Sermon Video: "failing to pray for you" - 1 Samuel 12:20-25

In part three of the four part series on the life of Samuel, the nation of Israel loses faith in their system of tribal theocracy and asks Samuel to choose a king for them.  This loss of faith was not due to a failure on God's part, rather it was the culmination of bad leadership (both Eli's and Samuel's sons were corrupt) and poor morality on the part of the people.  Ultimately, God allows Samuel to choose Saul as the first king of Israel, but not without the realization that they have chosen to no longer be the unique experiment that they were beginning with the Exodus.
In his farewell speech (several years before the end of his ministry), Samuel reminds the people of his own faithful leadership, God's past provision, and prompts them to realize that they have been unfaithful to the Covenant they have with God.
Will God abandon his people?  Will he become fed up with their lack of obedience?  Samuel assures the people that God's reputation and honor would not allow him to abandon his effort to build a Covenant people, nor would it allow God to give up on his efforts to reconcile the world through this same people.  Samuel urges the people to recommit themselves to following God with all their hearts, and in connection with the peoples' responsibility he lists his own: to pray for and teach the people.
For Samuel, not only was it unacceptable that he should fail to pray for this people, it was a sin.  He had an obligation to represent the people before God in prayer.  In addition, Samuel had the blessing and the burden of teaching the people the Word of God and how to apply it.
The lessons of Samuel speak to us today, we too must fully dedicate ourselves to God, with all our hearts, and we too must have proper leadership to pray for us and teach us.  After all, we have a New Covenant to keep, a commitment to the Church of Jesus Christ, and a world to minister to.

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Sermon Video