Chapter 12 in Shmuel A is a chapter of rebuke: Shmuel the prophet stands before all of Israel and reproves them for requesting a king. But there is a very precise order here. Sometimes there are situations in which the people are not yet fit to hear rebuke. When the people complain that they have no water to drink, first of all one must give them to drink, and only afterward rebuke them for the manner in which they complained. So too here: the Holy One told Shmuel to give them a king, and only after you have given it to them, rebuke them. For otherwise they would say: this whole rebuke is nothing but a ploy, he is searching for reasons not to give us a king. Therefore: you asked, you received, and now let us examine whether the request was justified.
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל־כׇּל־יִשְׂרָאֵל הִנֵּה שָׁמַעְתִּי בְקֹלְכֶם לְכֹל אֲשֶׁר־אֲמַרְתֶּם לִי וָאַמְלִיךְ עֲלֵיכֶם מֶלֶךְ׃ - And Shmuel said to all Israel: Behold, I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and I have set a king over you.
Shmuel's rebuke includes two things in which the people acted improperly. The first, an affront to Shmuel's honor. Shmuel was the judge, and had you requested a king merely to fight our battles, there would be no affront to his honor, for Shmuel does not fight battles, as we discussed in the previous lessons. But you requested a king "to judge us," and that is precisely Shmuel's role, and by this you said that you have no interest in his rulings. The second thing, an affront to the honor of Hashem: you said "No, but a king shall reign over us," meaning we do not wish to be under the direct government of the Creator of the world but under the leadership of nature. And nevertheless: "I have listened to your voice in all that you said to me, and I have set a king over you."
וְעַתָּה הִנֵּה הַמֶּלֶךְ מִתְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵיכֶם וַאֲנִי זָקַנְתִּי וָשַׂבְתִּי וּבָנַי הִנָּם אִתְּכֶם וַאֲנִי הִתְהַלַּכְתִּי לִפְנֵיכֶם מִנְּעֻרַי עַד־הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה׃ - And now, behold, the king walks before you, and I have grown old and gray, and my sons are here with you, and I have walked before you from my youth until this day.
Behold, the king walks before you, and I have grown old and gray. That is to say: from all the years in which I served before you I gained no profit at all. What did I in fact receive? Old age and gray hair. From bearing the burden of the public, from the many hours of toil and effort and labor, he grew old before his time - for in all he was only fifty years old, and at the age of fifty two he passed away.
And not only that. For future generations too I gained nothing from it: "and my sons are here with you" - they hold no greatness, no authority, no office. I myself took nothing from the position, neither for myself nor for future generations. And the entire preamble "and I have walked before you from my youth until this day" comes in order to state the following verse: I have walked from my youth until this day, and nevertheless there is no complaint against me.
הִנְנִי עֲנוּ בִי נֶגֶד יְהֹוָה וְנֶגֶד מְשִׁיחוֹ אֶת־שׁוֹר מִי לָקַחְתִּי וַחֲמוֹר מִי לָקַחְתִּי וְאֶת־מִי עָשַׁקְתִּי אֶת־מִי רַצּוֹתִי וּמִיַּד־מִי לָקַחְתִּי כֹפֶר וְאַעְלִים עֵינַי בּוֹ וְאָשִׁיב לָכֶם׃ - Here I am; testify against me before Hashem and before His anointed: Whose ox have I taken, and whose donkey have I taken, and whom have I oppressed, whom have I wronged, and from whose hand have I taken a bribe to turn a blind eye, that I may restore it to you.
Shmuel is not speaking about a two year term. "From my youth until this day" - close to fifty years that he has led this people. Is it conceivable that there would not be a single complaint against a leader over the course of fifty years? Today a leader serves for half a year, and one could fill libraries with grievances against him. And here we are speaking of almost fifty years without a single complaint against him.
"Whose ox have I taken" - Heaven forbid not by theft, but even for the needs of my work, perhaps I borrowed an ox from someone. "And whose donkey have I taken" - after all, when I would go to judge you I would travel from city to city, and only "his return was to Ramah, for there was his home," once a year he would return to his house. The travel expenses are rightfully due to me by law. I did not request a Cadillac, I requested a horse. Bring me a donkey, even an old nag is fine, even a bicycle is fine. Did I take from anyone? Not even a donkey. Everything was my own, at my own expense, even the fodder costs were on me and not on you, and none of you paid anything.
"את מי רצותי" - "rotzoti" is from the root meaning to crush, in other words, to rob. "או מיד מי לקחתי כופר ואעלים עיני בו" - who gave me money so that I would look the other way, not in order to bend his judgment, but even simply so that I would not deal with his case at all: leave it, do not sue him, I have no interest in getting involved in this matter. Even something like that I never took.
The Radak brings in the name of his father a beautiful interpretation of the continuation of the verse. Perhaps there is someone who has a claim that he gave a bribe, but he is embarrassed to come before Shmuel and say to his face directly: you took from me. Therefore Shmuel said: "מיד מי לקחתי כופר" - that person is ashamed to say it; "ואעלים עיני בו" - I will not look at who says it, let him only say how much I took; "ואשיב לכם" - I will give it to you, and you will pay him. He was prepared to go that far. What leader could say such a thing today? This is a most exalted level of righteousness.
וַיֹּאמְרוּ לֹא עֲשַׁקְתָּנוּ וְלֹא רַצּוֹתָנוּ וְלֹא־לָקַחְתָּ מִיַּד־אִישׁ מְאוּמָה׃ - And they said, You have not defrauded us, nor oppressed us, nor have you taken anything from anyone's hand.
"ולא לקחת מיד איש מאומה" - you were not even willing to accept anything as a gift. So that no problem would later arise, that people would say: once he received a lighter from him, then fancy pens, and as a result, when the man came to judgment he bent his ruling. Nothing at all.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֲלֵיהֶם עֵד יְהֹוָה בָּכֶם וְעֵד מְשִׁיחוֹ הַיּוֹם הַזֶּה כִּי לֹא מְצָאתֶם בְּיָדִי מְאוּמָה וַיֹּאמֶר עֵד׃ - And he said to them, Hashem is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day, that you have not found anything in my hand. And he said, Witness.
"עד השם בכם" - Hashem shall testify against you, "ועד משיחו" - this refers to Shaul, who is Hashem's anointed king, anointed with the flask of oil. The Malbim explains what Shmuel comes to add here: perhaps there would be a claim that, after all, you did receive a salary from the public fund and made your living from it, and in that very way you supposedly benefited from us. For the prophet was given contributions and charity to distribute, and the public fund was in his hands. Who could know whether he did not take some amount for himself here and there? To this he said: "עד השם בכם" - regarding hidden matters only Hashem can testify. This is a far higher level of purity, for it is entirely possible that a person does not remember, and it is entirely possible that he did something not completely clean.
"ויאמר עד" - who said it? Chazal say: a heavenly voice went forth and said "Witness." The Holy One, Blessed be He, says I testify: this man is pure and clean, there is not in him the slightest trace of wrong or guilt. And where is this hinted? For the verse reads: "ויאמר אליהם עד השם בכם," and then in parentheses "ועד משיחו היום הזה כי לא מצאתם בידי מאומה," and after "עד השם בכם" it says "ויאמר עד" - and who said it? Hashem.
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל־הָעָם יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה וְאֶת־אַהֲרֹן וַאֲשֶׁר הֶעֱלָה אֶת־אֲבֹתֵיכֶם מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם׃ - And Shmuel said to the people, It is Hashem who made Moshe and Aharon, and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt.
Shmuel says to them: this voice that you heard, who said "Witness"? Know that it is Hashem, who made Moshe and Aharon and who brought your fathers up out of the land of Egypt. He appeared now and said "Witness" in order to prove my righteousness.
וְעַתָּה הִתְיַצְּבוּ וְאִשָּׁפְטָה אִתְּכֶם לִפְנֵי יְהֹוָה אֵת כׇּל־צִדְקוֹת יְהֹוָה אֲשֶׁר־עָשָׂה אִתְּכֶם וְאֶת־אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם׃ - Now therefore stand still, that I may reason with you before Hashem concerning all the righteous acts of Hashem which He did to you and to your fathers.
Now I wish to judge you concerning all the righteous acts that Hashem did with you, and concerning the ingratitude you displayed toward Hashem, blessed be He.
The Griz asks: what is the purpose of this opening? Why does he first demand that everyone acknowledge that he took nothing, and only afterward rebuke them? The answer: it is written "in the days when the judges judged," and this period is called so because it was a generation that judged its own judges. The judge would come and say to a person, remove the splinter from between your teeth, and he would answer, remove the beam from between your eyes - you are rebuking me? Look at yourself. It emerges, then, that if Shmuel had come to rebuke them, they would immediately have begun to judge the judge, to search for flaws in him and to say, who are you to rebuke us? Therefore he said: first I want the admission of a litigant, that you yourselves acknowledge that I stole nothing from you, so that when I come to rebuke you, you will not be able to throw the ball back at me.
But there is a problem here. The rule regarding the admission of a litigant is that if a person admits to his fellow without witnesses, he can retract and say "I was jesting with you" - I was teasing you. A person came to me and said, you owe me a thousand shekel, and I said to him, yes, God willing I will pay you, I was playing along with your mood, I was just joking with you. What is done so that the admission will be valid? One says "you are my witnesses" - now there are witnesses here that he admitted he owes me a thousand shekel, and from now on he cannot retract, for the admission of a litigant is like a hundred witnesses. Therefore, in verse 5: "And he said to them, Hashem is a witness against you, and His anointed is a witness" - here are two witnesses that you stated in the clearest possible way that I owe you nothing. Once there are two witnesses to the admission, from now on the rebuke can begin without anyone saying to me, remove the beam from between your eyes. And indeed, from verse 8 the rebuke begins, and against it the people have no argument: they do not justify themselves and do not claim that Shmuel is at fault, but on the contrary, in the end they admit that they acted improperly and repent.
כַּאֲשֶׁר־בָּא יַעֲקֹב מִצְרָיִם וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אֲבוֹתֵיכֶם אֶל־יְהֹוָה וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהֹוָה אֶת־מֹשֶׁה וְאֶת־אַהֲרֹן וַיּוֹצִיאוּ אֶת־אֲבֹתֵיכֶם מִמִּצְרַיִם וַיֹּשִׁבוּם בַּמָּקוֹם הַזֶּה׃ - When Yaakov came to Egypt, and your fathers cried out to Hashem, then Hashem sent Moshe and Aharon, and they brought your fathers out of Egypt and settled them in this place.
He opened and said "all the righteous acts of Hashem which He did for you and for your fathers," and therefore he begins with the fathers. When Yaakov came down to Egypt, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not save them through a king but specifically through His prophets, Moshe and Aharon, and they brought your fathers out.
וַיִּשְׁכְּחוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיהֶם וַיִּמְכֹּר אֹתָם בְּיַד סִיסְרָא שַׂר־צְבָא חָצוֹר וּבְיַד־פְּלִשְׁתִּים וּבְיַד מֶלֶךְ מוֹאָב וַיִּלָּחֲמוּ בָּם׃ - But they forgot Hashem their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera, commander of the army of Chatzor, and into the hand of the Pelishtim, and into the hand of the king of Moav, and they fought against them.
You have seen that the providence of Hashem never departed from you, and in two ways. The first: when you strayed from the path, immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, chastised you as a man chastises his son, that is, close providence. And this is "and they forgot Hashem their God, and He sold them into the hand of Sisera." And the second: as soon as you returned to Him, He immediately saved you.
And he was precise in his wording: "and He sold them" as opposed to "and they fought against them." Sometimes He sold them into the hands of the enemies in an absolute sale, until the enemies truly ruled over them - this was under Sisera, and under the Pelishtim in the time of Shimshon, when Israel was truly under their hand. And sometimes they only fought against them but did not truly rule over them - this was in the time of the Pelishtim in the period of Shmuel, when they came against Israel in war, and likewise the king of Moav in the time of Yiftach. In that period the rule was not absolute.
וַיִּזְעֲקוּ אֶל־יְהֹוָה וַיֹּאמְרוּ חָטָאנוּ כִּי עָזַבְנוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה וַנַּעֲבֹד אֶת־הַבְּעָלִים וְאֶת־הָעַשְׁתָּרוֹת וְעַתָּה הַצִּילֵנוּ מִיַּד אֹיְבֵינוּ וְנַעַבְדֶךָּ׃ - And they cried out to Hashem and said, We have sinned, for we have forsaken Hashem and served the Baalim and the Ashtaroth, and now deliver us from the hand of our enemies and we will serve You.
Here he speaks of the second part: as soon as you returned, the Holy One, blessed be He, helped you and sent prophets to save you.
וַיִּשְׁלַח יְהֹוָה אֶת־יְרֻבַּעַל וְאֶת־בְּדָן וְאֶת־יִפְתָּח וְאֶת־שְׁמוּאֵל וַיַּצֵּל אֶתְכֶם מִיַּד אֹיְבֵיכֶם מִסָּבִיב וַתֵּשְׁבוּ בֶּטַח׃ - And Hashem sent Yerubaal and Bedan and Yiftach and Shmuel, and delivered you from the hand of your enemies all around, and you dwelt in safety.
Yeruba'al is Gideon. And why was he called Yeruba'al? Because when Gideon took the bull that his father had fattened for idol worship and slaughtered it, the worshippers of the Ba'al came and wanted to kill him, and they said to his father: give us your son and we will put him to death. He said to them: why should you contend the Ba'al's quarrel? Let the Ba'al contend his own quarrel; they took his bull, so let him go and contend over his own bull. Therefore they called him Yeruba'al, meaning let the Ba'al contend against him. "And Bedan" is Shimshon, who was of the tribe of Dan.
Note the division: Yeruba'al and Bedan correspond to the first period, in which the nations had absolute rule over Israel, while Yiftach and Shmuel correspond to the second period, in which they only fought against them. Therefore, corresponding to the complete sale, it says "and He delivered you from the hand of your enemies" - a complete deliverance, for you were truly in their hand; and corresponding to the second deliverance it says "round about, and you dwelt securely" - for through Yiftach and Shmuel you had rest from the war of the enemies and you dwelt securely with none to disturb you.
וַתִּרְאוּ כִּי־נָחָשׁ מֶלֶךְ בְּנֵי־עַמּוֹן בָּא עֲלֵיכֶם וַתֹּאמְרוּ לִי לֹא כִּי־מֶלֶךְ יִמְלֹךְ עָלֵינוּ וַיהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם מַלְכְּכֶם׃ - And you saw that Nachash king of the children of Ammon came against you, and you said to me: No, but a king shall reign over us, though Hashem your God was your King.
For you see Hashem's providence hovering over you always, and you see that when He sold you into the hand of the enemies He sent you prophets and judges to save you, and all this you forgot. And when the enemy came against you and trouble arrived, what did you do? You asked for a king. You should have understood that the trouble came to rouse you, for you had strayed from the path, and you should have repented of your sin. But you were not content with this; rather, when you saw that Nachash king of the children of Ammon came against you, you strengthened yourselves further to say "a king shall reign over us." And why should you ask for such a thing, when Hashem your God is your King?
וְעַתָּה הִנֵּה הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר בְּחַרְתֶּם אֲשֶׁר שְׁאֶלְתֶּם וְהִנֵּה נָתַן יְהֹוָה עֲלֵיכֶם מֶלֶךְ׃ - And now, behold the king whom you have chosen, whom you have asked for, and behold, Hashem has set a king over you.
But what is done cannot be undone. The king already stands and reigns, and this is the king through whom the salvation came: the very fact that you chose him, the Holy One, blessed be He, brought salvation through him, and indeed you had salvation through Shaul. There is nothing more to do; this king is an accomplished fact, and therefore all that remains for me is to give you instructions for the future.
אִם־תִּירְאוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֹתוֹ וּשְׁמַעְתֶּם בְּקוֹלוֹ וְלֹא תַמְרוּ אֶת־פִּי יְהֹוָה וִהְיִיתֶם גַּם־אַתֶּם וְגַם־הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲשֶׁר מָלַךְ עֲלֵיכֶם אַחַר יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֵיכֶם׃ - If you will fear Hashem and serve Him and listen to His voice, and not rebel against the word of Hashem, then both you and the king who reigns over you will follow after Hashem your God.
The first possibility: that you will fear Hashem and serve Him, and keep His commandments and listen to His voice. And then it turns out that, as it were, the king too was chosen by Hashem; the king himself is a directive of the Holy One, blessed be He, to crown him over you, and consequently he is in the category of an intermediary between us and the Creator, may He be blessed. "Then both you and the king who reigns over you will follow after Hashem your God" - he is only an instrument to draw you close to the Holy One, blessed be He. Wonderful indeed.
וְאִם־לֹא תִשְׁמְעוּ בְּקוֹל יְהֹוָה וּמְרִיתֶם אֶת־פִּי יְהֹוָה וְהָיְתָה יַד־יְהֹוָה בָּכֶם וּבַאֲבֹתֵיכֶם׃ - But if you will not listen to the voice of Hashem, and rebel against the word of Hashem, then the hand of Hashem will be against you and against your fathers.
And the second possibility: if you do not walk in the straight path, and you make the king into an instrument to fulfill your desires and wishes, then "the hand of Hashem will be against you and against your fathers." And what is the matter of your fathers here? The Radak explains that "your fathers" means your kings, for the ruler is to the people like the father is to the son: just as the father directs his son, so the ruler and king direct the people, as it says "and He made me a father to Pharaoh." And our Sages expound that the verse speaks of the flesh of the dead, that on account of the sin of the living the dead are dug up and taken out of their graves for disgrace, and this is "then the hand of Hashem will be against you and against your fathers" - as it were, they will take the fathers out of their graves for disgrace and say to them: see what your children are doing.
גַּם־עַתָּה הִתְיַצְּבוּ וּרְאוּ אֶת־הַדָּבָר הַגָּדוֹל הַזֶּה אֲשֶׁר יְהֹוָה עֹשֶׂה לְעֵינֵיכֶם׃ - Now therefore stand still and see this great thing which Hashem will do before your eyes.
Just as I, through prayer, can change the seasons and the times, so too, if you face a war, I have the power in prayer to stand against the enemy. If so, why did you ask for a king? Even though I am old, I still have the power in prayer to overturn the systems of nature, and your request for a king was unnecessary.
The Radak explains that he did this in order to show them that their request for a king was evil in the eyes of Hashem. For although the people as a whole believed Shmuel, there were among them worthless men whose hearts stung them at his words, meaning they did not fully believe that Shmuel's words were true, and perhaps even suspected, Heaven forbid, that he was seeking something for his own honor. Those same worthless men who said of Shaul, "How shall this one save us," did not hesitate to speak against Shmuel as well. Therefore he gave them a sign from Heaven to prove that all his words were true and just, and through this they would understand that their deeds were evil in the eyes of Hashem.
The Metzudat David adds: the people could have argued, if the matter is so evil in the eyes of Hashem, why did He give us a king? Shmuel said to them: come and I will show you that even though He gave you a king, the matter is nevertheless evil in His eyes, and you should not mistakenly think that it is good in His eyes. For rain in the summer is not a good thing, yet if I ask for rain in the summer, Hashem will bring it down. So too regarding you: a king is not a good thing for you, but since you asked, Hashem gives you one.
הֲלוֹא קְצִיר־חִטִּים הַיּוֹם אֶקְרָא אֶל־יְהֹוָה וְיִתֵּן קֹלוֹת וּמָטָר וּדְעוּ וּרְאוּ כִּי־רָעַתְכֶם רַבָּה אֲשֶׁר עֲשִׂיתֶם בְּעֵינֵי יְהֹוָה לִשְׁאוֹל לָכֶם מֶלֶךְ׃ - Is it not wheat harvest today? I will call to Hashem and He will send thunder and rain; and you shall know and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the eyes of Hashem in asking for a king.
Rain in the summer is a sign of a curse, and the Holy One, blessed be He, does not bring calamity for no reason, yet I still have the power to pray to Hashem, and through this you will understand that you did not need to ask for a king and to belittle me. So explains Rashi.
The Malbim explains that with this sign Shmuel came to prove three things. First, that miraculous providence still cleaves to you: why should you choose a king if the Holy One, blessed be He, saves you through individual providence? Here I ask for rain and He brings it down. Second, "I will call to Hashem and He will send thunder" - through my prayer, meaning there was also a betrayal of me here, as if to say, your strength has waned, Shmuel, and you can no longer save us. See that I call to Hashem and He brings down rain, and just so I can call to Him and save you, as we saw in chapter seven, that he called to Hashem and Hashem thundered against the Pelishtim. My strength is in me, and I have the ability to do this. And third, a conceptual proof: is rain a good thing or a bad thing? It depends on when. In the summer it is a curse, in the winter it is a blessing. So too with you: you did not ask for a bad thing, but for something out of its proper season, and because it is out of its season, it is bad. Had you asked for a king after my death, when you would have no leader to lean upon, that would have been rain in the winter. But you are asking for rain in the summer - you are asking for a king while I am still alive, and this is a sign of a curse, for you presently have one who leads you, and Hashem of Hosts protects you.
וַיִּקְרָא שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל־יְהֹוָה וַיִּתֵּן יְהֹוָה קֹלֹת וּמָטָר בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא וַיִּירָא כׇל־הָעָם מְאֹד אֶת־יְהֹוָה וְאֶת־שְׁמוּאֵל׃ - So Shmuel called to Hashem, and Hashem sent thunder and rain that day, and all the people greatly feared Hashem and Shmuel.
They understood that they had sinned both against Hashem and against Shmuel, in that they demanded a king in place of His prophet.
וַיֹּאמְרוּ כׇל־הָעָם אֶל־שְׁמוּאֵל הִתְפַּלֵּל בְּעַד־עֲבָדֶיךָ אֶל־יְהֹוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ וְאַל־נָמוּת כִּי־יָסַפְנוּ עַל־כׇּל־חַטֹּאתֵינוּ רָעָה לִשְׁאֹל לָנוּ מֶלֶךְ׃ - And all the people said to Shmuel: Pray for your servants to Hashem your God, that we not die, for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking for a king.
That is to say: all the sins we have committed until now were not enough for us, and we further added an evil in that we asked for a king. Therefore, just as you can pray for the rains, pray on behalf of your servants that Hashem not exact punishment from us.
וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֶל־הָעָם אַל־תִּירָאוּ אַתֶּם עֲשִׂיתֶם אֵת כׇּל־הָרָעָה הַזֹּאת אַךְ אַל־תָּסוּרוּ מֵאַחֲרֵי יְהֹוָה וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֶת־יְהֹוָה בְּכׇל־לְבַבְכֶם׃ - And Shmuel said to the people: Do not fear. You have done all this evil, yet do not turn aside from following Hashem, and serve Hashem with all your heart.
What you have already done cannot be undone, but do not turn aside from following Hashem, for in your present state this is the little that can still be done, and through it the sin will be atoned for you. As we explained, it is impossible to restore the situation to what it was: by asking for a king you showed that you do not rely on Hashem, as the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "They have rejected Me," and therefore you are no longer worthy of His direct providence. Even if you now say that you want Hashem back, you are not worthy, because you have shown that you have no faith in His power, and you need a power that connects between you and Him. Your level is low, and Hashem says: I can no longer watch over you, you are not on the level worthy for Me to be your guardian and protector. Nevertheless, to atone for the sin is possible, on one condition.
וְלֹא תָּסוּרוּ כִּי אַחֲרֵי הַתֹּהוּ אֲשֶׁר לֹא־יוֹעִילוּ וְלֹא יַצִּילוּ כִּי־תֹהוּ הֵמָּה׃ - And do not turn aside, for it would be after empty things that cannot avail nor save, for they are empty.
The condition is that you do not turn aside from Hashem. And do not think that you will gain any benefit from idolatry, for they are emptiness: "that cannot avail" - no benefit will come from them, "nor save" - they will not save you from any evil. And do not think that perhaps in some mystical way they do hold benefit, and to this he concludes "for they are empty" - it is emptiness, it is futility, there is no benefit in it at all.
כִּי לֹא־יִטֹּשׁ יְהֹוָה אֶת־עַמּוֹ בַּעֲבוּר שְׁמוֹ הַגָּדוֹל כִּי הוֹאִיל יְהֹוָה לַעֲשׂוֹת אֶתְכֶם לוֹ לְעָם׃ - For Hashem will not abandon His people for the sake of His great name, for Hashem has been pleased to make you His people.
By virtue of your deeds you are not worthy, for you demanded a king for yourselves, but since His name has already become associated with you as your Savior, He will not abandon you, for His own honor, blessed be He. "For Hashem has been pleased to make you His people" - Hashem swore to make you a people, and since that is so, He will not go back on His oath and will not desecrate His name.
גַּם אָנֹכִי חָלִילָה לִּי מֵחֲטֹא לַיהֹוָה מֵחֲדֹל לְהִתְפַּלֵּל בַּעַדְכֶם וְהוֹרֵיתִי אֶתְכֶם בְּדֶרֶךְ הַטּוֹבָה וְהַיְשָׁרָה׃ - As for me too, far be it from me to sin against Hashem by ceasing to pray on your behalf, and I will instruct you in the good and upright way.
You are worried that my merit will cease to protect you - you have nothing to fear. Know that I too will continue to pray on your behalf and to instruct you in the good way, even though you betrayed me and said that you want someone else. I will not cease from my good deeds: the first, that I would pray on your behalf, and the second, that I would instruct you in the good way. And this too does not depend on my will, for if I do not do so - "far be it from me to sin against Hashem." This is my duty, and I cannot betray my duty.
אַךְ יְראוּ אֶת־יְהֹוָה וַעֲבַדְתֶּם אֹתוֹ בֶּאֱמֶת בְּכׇל־לְבַבְכֶם כִּי רְאוּ אֵת אֲשֶׁר־הִגְדִּל עִמָּכֶם׃ - Only fear Hashem and serve Him in truth with all your heart, for see what great things He has done for you.
"Only fear Hashem" - that you have fear of Him. All of this, that I will pray on your behalf and instruct you in the good way, is on condition that you fear Hashem and serve Him in truth with all your heart. "For see what great things He has done for you" - see how much good He has done for you. And the Radak adds a further possibility: see what a miracle and wonder He performed just now, bringing down rain in the middle of the summer.
וְאִם־הָרֵעַ תָּרֵעוּ גַּם־אַתֶּם גַּם־מַלְכְּכֶם תִּסָּפוּ׃ - But if you shall do wickedly, both you and your king shall be swept away.
But if, God forbid, you do evil, nothing will help you, and even my prayers will not avail you, for you shall all be swept away: both you and the instrument that led you to do the evil, namely your king. Yet if you improve your deeds, the king will not harm you; on the contrary, you will even derive benefit from him.
Chapter 12 is Shmuel's chapter of rebuke, and it is built in a precise order: first he gave them a king so that he would not be suspected of ulterior motives, and afterward he demanded from them the admission of a litigant before two witnesses, Hashem and His anointed, that he had taken nothing from them, for a generation that judges its own judges would have answered him "remove the beam from between your eyes." Hashem Himself testified to his purity through a heavenly voice: "And he said, He is witness." Once every possible objection was removed, Shmuel laid out the righteous acts of Hashem: close providence in two directions, affliction the moment they stray, and salvation the moment they return, and all the salvations came about through prophets and judges and not through a king. The sign of the rain during the wheat harvest taught three things: that the miraculous providence still clings to them, that Shmuel's power in prayer had not weakened, and that the request for a king is like rain out of its season, not a bad thing in itself, but bad in its timing. In the end the people repented, and Shmuel concluded with a directive for the future: if you fear Hashem, the king will be an intermediary drawing you close to Him, and if not, he will be an instrument for cravings and you will be swept away along with him. And above all stands the leader's commitment: "Far be it from me that I should sin against Hashem in ceasing to pray for you," even after they had betrayed him.