Sermon 9: 1 Samuel 2:18-25

18. But Samuel ministered before the Lord: a boy girded with a linen ephod. 19. And his mother would make him a little tunic, which she brought to him each year when she went up with her husband to sacrifice the annual sacrifice. 20. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, saying: 'May the Lord give you offspring from this woman in return for the one whom she asked from the Lord,' when they went away to their own place. 21. And when the Lord visited Hannah, she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters, while the boy Samuel grew up before the Lord. 22. Now Eli was very old, and he heard everything that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who came in crowds to the door of the tent of meeting. 23. And he said to them: 'Why do you do such things? For I hear these evil reports about you from this entire people. 24. No, my sons; for it is not a good report that I hear — you are turning away the people of the Lord. 25. If any man sins against another, a magistrate will judge him; but if any man sins against the Lord, who will pray for him?' But they did not listen to the voice of their father, because the Lord willed to put them to death.

Here the blessing and calling to which Samuel was called by God is set before us for consideration, while God rejects and casts aside the house and sons of the high priest Eli, who ought to have been their father's successors in this priestly dignity. First, Samuel is said to have ministered to God clothed in a linen ephod or garment. This garment was not unlike the humeral veil that the papists now use — in which matter they have betrayed their stupidity, introducing such ridiculous rites and adornment into the church, not unlike apes. For God indeed once under the law and legal shadows had instituted certain priestly vestments with which those approaching the Lord's altar were to be clothed. But at this time, when we have the substance and truth of all those figures and old shadows in our Lord Jesus Christ, all those things are superfluous — indeed they are far too crude ornaments, by which our Lord Jesus Christ is rather buried and overwhelmed than worshiped and made manifest. And indeed the situation of the ancient priests was far different from that of the priests of this age. For everyone knows that the former, approaching God more closely, prayed for the whole people and were mediators. To fulfill this office they had to present themselves pure and without blemish before the Lord, not daring otherwise to stand as intermediaries before God to appease him and to reconcile the people to him. Moreover, the holiness and purity which they did not have by nature, they professed and displayed through their vestments, so that the people would be reminded and assured that a mediator between God and men would one day come, who would be pure and free from all blemish. This was fulfilled in the last times in the person of the Son of God our Lord himself, who, free from all stain and blemish, was entirely holy and perfect in himself. Therefore those who today revive such figures and shadows of old without any commandment — what else are they doing but rejecting our Lord Jesus Christ? However, in that age the rites and order prescribed by God had to be carefully observed. And for that reason the boy Samuel is said to have worn a linen ephod. By these words it is indicated that he had already been dedicated to God and his service by his parents when he was presented to Eli.

Furthermore, Eli is then said to have blessed Elkanah and Hannah, praying for them to have other offspring besides Samuel. The word that Eli uses denotes reciprocation, for it signifies both asking and giving. Therefore these things fit together well, if Eli is said to have prayed to God that in return for Samuel, whom the parents had dedicated to God's service, he would restore other offspring to them — since they had previously obtained him through prayer. For above we heard that Samuel was given in answer to Hannah's prayers, but by the same vow was given and dedicated to God for his whole life. It was therefore a mutual gift: God's, in granting their prayers and bestowing this son upon them; and theirs, in that, wanting to testify to their gratitude for the child received, they consecrated the same one to God from whom they had received him, and voluntarily renounced their paternal and maternal rights for God's glory. Therefore Eli prays to God, blessing Elkanah and his wife, that he would restore other offspring to them in return for Samuel. Nor are the prayers in vain: for it is said afterward that Hannah bore from her husband three sons and two daughters, though she had been barren for many years — a fertility she would never have dared to hope for, until, led by the Holy Spirit himself, she applied her heart to prayer for obtaining offspring. Moreover, the word 'to bless' in the Scriptures includes in general all prayers by which we seek prosperous things from God, but there was a special character to the priestly blessing. For those prayers were not to be compared with the prayers of any ordinary person from the people, since the priest, supported by an express promise, stood as a mediator between God and men, and was a witness that the divine blessing would indeed produce its effect. This is clear from many passages of Scripture where the office and duty of the priest is discussed, where they are expressly said to be chosen to bless the people. So in Numbers chapter 6, verse 28 [sic], after God prescribed to Moses and Aaron the laws and statutes by which he wished to be worshiped by the people, he adds: 'You shall bless my people, and they shall be blessed.' The meaning of these words is this: I will ratify the blessing with which you bless the people. But we must not imagine that God was bound to the priests by this promise; rather, it must be understood that the people were assured of obtaining remission of sins when the priest performed his office. Therefore if Eli, by the impulse of the Holy Spirit, poured out prayers to God for Elkanah and Hannah, and was heard, God thus testified that he presided over this whole matter. But ministers today who announce salvation to people do indeed bless them, though not according to that old rite. For no one is unaware that in Christ our Lord the fulfillment of those figures was found — which he demonstrated in fact when he blessed his disciples as he was about to ascend to heaven. Therefore if we are blessed by the mouth of the Son of God, let that satisfy us, lest we call into doubt our reconciliation with God, since his prayers will never be in vain but will have their effect. Let us nevertheless make use of the preaching of the gospel, since through it we are made more certain of Christ's presence — a presence that is not idle but that offers prayers on our behalf, and indeed that one unique sacrifice by which he once appeased the Father's wrath, so that the power of his intercession might be perpetual. Add to this the weakness of faith, for the relief of which the preaching of the gospel is necessary.

Samuel is then recorded to have grown before the Lord or in the Lord's presence, which is the same as saying that God approved and blessed Samuel's ministry, so that he might be trained and formed in God's worship and service. For although he was previously said to have ministered to God and in his presence, this is to be understood of his training in God's worship and service, and has a future reference. This young man was being designated as a successor to be appointed in the place of those who were rendering themselves unworthy of the honor of so great an office. For Eli is then said to have been advanced in age and to have learned of the shameful deeds of his sons. For it was said before that they had given themselves to fraud and plunder, had seized by force the meat dedicated to God from the hands of those offering it — indeed, had extracted it from the very cauldron, like robbers — so that the priesthood of God had come into the contempt of the people. A graver crime had been added: the sanctuary had been violated, and women who were preparing to offer sacrifices to the Lord had been raped. For the word used by the author sometimes means 'to compel,' and is used of any kind of service, whether military or otherwise. Moreover, it is well known from the law that women had their own particular sacrifices — for example, women after childbirth. But it was also customary for certain pious women to keep vigil with prayers at the door of the tent of meeting. For just as the Levites cast lots among themselves for the night watches, so that God's tabernacle would never be found empty, so also certain women kept vigil to pray to God — as is evident from several passages of sacred Scripture. This made the wickedness of Eli's sons all the graver: for when they should have gone before these women as an example of holiness and piety in pouring out prayers to God, so that the women would not think they had kept vigil in the sanctuary in vain, but rather would know that they had found an easier way to devote themselves more purely to God's worship, free from all cares and anxieties — and when they should have encouraged and confirmed these women with sound teaching of the law — they were not ashamed to commit adultery with them. O crime, O monstrous and detestable wickedness! And Eli is said to have rebuked them and to have declared that their wickedness had become public knowledge, and to have told them that they should act far differently. Finally, Eli is recorded to have added these words: 'If a man sins against a man, God can be appeased for him' — or, 'a judge will judge him.' For the Hebrew word can be explained both of God and of judges and rulers, who are frequently called God's representatives in the Scriptures. And the other Hebrew word is sometimes used for 'to judge,' sometimes for 'to pray' — so that the meaning of these words here could be: 'A judge will judge if anyone has done injury to another' — as if to say: men indeed dispute with one another about mutual injuries, but a judge finally pronounces sentence on the controversies. Or this, if we retain the meaning of praying: if anyone has injured his neighbor with insults or wrongs, he can humbly entreat the judges to remit the punishment and deal more leniently with him. But the case of those who sin against God is not the same. Whichever interpretation of these we follow, there remains no room for obscurity in the matter itself. For when neighbors are injured, some satisfaction can indeed be given, and the loss of things stolen or fraudulently taken can be compensated. But a sin committed against the majesty of God — who could ever compensate for that? This, then, is clearly the meaning of Eli's words. I acknowledge indeed and freely confess that injuries inflicted on neighbors are also directed against God. For who does not know that transgression of the second table of the divine law is also transgression of the first table, and a violation of divine justice? Yet I think no one would deny that there is a great difference in these matters, if anyone directly and contemptuously attacks God himself, or if he is injurious to men. Therefore let us examine what is said about Eli: that he heard everything his sons were doing to all Israel — but from whom? From the voices and complaints of the whole people, no less. In this his remarkable negligence and sloth appears. He is said to have been weighed down by great old age — a description by which his sin is somewhat diminished, as if he were useless and unfit for the sacred office because of old age, and his mental powers had also completely collapsed. But I do not think old age is mentioned here as an honor, as if God had advanced him to this age while he served in God's worship, so that his old age was honorable and vigorous until then. Rather, on the contrary, his extreme sloth and negligence are being noted by the Holy Spirit — he who did not exercise the care over his house and family that was fitting for him. For how, I ask, did it happen that his house was turned into a den of robbers and into a profane and foul brothel, in which God's majesty was most gravely injured, with everyone knowing except Eli alone being ignorant? Therefore there is no doubt that the Holy Spirit here rebukes his gross negligence, and not without reason. For reason itself dictates, and God himself demands, that every father must have care for his own family. Therefore each one must apply himself to the care of the family entrusted to him, and must know that he will render account to God for the family committed to him — fathers, that is, for their children; masters and lords, for their servants. For God so entrusts children and servants to fathers or masters that he nonetheless wishes his own right over them to be preserved intact. Therefore, if they have attained any dignity or if they possess any power, let them exercise it in such a way that nothing is taken from the honor due to God. Since this care falls upon individual heads of households, how great must we say ought to be the concern of those whom God has raised to the governance of peoples, in correcting and restraining the vices of the people? For this reason Paul, discussing the selection of pastors who are to govern the church well, enumerates among other virtues that they should manage their own household well, that they should keep their children in subjection with all propriety. For, he says, if anyone does not know how to manage his own house, how will he care for God's church? But what sort of man was this Eli — who, though he was both a priest and bore the image of God, and as God's representative ought to have given answers in all disputes and doubtful matters — what sort of head of household, I say, how diligent, how strict, whose sons had reached such a degree of shamelessness and such a dissolute life that they were the talk of the common people, while he alone was ignorant of what was being done at home by his dissolute sons? For he is not said to have been informed about their disgraceful life by one or two persons, but by all Israel. Indeed, he judges himself when he says that not one or two people, but men of both the lowest rank and the highest dignity were complaining, and therefore not a few but the entire populace was despising the sacred things, religion was becoming cheap among all, the most sacred priesthood of the Lord lay in contempt, and everyone was giving themselves free rein for every kind of wickedness.

From this, then, let those whom God has placed over households learn to apply themselves diligently to this care: that devotion to religion, peace, and the fear of God may flourish in them; that a husband have care for his wife, and both for their children, and moreover for the entire household. And especially let those who sit at the helm of commonwealths acknowledge that they have been raised to this dignity by the Lord so that they may worship him and sincerely reverence him. Therefore let them know that this charge has been laid upon them: to punish the wicked and to have no regard for any consideration of rank, kinship, or personal ties. For how would they punish others if they were indulgent toward their own? Would not others rightly complain that injustice was being done to them, because far more criminal persons were being spared?

It must also be observed here that not only those who assent to wickedness are held guilty before the Lord, but also those who have been more negligent in punishing it — as if they had consented to the crimes of the wicked. And especially let men of the highest rank know that if, when they have the power to prevent evils, they prove too sluggish in this matter, let them consider that they will render account to God, and though they may have escaped the judgments of men here, they will ultimately be condemned by God. Indeed, let judges and governors also note this: that the Lord will not accept the excuse that no one complained, that there was no accuser or informer. For how could they plead ignorance when the crimes are public and could not be hidden from them? That excuse is indeed empty, unless they have proven their diligence in seeking out, punishing, and restraining the authors of wickedness. Nor does this care touch only magistrates and men of the highest rank, but each person according to the measure of his own calling. Therefore come, let each of us diligently and eagerly apply our effort to restraining crimes and wickedness; let us carefully guard against turning a blind eye to even the least offense, but let us promptly meet the very beginnings. Let us also raise up those who have fallen, lest, like hypocrites, we think we have discharged our duty splendidly if we have passed sentence on these or those, or punished this or that person. But whether a vice or sin has taken root in us or in others, let us correct it.

Now, at first glance, looking at Eli's rebuke, he may seem to have performed his duty well enough in thus correcting his children. For he charges them with being the cause for the people to violate the Lord's law. That the one who causes a stumbling block is guilty of all the sins that others commit through his fault is beyond doubt. Therefore our Lord Jesus Christ pronounces severe punishments upon whoever causes a stumbling block, when he says: 'Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to stumble, it would be better for him that a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.' Indeed it would have been better for that man never to have been born. Therefore, though Eli rebukes his children with such harsh words, who would rightly fault him as having insufficiently performed his duty? But rebuking was not enough. For how many do you see who indeed reprove misdeeds with harsh and sharp words, but then leave them unpunished — so that their response is rather flattery than rebuke? For flagitious men have become hardened against such rebukes. And you often see judges getting along nicely with such men, whom they do not dare to defend openly, but whom they rebuke more harshly when accused, lest they themselves come under the criticism of others. 'Are you not,' they will say, 'supremely wicked and criminal? What will become of you, wretch, if your crime becomes known? Away with you!' See with what rebukes many judges often try to frighten the wicked — rebukes that you would rightly call enticements to evil rather than corrections, since the wicked hope that they will carry on their crimes with impunity. Therefore it should not seem surprising if we see that no room is given to excuse Eli when he has not corrected and restrained his children, and if God has afflicted him with perpetual disgrace. For, I ask, should he merely rebuke them and not rather correct them, beat them, strip them of their office, and drive the wicked from the sacred tabernacle? Could the priest endure that God's sanctuary was polluted by his children and marked with such infamy? Did Eli not recognize to what office his children had been called by the Lord? Should not such a high degree of dignity have stirred him, as a spur, to care for his duty, so that he might more promptly meet such great scandals? And yet he thinks he has discharged his duty well enough if he orders his children to repent. Why did he not rather drive them to their duty with rods? Indeed, why did he not rather drive them out as utterly unworthy of God's sanctuary and the honor of such a high dignity? Why did he not rather destroy them? For in doing so he would have won God's praise for duty performed.

For it must be observed that Eli is not to be considered by us merely as a father or as any private individual, but as a priest whose duty it was to confront vices and crimes. But instead he tolerates his sons' wickedness and thinks he has satisfied his duty if he has testified that he disapproves. But he seeks hiding places for excuses in vain, since the crimes were left unpunished. Therefore, you fathers, turn over this sad example of Eli carefully in your minds, and make an effort to restrain your children with the reins of stricter discipline, lest through your fault they rush headlong with loose reins into every kind of crime. And I would not have you be so devoid of humanity that I do not acknowledge that children should also be led with gentleness and kindness. But yet, since the youthful age is most prone to every kind of evil, I urge that gentleness be tempered with a certain severity, as time and the matter itself demand. For we see that at this age passions run hot, and it is certain that they can be restrained and bridled only by fear. And especially let those who sit at the helm of government take note that nothing should be sinned through their negligence, and let them not, as Eli did, treat the impunity of crimes as a game. But rather let them restrain the deserving with severe punishments, if they wish to prove to all that God and his worship are acceptable to them, and that they have discharged their office well.

But we must not pass lightly over the fact that Eli's sons are said to have fornicated with those women who came to the tabernacle to offer sacrifices and to testify to their piety by their worship. For from this we must learn that one crime drags another after it, and that evils are always increased by evils, and no limit is kept, once someone has once given free rein to his lust, until, cast into a reprobate mind, he rushes to ultimate destruction. See how dreadful is the vengeance of the supreme deity against the defiant and rebellious: that he permits us to be swept away by the devil and our own desires to every kind of lust. At first we will seem to have sinned with a certain levity; but when we have continued, then we will think anything is permitted to us, as if we had been sent into possession of sin; and we will not fear or scruple to commit any crime or wickedness whatever. What does the Lord do meanwhile, the just avenger of wickedness? Indeed, indignant at such unbridled license of mortals who willfully treat his commandments as worthless and trample them underfoot, he rightly rejects as unworthy of his benevolence, takes away his Spirit, casts into a reprobate mind, blinds and hardens — and those thus cast off and hardened, the devil then moves to his own pleasure and drives them to every kind of crime, so that he may possess them forever according to the desire of his heart.

By these steps, then, we see that Eli's sons came to the summit of their wickedness: they practiced theft and plunder, and finally plunged into the foulest fornication. For they are said to have not merely solicited or corrupted the wives of their neighbors, but specifically those women who came to worship God and offer sacrifices to him, as if renouncing the world. And although everyone ought to worship and sincerely reverence God at home, yet according to God's prescription the faithful came frequently to the sanctuary, so that, as it were, free from all care and worry about earthly things, they might pour out pure prayers to God from the heart alone, and separate themselves for a time even from their own husbands — which Paul, in the seventh chapter of his first letter to the Corinthians, warns the faithful should only be done on a significant occasion, namely so that they may devote themselves to prayer and fasting, and being removed, as it were, from every hindrance, may be joined more closely to God. And so this was the custom in those times, that women would keep vigil in the sanctuary and devote themselves to fasting and prayer. But — O wickedness — these lustful and foul young men, who ought to have been like angelic representatives in so holy a place, defiled and profaned married women with adultery. Great, then, was the wickedness: fornication, and that committed by the priests themselves, who ought to have been guardians of chastity, inflicted even upon married women — to which was added the profanation of the sanctuary, in which God wished to make his presence known. Not indeed as if he were enclosed or confined in the temple or tabernacle, but so that he might more and more assure the people of his benevolence and favor whenever they sincerely and with humble prayers called upon him. And for this reason we understood above that the people presented themselves before God's majesty in the tabernacle. Was it not, I say, an abominable crime that to the fornication was added such a great profanation of the tabernacle that it represented a pigsty rather than an altar? Who would not tremble and shudder at all this — that when there was no other place in the whole world sacred to God except the one he himself had chosen among the Israelites, that place they nevertheless so neglected it as to allow it to be covered with such disgrace? Therefore we must carefully guard against indulging ourselves too much here, but rather we must examine ourselves more attentively and look into our deeds. And accordingly, since many corruptions have crept into the church, let us know that it has happened by God's judgment and sterner vengeance, so that unwary believers, gradually straying from the right way, have finally gone completely astray. And indeed who does not see what a dreadful confusion and desolation has overtaken the papacy? To what depths of wickedness have those who proclaim themselves the successors of the apostles descended? With what titles are they distinguished today? They are liars, fornicators, adulterers, plunderers, murderers, parricides — what are they not? And undoubtedly, to sum up the whole matter in a word, they are nothing but an abomination, whose license for every crime and wickedness is so great that I could not express it in words even if I had a hundred tongues and a hundred mouths. But since the evil originated from those who ought to have preceded all others as examples of piety, let us think seriously about ourselves and pray to God that he may govern us by his Holy Spirit and so restrain our passions that we do not rush headlong into such wickedness and dreadful crimes. Meanwhile, effort must be made so that, even though such crimes rage in the church, we may never turn aside from the true worship of God or fall away from his sincere fear.

For when it is said here that the people were turned away from the fear of God, it is not said in justification or excuse of the people, but to increase and make all the more detestable the wickedness of Eli's sons. Therefore, if we should happen to see those to whom the care of teaching the people has been committed indulging their own desires, so that by their example we could be enticed to every kind of wickedness and dragged to such a depth of iniquity that offending God would no longer trouble our conscience — for we are easily enticed by the worst examples, especially of those who are in charge, to whose ways we readily conform our own — and if instead of holiness of life and pious conduct they display nothing but wickedness and every kind of impiety, so that an occasion for falling away from God would seem to be offered, then we must strive all the more with all our strength not to fix our eyes on any mortal, but to be borne wholly and from the heart toward God, so that we may maintain his honor safe and sound, and depend on him alone. And this indeed must be learned from the example of Eli's sons: when they are said to have turned away God's people — that is, by their example to have led them into such great license to sin that they thought anything was permitted to them — so that even though we see everything full of stumbling blocks, we should not recede even a nail's breadth, as they say, from the fear of God. And though those who ought to have been exemplars of virtue rush into every kind of wickedness, thereby opening a path to the very depths of hell, let us nevertheless persevere in God's worship, and never, whatever storms arise and whatever dangers threaten, let us depart from our duty.

But truly, from this let those who have been raised to the highest honors also learn that a dreadful vengeance of the divine wrath hangs over them if by their example the people have broken out into license for every kind of wickedness. For if any private individual has committed some crime, he is doubly guilty — both for his own sin, and because he has been a very bad example to others. What then must we conclude about those whom God has placed over others, setting them, as it were, in his own seat, if by the example of their criminal life they have brought about the utmost confusion and disorder of all things? How great and how dreadful the punishments that await them shall we reckon, if even private individuals deserve their own? Finally, whatever corruptions and pollutions may have crept into the church, we must take the utmost care not to depart even the slightest from the true and sincere worship of God, which is contained in his word alone. Though profligate men may rush into every kind of wickedness, to such a degree that they have no regard for either God or his word, let us nevertheless walk the straight path prescribed for us by God's word.

From the following words, moreover, we must learn that if anyone has sinned against another, the injury can be forgiven, and judges can settle the whole matter. But for the one who sins against God, there is no advocate. For who would wish to go to law against God, or dare to oppose him? And indeed we have taught before that those who injure their neighbors are also insulting God himself. But this too must be observed by us: that we must judge sins in such a way as to know that no sin can be committed by us that does not offend God, since God's commandments are linked together by such a bond that whoever transgresses one is rightly guilty of all. So the same God who forbids taking his name in vain also forbids fornication, plunder, and theft. And in this sense James says: 'Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles in one point has become guilty of all.' By these words we must by no means think that the equality of sins is being taught, but rather that we are being led by him to consider seriously that all sins ultimately arrive at the same impiety, and that the pattern of all sins is the same. So, for example, you may see many who would by no means willingly injure another, but who would gladly fornicate. So also not a few who are too indulgent of their own vices would sink into them more and more. For the greatest part of mortals would like to have, as it were, a divided empire with the deity: so that God, content with some sort of worship of his divinity, would also allow them their own desires. But as we have taught before, and have just now learned from James, the things God has joined together must never be separated; rather, God must be sincerely worshiped in both tables of the law. Yet we acknowledge that there is a certain distinction among sins: for some are precepts of the first table, others of the second, and accordingly there are also different sins against the precepts of the first table and those of the second. In the precepts of the first table of the divine law, God teaches us how each person ought to worship and honor him with due reverence, placing all confidence in him. He forbids his name to be taken in vain. He teaches us, finally, to devote all our zeal, care, and solicitude to worshiping him and revering him with every kind of obedience. And this indeed is the sum of the precepts of the divine law; whoever transgresses them is to be reckoned as rising up against God himself, as it were deliberately, and assailing his glory.

As for the precepts of the second table, there is no doubt that God is offended by their violation. For if anyone fornicates, or seizes others' property by theft, or by force, or by any other fraud, or injures his neighbor by any other wrong, he also insults God along with men. But not with the same kind of insult, since the one who sins against the first table is directed straight against God himself and, as it were, deliberately strikes at his glory. Therefore sins are thus distinguished: some affect men, but by others the majesty of God himself is injured. Therefore, to put it briefly, we are taught here that the crime of sins is all the graver and more detestable the more they strike the majesty of God itself and contemptuously trample upon it.

But this too must be observed: no sin is to be considered light. For that sentence of Jesus Christ in Matthew 5:19 must be kept in mind: 'Whoever relaxes one of these least commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven' — that is, he is guilty of eternal death. By these words we are taught that we must by no means indulge ourselves so as to give sins free rein, but rather that passions must be bridled, lest we fall under God's wrath. For although this opinion once prevailed among the papists and still prevails — that certain sins are venial and others mortal — God will by no means allow any injury to be done to his justice. Finally, we must take the utmost care not to offend God by any means whatever, and his judgments must be feared. Nor should it be tolerated — as the apostle well admonishes us (Eph. 5:6) — that anyone should seduce us with empty words. For you may see despisers of divine judgments consider fornication a light sin, on the ground that God does not care much about it since it is natural. But, says the apostle, beware lest anyone entice your hearts with empty words and such allurements, and lead you from the straight path of God's commandments; for on account of these very sins the wrath of God comes upon the disobedient. And to sum up the whole matter in one word, it is fitting that this thought cling to our minds: that it would be better and more advantageous for a man never to have been born, or to be plunged into the deepest abyss, than to offend God in any way whatever. For it is certain that his obedience is to be valued far more than our very life. Nor does it follow from this, however, that one sin is not greater and graver than another. For who would not rightly judge that he sins more gravely who has cheated his own brother by fraud, than one who has cheated a stranger and foreigner? How much greater and graver, then, are sins to be considered by which the very majesty of God is deliberately, directly, and immediately attacked?

So, for example, if someone does injury to his neighbor, he is also injurious to God. But if he blasphemes against God himself, if he murmurs against him, if he accuses him of cruelty or savagery, if he detracts from his works, from his word and power — who would dare deny that the crime committed against the supreme majesty of God is far graver and more monstrous, who by a mere nod can shake heaven and earth, than against a mortal man who before God's majesty is not even greater than worms crawling on the ground? And this is the force of Eli's words in this passage.

Therefore this distinction of sins must be observed: namely, that some are greater, directly relating to God, and others lesser, because they are directed against men — yet in such a way that the offense still redounds to God himself. So we say that theft, when something is taken by force from people's goods and possessions against their will or without their knowledge, is indeed a grave sin. But when the very majesty of God is injured, when his glory is diminished, how great a crime is it? Not mere theft, certainly, but an intolerable sacrilege.

Therefore we must walk in the fear of the Lord in such a way that his majesty is always before our eyes, and we must abhor those things by which we are solicited to defection from the purity and sincerity of his worship and veneration. And so, if it should happen that we are tempted and in some way unwary people are carried away by lusts, let us abominate and detest more and more each day the viciousness and corruption of our nature. And let us repeat in our minds that statement of Eli: that when men are injured, we can indeed come to terms with them about the injuries and obtain pardon from judges (for you sometimes see those guilty of the greatest crimes and deserving of capital punishment escape their penalties through the favor of judges). But when it concerns the majesty of the supreme deity, before whose tribunal a wretched mortal must stand and plead his case as a defendant, how dreadful do we think that judgment will be? And with this, as with a bridle and rein, our evil desires must be restrained, lest we stray from the straight path of God's commandments into the byways of sin. Rather, let us press on toward the goal of happiness, intent on God's worship; let us honor him with all obedience and reverence; let us submit ourselves to him in all things; let us also set an example of every good conduct to our neighbors, so that instead of the wrath of God, which would threaten us as we rush into sins, we may instead experience his favor and benevolence toward us, as we render him the glory that is due, with mutual agreement in good works and with a common will. And so, persevering in the invocation of his holy name, may we at last be gathered together with him forever and never be driven from his church and house. Therefore come, etc.

18. But Samuel ministered before the Lord: a boy girded with a linen ephod. 19. And his mother would make him a little tunic, which she brought to him each year when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. 20. And Eli blessed Elkanah and his wife, saying: 'May the Lord give you offspring from this woman in return for the one whom she asked from the Lord,' when they went away to their own place. 21. And when the Lord visited Hannah, she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters, while the boy Samuel grew up before the Lord. 22. Now Eli was very old, and he heard everything that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who came in crowds to the door of the tent of meeting. 23. And he said to them: 'Why do you do such things? For I hear these evil reports about you from this entire people. 24. No, my sons; for it is not a good report that I hear — you are turning away the people of the Lord. 25. If any man sins against another, a magistrate will judge him; but if any man sins against the Lord, who will pray for him?' But they did not listen to the voice of their father, because the Lord willed to put them to death.

Here we are presented with the calling and blessing of Samuel — the one whom God called to His service — while God rejects and casts aside the house and sons of Eli the high priest, who should have been their father's successors in the priestly office. First, Samuel is said to have ministered to God clothed in a linen ephod. This garment was not unlike the vestments the papists use today — in which matter they have displayed their foolishness by introducing such ridiculous rites and ornaments into the church, mimicking the old forms like children playing dress-up. Under the law, God had indeed prescribed certain priestly garments to be worn by those approaching the altar of the Lord. But now that we have the substance and truth of all those figures and old shadows in our Lord Jesus Christ, such things are unnecessary — indeed they are far too crude, and rather bury and obscure our Lord Jesus Christ than worship and make Him known. The situation of the ancient priests was also very different from that of the priests of this age. Everyone knows that the former approached God more closely, praying for the whole people and serving as mediators. To fulfill this office they had to present themselves pure and without blemish before the Lord, for they could not otherwise stand as intermediaries before God to appease Him and reconcile the people to Him. The holiness and purity they did not possess by nature, they professed and displayed through their vestments — so that the people would be reminded and assured that a mediator between God and humanity would one day come, one who would be pure and free from every blemish. This was fulfilled in the last times in the person of God's own Son, our Lord, who was free from all stain and blemish — entirely holy and perfect in Himself. Therefore those who today revive such figures and shadows of old without any divine command — what else are they doing but rejecting our Lord Jesus Christ? In that age, however, the rites and order prescribed by God had to be carefully observed. That is why the boy Samuel is said to have worn a linen ephod. These words indicate that he had already been dedicated to God and His service by his parents when he was presented to Eli.

Next, Eli is said to have blessed Elkanah and Hannah, praying that they would have other children besides Samuel. The word Eli uses carries a sense of exchange, signifying both asking and giving. It fits well to understand Eli as praying that God would grant them other offspring in return for Samuel, whom the parents had dedicated to God's service — since they had originally received him through prayer. We heard earlier that Samuel was given in answer to Hannah's prayers, but through that same vow was given back and dedicated to God for his whole life. It was therefore a mutual exchange: God's gift in answering their prayers and giving them this son, and their gift in consecrating that same son back to God from whom they had received him — voluntarily surrendering their parental rights for God's glory. Eli therefore prays to God, blessing Elkanah and his wife, that God would give them other children in return for Samuel. Nor were these prayers in vain: for it is said afterward that Hannah bore three sons and two daughters to her husband, though she had been barren for many years — a fruitfulness she never would have dared hope for, until, led by the Holy Spirit Himself, she devoted her heart to praying for children. In Scripture, the word 'to bless' generally refers to all prayers in which we seek good things from God, but the priestly blessing had a special character. Such prayers were not to be compared with those of any ordinary person, since the priest, standing on the strength of an express promise, served as mediator between God and the people, and was a witness that the divine blessing would indeed take effect. This is clear from many passages of Scripture where the office and duty of the priest is discussed, where priests are expressly said to be chosen to bless the people. So in Numbers 6, after God gave Moses and Aaron the laws and statutes by which He wished to be worshipped by the people, He adds: 'You shall bless My people, and they shall be blessed.' The meaning of these words is this: I will confirm the blessing with which you bless the people. We must not imagine that God was bound to the priests by this promise; rather, we must understand that the people were assured of receiving forgiveness of sins when the priest carried out his office. When Eli, moved by the Holy Spirit, poured out prayers to God for Elkanah and Hannah, and was heard, God in this way showed that He was presiding over the whole matter. Ministers today who announce salvation to people do indeed bless them, though not according to that old rite. No one should be unaware that in Christ our Lord the fulfillment of all those figures was found — which He demonstrated in action when He blessed His disciples as He was about to ascend to heaven. If we are blessed by the mouth of the Son of God, let that be enough for us — let us not call into doubt our reconciliation with God, since His prayers will never be in vain but will always have their effect. Let us therefore make full use of the preaching of the gospel, since through it we are made more certain of Christ's presence — a presence that is not idle, but that offers prayers on our behalf, and indeed that one unique sacrifice by which He once appeased the Father's wrath, so that the power of His intercession might be continuous. To this we must add the weakness of faith, to help which the preaching of the gospel is necessary.

Samuel is then recorded as having grown up before the Lord — or in the Lord's presence — which is the same as saying that God approved and blessed Samuel's ministry so that he might be trained and formed in God's worship and service. Although he was previously said to have ministered to God and in His presence, this refers to his ongoing training in God's worship and service, and looks forward to his future role. This young man was being prepared as a successor to take the place of those who were making themselves unworthy of the honor of so great an office. Eli is then said to have been advanced in age and to have learned of his sons' shameful deeds. We already heard that they had given themselves to fraud and theft, seizing by force the meat dedicated to God from those who offered it — literally pulling it from the very cauldron like robbers — so that the priesthood of God had come to be despised by the people. An even graver crime had been added: the sanctuary had been violated, and women who came to offer sacrifices to the Lord had been assaulted. The Hebrew word the author uses sometimes means 'to compel,' and is used of any kind of service, whether military or otherwise. It is well known from the law that women had their own specific sacrifices — for example, women after childbirth. It was also the custom for certain devout women to keep vigil in prayer at the door of the tent of meeting. Just as the Levites cast lots for the night watches so that God's tabernacle would never be left empty, so also certain women kept vigil to pray to God — as is evident from several passages of Scripture. This made the wickedness of Eli's sons all the more severe: when they should have gone before these women as examples of holiness and devotion in prayer — encouraging them in their ministry and confirming them with sound teaching of the law — they were not ashamed to commit adultery with them. What a crime — what monstrous and detestable wickedness! Eli is said to have rebuked them, told them their wickedness had become public knowledge, and urged them to act very differently. He is also recorded as adding these words: 'If a man sins against a man, God can be appeased for him' — or, 'a judge will judge him.' The Hebrew word can refer either to God or to judges and rulers, who are frequently called God's representatives in Scripture. Another Hebrew word used here can mean either 'to judge' or 'to pray,' so the meaning could be: 'A judge will judge if anyone has wronged another' — as if to say: people dispute with one another over mutual injuries, but a judge pronounces a final verdict on such controversies. Or, keeping the meaning of praying: if anyone has injured his neighbor with insults or wrongs, he may humbly appeal to the judges to reduce his punishment and deal with him more leniently. But the case of those who sin against God is not the same. Whichever interpretation we follow, the point itself remains clear. When neighbors are wronged, some satisfaction can be given, and what was stolen or fraudulently taken can be repaid. But a sin committed against the majesty of God — who could ever make up for that? This is clearly the meaning of Eli's words. I acknowledge freely that injuries inflicted on neighbors are also directed against God, since transgression of the second table of the divine law is also transgression of the first table and a violation of divine justice. Yet no one would deny that there is a great difference between directly and contemptuously attacking God Himself, and being injurious to other people. Now let us consider what is said about Eli: that he heard everything his sons were doing to all Israel — but from whom? From the voices and complaints of the whole people, no less. This reveals his remarkable negligence and laziness. He is said to have been weighed down by great old age — a detail that somewhat softens his sin, as if he were unfit for his sacred office due to age and his mental faculties had also declined. But I do not think old age is mentioned here as an honor, as though God had granted him long years in His service and his old age was therefore vigorous and distinguished. Rather, the Holy Spirit is pointing out his extreme laziness and negligence — he who did not exercise the supervision over his household that was expected of him. How, I ask, did it happen that his house became a den of robbers and a profane and filthy brothel — in which God's majesty was most gravely dishonored — while everyone knew about it except Eli alone? There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit here rebukes his gross negligence, and rightly so. Reason itself, and God's own demand, is that every father must take responsibility for his own household. Each person must devote himself to the care of the family entrusted to him and must know that he will answer to God for them — fathers for their children, and masters for their servants. God entrusts children and servants to fathers and masters, yet retains His own authority over them intact. Therefore, if people have attained any dignity or hold any power, let them exercise it in such a way that nothing is taken away from the honor due to God. If this care rests on every head of household, how much greater must be the concern of those whom God has raised to govern peoples — to correct and restrain the vices of the people under their care? For this reason Paul, when discussing what qualifies someone to govern the church well as a pastor, includes among the required virtues that a man must manage his own household well and keep his children in order with all propriety. For, Paul says, if someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God's church? What kind of man was this Eli — who, though he was both a priest and bore the image of God, and as God's representative should have given answers in all disputes and difficult matters — what kind of head of household was he, how diligent, how strict — when his sons had reached such a degree of shamelessness and such a dissolute life that they were the talk of the common people, while he alone was unaware of what his dissolute sons were doing at home? He was not informed of their disgraceful behavior by one or two people, but by all Israel. Indeed, he condemns himself when he says that not a few but people of every rank and standing were complaining — which means the entire population was despising the sacred things, true religion was becoming worthless to everyone, the Lord's most sacred priesthood lay in contempt, and everyone was giving themselves free rein for every kind of wickedness.

From this, let those whom God has placed over households learn to apply themselves diligently to this responsibility: that devotion to religion, peace, and the fear of God may flourish in their homes — that a husband care for his wife, and both care for their children, and indeed for the entire household. Those who sit at the helm of government especially must recognize that they have been raised to this position by God so that they may worship and sincerely reverence Him. They must therefore know that this charge has been placed on them: to punish the wicked without regard to rank, family ties, or personal relationships. For how would they punish others if they were lenient toward their own? Would not others rightly complain that injustice was being done to them, since far more guilty people were being spared?

It must also be noted that not only those who actively approve of wickedness are held guilty before the Lord, but also those who have been too slow to punish it — as if they had silently consented to the crimes of the wicked. Those in the highest positions of authority must especially understand that if they have the power to prevent evil and prove too sluggish in doing so, they will answer to God for it — and though they may escape the judgments of people here, they will ultimately be condemned by God. Judges and governors must also take note: the Lord will not accept the excuse that no one complained or brought a formal accusation. How could they plead ignorance when the crimes are public and cannot be hidden from them? That excuse is empty unless they have proven their diligence in seeking out, punishing, and restraining the authors of wickedness. Nor does this responsibility belong only to magistrates and those in the highest positions — it falls on each person according to the measure of his own calling. Come then — let each of us eagerly apply our efforts to restraining crimes and wickedness; let us take care not to turn a blind eye to even the smallest offense, but meet problems at the very beginning. Let us also lift up those who have fallen, rather than acting like hypocrites who think they have done their duty splendidly simply by condemning this or that person. Whether a vice or sin has taken root in us or in others, let us correct it.

At first glance, looking at Eli's rebuke of his sons, he might seem to have performed his duty well enough. He charges them with causing the people to violate the Lord's law — and it is beyond question that whoever causes a stumbling block is guilty of all the sins others commit through his fault. Our Lord Jesus Christ pronounces severe punishment on anyone who causes a stumbling block, saying: 'Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him that a millstone were hung around his neck and he were drowned in the depth of the sea.' It would indeed have been better for that man never to have been born. So, though Eli rebukes his children with such sharp words, who would rightly fault him for not performing his duty? But rebuking alone was not enough. How many people do you see who rebuke wrongdoing with harsh and forceful words, but then leave it unpunished — so that their response amounts to flattery rather than correction? People given to wickedness become hardened against such verbal rebukes. You often see officials getting along well with such men, whom they dare not openly defend but whom they rebuke harshly when accused, just to avoid criticism from others. 'Are you not utterly wicked and criminal?' they will say. 'What will become of you, wretch, if your crime becomes known? Get out of here!' See what kind of rebukes many officials use to frighten the wicked — rebukes that you would rightly call enticements to evil rather than corrections, since the wicked see they can carry on their crimes without real consequence. It should therefore surprise no one that Eli is given no excuse for failing to correct and restrain his children, and that God afflicted him with lasting disgrace. Should he merely rebuke them rather than correct them, remove them from their office, and drive the wicked from God's holy tabernacle? Could the priest tolerate having God's sanctuary polluted by his own children and marked with such shame? Did Eli not know what office his children had been called to by the Lord? Should not the high dignity of that office have spurred him to act quickly against such great scandals? And yet he thought he had done his duty well enough by ordering his children to repent. Why did he not drive them to their duty with discipline? Why did he not drive them out as utterly unworthy of God's sanctuary and so great an honor? Why did he not remove them entirely? In doing so, he would have earned God's approval for faithfully performing his duty.

We must understand that Eli is not to be judged merely as a father or as a private individual, but as a priest whose duty it was to confront vices and crimes. Instead of doing that, he tolerated his sons' wickedness and thought he had fulfilled his responsibility simply by expressing his disapproval. He looked for hiding places of excuses in vain, since the crimes were left unpunished. Therefore, fathers, turn this sad example of Eli over carefully in your minds, and make an effort to restrain your children with firmer discipline, lest through your negligence they rush headlong into every kind of crime. I would not have you be so harsh that you lose all gentleness — I recognize that children should also be led with kindness. But since the years of youth are most prone to every kind of evil, I urge that gentleness be tempered with appropriate firmness, as the time and circumstances require. We know that passions run hot at that age, and they can be restrained and kept in check only by a measure of fear. Those who hold the reins of government must especially take note: nothing should go wrong through their negligence, and they must not, like Eli, treat the impunity of crimes as a trivial matter. Rather, let them restrain the deserving with appropriate punishments — if they wish to show everyone that God and His worship matter to them, and that they have faithfully discharged their office.

We must not pass lightly over the fact that Eli's sons are said to have fornicated with the women who came to the tabernacle to offer sacrifices and to express their piety through worship. From this we must learn that one crime drags another in its wake, and that evil is always multiplied by evil — once someone gives free rein to his lusts, no limit is maintained until, given over to a corrupt mind, he rushes to ultimate destruction. See how dreadful God's vengeance is against the defiant and rebellious: He permits them to be swept away by the devil and by their own desires into every kind of lust. At first we may seem to have sinned with some lightness; but when we continue down that path, we come to think that everything is permitted us, as though we had been delivered over to sin — and we no longer fear or hesitate to commit any crime or wickedness at all. What does the Lord do in the meantime — the just avenger of wickedness? Indignant at such unchecked lawlessness among mortals who willfully despise His commandments and trample them underfoot, He rightly withdraws His favor, removes His Spirit, gives them over to a corrupt mind, blinds them, and hardens them — and those thus cast off and hardened, the devil then drives as he pleases into every kind of crime, so that he may possess them forever.

By these steps, we see how Eli's sons arrived at the summit of their wickedness: they began with theft and plunder, and finally plunged into the most shameful sexual immorality. They are said to have not merely solicited or corrupted the wives of their neighbors, but specifically those women who had come to worship God and offer sacrifices to Him — women who had, in a sense, set the world aside. Although everyone ought to worship God sincerely at home, God's prescribed practice was that the faithful would come frequently to the sanctuary, where, freed from all earthly cares and worries, they could pour out pure prayers from the heart alone, and for a time even separate themselves from their own husbands — which Paul, in 1 Corinthians 7, says the faithful should only do for a significant reason, namely to devote themselves to prayer and fasting, so that, removed from every hindrance, they might draw more closely to God. It was therefore the custom in those days for women to keep vigil in the sanctuary, devoting themselves to fasting and prayer. But these lustful and foul young men — who should have served as representatives of holiness in so sacred a place — defiled and profaned married women with adultery. The wickedness was great on multiple levels: fornication committed by the priests themselves, who should have been guardians of chastity, inflicted even upon married women — and to this was added the profanation of the sanctuary itself, in which God had chosen to make His presence known. Not as though He were enclosed or confined within the temple or tabernacle, but so that He might more and more assure the people of His goodwill and favor whenever they called upon Him sincerely and with humble prayers. This is why we understood above that the people presented themselves before God's majesty in the tabernacle. Was it not, I say, an abominable crime that to this fornication was added such a profound profanation of the tabernacle that it resembled a pigsty rather than a holy altar? Who would not tremble and shudder at the thought that the one place in the whole world that had been set apart as sacred to God among the Israelites was allowed to be covered with such disgrace? We must therefore be careful not to indulge ourselves too much, but must examine ourselves more carefully and look honestly at our own deeds. Since many corruptions have crept into the church, we must know that it has happened by God's judgment and sterner vengeance — so that careless believers, straying gradually from the right path, finally went completely astray. And who does not see what a dreadful confusion and desolation has overtaken the papacy? To what depths of wickedness have those who claim to be successors of the apostles descended? By what titles are they distinguished today? They are liars, fornicators, adulterers, plunderers, murderers, and worse — there is no crime they do not commit. To sum up the whole matter briefly: they are nothing but an abomination, whose license for every kind of crime and wickedness is so extreme that no words could adequately describe it. But since this evil originated from those who should have led all others as examples of godliness, let us think seriously about ourselves and pray to God that He would govern us by His Holy Spirit and restrain our passions — so that we do not rush headlong into such wickedness and dreadful crimes. At the same time, we must strive so that even as such crimes rage within the church, we may never turn aside from the true worship of God or fall away from sincere fear of Him.

When it is said here that the people were turned away from the fear of God, this is not said to justify or excuse the people, but to make the wickedness of Eli's sons all the more detestable. If we should happen to see those entrusted with the care of teaching the people indulging their own desires — and through their example being led into every kind of wickedness, being dragged to such depths that offending God no longer troubles the conscience — we must strive all the more powerfully not to fix our eyes on any mortal, but to be drawn wholly and from the heart toward God alone. We are easily drawn in by the worst examples, especially from those in authority, whose ways we readily imitate — and if instead of holy living and godly conduct they display nothing but wickedness and every kind of impiety, seemingly offering an occasion for falling away from God, then we must guard His honor all the more and depend on Him alone. This is precisely the lesson from the example of Eli's sons, who are said to have turned away God's people — that is, by their example they led the people into such great license to sin that they thought anything was permitted to them. Even when we see everything full of stumbling blocks, we must not move even a fraction from the fear of God. Though those who should have been models of virtue rush into every kind of wickedness and thereby open a path to the very depths of hell, let us still persevere in God's worship — and whatever storms arise and whatever dangers threaten, never depart from our duty.

But from this let those raised to the highest positions of honor also learn that a dreadful punishment from God's wrath hangs over them if, by their example, the people have broken out into license for every kind of wickedness. If a private individual commits some crime, he is doubly guilty — both for his own sin and for being a very bad example to others. What then must we conclude about those whom God has placed over others, setting them in His own seat, so to speak, if by the example of their criminal lives they have brought about the worst possible confusion and disorder? How great and dreadful must the punishments be that await them — if even private individuals deserve their own? Finally, whatever corruptions and pollutions may have crept into the church, we must take the utmost care not to depart even slightly from the true and sincere worship of God, which is contained in His Word alone. Though corrupt men rush into every kind of wickedness with no regard for God or His Word, let us nonetheless walk the straight path that God's Word has laid out for us.

From the following words, we must learn that if anyone has sinned against another person, the injury can be forgiven and judges can settle the matter. But for the one who sins against God, there is no advocate. For who would wish to take God to court, or dare to oppose Him? We have taught before that those who injure their neighbors also insult God Himself. But this must also be observed: we must judge sins in such a way that we recognize no sin can be committed without offending God, since God's commandments are bound together so tightly that whoever breaks one is rightly guilty of all. The same God who forbids taking His name in vain also forbids fornication, theft, and plunder. In this sense James says: 'Whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles in one point has become guilty of all.' These words must not be taken to mean that all sins are equal — rather, James is urging us to consider seriously that all sins ultimately lead to the same impiety, and that the root pattern of all sin is the same. For example, you may see many people who would never willingly harm another person, yet who gladly commit sexual immorality. So also there are many who, too indulgent of their own vices, sink deeper into them over time. Most people would like to divide the kingdom with God, so to speak — content to offer Him some form of religious worship, while God allows them to keep their own desires. But as we have taught before, and as we have just now heard from James, what God has joined together must never be separated — God must be sincerely obeyed in both tables of the law. We do acknowledge a certain distinction among sins: some are violations of the first table, others of the second, and there are different kinds of sins against each. In the precepts of the first table, God teaches us how each person ought to worship and honor Him with due reverence, placing all confidence in Him alone. He forbids taking His name in vain. He calls us to devote all our zeal, care, and attention to worshipping and obeying Him in every way. This is the heart of the first table — whoever transgresses it rises up deliberately against God Himself and attacks His glory.

As for the precepts of the second table, there is no question that God is offended when they are violated. If anyone commits sexual immorality, steals, takes another's property by force or fraud, or injures his neighbor by any other wrong, he also insults God along with his neighbor. But not with the same kind of insult — for the one who sins against the first table strikes directly at God Himself and, in a sense, deliberately attacks His glory. Sins are therefore distinguished in this way: some directly harm other people, while others directly injure the majesty of God Himself. To put it briefly: the guilt of a sin is all the greater and more detestable the more it strikes at the majesty of God and contemptuously tramples upon it.

We must also observe this: no sin should be considered light. That word of Christ in Matthew 5:19 must be kept in mind: 'Whoever relaxes one of these least commandments and teaches others to do so will be called least in the kingdom of heaven' — meaning, he is guilty of eternal death. By these words we are taught that we must not indulge ourselves by giving our sins free rein, but must bridle our passions, lest we fall under God's wrath. Although the papists have long maintained — and still maintain — that some sins are venial and others mortal, God will by no means allow any injury to be done to His justice. We must therefore take the utmost care not to offend God in any way, and we must fear His judgments. Nor should we allow — as the apostle rightly warns us in Ephesians 5:6 — anyone to seduce us with empty words. You may see despisers of God's judgments treat sexual immorality as a light sin, on the grounds that God does not care much about it since it is natural. But, says the apostle, beware lest anyone entice your hearts with empty words and such flattery and lead you off the straight path of God's commandments — for because of these very sins the wrath of God comes upon the disobedient. To sum up the whole matter in one word: this thought must cling firmly to our minds — it would be better and more advantageous for a person never to have been born, or to be plunged into the deepest abyss, than to offend God in any way at all. His obedience is certainly to be valued above our very lives. This does not mean, however, that one sin is not greater and worse than another. Who would not rightly judge that someone who has cheated his own brother sins more gravely than one who has cheated a stranger? How much greater and more serious, then, are sins that deliberately, directly, and immediately attack the very majesty of God Himself?

For example, if someone wrongs his neighbor, he also offends God. But if he blasphemes God Himself, if he murmurs against Him, if he accuses Him of cruelty or harshness, if he attacks His works, His Word, and His power — who would dare deny that the crime committed against the supreme majesty of God is far greater and more monstrous than a crime committed against a mortal man who, before God's majesty, is no greater than a worm crawling on the ground? This is the force of Eli's words in this passage.

This distinction among sins must therefore be kept in mind: some are greater, directly targeting God, while others are lesser because they are directed against people — though even these still ultimately offend God Himself. We say that theft — taking something from people's possessions against their will or without their knowledge — is indeed a serious sin. But when the very majesty of God is injured and His glory is diminished, how great a crime is that? Not merely theft, but intolerable sacrilege.

We must therefore walk in the fear of the Lord in such a way that His majesty is always before our eyes, and we must despise those things that tempt us away from the purity and sincerity of His worship. And if it should happen that we are tempted and — being caught off guard — are in some way carried away by our desires, let us detest and abhor the corruption of our nature all the more with each passing day. Let us keep in mind that statement of Eli: when people are wronged, we can come to terms with them about the injuries and obtain pardon from judges — for you sometimes see those guilty of the gravest crimes and deserving of death escape their penalties through the favor of judges. But when it concerns the majesty of the supreme God, before whose judgment seat a wretched mortal must stand as a defendant and plead his case — how dreadful must we think that judgment will be? Let this serve as a bridle and rein on our evil desires, to keep us from straying off the straight path of God's commandments into the byways of sin. Rather, let us press on toward the goal of blessing, devoted to God's worship; let us honor Him with all obedience and reverence; let us submit ourselves to Him in all things; and let us set an example of every good conduct for our neighbors — so that instead of experiencing God's wrath as we rush into sin, we may experience His favor and goodwill as we give Him the glory He is due, in mutual agreement in good works and a common will. And persevering in the calling upon His holy name, may we at last be gathered together with Him forever and never be driven from His church and household. Come then, let us pray.