1 Samuel 12:22 - Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible

For his great name's sake, i.e. for his own honour, which would seem to suffer much among men, if he should not preserve and deliver people in eminent dangers; as if he were grown feeble, or forgetful, or inconstant, or unfaithful, or regardless of human affairs, or unkind to those who own and worship him, when all the rest of the world forsake him. Hence this argument hath been oft pleaded with God, not without good success, as Exodus 32:12 Numbers 14:13, &c. And this reason God here allegeth to take them off from all conceit of their own merit; and to assure them, that if they did truly repent of all their sins, and served God with all their heart, which is here supposed, yet even in that case their salvation would not be due to their merits, but only the effect of God's free mercy. It hath pleased the Lord, to wit, out of his own free grace, without any desert of yours, as he saith, Deuteronomy 7:7, Deuteronomy 9:5; and therefore he will not easily forsake you, except you thrust him away.