Samuel seems to be turning over the reins of the kingdom to Saul in his farewell address. He describes himself by saying, “I am old and grey and my sons are with you. I have walked before you from my youth until this day… whose ox have I taken? Whom have I defrauded? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I taken a bribe?” The nation responds with the pronouncement of innocence of Samuel.”
Samuel lived his life in a glass bowl for the entire nation of Israel to observe. At the end, there is no one to make a charge against him. What a wonderful way to finish.
Ogilvie comments, “The integrity of Samuel stands as a model for us today. I can still remember the shock that many registered when they learned that bribes are a standard part of doing business in many countries. There was almost a patronizing tone in the voices of those who insisted that though we do not believe in these practices, we have no other option if we hope to be involved in world trade. But in recent years we have had stockbrokers imprisoned for insider trading, defense contractors fined for cheating the public out of hundreds of millions of dollars, enthusiastic alumni exposed for paying money under the table to college athletes, and countless public officials convicted for betraying the public trust. While we live in a high-tech society with amazing potential for improving the lot of people, improvement isn’t happening because there are too many people in too many high places whose lives and work lack integrity. To be able to come to the end of a career of any sort with Samuel’s ‘clean hands’ would be a noble goal for anyone.”
Although there were times when you and I’ve blown it in the past, let’s make that our goal from this day forward!