1 Samuel 12:20
And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart; And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the LORD, but serve the LORD with all your heart;
The wickedness was Israel's asking for and demanding a king, which rejected God's rule over them. Yet after all that wickedness the people were told, Fear not, and not to give way to fear or to despair and discouragement. Instead of turning aside they were to keep following the Lord and serve Him with all their heart. Their sin did not end God's call to faithfulness, nor did their wrongdoing make continued faithful service impossible.
God is not severe or unwilling to forgive, but merciful and forgiving, desiring to show mercy and favor when the people hear and obey His voice. The Lord will not forsake His people who return to Him. Turning aside to vain things cannot bring help or deliverance or salvation. For the reader this calls for full surrender to God and for not neglecting eternal interests for the meager things of this life.