Samuel said to the people, "Don't be afraid; you have indeed done all this evil; yet don't turn aside from following Yahweh, but serve Yahweh with all your heart:
To fear and serve God faithfully, the Israelites would need to remember God’s faithfulness to them in the past, and to bear in mind the certain consequences of disobedience (cf. Deuteronomy 28:41; Deuteronomy 28:45-64; Deuteronomy 30:15-20). The dark alternative was being swept away in exile.