Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of I Samuel Chapter 12
Metaphysically Interpreting I Samuel 12:1-25
12:1And Samuel said unto all Israel, Behold, I have hearkened unto your voice in all that ye said unto me, and have made a king over you. 12:2And now, behold, the king walketh before you; and I am old and grayheaded; and, behold, my sons are with you: and I have walked before you from my youth unto this day. 12:3Here I am: witness against me before Jehovah, and before his anointed: whose ox have I taken? or whose ass have I taken? or whom have I defrauded? whom have I oppressed? or of whose hand have I taken a ransom to blind mine eyes therewith? and I will restore it you. 12:4And they said, Thou hast not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, neither hast thou taken aught of any man's hand. 12:5And he said unto them, Jehovah is witness against you, and his anointed is witness this day, that ye have not found aught in my hand. And they said, He is witness.
12:6And Samuel said unto the people, It is Jehovah that appointed Moses and Aaron, and that brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. 12:7Now therefore stand still, that I may plead with you before Jehovah concerning all the righteous acts of Jehovah, which he did to you and to your fathers. 12:8When Jacob was come into Egypt, and your fathers cried unto Jehovah, then Jehovah sent Moses and Aaron, who brought forth your fathers out of Egypt, and made them to dwell in this place. 12:9But they forgat Jehovah their God; and he sold them into the hand of Sisera, captain of the host of Hazor, and into the hand of the Philistines, and into the hand of the king of Moab; and they fought against them. 12:10And they cried unto Jehovah, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken Jehovah, and have served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee. 12:11And Jehovah sent Jerubbaal, and Bedan, and Jephthah, and Samuel, and delivered you out of the hand of your enemies on every side; and ye dwelt in safety. 12:12And when ye saw that Nahash the king of the children of Ammon came against you, ye said unto me, Nay, but a king shall reign over us; when Jehovah your God was your king. 12:13Now therefore behold the king whom ye have chosen, and whom ye have asked for: and, behold, Jehovah hath set a king over you. 12:14If ye will fear Jehovah, and serve him, and hearken unto his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, and both ye and also the king that reigneth over you be followers of Jehovah your God, well: 12:15but if ye will not hearken unto the voice of Jehovah, but rebel against the commandment of Jehovah, then will the hand of Jehovah be against you, as it was against your fathers. 12:16Now therefore stand still and see this great thing, which Jehovah will do before your eyes. 12:17Is it not wheat harvest to-day? I will call unto Jehovah, that he may send thunder and rain; and ye shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which ye have done in the sight of Jehovah, in asking you a king. 12:18So Samuel called unto Jehovah; and Jehovah sent thunder and rain that day: and all the people greatly feared Jehovah and Samuel.
12:19And all the people said unto Samuel, Pray for thy servants unto Jehovah thy God, that we die not; for we have added unto all our sins this evil, to ask us a king. 12:20And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not; ye have indeed done all this evil; yet turn not aside from following Jehovah, but serve Jehovah with all your heart: 12:21and turn ye not aside; for then would ye go after vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain. 12:22For Jehovah will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it hath pleased Jehovah to make you a people unto himself. 12:23Moreover as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Jehovah in ceasing to pray for you: but I will instruct you in the good and the right way. 12:24Only fear Jehovah, and serve him in truth with all your heart; for consider how great things he hath done for you. 12:25But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.
July 19 1903: I Samuel 12:13-25
Intuitive Spiritual Judgment, represented by Samuel, becomes less popular in human consciousness as Personal Will (Saul) grows stronger, and especially so if there has been a demonstration over external conditions, represented by Saul's victory over the Ammonites.
Yet Personal Will may work in harmony with the law of God, if the “people,” or general tendency of the consciousness, is one of obedience to and recognition of that law: “If ye will fear the Lord, and serve him, and hearken unto his voice, and not rebel against the commandment of the Lord.”
The thunder and rain at harvest time is typical of the disorder which prevails in the affairs under the Personal Will regime. Under the perfect law of seed time and harvest there is a crop of good accruing in the life and character of man. The law is not defeated anywhere. But when the personality, with its selfish ambitions and animal desires clamoring for satisfaction, asserts its dominion, the Divine Law is not fulfilled. Samuel gives an example of the power of the law, when the wickedness of the people in taking a king is displayed. This evidently means when the whole character joins with the unilluminated Will.
Yet Samuel said in the face of this unlawful state, “Fear not: ye have indeed done all this evil, yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart.” The fact that we are under the rule of personality should not cut us off from the Lord. If we strive to do the Divine Will and earnestly seek and serve the Lord with all our hearts, we will not be forsaken.
This matter of Divine Guidance is most difficult to determine in the present race consciousness. The dominant note of mankind’s thought today is self-will. The Samuel faculty has been submerged, and is just and is just now being brought up by the law from the depths of human consciousness. Jesus demonstrated the complete crossing out of Personal Will in his life and crucifixion, which was a great life drama of the complete erasure of the human self, and the establishing of the Universal Self in its place. This process of letting go of personality and taking on of Divinity is the daily task of every Christian. When the blending place will be finally reached, no man can tell. It is related that two Hindoo devotees asked a sage how many incarnations they would have to pass through before the bliss of Nirvana would be theirs. He told one that he would accomplish it in three more incarnations, and the devotee turned away sorrowful. The other he said would accomplish it in ten thousand incarnations. This one's joy was so great that he would ever reach Nirvana that he was, through the excess of his selflessness, then and there transformed and immediately entered in.
– UNITY magazine.
July 19, 1908: I Samuel 12:13-23
Samuel is the representative of the Impersonal Mind that deals justly and impartially with all. This integrity and justice is set forth in detail in verse 3. It is recognized and appreciated, but not always followed.
There are periods in the lives of everyone, when the consciousness drops from the Universal to the personal, when we swing like a pendulum from the absolute to the relative, from the abstract to the concrete, from God to man.
Personal will plays a part in man's existence and God gives freedom to its development. We do not have to be ruled by the will of God, but can choose a temporal ruler, Personal Will, the King, and make it our dictator. Yet the underlying law of Being must not be broken; we can be ruled by Personal Will, but must “hearken unto the voice of the Lord.” The Divine Law must be recognized.
Man originally, as represented by Adam and Eve, was constantly under the direct inspiration of the God-Mind. But he desired to learn by experience and it was permitted, because freedom of will is inherent in his being, and the moment he desired to exercise it that moment he began, and experience commenced to play its part in his life. One of the Hebrew definitions of Satan is “experience.”
Rain is never had in Palestine at wheat harvest, and its appearance at the command of Samuel was evidence to the people that he had power with God. The meaning to us is that we should remember in our hours of willfulness that there is Universal law that can be called into action and reverse all precedent, habit or custom.
Beginning with verse 20, the prophet assures those who have chosen freedom of will and experience, that they shall be protected in all that they do if they follow the Lord. “Do all for the glory of God.” “Serve the Lord With all your heart.”
These two classes of God-loving people, those who submerge their own wills in the will of God, and those who exercise independence of will, yet strive to follow the Law of God, are both recognized by the Lord as his people. “For the Lord will not forsake his people.”
It is stated in verse 20, that it is evil to follow personal will, yet not so bad as to separate man from a conscious unity with God. Those who are striving to follow the law of God, yet fall short, should not fear that their misdeeds will forever separate them from him. “Only fear (reverence) the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart.”
– UNITY magazine
June 27, 1920: I Samuel 12:1-5
What are we, who are unfolding spiritually, finally called upon to do? We are called upon to face every situation just as it is, to face Truth, which reveals that the laws of God are unalterable; that as we sow, so shall we reap.
To what fact does Samuel (the voice within the consciousness) now call the attention of the Israelites (real children of God)? He calls their attention to the truth that he, Samuel, has diligently served them from early youth throughout his whole life, has hearkened unto their desires, even to the establishing of a king over them; and now, if there is that which he has taken from them unjustly, they have but to name it, and he will repay.
In reality, what was the object of Samuel’s life and efforts? The object of Samuel's whole life was consecration to Jehovah; nothing else was of vital import to him. And thus it was that through the power of the inner voice, Jehovah was enabled to instruct the children of Israel, to impress upon them the truth that spiritual growth is based upon obedience to Spirit, loving service to all mankind, and a willingness to conform to the Divine Law of life.
June 27, 1920: I Samuel 12:13-25
Through following the edicts of the inner voice, what king is now installed in consciousness? The King of Love, represented by David. And with Love crowned King, there comes also a fuller understanding of the Law, gained partly through past experiences and partly through the teachings of the inner voice, revealing that through the application of the higher laws only can peace and joy and satisfaction be established.
[Transcriber's note: in the PDF there is a handwritten note in the margin as follows:]
The King of Israel in verse 13 is Saul, not David. R.R., 6/15/1964
What earnest prayer do the Israelites make unto Samuel? They earnestly petition Samuel not to forsake them, nor to cease praying unto Jehovah for them.
Does the inner voice ever cease praying unto Jehovah for the real Self of us? No. “As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against Jehovah in ceasing to pray for you: but I will instruct you in the good and the right way.”
May 6, 1923: I Samuel 12:1-5
What does Samuel represent in man's religious consciousness? Samuel represents spiritual judgment. Samuel judged Israel for many years. All matters pertaining to the welfare of the people were submitted to the judges, decided according to instructions given them by the Lord.
What reason did the children of Israel give for wanting a king to rule over them? The children of Israel saw that the heathen nations around them were ruled by kings, and they said: “Nay, but we will have a king over us; that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.”
Who is the king in man's consciousness? The will is the king, and when the will rules, the judgment is submerged; arbitrary law is set up; pomp and parade and outer display and war take the place of wisdom and love. “And Jehovah will not answer you in that day.”
Is the world ruled today by judgment or by will? The world is ruled by will. The people have turned aside and have ignored the wisdom of God, until the destructive forces of the will, exercised without judgment, threaten to destroy civilization.
May 6, 1923: I Samuel 12:20-25
What is the remedy for the many ills from which the world is suffering? The one and only remedy is that offered by Samuel to the people: “Serve Jehovah with all your heart.”
When we find ourselves full of discord and inharmony, to what may we attribute the cause? The primal cause of all mental and physical inharmony is lack of judgment in thought and act. We have not asked for divine guidance, but have willfully tried to carry out the shortsighted aims of sense. We have sought after “vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain.”
When we are in this condition of inharmony, is the case hopeless? No. “Jehovah will not forsake his people for his great name's sake, because it hath pleased Jehovah to make you a people unto himself.”
“Only fear Jehovah, and serve him in truth with all your heart,” is a command given in Verse 24. How do we fulfill this law? The word “fear,” as here used, implies “reverence” or respect for the law of God. “All your heart” represents the whole of the inner consciousness, or the inner source of life, which should be dedicated to the Lord.
If we persist in our willful ways, what will be the result? This question is answered in verse 25: “But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.”
July 10, 1927: 1 Samuel 12:1-5
What does Samuel represent in man’s religious consciousness? Samuel represents spiritual judgment. For many years Samuel was a judge over Israel. All matters pertaining to the welfare of the people were submitted to the judges, who decided according to instructions given them by the Lord.
What reason did the children of Israel give for wanting a king to rule over them? They saw that the heathen nations around them were ruled by kings, and they said: “Nay; but we will have a king over us, that we also may be like all the nations, and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.”
July 10, 1927: I Samuel 12:19-25
What is regarded as the king in man's consciousness? The will is the king; when the will rules, spiritual judgment is submerged, and arbitrary law is set up; pomp, outer display, and war take the place of wisdom and love. “And Jehovah will not answer you in that day.”
Is the world ruled today by judgment or by will? The world is ruled by will. The people have turned aside and have ignored the wisdom of God, until the destructive forces of the will, exercised without judgment, threaten to destroy civilization.
What is the remedy for the many ills from which the world is suffering? The one and only remedy is that offered by Samuel to the people: “Serve Jehovah with all your heart.”
When we find ourselves full of discord and inharmony, to what may we attribute the cause? The primal cause of all mental and all physical inharmony is lack of judgment in thought and in act; when we suffer we may know that we have not been asking for divine guidance, but have willfully been trying to carry out the shortsighted aims of sense; we have been seeking after “vain things which cannot profit nor deliver, for they are vain.”
When, through lack of judgment, we are in a condition of inharmony, is our case hopeless? No. “Jehovah will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake, because it hath pleased Jehovah to make you a people unto himself.”
Verse 24 commands us, “Only fear Jehovah, and serve him in truth with all your heart.” How do we obey this command? The word “fear,” as here used, implies reverence or respect, for the law of God. “All your heart” means the whole of the inner consciousness, or the inner source of life, which should be dedicated to the Lord.
If we persist in willful ways, what will be the result? This question is answered in verse 25: “But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.”
August 20, 1933: I Samuel 12:1-4
Samuel superseded Eli as high priest. Why? Samuel found the kingdom of God within himself. This discovery was one step in advance of the intellectual conception of God represented by Eli. Did Samuel fulfill the divine law in his spiritual guidance of the Children of Israel? Not entirely. Samuel’s sons (thoughts) did not follow their father in integrity, and the Children of Israel demanded a king. This means that we should exercise more authority in the unfoldment of our spiritual faculties. Samuel affirmed his justice and righteousness in all his ministry. Why? In order to go forward in soul development, man must build upon a firm foundation of Truth. He must be honest with God and his fellow men; then what he wills or decrees will be accomplished, not in a selfish spirit but in a spirit of righteousness.Transcribed by Lloyd Kinder on 02-02-2014
