Billy Graham in his latest book, Nearing Home" wrote: I will soon celebrate my ninety-third birthday, (he is now 97)
and I know it won't be long before God calls me home to heaven.
More than ever I look forward to that day when the Lord calls me home because I know that finally all the burdens and sorrows
that press down upon me at this stage of my life will soon be over.
During the last year, the physical ailments common to old age really have taken their toll on me.
I also look forward to that day because I will be reunited with Ruth, my beloved wife for almost sixty-four years,
who went home in 2007 to be with the Lord.
Someday, our life's journey will be over. In a sense, we are all nearing home.
I pray that you and I may not only learn what it means to grow older but, with God's help,
also learn to grow older with grace and find the guidance needed to finish well."
This is again a good reminder for all of us that this is not our home.
The Psalmist David prayed to the Lord in Psalm 90:12(NIV) "Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom."
There are many people who are not ready to think about the number of days left in their lives.
They thought they would live forever.
That is wrong thought.
We will not live forever.
Our soul will live forever but not our physical body.
That is why it is wise to realize that our years are limited in this earth and someday, God will call us home.
And so, we are advised to gain a heart of godly wisdom and leave behind a good memory or a good legacy for others to remember us by.
And so, what kind of legacy are you leaving behind?
It was said that the former Philippine President Marcos many years before he died was very much concerned about
how he would be remembered by his own fellow Filipinos before he died that he did everything possible to leave a
mark even to the point of creating a big facial bust made of 30 meters concrete in Mt. Pugo, Baguio City.
But we all know that all of his past accomplishments have been overshadowed by his dictatorial spirit and created a backlash for the
Filipino people that they began to hate his legacy.
Many years ago, there were those who had this bust blown out.
It was actually destroyed in December 2002.
Such a waste of money and effort.
Even after many years of his death, there is even a great rejection for his remains to be buried in the "Libingan ng mga Bayani."
You see, we leave behind not monuments of stone but lasting memories in the hearts and minds of people we associate with.
And that legacy is developed by the way we interact or associate with them.
Here in these verses, we find Samuel about to retire from the more active duties of his office as prophet and judge of Israel.
He has served Israel all his life.
And so, before he will finally retire in public, he wanted to find out what kind of legacy they will remember him by.
How did they look at his past performance before their very eyes?
And so, one day, he stood before the people and opened his life to be scrutinized so that he will know what they think about him.
He knew that he had faithfully served the Lord in the temple and had been obedient to God's voice all his life.
He calls God as his witness that he has a clear conscience above all.
I wonder, if you too can look back at your life right now, and you can say that your conscience is clear that you have served the Lord faithfully as well as these years?
Did you fulfill your responsibilities properly?
Are there any misgivings in your part?
Some people have been so preoccupied building their careers, working on their dream homes so that they can enjoy their twilight years.
Others spend all their energies in things that will not last for eternity.
But regardless of what you do, I hope and pray that when you stand before God, your conscience is clear.
As you reflect on your life and look back at the past, you can rightfully smile and be grateful to the Lord for the many opportunities you had to serve Him.
And you are assured that you have used all your time, talents and resources in God's service.
Because there is great comfort derived when people remembered our godly character, our legacy and the godly example we left behind.
Here in these chapter 12, we will study three things that Samuel decided to leave behind as his legacy to Israel.
1. He left behind his LIFE OF GODLY INTEGRITY in verses 1-5.
2. He left behind some WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT for Israel so that they could serve God faithfully until the end in verses 6-15.
3. He left behind some WORDS OF ASSURANCE that all will be well regardless of the difficulties they face in verses 16-25.
Our goal is to allow our lives to make an impact to those who see us daily.
Please listen carefully as we study God's Word together.
THE LEGACY WE WILL LEAVE BEHIND
1. LIFE OF GODLY INTEGRITY 1 Samuel 12:1-5 (NIV) "Samuel said to all Israel, “I have listened to everything you said to me and have set a king over you. 2 Now you have a king as your leader.As for me, I am old and gray, and my sons are here with you. I have been your leader from my youth until this day. 3 Here I stand. Testify against me in the presence of the Lord and his anointed. Whose ox have I taken? Whose donkey have I taken? Whom have I cheated? Whom have I oppressed? From whose hand have I accepted a bribe to make me shut my eyes? If I have done any of these things, I will make it right.” 4 “You have not cheated or oppressed us,” they replied. “You have not taken anything from anyone’s hand.” 5 Samuel said to them, “The Lord is witness against you, and also his anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand.” “He is witness,” they said.
1 Samuel chapter 12 is actually a farewell speech of Samuel to Israel.
He was about to retire and so, he stood before them and like a book, he opened himself for people to examine and evaluate his life.
He wanted to know what kind of integrity he built over the years of faithful service to God and to the people.
He told them that he listened to everything they requested from him to do even if it was difficult such as giving them a king as their new leader.
He had served them faithfully since he was young until he became old and his hairs are now gray.
And so, he asked them some searching questions to evaluate his moral integrity.
"Did I take any oxen? Did I take any donkey from anyone among you?
Did I cheat anybody? Tell me. Did I oppress anyone?
Did I accept any bribe from anyone over the years?"
And at the end, he added that if he did any of these evil things, if he has fallen short of their expectations, he is ready to pay them back to make it right.
Those were searching and honest questions that many people are afraid to ask others especially if they knew that their lives had been filled with moral corruption.
People who are hiding something in the past cannot ask those questions seriously.
Because answers to these questions can backfire and can damage a person's conscience and peace of mind.
But for Samuel, these questions are important because his conscience is clear before God and man.
He knew he is standing on the solid footing of public honor and uprightness.
As far as he is concerned, he performed his job properly.
And true enough, the people declared with one voice in verse 4, "You have not cheated or oppressed us.
You have not taken anything from anyone's hand."
His godly accomplishments have been weighed and found substantial and worthy of great commendation and honor.
God is their witness to all these.
Indeed, there is nothing they could find to accuse him of bribery and dishonesty.
There was no corruption they could point out after a lifetime of public service.
He was leaving behind a good legacy and example for future leaders in Israel.
You see, developing moral integrity or walking in integrity should be our primary priority as we prepare for the future.
Because this is the very foundation of every mature Christian who is serving the Lord.
People will only trust us if we have this integrity intact.
Once we lose people's trust, we have lost it all and all our godly past will be overtaken with that one single mistake we have done.
And when we lost it, it would be years again to rebuild that trust back, if ever.
That is why people struggle to build their integrity especially those who had been in public service for many years.
Why? Because of the very strong temptation in this world for corruption and personal gain.
Many times, people who have no fear of God's presence, those who have no recognition of God's judgment, would abuse and misuse their public office and would be overcome with moral failures especially in the areas of sexual and financial.
Nothing can be hidden before the eyes of God and the people.
Because Satan is always on the attack and we must learn how to protect ourselves.
Here is a Christian strategy for maintaining moral integrity in the ministry.
2 Corinthians 1:12(NIV) "Now this is our boast: Our conscience testifies that we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially in our relations with you, with integrity and godly sincerity. We have done so, relying not on worldly wisdom but on God’s grace."
Notice the words "integrity and godly sincerity" - these are character traits that can be developed as we relate well with others.
Brothers and sisters, we need to conduct ourselves properly and accordingly in this world.
The strategy is to keep our conscience as clean as possible at all times.
Did I take any bribes from anyone?
Did I cheat anybody in business?
Did I abuse anyone?
If we have sinned against God and men, we must confess that sin to God.
We must relate well to other people.
We must maintain holiness and sincerity at all times.
If we are faithful in carrying out all these legacy, we can do what Samuel did before the people by standing before them and not afraid of a possible negative backlash.
Imagine, if he lived a corrupt and immoral life - they would throw all those bad tomatoes at his face.
But not Samuel.
We can also stand on the solid footing of honor and uprightness just as he did.
That is why our lesson Number 1: A legacy of godly character is the best legacy we leave behind.
That is true.
That is the best legacy we leave behind, not monuments of stone, but monument of godliness and Christ likeness.
Those will be anchored in their memories forever.
And someday, we will stand before the searching eyes of God and we will have to account for every word, every action and every thought we have done in our lifetime.
Brothers and sisters, our moral integrity will hold us strong until we go home into His eternal kingdom of God.
Here are some Quotes on legacy:
"Legacy is not leaving something FOR people. It's leaving something IN people."
"Please think something about your legacy because you are writing it everyday."
The first thing we learned is the importance of leaving behind a godly testimony.
2. WORDS OF ENCOURAGEMENT. 1 Samuel 12:6-15 (NIV) "6 Then Samuel said to
the people, “It is the Lord who appointed Moses and Aaron and brought your ancestors up out of Egypt. 7 Now then, stand here,
because I am going to confront you with evidence before theLord as to all the righteous acts performed by the Lord for you and
your ancestors. 8 “After Jacob entered Egypt, they cried to the Lord for help, and theLord sent Moses and Aaron, who brought
your ancestors out of Egypt and settled them in this place. 9 “But they forgot the Lord their God; so he sold them into the hand
of Sisera, the commander of the army of Hazor, and into the hands of the Philistines and the king of Moab, who fought against
them. 10 They criedout to the Lord and said, ‘We have sinned; we have forsaken the Lordand served the Baals and the Ashtoreths.
But now deliver us from the hands of our enemies, and we will serve you.’ 11 Then the Lord sent Jerub-Baal,[a] Barak,[b] Jephthah
and Samuel,[c] and he delivered you from the hands of your enemies all around you, so that you lived in safety. 12 “But when you
saw that Nahash king of the Ammonites was moving against you, you said to me, ‘No, we want a king to rule over us’—even though
the Lord your God was your king. 13 Now here is the king you have chosen, the one you asked for; see, the Lord has set a king over
you. 14 If you fear the Lord and serve and obey him and do not rebel against his commands, and if both you and the king who reigns
over you follow the Lord your God—good! 15 But if you do not obey the Lord, and if you rebel against his commands, his hand will be
against you, as it was against your ancestors.
Verses 6 - 15 talks about Samuel encouraging Israel to be faithful in serving the Lord even though they made a mistake in their decision to ask for a king.
He first reminded them that it was God who appointed Moses and Aaron to deliver them from the oppressive hands of Egypt.
He also reminded them that the Lord had been righteous in His dealings to all the ancestors of Israel.
But on the contrary, Israel as a nation has NOT been faithful to God's leadership in the past.
They forgot the Lord their God.
They have bowed down to idols made of stone.
They have not worshiped God.
And so, God used the wicked Philistines to discipline and teach them a lesson them by bringing them pain and suffering until they finally cried to the Lord for help.
Then, the Lord in His great mercy and compassion delivered them from the hands of their enemies so that they may live in safety.
However, when they saw another enemy coming against them, they asked for a king to rule over them.
But they did not realize that God has been serving as their King.
God has been their leader all these times, yet they did not recognize it.
It was a direct rejection of God's authority over them.
They wanted to be like the other nations around them.
In spite of it, God granted their request and gave them a king in the person of Saul.
But he warned them strongly to fear the Lord, to serve Him fully and NOT to rebel against His commands.
Because if they will reject the the Lord, His hand will be against them and their ancestors.
Hence, Samuel was leaving behind a legacy of encouragement not of condemnation, of optimism, not of accusation, of assurance, not of denunciation.
In spite of their wrong decision, he was making it right.
He was encouraging them to take the right path to life.
And that is the kind of legacy we need to leave behind as well to our loved ones, our friends, to our brothers and sisters in the faith.
Lesson Number 2: A legacy of encouraging words will strengthen their fortitude in God.
And so, what do you do when people you have trusted have made a mistake in their judgment?
What do you do when people made a mistake in their decision making and they failed you?
Your response to them will eventually be remembered long after you have left them.
You see, people need encouragement rather than condemnation.
Encouragement will help them make things right.
While discouragement will make them create more mistakes in the future.
And so, what you leave behind will be remembered by people who follow you.
1 Thessalonians 5:11New International Version (NIV) "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing."
Do you know that Abraham Lincoln always carried with him a newspaper clipping stating he was a great leader.
This in order to encourage himself in spite of the many problems he was facing as President during his day.
He did not want to carry along some more bad news that can be depressing to his heart.
He carried with him some good news as source of personal inspiration to do better.
There was this story of a triathlon athlete.
A triathlon is a competition involving three athletic sports - swimming, biking and running.
He wrote in his diary about the impact of two co-athletes he talked with along the way during the grueling competition.
One was complaining while the other was encouraging.
"I discovered the importance of healthy counsel in a half-Ironman triathlon.
After the 1.2 mile swim and the 56 mile bike ride, I didn't have much energy left for the 13.1 mile run.
Neither did the fellow jogging next to me.
I asked him how he was doing and soon regretted posing the question.
"This stinks. This race is the dumbest decision I've ever made."
He had more complaints than a taxpayer at the IRS. My response to him?
"Goodbye." I know if I listened too long, I'd start agreeing with him and I will be out of the race soon.
But then, I caught up with a 66-year-old grandmother.
Her tone was just the opposite. "You'll finish this," she encouraged.
"It's hot, but at least it's not raining. One step at a time…don't forget to hydrate…stay in there."
I ran next to her until my heart was lifted and my legs were aching. I finally had to slow down.
"No problem." She waved and kept going.
Which of these two describes the counsel you seek?
Everyday, you are leaving behind a legacy of complaining or of encouragement to people around you.
First. Samuel left behind a lasting legacy of godly testimony.
Secondly, Samuel left behind some words of encouragement in the midst of Israel's failures.
3. WORDS OF ASSURANCE. 1 Samuel 12:16-25 (NIV) "16 “Now then, stand still and see this great thing
the Lord is about to do before your eyes! 17 Is it not wheat harvest now? I will call on the Lordto send thunder and rain. And you will
realize what an evil thing you did in the eyes of the Lord when you asked for a king.” 18 Then Samuel called on the Lord, and that same
day the Lord sent thunder and rain. So all the people stood in awe of the Lord and of Samuel.
19 The people all said to Samuel, “Pray to the Lord your God for your servants so that we will not die, for we have added to all our other
sins the evil of asking for a king.”
20 “Do not be afraid,” Samuel replied. “You have done all this evil; yet do not turn away from the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your
heart.21 Do not turn away after useless idols. They can do you no good, nor can they rescue you, because they are useless. 22 For the
sake of his great name the Lord will not reject his people, because the Lord was pleased to make you his own. 23 As for me, far be it
from me that I should sin against the Lord by failing to pray for you. And I will teachyou the way that is good and right. 24 But be sure
to fear the Lord and serve him faithfully with all your heart; consider what great things he has done for you. 25 Yet if you persist in doing
evil, both you and your king will perish.”
There was this story of a couple who had been married for 50 years.
"Things have really changed," she said. "You used to sit very close to me."
"Well, I can remedy that," he said, moving next to her on the couch.
"And you used to hold me tight."
"How's that?" he asked as he gave her a big hug.
"Do you remember you used to nudge my neck and nibble on my ear loves?"
He jumped to his feet and left the room. "Where are you going?"
"I'll be right back," he said. "I've got to get my teeth!"
He needs those false teeth to nibble her ear loves.
We all need words of assurance that in spite of everything, such as our old age, all will be made well.
Here in these verses 16-25, we find Samuel leaving behind some words of assurance to Israel.
It was the time for wheat harvest as he told them to stand still because they are about to see great things before their eyes.
Then, Samuel called upon the Lord to send them thunder and rain.
You see, thunder and rain during wheat harvest do not mix.
People want to see the sun during wheat harvest.
Heavy rain during the harvest could destroy all their crops.
The sign was in fact a warning of divine displeasure.
And so, the people was afraid that all their crops will be destroyed.
Hence, they pleaded to Samuel that they will be spared from God's anger because of their sin.
And verse 20 is full of assuring words that Samuel said to Israel, "Do not be afraid. Even if you have done all this evil, but if you do not turn away from the Lord and serve Him with all your heart, all will be well with you."
Samuel wanted Israel to know that rejecting the Lord and turning aside from Him just does not work.
However, he wanted to tell them that God loves them despite of their past sin.
All will be well. They could go on serving the Lord and see His blessings flow to them.
All will be well because Samuel knew that the best thing he could do for Israel was to pray for them.
Those are words of comfort and assurance that Israel needed as he leaves them.
That is why Lesson No. 3: A legacy of assuring words will strengthen those who will follow after you.
That is true.
Whatever reassuring words you would leave them will built them morale for the future.
"Everything will be okay!"
"This will be a great year indeed!"
"We will make it!"
"We will be better next time!"
Words of assurance will dispel all doubts and hopelessness from a person's heart.
Words of assurance will take away all our worries and anxieties and create confidence and faith.
In the same manner, the prayer that we offer will give our full assurance that all will be well.
Summary:
Lesson No. 1 A legacy of godly character is the best legacy we leave behind.
Lesson No. 2: A legacy of encouraging words will strengthen their fortitude in God.
Lesson No. 3: A legacy of assuring words will strengthen those who will follow after you.
Closing Story:
Let me end with this story of a husband and wife who walked by faith and, consequently, left a legacy far beyond anything they could have ever imagined.
They lived in the early 1700s in colonial America.
Their names were Jonathan and Sarah Edwards.
Jonathan Edwards felt God's call to become a minister.
He and his young bride began a pastorate in a small congregation.
During the years that followed, he wrote many sermons, prayers, and books, and was influential in beginning the Great Awakening.
Together they produced eleven children who grew into adulthood.
Sarah was a partner in her husband's ministry, and he sought her advice regarding sermons and church matters.
They spent time talking about these things together, and, when their children were old enough, the parents included them in the discussions.
The effects of the Edwards's lives have been far-reaching, but the most measurable results of their faithfulness to God's call is found through their descendants.
Elizabeth Dodds records a study done by A. E. Winship in 1900 in which he lists a few of the accomplishments of the 1,400 Edwards descendants he was able to find:
* 100 lawyers and a dean of a law school
* 80 holders of public office
* 66 physicians and a dean of a medical school
* 65 professors of colleges and universities
* 30 judges
* 13 college presidents
* 3 mayors of large cities
* 3 governors of states
* 3 United States senators
* 1 controller of the United States Treasury
* 1 Vice President of the United States
One of the most famous quote of Jonathan Edwards is this:
"Resolution one: I will live for God.
Resolution two: If no one else does, I still will."
No wonder, he left behind a lasting legacy for generation to generation to remember him by.
It was a legacy of godly character, a legacy of encouraging words and a legacy of assuring words that all will be well if we live for God.
What kind of legacy will you and your mate leave?
Will it be lasting?
Will it be imperishable and eternal?
Or will you leave behind only tangible items—buildings, money, and/or possessions?
Remember that your words and your life counts.
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