Samuel's Charges the People To Obey God

Samuel reiterates to the people that asking for a human king was not a good thing. To reinforce his statements, he calls on God to bring about an unseasonal and sudden thunderstorm. In great fear, the people realize that God was not pleased with their demands, and they ask Samuel to intercede for them. Samuel makes it clear that whether they are ruled by a human king or not, the important thing is to obey God. A human king would not save them from God's anger if they behaved wickedly. Faithfully obeying God would bring blessings, and failure to do so would destroy the nation and its physical ruler.

Samuel's statement that he will continue to pray for Israel demonstrates his spiritual character. If he had been a man given to pettiness, he might have held a grudge against Israel for their request to have a king. But he did not. Indeed, Samuel recognizes failure to constantly pray for others as a sin against God (verse 23). We should remember this as we go about our daily lives.