Sermon 4: 1 Samuel 2:1-3

You may see many people impose names of this kind on their children, but thoughtlessly, and — to say what the matter is — rather profaning them. Therefore we must take care that if any wish to give such names to their newborn children, they should pray to God that the children may one day imitate those by whose name they are marked, so that they may devote themselves wholly to the worship of God throughout the whole course of their life. Furthermore, let them humbly beg this grace from God that he may graciously grant them offspring who will worship and revere God; and finally, that they may acknowledge their newborn children as a gift and treasure of his faithfulness committed to them, so that they may educate and instruct them in the fear of God with all the greater care and zeal, prepared one day to render an account to God of their upbringing. For otherwise, as I said, the rash use of such names is mere profanation.

Next, Elkanah is said to have gone up to the house of God to offer the annual sacrifice and to pay his vow; but Anna did not come — both because she had not yet weaned her son, and because she did not wish to come without the child whom she had given and dedicated to God. Here we must recall what we touched upon above: namely that Elkanah gave testimony of his piety and his zeal for maintaining the true and sincere worship of God, since he frequented the sanctuary of God so religiously and diligently. And indeed the Israelites had this as a commandment, but many offered various excuses so as not to leave their homes, although only three such feasts were appointed in each year. But it is not surprising that many despisers of the divine majesty at that time came reluctantly, leaving their houses, to this place to worship and sacrifice. For the journey was difficult; then something had to be spent on the sacrifices. Therefore, since Elkanah is said to have come on the appointed solemn feast day, it is clear enough from this that he is not to be placed in the number of those who worship God perfunctorily, and who indeed profess that they have received from him whatever good things they have, and ascribe all they possess to him, yet hold cheap the preaching of his word and disdain to give true marks of their piety. And it must be noted specifically that Elkanah is said to have come on the solemn day to sacrifice. This example is set before us not so that we may abuse it to invent various forms of worship, now frequenting one place and now another with great show of religion — as the papists do with their pilgrimages, perversely twisting this example to serve their idolatry. For we explained above the reasons why God wished to be worshiped in no other place than Jerusalem; and it is clear that the journey undertaken by Elkanah rested upon obedience to God. Indeed something more is added: namely a solemn sacrifice offered, and in addition to the annual solemn sacrifice, also a vow. The occasion of this sacrifice is uncertain — whether on account of the birth of a son beyond hope, or for some other reason — although the former seems more likely. In any case, observe that Elkanah, not content with the common obligation of all, adds over and above it a testimony of a grateful heart, by which, professing himself mindful and grateful for the benefits received from God, he publicly gives him thanks. For we have taught above that this is the purpose of vows: namely a public profession by which all things are ascribed to God alone, and sacrifices of praise are offered to him for benefits received. As for Shiloh, it should be known that it was the place where the ark then rested, and to which therefore all were to assemble. For God had not yet chosen a fixed place for his dwelling and rest, as when Scripture speaks of Jerusalem, calling it the place of rest and his eternal domicile. For the ark at that time had no fixed seat, but was transferred from one place to another, until finally it was even captured by the enemy. But at that time God willed it to be at Shiloh, a place which was afterward laid desolate, not without great wonder of all. For this reason Jeremiah also, seeing the Jews of his time glorying too insolently in their temple, threatens them with the same desolation that had once befallen Shiloh, in these words: 'Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell at first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel — yet you consider yourselves more powerful than God?' By this act God wished to make it known that, although he had chosen some earthly place for his worship, he was not bound to it forever as though he had pledged his word. Hence it came about that in the time of the Babylonian captivity, although the places that God had chosen as a kind of earthly paradise and in which he had rested for several centuries were destroyed and laid waste, the sacrifices were not therefore abolished. Moreover, if God once willed that examples of the severity of his judgments should remain in those places that he had selected for himself as earthly paradises and in which he had had his dwelling for many ages, who is so witless and dull as to allow himself to be persuaded today that God is affixed to certain places — as we see that Roman pope glorying in his see because Peter sat at Rome? But did Peter transfer the kingdom of heaven to Rome, which he could have claimed by better right for himself at Jerusalem, that famous city? Do we think God is like a child, who allows himself to be held by force, as if enslaved to those places from which so many crimes and abominable sins drive him out — or bound to those by whom, although his name is verbally honored, he is most foully polluted and defiled? Truly this is a great and intolerable error. Therefore, although for a time God chose Shiloh as a dwelling place for his ark, he nevertheless willed that examples of his judgments should remain in that place, so that the people might have a monument upon which, looking as into a mirror, they might learn to tremble at God's judgments and to worship God sincerely and without pretense in the future. And so much for this topic.

It follows that Elkanah left his wife at home until she had weaned her son. And indeed at first glance it might seem that Anna was guilty of ingratitude, since if there had been any impediment, she seemed to have been obligated to overcome it entirely. For nothing should have delayed the zeal of one who had received so great a benefit from the Lord. Is it not right that she who received offspring by a miracle should also come to the sanctuary, publicly to testify to a grateful heart and to give thanks to God? Therefore she may seem unworthy of any excuse by staying at home. But she does not make the newborn child an obstacle for herself; rather she says she cannot go until she offers to God the child whom she had vowed and dedicated -- whom it is otherwise credible she would rather have carried on her shoulders, had not a far different reason detained her; especially since we see that Elkanah brought flour, wine, and bulls with him, from which it is clear enough that they were not so poor that they could not easily have carried the child even on a donkey. Therefore Anna does not at all consider the difficulty of the journey, but she is restrained by this religious scruple: that she not appear empty-handed before God, but that she offer the child, now a bit older, dedicated to God in her own arms, and thus return him, as it were lent to her for a time. And so at home she sacrifices by a different rite than her husband Elkanah does at the sanctuary. By divine law, males were required to present themselves before the Lord at the sanctuary at least once a year; but Anna also was not unaware that the sacrifice she offered to God at home was pleasing and acceptable to him. Indeed she was restrained by a certain sense of shame before the divine presence until she had fulfilled her vow and had consecrated to God the thing dedicated to him, so that he might enjoy it -- and to testify in fact that, just as she had been eager to obtain offspring, so she was also eager, since she had been heard, to offer that offspring; as if to say, this boy is not going to serve us, but only the sanctuary to which he is dedicated. We have Anna's plan and purpose, and we see that her husband also approved it, adding only this to his wife's words: 'May God fulfill his word.' From which two questions arise: first, what is this word of which Elkanah speaks, since it is established that no revelation was made to him from heaven; second, how he desires to be fulfilled what had already been accomplished. Therefore it must be observed that he spoke in this way according to the customary phrase of Scripture: that God gave his word when he heard Anna's prayers. For Scripture is accustomed to say that God answers us when we pray to him. And yet we know that no audible voice is uttered: for heaven does not thunder, no angels are sent by God, in short we perceive no sound with our ears; but when we sense in reality that God has had mercy on us, and that he has graciously assented to our prayers, that response is rightly called divine. Although God therefore did not speak with his mouth, Elkanah nevertheless did not lack sure testimony by which God assured him that the prayers of his wife Anna had been heard. From this let us learn that if any good things come to us, all of them flow from God, as Sacred Scripture is accustomed to say, and must be ascribed to him alone; then worthy praises and sacrifices must be offered to him, yet in such a way that we do nothing except as the word leads. Here, however, it must be observed that, although we never acknowledge God as he deserves to be acknowledged as the author of all good things -- except insofar as we are instructed by his word -- yet we ought to be of tranquil mind when we know that our will is pleasing to him. For we need not expect some new revelation each day by which God himself descends to us or sends an angel to announce that he has done this or that; for experience ought to satisfy us abundantly, by which we are taught that the divine power and virtue is at work, and it ought to be of as much weight as if God himself were speaking. And so much for the first question. As for the fact that Elkanah prays that God may fulfill his word, this is not without reason. For even though God had truly given him a son, could he not have died the very next day, or turned out to be a wicked and villainous man, and been rejected by God as unfit for his worship? Therefore Elkanah seeks this from God and humbly beseeches him in prayer that, since God had granted him male offspring, he would preserve him and make him fit for his worship, and govern him by the power of his Holy Spirit, so that his ministry might be pleasing and acceptable to God. And indeed, as we shall see hereafter, Elkanah offered such prayers not without cause: for when Samuel came to the priestly ministry, how much was to be feared that he would be corrupted in such a foul brothel! For although Eli himself was by no means wicked or inclined to any crime, yet what, I ask, were his sons like, polluting the sanctuary of God with their fornications and their foul lusts, and their habitual thefts? What then do you think a child, even though he were like an angel of God in the midst of a company of devils, could have learned or done, other than every sort of crime and wickedness, had he not been miraculously preserved by the divine hand and power? So Elkanah offered such prayers to God not without reason, and that God also heard them we shall understand more fully hereafter. From this let parents learn to take such care of their children that they do not cease to pray to God until they have obtained this grace for them: that they may be governed by God and instructed in his worship. For we often see boys carried along with such unbridled license that they seem born for nothing but evil. But on whom should the blame rather be cast than on the parents, who, captivated by some blind love for their children, display many signs of joy in carousing and excessive luxury, but utterly forget God and bury his grace and blessing, not without great offense? But on the contrary, God testifies in deed that he is the author of all good things, even bestowing with a generous hand, or restraining with a punishing one. Therefore parents ought to be especially moved by this example, because Elkanah, having been made a partaker of divine beneficence, nevertheless humbly prays that the word of the Lord be fulfilled. Moreover, let parents not fear to commit their children, commended to God's grace and blessing, to him, and to solicit with constant prayers that he may perfect in them the gifts he has begun; and it is certain that the Lord will show himself ready to answer their prayers, and will demonstrate in fact that nothing is asked of him that is not obtained. Many difficulties will indeed arise in the meantime, but they will be most easily overcome by diligence and care. If anything should turn out otherwise, let each one blame himself, for having prayed either too sluggishly or otherwise than he ought, and let him compensate for his sluggishness in the future with the constancy of his prayers. And on this matter, enough for now.

Next follows the account of the weaned child, brought by his parents with three young bulls for his sustenance, with an ephah of flour and a skin of wine — which we shall see below was done annually. This vow, therefore, was not similar to that of the papists, who relegate their children to monasteries and bind them with religious obligations. For, by way of example, the man who has many daughters born to him complains that too great a sum of money must be spent on marrying them off, and therefore considers relegating them to various monasteries, so that this one may be bound to this religious order, that one to another; or if they are males, this one is designated as an abbot, another as a monk, that one as a priest and canon, so that by this arrangement they may be provided for most handsomely and abundantly, and equipped with rich prebends and revenues may indulge their appetites. What hypocrisy, I ask, and how great, to pretend religion in vowing and dedicating children to God, and yet to commit a shameful sacrilege? To devour the resources of the poor and needy? To plunder ecclesiastical revenues? To boast that the crucifix is sufficient to feed all these? But consider the religion: 'They are not of the world,' they say. Indeed, not of the world, but of hell. For who does not know with what foul and filthy lusts monasteries swarm? Who does not know that in them nothing is heard but the profanation of true religion? But let us look at the contrary example in Elkanah and Hannah, who bring with them the necessities for their son's sustenance and provide annually, so as not to burden Eli the high priest with any expenses, even though they had renounced all parental authority and had given and dedicated their son to minister to the high priest. Thus their vow was rightly established.

Specifically, the boy is said to have been very young, that is, youthful and frail. From this we see that Hannah did not at all procrastinate, as many foolish and dainty mothers are accustomed to do when the education of their children is at stake: for them the age is never ripe enough for attending school; they make excuses of frailty and tender years; they want a tiny portion of instruction to suffice, as if in play; finally, they think all is lost at the slightest breeze. Hence the ruin of many. For the care that was owed is not applied: the inferior is preferred to the superior — namely the body to the soul — pleasure and delight to education and learning, which nevertheless ought to be held in far greater esteem than all other things. Not so Hannah, who is specifically said to have brought her son not at five or six years old, but very young and recently weaned, and to have handed him over to the care of the high priest, renouncing her maternal authority, so that she might offer the one promised and dedicated to God. Therefore, since she voluntarily, without procrastinating over infantile endearments, deprives herself in order to offer the one consecrated to God, she shows sufficiently that she does this neither unwillingly nor with sorrow, but although she remained at home nursing the infant for a time, she nevertheless awaited the opportunity to fully pay her vow to God.

Moreover, as for what is said — that they brought the boy to Eli, and Hannah said to him: 'My lord, as your soul lives, I am the woman who stood with you here, praying to the Lord. For this boy I prayed, and the Lord granted me my petition which I asked of him. Therefore I also return him as a loan to the Lord, for all the days that he lives; he is lent to the Lord' — first, that expression 'My lord' must be examined. And there is no need to argue at length whether this title was attributed to the high priest; we need only observe that this was the usage of the Hebrew language. And we see that some nations and regions are more refined and more lavish in such honorific forms of address than others. Therefore, lest we think anything here was sinful from ambition, I believe this should be referred to the custom of the country, and that this simple greeting reflects the fact that the Jews would honor both those of some rank among themselves and even strangers with this title, namely the appellation of 'lord.'

But the chief point of this narrative remains to be considered: that Hannah brought the boy whom God had given her. By these words she again testifies to the same thing we said above, when she named him Samuel. For she openly professes that her supplication was heard by God; for she says the child was not merely given to her, but given in answer to her prayers — not indeed as if she attributed this to the merit of her prayers, but not unaware that God wills to exercise the faith of his people in this way, and to open a way to himself through their prayers, in order to assure his own that he will hear those who invoke him in truth. This she further confirms when she says to Eli: 'Your soul lives.' But we should not think that she swore by Eli's soul, which would plainly be idolatrous. For it is not lawful to swear by any other name than God's. For when we swear by God's name, we profess that he is our judge, before whose tribunal all must one day appear. Therefore Hannah by no means wished to transfer to a mortal what belongs properly to the living God, but she uses a certain asseveration whose force is far different from an oath. When one swears by someone's life, by the very fact that it is taken as a witness, it is an open profession by the one swearing that that life is most precious. If Hannah had sworn by God's life, she would have professed that God's life is eternal and dear to her. But when she makes Eli's life the witness of her word, she shows how great the reverence with which she honors Eli as a priest of the living God. And indeed this is the true and simple meaning of this passage, which must be carefully observed, lest we drag it toward light and empty oaths, rashly abusing God's name without occasion; for whoever mixes created things with the majesty of God must necessarily abolish that majesty as well. Therefore what is properly God's alone must be reserved for God alone, since he tolerates no rival. And so if mention should arise of created things, we must know to abstain from every formula of swearing, lest we convert creatures into so many idols.

Furthermore, Hannah so consecrates the infant to God that she declares him to be given to the Lord for all the days that he shall live. Sacred Hebrew Scripture uses a word that signifies both 'to ask' and 'to give'; and indeed it encompasses both simultaneously — both that the child was given by God and obtained by prayers and a vow — which cannot be so conveniently represented in another language. The meaning, however, is clear enough: namely, that she gives and dedicates to God the same child she had obtained by her prayers. And so she conceived this expectation for her son, that he would minister in the sanctuary forever. Nor should any difficulty be sought in this word 'perpetual,' since it should be understood of the ministry and life of the one who was being dedicated to God, and not as the Jews commonly interpret it — of a century, which is a hundred years, or of fifty years, which was the time prescribed for the Levites' retirement. Hannah simply dedicated this gift offered to God in perpetuity, and renounced all maternal right, so that he might minister at the Lord's altar forever — that is, for the whole course of his life. From all this we may again observe that Hannah was indeed desirous of offspring, yet not devoted to her own advantage, but only desired this: that her barrenness would no longer be turned to her reproach, which we showed above was done by Elkanah's other wife. Then, having received the gift bestowed by God, she willingly renounced all maternal authority — the kind that mothers, especially those approaching old age, usually demand from their children, so as to use them as the props of their declining years. Hannah makes no such claim for herself, but forgetting private advantage, she ascribes all glory to God, considering herself well enough provided for, so long as God was glorified. And indeed it is right that all our things should yield to God, whatever they may be, although here there is a certain particular reason.

Moreover, they are said to have sacrificed and worshipped before the face of God, having slaughtered a bull according to the vow. What is said about worship before the face of God shows that sacrifices were merely appendages to the worship that must be rendered to God. And the word 'worship' that is added shows the manner of praying to God among the Jews, who prostrate on the ground worshipped God. Therefore Hannah fell on her knees as a suppliant before God. It is true indeed that the worship of God is spiritual; but nevertheless it is fitting that the faithful venerate God with their bodies no less than with their souls. And indeed we hardly approach God in prayer without our tongue and hands also being moved and sharing with the soul. Away therefore with those fanatics who pretend to utter great groans from their breast and to be carried above the very clouds, and yet contend that the raising of hands is not necessary for prayer. Indeed they betray their own foolishness. For if there were any faith in them, it is certain they would also publicly testify to the disposition of worshipping God before men. Therefore it is a kind of contempt for God to reject these aids as rudiments suitable for children. Let us observe that the worship of God is a public profession of the faithful, by which they testify that they are subject to God and acknowledge all things as received from him, of which sacrifices were the tokens and confirmation. Moreover, the presence of God or his face is to be understood as nothing other than the power of God and the special grace which he reveals in this or that place — as when he wished his law to be enclosed in the ark, when he added the mercy-seat to the ark, and there promised to be present to those seeking him. As Scripture often says, we must by no means think that the Lord was enclosed in those things; but rather that Scripture thus lisps with us, and that God accommodated himself to the capacity of his people, lest they seek other gods for themselves — binding his presence in his ark privately, so to speak — namely because we are earthly. God thus supports our weakness, and therefore he instituted these ceremonies and worship at his ark.

But let us, made suppliant before the majesty of God, acknowledging the infinite sins by which we never cease to provoke his wrath against us, pray that we may daily make greater progress in hearing his word, and so dedicate ourselves to him and devote ourselves to his worship, that we may truly be counted among his people; and that in turn he may protect and guard us, so that we may never perish, since he has claimed us for himself as his own peculiar people at so great a price. So may he direct our vows, that we may without pretense and simulation devote ourselves to the propagation and glory of his name; and may he clothe us, purged from all the uncleanness of this age, with his righteousness, so that cultivating holiness more and more day by day, we may draw nearer to him step by step, until we are received into that supreme and eternal perfection. Amen.

1. And Hannah prayed and said: My heart exults in the Lord, and my horn is exalted in the Lord; my mouth is opened wide against my enemies, because I rejoice in your salvation. 2. There is none holy like the Lord, and there is none besides you, and there is no rock like our God. 3. Do not keep speaking so very proudly; let not arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed.

At first glance, Hannah may seem to praise excessively the benefit received from God in obtaining offspring. For although no benefit divinely bestowed should be regarded lightly, even if it is very small — since it is a testimony of God's fatherly love toward us — there are nevertheless degrees of benefits and of thanksgiving. Just as, for example, if God has delivered us from some great danger, we will celebrate so great a benefit far more than when he continues to bestow his grace upon us in an unbroken series. For this reason, often in the sacred writings, when thanks are to be given for certain singular and memorable benefits, these phrases occur: 'Celebrate God with new songs,' that is, with extraordinary and unusual ones. David professes to have done this when he was delivered by God in some special way. And so when we give thanks to God, we must always take into account the subject matter. But behold this woman, who indeed obtained a great benefit when from barren she was made fruitful and fertile — but was the benefit so great, a child born to her, that she should extol and proclaim it with such praises? Indeed it was; for we must observe that God's benefits toward us are such that even the smallest ought to carry us away into admiration of him and the proclamation of those same benefits. Although nothing prevents us from professing greater joy of heart in thanksgiving for the greatest and most admirable divine works, and having experienced his goodness through some notable act, acknowledging it also with more ardent vows. For example, if someone pressed by some grave misfortune — say illness or another calamity — is restored by God to his former health, he certainly ought to testify to his grateful heart with a special thanksgiving, yet in such a way that he joins this benefit with others, and institutes some comparison among them, with these words: 'Lord God Almighty, who would marvel that you are so merciful and so kind toward me, a wretched little man who am nothing but earth and ashes, when to those beholding heaven and earth — indeed, to those contemplating even the most worthless and lowliest things created by you — so many testimonies of your incomprehensible power and immense mercy and goodness toward them present themselves?'

Sounds of this sort are therefore to be uttered, and this reason should lead us to an extraordinary benefit. For when God has delivered me from some singular danger, I ought indeed to proclaim this rightly, but this benefit leads me as if by the hand to another greater one: how great are your benefits toward me, whom you cherish not only in this bodily life as a father does a son, but whose soul also you have pitied, and having drawn it from the abysses of hell, you have claimed it for freedom. For what is the greatness and excellence of that heavenly life prepared for us through your Son, what its glory and splendor — far greater even than the glory and majesty of the angels themselves! For not even the angels themselves are able to behold the majesty of God, except by the merit and benefit of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet you, Lord God, do not disdain to enroll me in the number of your heirs and children. This, therefore, is the use of the doctrine that we learn in this passage: that we should so weigh God's individual benefits toward us that we give him the thanks owed, and extol his goodness, power, might, and justice with deserved praises. And so Hannah in this canticle so proclaims the magnificent works of God that she congratulates herself on the son received from God and gives thanks to God for so great a benefit. Furthermore, that Hannah is here said to have prayed and proclaimed God's grace should not be understood as though she asked something from God in prayer (although some refer this word to Hannah's earlier prayers and wish all of them to be comprehended in this single word), but rather we must say that thanksgiving is denoted by the word 'prayer.'

Let us pass to the words of the canticle itself: 'My heart exults,' she says, 'in the Lord,' etc. Here there is mention of a twofold joy. For when she says her heart is exalted, there is no doubt that she looks to God's singular favor, by which he had granted her prayers. Then when she says again that she rejoiced, she refers to that joy by which her sorrow and sadness had been removed. But these things will seem obscure unless they are explained more clearly. Therefore we must know that it is fitting for us, although overwhelmed on all sides by many distresses and sorrows, nevertheless always to be cheerful. For this reason Paul commands the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always. Yet at that time the church was being agitated by very many persecutions; Paul was held in chains; the wretched faithful were like sheep within the jaws of wolves; within the very bowels of the church many seeds of evil were being nurtured — all of which could so shake the hearts of the faithful that they would utterly fail. For distress of mind and extreme sadness completely cast a person down and bring stupor upon him. Therefore in these difficulties that sadness must be overcome by spiritual joy, so that whatever misfortunes, whatever storms and tempests may assail, while the world and Satan rage, we may nevertheless stand undaunted and unshaken. Therefore although many causes of sorrow and sadness indeed surround us, yet they must be softened and eased, and God must be invoked all the more fervently, and his promises must be recalled to memory, so that the greater the storms with which we have been assailed, the more we may find rest in his fatherly favor toward us, and firmly persuade ourselves that there is nothing so violent by which we can be shaken — as the apostle testifies in Romans chapter 8 — that there is no principality and no power so exalted that can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And this is that joy with which Hannah says she rejoiced — not only because she was taught by experience that God had pitied her, but especially because, although she had formerly been regarded as a worthless slave and was exposed to everyone's contempt and caprice, yet depending on his grace she consoled herself with the divine word. We have, therefore, two kinds of Christian joy and gladness: one supported by the word of God alone and simply, the other confirmed also by the experience of divine and fatherly benevolence.

You may see many people give names of this kind to their children, but thoughtlessly — and to speak plainly — in a way that practically profanes them. We must therefore take care that if anyone wishes to give such names to their newborn children, they should pray to God that their children may one day imitate those whose names they bear, and so devote themselves wholly to the worship of God throughout the whole course of their lives. Furthermore, let them humbly ask this grace from God: that He would graciously grant them children who will worship and reverence Him; and finally, that they would acknowledge their newborn children as a gift and treasure of His faithfulness entrusted to them, so that they may educate and instruct them in the fear of God with all the greater care and devotion, prepared one day to give an account to God for how they were raised. For otherwise, as I said, the careless use of such names is mere profanation.

Next, Elkanah is said to have gone up to the house of God to offer the annual sacrifice and to pay his vow; but Hannah did not come — both because she had not yet weaned her son, and because she did not wish to come without the child whom she had given and dedicated to God. Here we must recall what we touched on above: Elkanah gave testimony of his piety and his zeal for maintaining the true and sincere worship of God by frequenting the sanctuary of God so faithfully and diligently. The Israelites had this as a commandment, but many offered various excuses to avoid leaving their homes, even though only three such feasts were appointed each year. It is not surprising that many who held the divine majesty in low regard came reluctantly to this place to worship and sacrifice. For the journey was difficult, and something had to be spent on the sacrifices. Therefore, since Elkanah is said to have come on the appointed feast day, it is clear enough that he does not belong among those who worship God perfunctorily — those who indeed profess that they have received all good things from Him and credit everything to Him, yet hold the preaching of His word in low regard and disdain to give true evidence of their piety. It should also be specifically noted that Elkanah is said to have come on the solemn day to sacrifice. This example is set before us not so that we may abuse it to invent various forms of worship, going from one place to another with a great show of religion — as the papists do with their pilgrimages, perversely twisting this example to serve their idolatry. For we explained above the reasons why God wished to be worshipped in no other place than Jerusalem; and it is clear that the journey Elkanah undertook rested on obedience to God. Indeed, something more is added: a solemn sacrifice was offered, and in addition to the annual required sacrifice, also a vow. The occasion for this vow is uncertain — whether on account of the birth of a son beyond hope, or for some other reason — although the former seems more likely. In any case, observe that Elkanah, not content with the common obligation shared by all, adds on top of it a testimony of a grateful heart, publicly confessing himself mindful and thankful for the benefits received from God. For we have taught above that this is the purpose of vows: a public declaration by which all things are credited to God alone, and sacrifices of praise are offered to Him for benefits received. As for Shiloh, it should be known that this was the place where the ark then rested, and to which therefore all were to assemble. For God had not yet chosen a fixed dwelling place, as when Scripture speaks of Jerusalem, calling it the place of rest and His eternal home. The ark at that time had no fixed location but was moved from place to place, until at last it was even captured by the enemy. But at that time God willed it to be at Shiloh, a place which was afterward laid desolate — to the great wonder of all. For this reason Jeremiah also, seeing the Jews of his time boasting too arrogantly about their temple, threatened them with the same desolation that had once befallen Shiloh, with these words: 'Go now to my place that was in Shiloh, where I caused my name to dwell at the first, and see what I did to it because of the wickedness of my people Israel — yet you think yourselves more powerful than God?' By this God wanted to make it known that, although He had chosen some earthly location for His worship, He was not bound to it forever as though He had pledged Himself to it. Hence it was that in the time of the Babylonian captivity, even though the places God had chosen as a kind of earthly paradise — in which He had dwelt for many centuries — were destroyed and laid waste, the sacrifices were not therefore abolished. Moreover, if God once willed that examples of the severity of His judgments should remain in those very places He had selected for Himself as earthly dwellings — who is so foolish and dense as to allow himself to be persuaded today that God is tied to particular locations — as we see that Roman pope glorying in his see because Peter sat at Rome? But did Peter transfer the kingdom of heaven to Rome, which he could have claimed by better right for himself at Jerusalem, that famous city? Do we think God is like a child who can be held by force — as if enslaved to those places from which so many crimes and abominable sins drive Him out — or bound to those by whom, although His name is verbally honored, He is most shamefully polluted and defiled? Truly this is a great and intolerable error. Therefore, although God chose Shiloh for a time as a dwelling place for His ark, He nevertheless willed that examples of His judgments should remain there, so that the people might have a monument upon which, looking as into a mirror, they might learn to tremble at God's judgments and worship God sincerely and without pretense. And enough on this topic.

It follows that Elkanah left his wife at home until she had weaned her son. At first glance, Hannah might seem guilty of ingratitude, since if there had been any obstacle, she seemed obligated to overcome it entirely. For nothing should have delayed the zeal of one who had received so great a benefit from the Lord. Is it not right that she who received a child by a miracle should come to the sanctuary to publicly testify to a grateful heart and give thanks to God? She might therefore seem unworthy of any excuse for staying at home. But she does not make the newborn child an obstacle; rather, she says she cannot go until she has offered to God the child she had vowed and dedicated — whom she would otherwise gladly have carried on her shoulders, had not a very different reason detained her. This is especially clear since we see that Elkanah brought flour, wine, and bulls with him — indicating they were not so poor that they could not have easily carried the child even on a donkey. Therefore Hannah is not at all deterred by the difficulty of the journey; she is restrained by this religious concern: that she not appear empty-handed before God, but present the child — now a little older — to the Lord with her own arms, and so return him, as it were on loan to her for a season. And so at home she offers a different kind of sacrifice than her husband Elkanah offers at the sanctuary. By divine law, males were required to present themselves before the Lord at the sanctuary at least once a year; but Hannah also knew that the sacrifice she offered to God at home was pleasing and acceptable to Him. She was restrained by a certain sense of reverence before God's presence until she had fulfilled her vow and consecrated to God the child dedicated to Him — both to let God enjoy what was His, and to testify in fact that just as she had been eager to obtain a child, so she was equally eager, since she had been heard, to offer that child: as if to say, this boy is not going to serve us, but only the sanctuary to which he is dedicated. We see Hannah's plan and purpose, and we see that her husband also approved it, adding only this to his wife's words: 'May God fulfill His word.' From this two questions arise: first, what is this 'word' of which Elkanah speaks, since no revelation was made to him from heaven; and second, how he desires fulfilled what had already been accomplished. We must therefore observe that he spoke in this way according to a common phrase in Scripture: that God gave His word when He heard Hannah's prayers. For Scripture is accustomed to say that God answers us when we pray to Him. And yet we know that no audible voice is heard: for heaven does not thunder, no angel is sent, and we perceive no sound with our ears — but when we sense in experience that God has had mercy on us, and that He has graciously responded to our prayers, that response is rightly called divine. Although God therefore did not speak with His mouth, Elkanah still had the sure testimony of experience by which God assured him that the prayers of his wife Hannah had been heard. From this let us learn that if any good things come to us, all of them flow from God, as Scripture repeatedly teaches, and must be credited to Him alone; then worthy praises and sacrifices must be offered to Him — yet in such a way that we do nothing except as His Word directs. It must also be noted here that, although we never fully acknowledge God as the author of all good things — except insofar as we are taught by His Word — we ought to be at peace when we know that our will is pleasing to Him. For we need not expect some new revelation each day by which God Himself descends to us or sends an angel to announce what He has done; experience ought to satisfy us abundantly, teaching us that divine power and action is at work — and this should carry as much weight as if God Himself were speaking. Enough on the first question. As for Elkanah's prayer that God may fulfill His word, this is not without reason. For even though God had truly given him a son, could not the child have died the very next day, or grown up to be a wicked and depraved man, and been rejected by God as unfit for His service? Therefore Elkanah seeks this from God and humbly pleads in prayer that, since God had granted him a son, He would preserve him and fit him for His service, and govern him by the power of His Holy Spirit, so that his ministry might be pleasing and acceptable to God. Indeed, as we will see later, Elkanah's prayers were not without cause: for when Samuel came to the priestly ministry, how much was to be feared that he would be corrupted in such a corrupt environment! For although Eli himself was not wicked or inclined to crime, what were his sons like — polluting the sanctuary of God with their sexual immorality, their vile lusts, and habitual theft? What do you think a child — even one with the character of an angel — could have learned or done in the midst of a company of devils, except every kind of crime and wickedness, had he not been miraculously preserved by God's hand and power? So Elkanah offered such prayers to God with good reason, and that God also heard them we will understand more fully later. From this let parents learn to take such care for their children that they do not stop praying to God until they have obtained this grace for them: that they may be governed by God and instructed in His worship. For we often see children carried along by such unchecked self-indulgence that they seem born for nothing but evil. But on whom should the blame fall more than on the parents, who, swept away by a blind love for their children, display many signs of joy in feasting and excessive luxury, while completely forgetting God and burying His grace and blessing — and not without great offense to Him? On the contrary, God testifies by His deeds that He is the author of all good things, whether bestowing them generously or withdrawing them in judgment. Therefore parents ought to be especially moved by this example of Elkanah who, having received God's blessing, still humbly prays that the Lord's word be fulfilled. Furthermore, let parents not be afraid to commend their children to God's grace and blessing, and to ask persistently that He may perfect in them the gifts He has begun — for it is certain that the Lord will show Himself ready to answer their prayers and will demonstrate in fact that nothing properly asked of Him goes unanswered. Many difficulties will arise in the meantime, but they will be most easily overcome by diligence and care. If anything should turn out otherwise, let each one blame himself for having prayed either too lazily or in the wrong spirit, and let him make up for his sluggishness in the future by the constancy of his prayers. And on this matter, enough for now.

Next follows the account of the weaned child, brought by his parents with three young bulls for his sustenance, along with an ephah of flour and a skin of wine — which we shall see below was done annually. This vow, therefore, was nothing like the vows of the papists, who send their children to monasteries and bind them with religious obligations. For example, a man who has many daughters born to him complains that too much money must be spent on marrying them off, and so considers placing them in various monasteries — this one bound to this religious order, that one to another; or if they are sons, this one designated as an abbot, another as a monk, that one as a priest or canon — so that by this arrangement they may be provided for handsomely, equipped with rich income and benefits to indulge their appetites. What hypocrisy — and how great — to make a show of religion in vowing and dedicating children to God, and yet to commit a shameful sacrilege? To devour the resources of the poor and needy? To plunder the revenues of the church? To boast that the crucifix is enough to feed all these? But consider the supposed religion: 'They are not of the world,' they say. Indeed, not of the world, but of hell. For who does not know with what foul and filthy desires monasteries are filled? Who does not know that in them nothing is heard but the profanation of true religion? But look at the contrasting example of Elkanah and Hannah, who bring with them the necessities for their son's support and provide for him annually — so as not to burden Eli the high priest with any expense, even though they had renounced all parental authority and given and dedicated their son to serve under the high priest. Thus their vow was rightly established.

The boy is specifically said to have been very young — that is, youthful and still tender. From this we see that Hannah did not procrastinate, as many foolish and overly protective mothers tend to do when their children's education is at stake: for such mothers the child is never quite old enough for school; they make excuses about frailty and tender years; they want only a small taste of instruction, as if in play; finally, they think all is lost at the slightest difficulty. Hence the ruin of many children. For the care that is owed them is not given: the lesser is preferred to the greater — that is, the body to the soul — pleasure and comfort to education and learning, which ought to be held in far greater esteem than all other things. Not so Hannah, who is specifically said to have brought her son not at five or six years old, but very young and newly weaned, handing him over to the care of the high priest and renouncing her maternal authority, so that she might offer the child she had promised and dedicated to God. Therefore, since she voluntarily, without dragging out the sentimental comforts of infancy, deprives herself in order to offer the child consecrated to God, she shows clearly that she does this neither reluctantly nor with sorrow — for though she had stayed home nursing the infant for a time, she had been waiting all along for the opportunity to fully pay her vow to God.

As for what is said — that they brought the boy to Eli, and Hannah said to him: 'My lord, as you live, I am the woman who stood with you here, praying to the Lord. For this boy I prayed, and the Lord granted me my petition which I asked of Him. Therefore I also return him as a loan to the Lord, for all the days that he lives; he is given to the Lord' — we must first examine the expression 'My lord.' There is no need to argue at length about whether this title was attributed to the high priest; we need only observe that this was the custom of the Hebrew language. We see that some nations and regions are more refined and more generous in their honorific forms of address than others. Therefore, lest we think there was anything sinful here stemming from ambition, I believe this should be attributed to the custom of the country, and that this simple greeting reflects the Jewish practice of honoring both those of rank among themselves and even strangers with the title of 'lord.'

But the main point of this account remains to be considered: Hannah brought the boy whom God had given her. By these words she again testifies to what we said above, when she named him Samuel. For she openly confesses that her prayer was heard by God; she says the child was not merely given to her, but given in answer to her prayers — not as if she attributed this to the merit of her prayers, but knowing that God wills to exercise the faith of His people in this way, and to open a way to Himself through their prayers, in order to assure His own people that He will hear those who call upon Him in truth. She confirms this further when she says to Eli: 'As your soul lives.' We should not think she was swearing by Eli's soul, which would be plainly idolatrous. For it is not lawful to swear by any name other than God's. When we swear by God's name, we confess that He is our judge, before whose tribunal all must one day appear. Hannah therefore had no intention of transferring to a mortal what belongs properly to the living God; she uses a form of solemn assurance whose force is quite different from an oath. When one invokes someone's life as a witness, it is an open declaration by the speaker that that life is held in the highest regard. If Hannah had sworn by God's life, she would have confessed that God's life is eternal and dear to her. But when she calls Eli's life as a witness to her word, she shows how great is the reverence with which she honors Eli as a priest of the living God. And indeed this is the true and plain meaning of this passage, which must be carefully noted — lest we drag it toward careless and empty oaths, recklessly invoking God's name without cause; for whoever mixes created things with the majesty of God necessarily diminishes that majesty. Therefore what belongs properly to God alone must be reserved for God alone, since He tolerates no rival. And so if it happens that created things come up in conversation, we must know to refrain from every oath formula, lest we turn created things into so many idols.

Furthermore, Hannah so consecrates the infant to God that she declares him given to the Lord for all the days of his life. The sacred Hebrew Scripture uses a word that means both 'to ask' and 'to give,' and indeed encompasses both at once — both that the child was given by God and obtained through prayers and a vow — which cannot be as conveniently expressed in another language. The meaning, however, is clear enough: she gives and dedicates to God the same child she obtained through her prayers. And so she held this hope for her son: that he would minister in the sanctuary his whole life. No difficulty should be sought in the word 'perpetual,' since it should be understood of the ministry and life of the one dedicated to God — not as the Jews commonly interpret it, meaning a century or a hundred years, or fifty years, which was the prescribed retirement age for the Levites. Hannah simply dedicated this gift to God without time limit, renouncing all maternal right, so that he might minister at the Lord's altar forever — that is, for the whole course of his life. From all this we may again observe that Hannah did desire a child — yet not for her own benefit, but only that her barrenness would no longer be used against her, as we showed above was done by Elkanah's other wife. Then, having received the gift God bestowed, she willingly gave up all maternal authority — the kind that mothers, especially those growing older, usually claim from their children, to have them as the support of their declining years. Hannah makes no such claim for herself; instead, setting aside personal advantage, she gives all glory to God, counting herself well provided for as long as God was glorified. And indeed it is right that all our affairs should yield to God, whatever they may be — though here there is also a particular reason.

They are also said to have sacrificed and worshipped before the face of God, having slaughtered a bull according to the vow. What is said about worshipping before the face of God shows that sacrifices were merely accompaniments to the worship that must be rendered to God. The word 'worship' added here shows the manner of prayer among the Jews, who prostrated themselves on the ground in worship before God. Therefore Hannah fell on her knees as a suppliant before God. It is true that the worship of God is spiritual; but it is fitting nonetheless that the faithful honor God with their bodies no less than with their souls. Indeed, we scarcely approach God in prayer without our tongue and hands also being moved and joining with the soul. Away therefore with those fanatics who pretend to heave great sighs from their breast and to be carried above the clouds in prayer, yet contend that lifting the hands is unnecessary. They betray their own foolishness. For if there were any genuine faith in them, they would certainly also give public testimony of their disposition to worship God before others. Therefore it is a kind of contempt for God to dismiss these outward aids as childish trifles. Let us observe that the worship of God is a public declaration of the faithful, by which they testify that they are subject to God and acknowledge all things as received from Him — of which sacrifices were the outward tokens and confirmation. Moreover, the presence of God, or His face, is to be understood as nothing other than the power of God and the special grace He reveals in this or that place — as when He willed His law to be kept in the ark, and added the mercy seat to the ark, there promising to be present to those who sought Him. As Scripture often says, we must by no means think that the Lord was enclosed in those objects; rather, Scripture speaks to us in this way as if lisping, and God accommodated Himself to the capacity of His people, lest they seek other gods for themselves — binding His presence to His ark in a particular way, so to speak — precisely because we are earthly. God thus supports our weakness, and for this reason He instituted these ceremonies and this worship at His ark.

But let us, made suppliants before the majesty of God, acknowledging the countless sins by which we never cease to provoke His wrath against us, pray that we may daily make greater progress in hearing His Word and so dedicate ourselves to Him and devote ourselves to His worship that we may truly be counted among His people; and that He in turn may protect and keep us, so that we may never perish, since He has claimed us for Himself as His own special people at so great a price. May He direct our vows, so that without pretense or simulation we may devote ourselves to the spreading of the glory of His name; and may He clothe us — purged from all the uncleanness of this age — with His righteousness, so that cultivating holiness more and more day by day, we may draw nearer to Him step by step, until we are received into that supreme and eternal perfection. Amen.

1. And Hannah prayed and said: My heart exults in the Lord, and my strength is exalted in the Lord; my mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, because I rejoice in Your salvation. 2. There is none holy like the Lord, and there is none besides You, and there is no rock like our God. 3. Do not keep speaking so very proudly; let not arrogance come from your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by Him actions are weighed.

At first glance, Hannah may seem to celebrate excessively the benefit she received from God in obtaining a child. For although no benefit divinely given should be taken lightly — even if very small, since it is a testimony of God's fatherly love toward us — there are nonetheless degrees of benefits and of thanksgiving. For example, if God has delivered us from some great danger, we will celebrate that benefit far more than when He continues to pour out His grace upon us in an unbroken stream. For this reason, often in Scripture, when thanks are to be given for certain singular and remarkable benefits, we find phrases like: 'Sing to God a new song' — that is, an extraordinary and unusual one. David declares he did this when God delivered him in some special way. So when we give thanks to God, we must always take the specific occasion into account. But consider this woman — she did obtain a great benefit when she was made fruitful after being barren — but was the benefit so great, a child born to her, that it warranted such exalted praise? Indeed it was, for we must observe that God's benefits toward us are such that even the smallest ought to carry us into admiration of Him and the declaration of those same benefits. Yet nothing prevents us from expressing greater joy in thanksgiving for the greatest and most remarkable divine works, and when we have experienced His goodness through some notable act, acknowledging it also with more earnest and heartfelt devotion. For example, if someone pressed by some grave misfortune — say illness or another calamity — is restored by God to his former health, he ought certainly to testify to his grateful heart with a special act of thanksgiving, yet in such a way that he joins this benefit to others and makes some comparison among them, saying something like: 'Lord God Almighty, who could marvel that You are so merciful and so kind toward me — a wretched little man who is nothing but earth and ashes — when so many testimonies of Your incomprehensible power and immense mercy present themselves to all who behold heaven and earth, indeed to all who contemplate even the most lowly and insignificant of Your creatures?'

Expressions of this kind are therefore fitting, and a specific remarkable benefit should lead us on to something still greater. For when God has delivered me from some singular danger, I ought indeed to proclaim this rightly — but this benefit leads me as if by the hand to another, greater one: 'How great are Your benefits toward me, Lord, whom You cherish not only in this bodily life as a father does a son, but whose soul also You have pitied — drawing it out of the depths of hell and claiming it for freedom.' For what is the greatness and excellence of that heavenly life prepared for us through Your Son — what its glory and splendor, far surpassing even the glory and majesty of the angels themselves? For not even the angels themselves are able to behold the majesty of God except through the merit and work of our Lord Jesus Christ. Yet You, Lord God, do not refuse to enroll me in the number of Your heirs and children. This, therefore, is the lesson we learn from this passage: that we should so weigh each of God's individual benefits that we give Him the thanks He is owed, and celebrate His goodness, power, might, and justice with the praise they deserve. And so Hannah in this song so proclaims the magnificent works of God that she rejoices in the son received from God and gives thanks for so great a blessing. Furthermore, the fact that Hannah is here said to have 'prayed' and proclaimed God's grace should not be understood as though she was asking something from God (though some refer this word to Hannah's earlier prayers and wish all of them to be included under this single word); rather, we must say that thanksgiving is expressed by the word 'prayer' here.

Let us pass to the words of the song itself: 'My heart exults in the Lord,' she says, and so on. There is mention here of a twofold joy. When she says her heart is exalted, there is no doubt that she is looking to God's singular favor, by which He had answered her prayers. Then when she says again that she rejoiced, she refers to that joy by which her sorrow and sadness had been taken away. But these things will seem obscure unless explained more clearly. We must know, then, that it is fitting for us, even when overwhelmed on all sides by many sorrows and troubles, always to be cheerful. For this reason Paul commands the Philippians to rejoice in the Lord always. And yet at that time the church was being shaken by many persecutions; Paul was held in chains; the struggling faithful were like sheep in the jaws of wolves; and within the very body of the church many seeds of evil were being nurtured — all of which could so shake the hearts of the faithful that they would give out completely. For deep distress of mind and extreme sadness can completely crush a person and bring on a kind of numbness. Therefore in these difficulties, that sadness must be overcome by spiritual joy, so that whatever misfortunes, whatever storms and tempests may strike — while the world and Satan rage — we may still stand firm and unshaken. Therefore, although many causes of sorrow and sadness surround us, they must be softened and relieved, and God must be called upon all the more earnestly, and His promises must be brought to mind — so that the more violent the storms we have endured, the more we may find rest in His fatherly favor toward us, firmly persuading ourselves that there is nothing so powerful that can shake us, as the apostle testifies in Romans 8 — that there is no authority and no power so great that can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. And this is the joy with which Hannah says she rejoiced — not only because she had learned by experience that God had shown her mercy, but especially because, though she had formerly been treated as a worthless slave exposed to everyone's contempt and cruelty, she had comforted herself by depending on God's grace and Word. We have, therefore, two kinds of Christian joy and gladness: one resting on the Word of God alone and simply, the other confirmed also by the actual experience of God's fatherly goodness.