messed up." This seems contradictory without what comes next.
"Do not be afraid; you have done all this evil. Yet do not turn aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart." (1 Samuel 12:20) Don't be afraid. You really blew it. But even when you're unfaithful, God is faithful.
What a profound moment! They know what they deserve, and God has just sent thunder and lightning - signs of judgment throughout Scripture. But Samuel says, "Don't be afraid. You blew it. But God is bigger, better, and stronger than what you've brought upon yourself."
"And do not turn aside after empty things that cannot profit or deliver, for they are empty." (1 Samuel 12:21) The Hebrew word for "emptiness" is "tohu" - the same word used in Genesis 1:2 for the formless void that God brought order to. Samuel is saying, "If you stay with God who is faithful, you'll be good. But if you run after empty things (idols), which is what Israel kept doing in the time of the judges, you'll find emptiness."
"Why do you keep running to empty things? They're empty. If you want life, go to the one who gives life. If you want order and beauty, go to the one of order and beauty. Why run to what is chaotic, dark, and deadly?"
Samuel is saying their request for a king like other nations was just another form of idolatry. They didn't want a statue or god made of stone; they wanted a living, walking, talking, fighting king. But it was still idolatry - looking to something other than God to lead them.
"For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you a people for himself." (1 Samuel 12:22) God honors the covenant because of who He is, not because of who we are. That is our greatest comfort and hope.
God didn't choose Israel because of what they offered Him or because they were large and strong. He chose them because they were small and weak, so that when He did something with them, everyone would know it was Him from start to finish.
"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." (1 Samuel 12:23) Even as Samuel transitions out of leadership, even though they rejected God and him in favor of a king, he says, "I won't stop because I don't do what I do for you. I do it for God."
Even though rejected and phased out, Samuel says, "I'm not going to stop. I'll still be here, praying and speaking truth. Even though you've rejected me, God hasn't rejected you, and I won't reject you."
"Only fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart. For consider what great things he has done for you." (1 Samuel 12:24) His final exhortation: Fear the Lord. Put Him in His rightful place in your life. Serve Him. Don't try to get God to do what you want; try to do what God wants. Align yourself to Him and His ways.
The Hebrew word translated "consider" is literally "see" - actively look and pay attention. God is at work all around you. That's the unmistakable message of Scripture: God is always working, moving, speaking, always up to something.
Samuel says, "If you do the right thing, it will be awesome. If you do the wrong thing, not so awesome. So fear the Lord. Serve Him. Don't serve other gods. Stay true. Don't forget. Keep your eyes open to the beauty and wonder of what God has done and is doing in your life."
"But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away, both you and your king." (1 Samuel 12:25) Tragically, this is prophetic. As we read through the rest of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles, we see the story of the monarchy. Unfortunately, they choose wickedness, and this season ends with Israel and its kings being swept away.
The Hebrew phrase is emphatic: "if bringing about evil, you should do evil" - if you do evil while doing evil. Everyone sins, but there's a way of life that plans for evil, organizes around it, and rationalizes sin. We see this happening in our day - people declaring what is evil to be good and what is good to be evil.
This text contains many warnings: Watch your heart. Check your integrity. Remember God's works. Choose to live with a clear conscience. Take time to stand still and see what only God can do. Avoid empty enticements and idols that demand attention that should be given to God alone. Think about the legacy you want to leave.
Samuel's existence itself is a sign of faithfulness to God and God's faithfulness to His people. This is revealed in one of those difficult genealogy passages that many skip over. In 1 Chronicles 6, we find a genealogy of people David appointed to work in the tabernacle as worship leaders. It mentions "Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel" (1 Chronicles 6:33) - Samuel's grandson was a worship leader under David.
The genealogy continues backward through Samuel's lineage until it reaches "Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel." (1 Chronicles 6:37-38) Samuel was a descendant of Korah.
Korah's story is told in Numbers 16. He was a Levite given a privileged position serving the priests, but he became jealous of Moses and confronted him with others, saying Moses was using his position to elevate himself. When the conflict escalated, Moses said, "If these men die as all men die... then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord creates something new, and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them up... then you shall know that these men have despised the Lord." (Numbers 16:29-30)
"As soon as he finished speaking... the ground under them split apart. And the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, with their households and all the people who belonged to Korah and all their goods." (Numbers 16:31-32)
This creates a question: If Korah and his family were swallowed by the earth, how could Samuel be his descendant? Numbers 26:10-11 provides the answer: "The earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up together with Korah... but the sons of Korah did not die."
When Moses called people to choose sides, Korah's sons walked away from their father and stood with Moses and Yahweh. Now, in 1 Samuel 12, the reverse has happened - Samuel stands faithful while his sons have gone astray.
The sons of Korah separated themselves from their father to be faithful to Yahweh. They developed an amazing legacy as singers, poets, and worshipers. There are 40 psalms in the Bible attributed to "the Sons of Korah."
One of these, Psalm 84, begins: "How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, faints for the courts of the Lord; my heart and flesh sing for joy to the living God." (Psalm 84:1-2)
What was Korah's sin? Dissatisfaction with serving in the house of the Lord. Now his descendants, who separated themselves from their father's sin, write: "Blessed are those who dwell in your house, ever singing your praise." (Psalm 84:4)
The psalm continues: "For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere. I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness." (Psalm 84:10) Korah didn't want to be a doorkeeper in God's house and preferred his own tent - which was swallowed into the land of death. His descendants now proclaim the opposite.
"For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor. No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you." (Psalm 84:11-12)
The sons of Korah, descendants of a family once marked by rebellion, became worship leaders who longed for nothing more than to be in God's presence. Their story and Samuel's remind us that the greatest blessing is found not in the empty things of this world but in the presence of the living God.
Christ is the true and better king - the fulfillment of all that Samuel and the sons of Korah longed for. Jesus brings us into God's courts, intercedes for us when we fail, and offers us a place in the Father's house. Jesus is our sun and shield, the source of grace and glory, withholding no good thing from those who walk uprightly.
Through His sacrifice, the warning signs of judgment become invitations to mercy and transformation. As we heed the warnings of 1 Samuel 12, let us turn from shallow substitutes and run to the courts of our King. Let us work for Him with wholehearted devotion, knowing that in Christ we are welcomed, forgiven, and forever blessed.
O Lord of hosts, how blessed is the one who trusts in you. Amen.