Sermon 101: 1 Samuel 28:19-25

19. And the Lord will deliver Israel also with you into the hands of the Philistines: for tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me: and the Lord will also deliver the camp of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. 20. And immediately Saul fell stretched out on the ground: for he had greatly feared the words of Samuel, and there was no strength in him, because he had not eaten bread all that day. 21. The woman therefore came in to Saul, and saw (for he was very troubled), and said to him: Behold, your handmaid has obeyed your voice, and I have put my soul in my hand, and I have heard the words which you spoke to me. 22. Now therefore listen also to the voice of your handmaid, and I will set before you a morsel of bread, that eating you may grow strong and be able to go on your way. 23. He refused and said: I will not eat. But his servants and the woman compelled him, and at last hearing their voice he rose from the ground and sat upon the bed. 24. Now the woman had a fatted calf in the house, and she hastened and killed it; and taking flour, she mixed it and baked unleavened bread. 25. And she set it before Saul and before his servants: and when they had eaten, they rose and walked all that night.

In yesterday's sermon we heard that Saul, too merciful against God's command, brought final destruction upon his own head, because he had not exacted from the Amalekites those punishments God had commanded. Now follows for examination what is added: that not only would he himself bear the punishment, but the whole of Israel with him. Which might rightly seem strange, especially since Ezekiel says by name that he who has sinned shall die, but the innocent shall not be punished by him: how then does God involve all Israel in Saul's condemnation? But these things agree beautifully with each other, as appears from many places of holy Scripture: although God's judgments are to be adored when they surpass all our senses. For if we wished to dispute with God, and at last to pronounce about God's judgments according to the capacity of our sense, it is certain that God's judgments would seem to us evil and unjust, because they are new and unfamiliar to us. But we must judge soberly and modestly about these things, and recognize that God dispenses his judgments by a certain admirable reasoning, indeed in such a way that punishing the sin of one, he punishes many at the same time. So for example, on account of David's fault, that he had reviewed and counted the people of Israel, by a horrible plague so many thousands of men were carried off. For who would not think it unjust that on account of one man's ambition and vanity the people should pay the penalty? But God had his own reasons for chastising his people, on account of many preceding things which God willed to punish at the same time with David's fault. For this reason it is said that Satan put it into David's heart to count the people contrary to God's command, namely because God wished to demand the punishments from him. And indeed when God fulfills what he threatened through the law, namely that he would send a plague upon the children for the iniquity of the parents, he can be accused by no one of injustice or cruelty. And if anyone dares to speak against him and to bring suit against him, he has sufficient power and authority to prove the justice and equity of his deeds. Finally, when God punishes a whole people for the offense of one man, let us know that no one is so innocent that, if God comes into judgment, he will not be compelled to confess that he gives the deserved penalties for his offenses. This therefore let those especially learn who sit at the helm of affairs, to think seriously what the rule of their office demands, that they may walk in integrity before the Lord. For if by their sins they draw vengeance upon God's people, it is certain that the divine vengeance will at last be turned upon their own heads, and that all the more horribly the higher they have been raised. Let them therefore diligently beware lest they provoke the divine wrath by their sins, which involves even the people. Moreover, let us also know that God, permitting kings, princes, and men of the highest rank to be carried into sins with loose reins, by which his wrath is provoked, permits this — that being provoked by the sins and transgressions of all, both kings, princes, and men of the highest rank as well as of the lowest plebs and condition of men, he may take occasion from their sins to punish both these and those: yet in such a way that he does injury to no one, nor can anyone bring suit against him. And these things are to be observed in these words by which we hear that the people of Israel will also be chastised by enemies on account of Saul's sin. Indeed the people's sins are not here expressed, but they were nevertheless great if God had wished to demand an account of them and to deal with them by the highest right: for when the people had asked a king from the Lord, and against his express command had wished to set one up against God's will as it were — as we saw at the beginning of this history that this people rose up against God with a certain fury and almost diabolical rage, and contradicted his will — was that not a notable rebellion which deserved that God should suddenly destroy so ungrateful a people? But God clemently bore with them long: and he had deferred punishments with the highest patience, but had not however taken them away. For God indeed defers punishments for a time: but at last compensates by the gravity of the punishment. For he cannot change his sentence, and the greater and graver sins of those who have abused his grace are to be avenged with even greater and graver punishments. Besides, many pollutions in divine worship had been added to that previous sin. They had also persecuted David along with Saul: and accordingly they were also murderers. For what had David sinned against them, that they should pursue him to death to gain the king's favor? Indeed, were not all of them bound to David, and did they not owe their very life to him,

whom he had often snatched from the hand of the Philistines, and had so fought for them against the most hostile enemies, that he deservedly ought to have been held in honor and esteem by all? But they were ungrateful and unjust to David, and rendered him an unworthy reward for his labors, when some betrayed him and others pursued him with arms. Involved in all these sins, surely they were most worthy that God should punish them most grievously. For how great a sin is it to shed innocent blood — can it remain unpunished? And although they did not actually kill David, yet a thousand times by their will he was dead, so that they were deservedly guilty before God of that murder. Therefore, let it not seem new and unusual to us that God, in punishing Saul, involved the people also in the same punishment, since all of them had vied with one another in provoking his wrath against themselves. Hence then let us learn to pray to God more fervently than we are accustomed: for we persuade ourselves that God, if he does not at the very first moment punish men's wickednesses, has forgotten them, and from this we take occasion to indulge ourselves and to rush, as it were with loose reins, into any vices whatever in hope of impunity. But God does not forget the sins of men, which, although they are old, he punishes at last in their own time. And indeed taught by experience we ought to be wise. For from where comes it, I ask, that many often, when God afflicts them, labor vehemently and are anxious, and seek the causes why God deals with them so severely? But they do not call back to memory past days and earlier years in which God bore with them, and in which nevertheless they did not cease to heap evil upon evil, so that deservedly God now demands the penalties from them, because his right has not lapsed nor have their sins been blotted out, although for a time he did not animadvert upon them. Let us therefore fix this more deeply in our minds: that God, bearing with sinners for a time, if they have not repented and have not returned to better fruit, gathers their sins as it were into a bundle, and at last brings sentence against them. Therefore the greater caution is to be employed by us, lest we cling longer in our sins; but rather, when we have committed a sin against God, let us groan and beg pardon from him, that they may be buried before him.

There follow then those words: 'Tomorrow you and your sons shall be with me.' By which words some wish that the devil spoke, and that Saul as a reprobate man could not hope for mercy from God; and accordingly that the sons of Saul also seem to be rejected by God, and subject to the same wrath of God to which their father was. But although, as we said before, it was a specter that addressed Saul under the person of Samuel, yet from this no sentence of eternal malediction can be said to have been brought against the sons of Saul, but the sense of these words seems to be most simple, that on the next day Saul and his sons would die. For that specter which addressed Saul was simulating the true Samuel called up from the dead. Therefore it was using that common phrase of speech: 'You shall be with me,' that is, you shall die. Others indeed in these words seek an occasion of justifying Saul, as if he had repented and had humbled himself before God, and therefore had deserved that he should obtain pardon for his sins from God, and be with Samuel. But this exposition rests on no reason, since here there is no mention of Saul's repentance, but only of fear, which is far from repentance and true humility, and conversion to God. Therefore from these words it cannot be gathered what Saul's condition would be after death, since the sense of these words is no other than that Saul along with his sons would be among the dead the next day.

Moreover concerning those sons of whom mention is made, hence Jonathan was reckoned, who would die with him — whose faith and integrity we saw before, who at the first covenant made with David spontaneously subjected himself to God's decree and will, and abdicated of his own accord that royal dignity which was owed to him — so that since Jonathan had been distinguished by so many virtues, he cannot be reckoned among the number of the reprobate, but his death is signified by these words.

Next it is said that Saul fell to the ground, terrified by those words of the Pseudo-Samuel. From which words let us learn how great is the force of the divine word against sinners, that it must vehemently terrify them, and indeed without any hope of mercy unless God himself sends consolation into their minds, which by the example of Saul becomes evident to us. For God brought sentence against him, although by the ministry of the devil speaking under the specter, and revealed his will to Saul in such a way that he was terrified without consolation. For if Saul had been pleasing to God, God also would have revealed his will to him either through an angel or through a prophet in such a way that, although terrified, he would have been consoled. But he heard the sentence he had deserved, by which terrified he collapsed, and lost all his strength from the horror of the divine sentence against him — to which was also added weakness of bodily strength, because he had not eaten bread before, and had completed the journey on foot all night. Furthermore, it is here to be observed that God does not always bring sentence in the same way against sinners: for sometimes he threatens just when his judgment seems most near. So we see Jonah sent to the Ninevites about to denounce God's judgment as imminent upon their city, when nevertheless by this method God wished to provoke them to repentance, the space of forty days having been granted. Surely God by this threatening did not so much wish to condemn them and assign them to his judgment as to admonish them, and to stir them to acknowledgment of sins and to repentance, that turning to God by prayers they might obtain pardon — which we see was also done by them. And this is the way of stirring sinners to repent ...of revoking the punishments, a condition which God often uses, containing within itself, although the decree of God seems irrevocable. So we often see God speaking through the prophets, whose threats of divine vengeance against the people are frequent, by which he was not willing to send upon the people at the very first the punishments which he was threatening, but rather to call the people to repentance and to a serious conversion to himself. In these threats of punishments therefore a certain condition, even if not expressed, was contained: if they should repent and seriously turn to God and with integrity of heart entreat pardon, he would be inclined to mercy; but if not, he would send the punishments he was threatening. So daily we ought to hear the word of God and our condemnation in it, for the word of God preached is like an axe and a two-edged sword. For the apostle says, 'The word of God is living and effective, and more penetrating than any two-edged sword, and reaches to the dividing of soul and spirit, and of the joints also and the marrow, and is a discerner of the conceptions and thoughts of the heart.' For which reason also Paul teaches that the word of God calls each one to an examination of himself, so that having been convicted before God of his offenses he may be more and more cast down and confess his unworthiness. Therefore, as often as we approach to hear the word of God, or take in our hands the sacred Scripture to read it, we ought to be so disposed that in it as from the very mouth of God we hear our condemnation, and that we acquiesce in it and learn to displease ourselves more and more, and to be cast down and humbled before God. For it will be for our greatest advantage if we admit the condemnation, since God is so inclined toward us that he promises grace and mercy to those who acknowledge their sins and return to better fruit. But on the contrary, if men have grown callous to God's threats and have not repented, no place for pardon any longer remains, but God's sentence is absolute, and his decree immovable against sinners. Thus we see the prophets pronouncing the sentence of divine vengeance, and irrevocable, against a rebellious and contumacious people, when, neglecting the divine admonitions, they had persevered in malice. We therefore, observing God the judge upon those who have abused his patience and goodness, let us fear, and not allow God's vengeance to proceed so far that no place for mercy remains. But as long as he patiently bears with us and calls us to better fruit while condemning our sins, let us seize the offered occasion, and not wait until he has closed his ears and we fall from his grace.

Furthermore, as for that fear of Saul, it is to be observed that there are certain affections common to the elect of God and to the reprobate, to the faithful, I say, and to the unbelieving; but yet that there is a great difference in them. For (by way of example) both the unfaithful and the faithful believers, both the reprobate and the good, shudder at God's threats, although the wicked often make for themselves delights and despise God's threats and persevere in malice, considering them a joke and a laughing-matter; yet which they finally experience to be so horrible that they wish mountains might be rolled down upon their heads, and that the lowest earth might gape open for them, as sacred Scripture often speaks, since the wrath of God is to them horrible. The wicked therefore, and especially the most contumacious, are stricken with such terror of God that they find no remedy against his wrath. On the contrary, however, the faithful are also stricken, and the greater apprehension they have of the divine majesty than the wicked, the more also they are moved, and are touched to the quick by the sense of divine wrath, as the prophet speaks in the psalms. Which sense of divine wrath and fear is common to them with the impious and unbelieving; but from this fear and dread one cannot judge concerning a man's repentance and humility before God. For if Saul had been seriously affected by a sense of his sins, he would not have remained longer in that fear, but would have felt and demonstrated in fact the effect of conversion to God, since God by the breath of his Holy Spirit would have inspired him to obtain mercy. But quite the contrary appears. The fear of divine judgments is, I confess, a preparation for repentance, but in which one must least always remain stuck. Why so? Because the despisers of God, so terrified, begin to rage and to imitate savage beasts, which when bound by chains gnaw upon them and break their teeth in fury; just as untamed horses bite the bridle when their rider applies the spur to them. So the profane turn that fear into fury, and storm against God, and are carried headlong into desperation, and therefore are hardened more and more, and return to their wickednesses, forgetful of impending divine vengeance, and despising God himself as if they had escaped his hand. On the contrary, the faithful, when stricken with fear of divine judgments, mindful of his goodness, console themselves and lift themselves up with these things, lest they be consumed by sadness and grief. They therefore strive to restrain and bridle their more vehement appetites, and patiently bear God's chastisements, even if death itself is to be undergone, indeed to such a degree that if God should not wish to release them from the deserved punishments, nevertheless they cast off all distress, and conquer the severity of divine judgments by patience, and do not, like the wicked, rise up against God or gnash their teeth; but they sense him, even though he chastises them, nonetheless as a kindly Father, and hold the chastisement as the highest good, since they are persuaded that their sins will be covered by God's goodness and mercy. It will therefore be a healing remedy for them, which at first sight seemed to be a deadly wound. Indeed, even if God spares them and stirs them with no exercises, ...they nevertheless do not loosen the reins to vices, but adore and venerate God. And recalling to memory most of those things in which they have fallen, groaning before God, they examine themselves and give glory to God, and return to better fruit. For thus they reason within themselves: Wretched me! Have I, fallen into these sins, not thought of God? Am I, if God connives at my sins, on that account going to grant them looser reins? Or to lift up my head on high? Rather, with all humility and modesty, I shall entreat God; as a suppliant I shall flee to his mercy, and acknowledge him as the author of my salvation. Finally, if God has chastised them, they will always have the chastisement in fresh memory, which teaches them to spend the rest of life in bitterness, as Hezekiah speaks, because they have felt how horrible is the judgment of God. From these things therefore there appears a notable difference between the dread of the wicked and the despisers of God and the fear of the faithful: the former so trembling at the sight of divine judgments that they fall into desperation; the latter however embracing for the future God's mercy with the highest humility.

Therefore, when we hear that Saul fell prostrate to the earth because he had greatly feared the words of Samuel, let us not think that this was done from humility, but from a vehement apprehension of divine judgment, so that the voice of Samuel was for him like the blow of a vehement hammer by which he was cast down and came into desperation. Nor does sacred Scripture say that he groaned and fled as a suppliant to God's mercy and confessed his sins, but only that he was astounded and stricken with vehement fear. Whatever it may be, let us leave him to God's judgment and power; meanwhile let us beware of imitating his example, since we see no signs of conversion to God in him, and accordingly see no hope of salvation. Furthermore, if we observe so brave a man, chosen by God to govern his people, so dismayed by the sense of God's wrath that he was stupefied and astounded and prostrated to the earth, what do we think shall happen to us, unless we are upheld by the strength of the Lord himself? Therefore let us not tempt God, but let us forestall his wrath, turning to him with serious repentance; and as often as we are called before his tribunal to the recognition of our sins, let us undergo of our own accord the examination of our sins, and entreat God's mercy. And so much for Saul's fear.

There follows that the woman, that pythoness, could not obtain from Saul that he would take food, and wished him to return home, although he was so weak that he could not support himself; but at last, by the persuasion of the servants, he not only took some morsel of bread for restoring his strength, as the woman herself had urged him, but also waited until the fattened calf was killed, and bread was baked for him by the woman. From which his stupor and the highest perturbation of mind appears more and more. Which is wont to happen to those who are not seriously humbled under God's powerful hand, namely that they keep no measure in their affections. They therefore, when they shall be terrified with horror of divine judgment, fall into such stupor that they give no place to wholesome counsels, and admit none of those things which are suggested to them, but reject all sound counsels. Thus you may see that those whom God has given over to a reprobate mind cannot hope anything concerning God's mercy. And although the promises made to converted sinners are set before them, they cannot however admit them, but reject them as not pertaining to themselves. For so great a stupor has occupied their minds that they have determined to reject God's grace far from themselves, and they are hardened more and more in malice. Let Esau be an example, whom we hear lamenting, mourning, and howling for a moment of time like some brute beast, but afterwards returning to his disposition, contriving vengeance against his brother, and promising himself that, when his father was dead, he would recover by force the right of primogeniture which he had let slip. As though indeed he could fight against God, and change his decree.

The same thing now appears in Saul too. For first, cast down by terror, he refuses to take a morsel of bread, and as one in despair gives no place to admonitions. But then, won over by the prayers of his men, he even waits until the calf is killed and unleavened loaves are baked for him; and so not only does he patiently take a morsel for restoring his strength, but allows a banquet to be prepared for him.

Moreover, from this appears the custom of those times, in which for receiving guests sumptuously a fattened calf was killed, which, like all other dainties, was set on freshly slain, which was held in those times among delicacies. From which sobriety is to be learned, and superfluity in foods to be avoided, since we see the delicacies of those times to have been a fattened calf, in place of all the dainties which today are manifold. For today banquets are not held except from various delicate foods sought from everywhere, and prepared many days before the banquet, so that common foods are held in no esteem. From where it appears that the corruption of our times is far greater than that of earlier ages, and that we are far from that sobriety which was in the ancients, so that there is greater drunkenness, gluttony, delicacy, and pleasure than of old. For, I beseech you, what is this for a king to make of a fattened calf his dainties? Nor are these things narrated in sacred Scripture only of this king, but many examples of this kind occur elsewhere. Therefore from this we learn to bridle our appetites, lest, as commonly happens, they be insatiable, and to accustom ourselves to a leaner life.

But let us look more closely at Saul's deed. He could indeed have taken some food for restoring his strength and for completing the journey, which however he refused; but nonetheless he allowed a more sumptuous supper to be prepared for him, ...which could have sustained for many days both himself and his companions, namely a calf with unleavened loaves. From which it appears that there is no temperance in those who do not have the roots of the fear of God fixed in their souls. For one moment, stricken with terror, they so cast down their spirit that salvation seems despaired of, and they admit no sound counsels; another moment, and that within an instant, they are poured out into joy and laughter. Nor however did Saul so cheer himself up that he did not feel the pricks of conscience, by which he remembered that he was condemned by God; and, as is commonly said, his laughter was a sardonic one, going no further than the throat. Nor is there any doubt that he willingly tried to cast off the fear and horror with which he had been stricken by that specter, but could not. From which we learn, when God chastises us in various ways and reduces us to such straits that death everywhere presents itself to us and all things threaten present death, nevertheless to flee to his mercy, and always to retain hope, persuaded that God can lead us out from the very jaws of the sepulcher; nay, even restore life to the dead, of which he himself is the fount and origin. On the contrary, when God grants us leisure, let us learn not to grow sluggish, but, recalling God's threats to memory, let us be wise; and after three years, four years, ten years, admiring God's patience and acknowledging ourselves debtors, let us render to him the glory due him; so that on the one hand we may rejoice that he is propitious to us, and on the other hand we may mourn over our sins, and bear witness to inward grief by perpetual sighs and groans. For neither ought spiritual joy, from the sense of God's mercy toward us, to generate in us either pride, or arrogance, or finally torpor and sluggishness; but should so refresh us that some perpetual sadness be mixed in, which leads us to true humility. And let this much suffice on Saul's deed.

Moreover, there appear in him also certain signs of magnanimity: that, having been informed about the rout of the Israelite army and its falling into the hands of the Philistines, and accordingly about the death imminent upon him, he did not entirely cast down his spirit, but, his body cared for, returned to his camp; so that Saul seems bravely to have acquiesced in God's judgments and followed God whither he was calling. But it must be observed that the unbelieving have only certain momentary impulses, and accordingly do not lean on firm faith; which is rather to be called arrogance than faith. And besides, when stricken for a time by God's judgments, they try to cast off all fear, as though God's threats were only empty words and vain fear. Whatever faith therefore the unbelieving sometimes boast of, and however they glory in God's grace and proclaim it with full mouth, it does not deserve the name of faith, but rather of pride and arrogance. For this reason they totter at every breeze, and are tossed by every wind like reeds; in short, they are carried here and there rashly, neither plainly resting in God's promises, nor terrified by his threats as they ought to have been. But they return continually to their disposition, and grow utterly stupid in their stupor. The reasoning of Saul therefore was the same as that of all other unbelievers, since there is no firmness or constancy in those whom the Spirit of God does not move. For the Spirit of God is the Spirit of rectitude and integrity, of which those who are destitute are carried rashly here and there. Saul therefore, having returned to his camp, betrayed his stupor rather than fortitude or conversion to God, and contempt of divine judgments. Let us therefore learn, when God terrifies us with the threats of his judgments, to be humbled, rather than to display a stout spirit, as many are wont to call I know not what an admirable fortitude, if they are terrified by no threats and moved by no danger, like men harder than the Marpesian rock. But, I ask, will honor be given to stones or stumps if they neither mourn nor apprehend any evil? By no means! For virtue has no place in those who have no feeling. And accordingly it does not redound to the praise of men not to be moved by God's judgments and not to fear his threats, but to be hardened in malice. But the highest virtue of Christians is the fear of God, by which they fear his judgments and, despairing of themselves, place all their trust in his mercy. Truly those who carry great spirits, and boast I know not what fortitude, are not far from their destruction. On the contrary, those who, conscious of their sins, flee as suppliants to God's mercy, are confirmed and lifted up; and accordingly humility and dejection of spirit are far more useful than proud boasting and vaunting.

Furthermore, when Saul had returned to his camp, he ought to have exhorted the people and his children to repentance and conversion to God and true humility; but we read of no such thing done by him. Nay, rather, he seems to have hidden whatever he had heard. But if he had said even a word about the matter to Jonathan, surely he would have shown himself braver than his father, and would have been wise from divine admonition, and would of his own accord have submitted himself to divine correction. But Saul, as if astounded, keeps silent about everything, and with stupor awaits the outcome of that prediction, and yet does not turn to God. Let us, on the contrary, learn not to blush, nor to be ashamed of confessing our sins, when God has threatened us, that we may receive consolation; but rather that an occasion is offered us by this for admitting the chastisements sent by God, and for returning to better fruit with serious repentance. Let us detest the pride and madness of Saul, who certainly wished to conceal his shame, namely that he had asked the woman pythoness about the outcome, and that he wished to retain his royal dignity even against the will of the Lord, and that he feared the defection of the people, by whom, if deserted, he would become prey to enemies. He prefers therefore to retain his royal dignity rather than to give glory to God. Was it not, however, better that he alone should die, than that the people ...accompanying him should be cast headlong into the same destruction with him? Let us, on the contrary, learn, when God threatens us with punishments, not only ingenuously to confess our sins, but also to admonish others, that, performing true repentance and turned to God with sincere affection, they may be wise, and meet God's wrath with prayers and supplications and true repentance. Truly, if Saul had had a spark of piety, having returned to his camp he would have summoned an assembly of the people and proclaimed to them the impending vengeance of God, and exhorted them to repentance, setting before them the divine mercy, which never repels the penitent from itself. But he dissembled all those things, and as if frenzied joined battle. Let us, however, on the contrary, learn to draw nearer to God the more grievous the punishments he threatens; and although no further hope of salvation appears, but the final condemnation seems to be impending, let us not on that account lose heart, but let us hope for the salvation set before all who repent. And let us also exhort others to this very thing, that we may experience God's help at the opportune time, and at last give thanks to him for all his benefits, and exalt his name with perpetual praises. Now then, come on, etc.

## HOMILIA CII.

19. The Lord will also give Israel along with you into the hands of the Philistines. Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me. The Lord will give the army of Israel into the hands of the Philistines as well. 20. Immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, for he was terrified by Samuel's words. There was no strength in him, because he had eaten no food all day. 21. The woman came to Saul and saw that he was greatly shaken. She said to him: Your servant has obeyed you, and I have taken my life in my hands and listened to the words you spoke to me. 22. Now please listen to your servant as well. Let me set a piece of bread before you. Eat, so that you may have strength when you go on your way. 23. He refused and said: I will not eat. But his servants urged him, and the woman urged him as well, until he finally listened to them. He got up from the ground and sat on the bed. 24. The woman had a fattened calf in the house, and she quickly slaughtered it. She also took flour, kneaded it, and baked unleavened bread from it. 25. She set it before Saul and his servants, and they ate. Then they rose and went away that same night.

In yesterday's sermon we heard that Saul, by showing mercy contrary to God's command, brought final destruction upon himself — because he had not inflicted on the Amalekites the punishments God had required. Now we come to the next point: not only would he personally bear the punishment, but all of Israel with him. This might well seem strange — especially since Ezekiel says plainly that the one who sinned shall die, but the innocent shall not be punished for another's sin. How then does God involve all Israel in Saul's condemnation? But these statements fit together perfectly, as many places in Scripture show — even when God's judgments surpass our ability to fully understand them, they must be revered. If we tried to dispute with God and pronounce on His judgments according to the limits of our own understanding, His judgments would inevitably seem unjust to us — simply because they are different from what we expect. We must think about these things soberly and humbly, recognizing that God dispenses His judgments by a wisdom we may not fully grasp — punishing one person's sin in such a way that many are punished at the same time. Consider David's fault in taking a census of Israel: because of that one act of ambition and pride, many thousands of people were swept away in a terrible plague. Who would not think it unjust that so many should suffer for one man's fault? But God had His own reasons for chastising His people — punishing many things that had accumulated before, which He chose to address at the same time as David's fault. This is why Scripture says Satan put it in David's heart to count the people — because God was ready to require an accounting from them. And when God carries out what He threatened in the law — that He would send punishment on the children for the sins of the parents — no one can rightly accuse Him of injustice or cruelty. And if anyone dares to argue against Him and bring suit against Him, He has more than enough power and authority to demonstrate the justice and equity of all He does. In the end, when God punishes a whole people for one man's offense, we should understand that no one is so innocent that, if God came to judge him, he would not be compelled to confess he deserves punishment for his own offenses. Therefore, let those especially who hold positions of leadership carefully consider what their office demands — walking in integrity before the Lord. For if through their sins they bring divine punishment down on God's people, that same punishment will certainly eventually fall on their own heads — and all the more severely, the higher they have been raised. Let them therefore take great care not to provoke God's wrath through sins that involve the whole people. Moreover, let us understand that when God allows kings, princes, and those of the highest rank to run unchecked into sin — provoking His wrath — He permits this so that, being provoked by the sins of all alike, from kings and nobles down to the lowest common people, He may take occasion from their sins to punish both groups. Yet He does injury to no one, and no one can justly bring charges against Him. All of this must be kept in mind as we hear that the people of Israel will also be chastised by their enemies because of Saul's sin. The people's sins are not spelled out here, but they were considerable — if God had wished to call them to strict account. When the people demanded a king from the Lord and insisted on establishing one virtually in defiance of His express command — as we saw at the beginning of this history, when the people rose up against God with a kind of furious, near-diabolical boldness and contradicted His will — was that not a notable act of rebellion that deserved instant destruction of so ungrateful a people? But God bore with them patiently for a long time, deferring punishment with extraordinary patience — though not removing it. God defers punishment for a time, but He makes up for it in the weight of the punishment when it finally comes. For He cannot change His verdict, and the greater the sins of those who have abused His grace, the greater and more severe the punishment that must follow. Beyond that first sin, many corruptions in worship had been added over time. They had also joined Saul in persecuting David — making them guilty of attempted murder. What had David ever done to them that they should pursue him to death to win the king's favor? Were they not all indebted to David, and did they not owe their very lives to him,

— the man who had so often rescued them from the Philistines, who had fought for them against their most dangerous enemies, and who deserved to be honored and held in high esteem by everyone? But they were ungrateful and unjust to David — repaying his labors with a shameful reward, some betraying him, others pursuing him with weapons. Wrapped up in all these sins, they thoroughly deserved that God should punish them severely. After all, how great a sin is it to shed innocent blood? Can it go unpunished? And even though they did not actually kill David, in their hearts they had killed him a thousand times over — and for that they were rightly guilty before God of that murder. Let us not be surprised, then, that God, in punishing Saul, also involved the people in the same punishment — since everyone had competed with one another in provoking His wrath against themselves. From this let us learn to pray to God more earnestly than we normally do. We tend to tell ourselves that if God does not punish wickedness immediately, He has forgotten it — and from that we take license to rush headlong into any vice, assuming we can sin with impunity. But God does not forget people's sins. Even old sins He punishes in His own time. Experience itself should teach us this. Why is it, I ask, that many people, when God afflicts them, struggle and agonize and try to figure out why He is dealing with them so harshly? They fail to look back on past years — years when God bore with them patiently, and during which they never stopped piling evil upon evil. God now rightfully demands from them what is owed — because His right has not expired, and their sins have not been erased, even though for a time He said nothing. Let us therefore fix this firmly in our minds: God bears with sinners for a time, but if they have not repented and turned back to better ways, He gathers their sins like a bundle and eventually pronounces sentence against them. All the more reason for us to be careful not to persist in our sins. When we have sinned against God, let us groan and beg His pardon, so that those sins may be buried before Him.

There follow the words: 'Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me.' Some have argued that these words were spoken by the devil, and that Saul as a reprobate could have no hope of mercy from God — and therefore that Saul's sons also appear to have been rejected by God and subject to the same wrath that fell on their father. But although, as we said before, it was a specter that addressed Saul in Samuel's person, no sentence of eternal condemnation can be drawn from these words against Saul's sons. The meaning of the words is simply this: that the following day Saul and his sons would be dead. That specter was mimicking the true Samuel called up from the dead. Therefore it used the common expression of speech: 'You will be with me' — meaning, you will die. Others find in these words a basis for defending Saul — as if he had repented and humbled himself before God, and therefore deserved to be pardoned and to be with Samuel. But this interpretation has no foundation here. There is no mention of Saul's repentance — only of terror, which is very far from repentance, true humility, and conversion to God. Therefore these words tell us nothing about what Saul's condition would be after death. Their meaning is simply that Saul and his sons would be among the dead the following day.

Among the sons mentioned here, Jonathan was included — he would die with his father. We saw earlier what faith and integrity characterized Jonathan: when the covenant with David was first made, he voluntarily submitted himself to God's decree and will, and willingly surrendered the royal dignity that was rightfully his. Because Jonathan had been marked by such outstanding virtues, he cannot be counted among the reprobate — his death is simply what these words announce.

Next we are told that Saul fell to the ground, struck down by terror at those words from the counterfeit Samuel. From this let us learn how powerful God's Word is against sinners — it must terrify them deeply, and without any hope of consolation unless God Himself sends comfort into their hearts. This becomes plain from Saul's example. God pronounced sentence against him — even through the devil speaking under that specter — and revealed His will to Saul in such a way that Saul was terrified with no consolation. If Saul had been in God's favor, God would also have revealed His will to him — whether through an angel or a prophet — in a way that, though terrifying, would also have brought comfort. But Saul heard the sentence he had deserved. Overwhelmed by the horror of God's verdict, he collapsed and lost all his strength. Adding to this was physical weakness, since he had eaten nothing and had traveled on foot throughout the night. We should also observe here that God does not always pronounce sentence against sinners in the same way. Sometimes He threatens when judgment seems most imminent. Consider Jonah sent to Nineveh to declare God's imminent judgment on the city — and yet through this very method God intended to drive the Ninevites to repentance, having given them a window of forty days. God's purpose in that threatening was not so much to condemn them and hand them over to judgment as to warn them, stir them to acknowledge their sins, and move them to repentance — so that by turning to God in prayer they might obtain pardon. And that is exactly what happened. This is the method of driving sinners to repentance and of withdrawing punishments — a condition God often includes in what appears to be an irrevocable decree. So we see God frequently speaking through the prophets, whose words are full of threats of divine vengeance against the people — not because He intended to send those punishments immediately, but to call the people to repentance and a genuine return to Himself. Those threats therefore carried within them an implied condition, even when not stated explicitly: if they repented and truly turned to God, begging His pardon with honest hearts, He would show mercy. If not, He would carry out the punishment He had threatened. In the same way, daily we ought to hear God's Word and in it hear our own condemnation — for the preached Word of God is like an axe and a two-edged sword. The apostle says: 'The word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.' For this reason Paul also teaches that God's Word calls each person to examine themselves, so that, standing convicted before God of their offenses, they are brought lower and lower and confess their unworthiness. Therefore, whenever we come to hear God's Word or take up Scripture to read it, we should approach it in this spirit: that we are hearing our condemnation from God's own mouth, that we accept it, and that we learn more and more to be dissatisfied with ourselves and to bow low before God. For it will be to our greatest benefit if we accept that condemnation — since God is so disposed toward us that He promises grace and mercy to those who acknowledge their sins and return to better ways. But if people have grown numb to God's warnings and have not repented, no room for pardon remains. God's sentence becomes absolute and His decree against sinners is fixed. This is what we see when the prophets pronounce the irrevocable sentence of divine vengeance against a rebellious and defiant people that had persisted in wickedness despite God's repeated warnings. Seeing God as judge over those who have abused His patience and goodness, let us fear — and not allow God's vengeance to go so far that no room for mercy is left. As long as He patiently bears with us and calls us to better ways while condemning our sins, let us seize the opportunity He offers, and not wait until He has shut His ears and we have fallen from His grace.

Regarding Saul's fear, it should be observed that certain responses are common to both the elect of God and the reprobate — to the faithful and the unbelieving alike — yet with a profound difference between them. For example: both the unfaithful and the faithful tremble at God's warnings, and so do both the reprobate and the godly. The wicked often mock God's threats, treating them as a joke, yet they ultimately experience those very threats as so terrifying that they wish mountains could fall on their heads and the earth would swallow them — for the wrath of God is horrible to them, as Scripture often describes. The wicked — and especially the most defiant — are struck with a terror of God that leaves them with no remedy against His wrath. The faithful, on the other hand, are also struck — and the more deeply they feel the weight of God's majesty, the more profoundly they are shaken and cut to the heart by a sense of His wrath, as the psalmist describes. This sense of divine wrath and fear is something the faithful share with the ungodly. But from this fear alone you cannot determine whether a person has truly repented and humbled himself before God. If Saul had been genuinely broken by a sense of his sins, he would not have remained stuck in terror — he would have felt and demonstrated in actual behavior the effects of turning back to God, for God by the breath of His Spirit would have moved him to seek mercy. But the opposite is plain. Fear of God's judgments is, I grant, a starting point for repentance — but it must never be the place where someone remains permanently stuck. Why? Because those who despise God, when struck with fear, begin to rage like wild animals that gnaw their chains in fury when caught — like untamed horses that bite their bridle when the rider spurs them. The ungodly turn that fear into rage, storm against God, plunge headlong into despair, and so harden themselves further and return to their wickedness — forgetting the divine vengeance hanging over them and despising God as if they had escaped His reach. The faithful, by contrast, when struck with fear of God's judgments, remember His goodness and comfort themselves — they lift themselves up rather than letting grief and sorrow destroy them. They strive to rein in their most powerful passions and patiently bear God's discipline — even if death itself must be endured. Even if God does not release them from deserved punishment, they shake off despair, endure the severity of His judgments with patience, and do not — like the wicked — rise up against God or gnash their teeth. They sense that even in His chastising, He is still a kind Father, and they regard the discipline as the greatest benefit — because they are persuaded that their sins will be covered by God's goodness and mercy. What at first appeared to be a mortal wound will therefore become a healing remedy for them. And even when God spares them and sends them no discipline at all, they still do not loosen the reins toward vice — they worship and revere God. Calling to mind the things they have done wrong, they groan before God, examine themselves, give Him glory, and return to better ways. For this is how they reason within themselves: 'How wretched I am! I fell into these sins without even thinking of God. Am I now, just because God has overlooked my sins, going to give myself even more freedom? Am I to hold my head high? No — with all humility and modesty I will seek God; I will flee as a suppliant to His mercy and acknowledge Him as the author of my salvation.' And if God has disciplined them, they keep that discipline fresh in memory — it teaches them to spend the rest of their lives in soberness, as Hezekiah says — because they have felt how terrible God's judgment is. From all this a clear difference emerges between the dread of the wicked and God-despisers, and the fear of the faithful: the former tremble at the sight of God's judgments and fall into despair, while the latter embrace God's mercy for the future with the deepest humility.

Therefore, when we hear that Saul fell flat on the ground because he greatly feared Samuel's words, we should not think this came from humility — it came from the sheer weight of terror at God's judgment. Samuel's words struck him like a hammer blow, knocking him down and driving him into despair. Scripture does not say he groaned and fled as a suppliant to God's mercy and confessed his sins — only that he was stunned and overwhelmed with intense fear. Whatever we may conclude, let us leave him to God's judgment and power. Meanwhile, let us beware of imitating his example — for we see no signs of conversion to God in him, and therefore no signs of hope for salvation. Furthermore, if we observe so brave a man — chosen by God to lead His people — so shattered by the sense of God's wrath that he was stupefied, stunned, and thrown to the ground, what do we think will happen to us if we are not upheld by the Lord's own strength? Therefore let us not test God, but let us anticipate His wrath by turning to Him in genuine repentance. And as often as we are called before His tribunal to recognize our sins, let us voluntarily submit ourselves to that examination and plead for God's mercy. That is enough about Saul's fear.

Next we see that the medium could not persuade Saul to eat, and wanted him to go home — even though he was so weak he could barely stand. Finally, coaxed by his servants, he not only accepted a bit of food to restore his strength, as the woman had urged, but waited while the fattened calf was slaughtered and bread was baked for him. This shows his dazed condition and the extreme confusion of his mind. This is what typically happens to those who are not genuinely humbled under God's powerful hand: they lose all measure in their emotions. When terrified by the horror of God's judgment, they fall into such a stupor that they are beyond the reach of sound advice — rejecting everything suggested to them. You can see this in those whom God has given over to a reprobate mind: they cannot hope for anything from God's mercy. Even when God's promises to repentant sinners are set before them, they cannot receive them — they push those promises away as if they have nothing to do with themselves. Their minds are so benumbed that they have resolved to keep God's grace at a distance, hardening themselves further and further in wickedness. Take Esau as an example: we hear him lamenting, mourning, and howling for a moment like a brute animal, but then returning to his old self — plotting revenge against his brother, telling himself that once his father was dead he would take back by force the birthright he had sold. As if he could fight against God and change His decree.

The same thing appears in Saul. First, struck down with terror, he refuses to eat even a bite of food — a man in despair, beyond the reach of any counsel. But then, persuaded by the pleading of his men, he not only waits for the calf to be slaughtered and the unleavened bread baked — he allows an entire meal to be prepared for him.

This also shows us the customs of those times: a fattened calf slaughtered fresh was the great delicacy set before honored guests — considered among the finest fare of that era. From this we learn sobriety and the avoidance of excess in food, for we see that the great delicacy of that day was a fattened calf — whereas today people's idea of celebration involves endless varieties of fine food gathered from every direction and prepared days in advance, so that simple food is held in contempt. This shows that the corruption of our own age far exceeds that of earlier ages, and that we are far removed from the sobriety of the ancients — for today there is far more drunkenness, gluttony, self-indulgence, and obsession with pleasure. Consider what it meant for a king to make a fattened calf the centerpiece of his feast. And this is not just one isolated case — many similar examples appear throughout Scripture. From this let us learn to put a bridle on our appetites — lest they become insatiable, as is so common — and accustom ourselves to simpler living.

But let us look more closely at Saul's behavior. He could have taken a little food to restore his strength for the journey — this he refused. And yet he then allowed a substantial supper to be prepared for him — a calf with unleavened bread, enough to sustain him and his companions for several days. This shows that there is no real self-restraint in those who do not have the fear of God deeply rooted in their souls. At one moment, struck with terror, they are so low that salvation seems beyond hope and they cannot hear any sound counsel. A moment later — almost instantly — they are spilling over into laughter and cheer. Yet Saul did not cheer up completely, for the pricks of his conscience kept reminding him that he stood condemned before God. His laughter, as the saying goes, was sardonic — it went no further than his throat. There is no doubt he was trying to shake off the fear and horror with which that specter had struck him — and could not. From this let us learn: when God disciplines us in various ways and presses us so hard that death seems to appear on every side, we should nevertheless flee to His mercy and hold on to hope — persuaded that God can bring us out even from the very jaws of the grave, and can restore life to the dead, since He Himself is the source and fountain of life. On the other hand, when God grants us ease, let us not grow lazy. Calling God's warnings back to mind, let us be wise. After three years, four years, ten years, let us stand in awe of God's patience, acknowledge ourselves as debtors, and render Him the glory that is due Him — rejoicing on one hand that He is favorable to us, and on the other hand mourning over our sins, bearing witness to inward grief through persistent sighs and groans. For the spiritual joy that comes from sensing God's mercy toward us should not produce in us pride, arrogance, or sluggishness — it should refresh us in such a way that a deep, ongoing sorrow is mixed in as well, a sorrow that leads us to true humility. That is enough on Saul's deed.

There are also in Saul certain outward signs of courage: having been told about the rout of the Israelite army, its fall into Philistine hands, and the death that now awaited him — he did not utterly collapse, but after eating, returned to his camp. One might think Saul bravely accepted God's judgment and followed where God was leading. But it must be noted that unbelievers have only fleeting impulses of this kind — they are not leaning on firm faith. What appears to be courage is really arrogance, not faith. Moreover, after being shaken for a time by God's judgments, they try to throw off all fear — as if God's threats were merely empty words and empty dread. Whatever faith unbelievers sometimes boast of, whatever they proclaim with a full mouth about God's grace — it does not deserve to be called faith, but rather pride and arrogance. For this reason they waver at every breeze and are tossed like reeds by every wind — never truly resting in God's promises, never truly trembling before His threats as they ought. They continually revert to their old disposition and sink deeper into their stupor. Saul's way of thinking was the same as that of all other unbelievers — for there is no firmness or constancy in those whom God's Spirit does not move. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of uprightness and integrity, and those who lack Him are tossed recklessly this way and that. Saul, then, in returning to his camp, revealed his dazed numbness rather than genuine courage or any conversion to God — it was contempt of God's judgments dressed up as fortitude. Let us therefore learn, when God terrifies us with warnings of His judgment, to be humbled — rather than to display the kind of tough spirit that many admire as remarkable courage when a person is shaken by no threats and moved by no danger, like a man harder than the hardest stone. But tell me: is it praiseworthy in a rock or a stump to feel nothing and mourn nothing? Certainly not! Virtue has no place in those who have no feeling. Therefore it is not to a person's credit not to be moved by God's judgments and not to fear His threats — that is simply hardness of heart. The highest virtue of Christians is the fear of God — through which they fear His judgments, despair of themselves, and place all their trust in His mercy. Those who carry themselves with great bravado and boast of some remarkable fortitude are not far from their own destruction. But those who, conscious of their sins, flee as suppliants to God's mercy — they are strengthened and lifted up. Humility and a broken spirit are therefore far more valuable than proud boasting.

Furthermore, when Saul returned to his camp, he should have summoned the people and his sons to repentance and a genuine turn to God and true humility. But we read of nothing of the sort. In fact, he seems to have concealed everything he had heard. Had he said even a word of it to Jonathan, Jonathan would surely have shown more courage than his father — he would have taken the divine warning to heart and willingly submitted himself to God's correction. But Saul, as if in a daze, says nothing, numbly waiting for that prophecy to play out — and never turning back to God. Let us do the opposite: let us not be ashamed or embarrassed to confess our sins when God has threatened us — so that we may receive comfort. Rather, let such a moment become an occasion for accepting the discipline God sends and returning to better ways through genuine repentance. Let us detest the pride and madness of Saul, who clearly wanted to hide his shame — that he had consulted the medium for the outcome — and who wanted to cling to his royal dignity even against the Lord's will. He feared being abandoned by the people, knowing that without them he would become easy prey for his enemies. He chose to hold on to his royal dignity rather than give glory to God. Yet would it not have been better for him alone to die than for the people... ...who accompanied him to be dragged headlong into the same destruction? Let us instead learn this: when God threatens us with punishment, not only should we honestly confess our own sins, but we should also warn others — urging them to practice genuine repentance and turn to God with sincere hearts, so they may be wise and meet God's wrath with prayer, supplication, and true repentance. Truly, if Saul had had even a spark of piety, he would have returned to camp, called the people together, announced to them the judgment of God that was coming, and urged them to repentance — setting before them the divine mercy, which never turns away the penitent. Instead he covered everything up and charged into battle as if in a frenzy. But let us learn the opposite: the more severe the punishment God threatens, the more we should draw near to Him. Even when no further hope of salvation seems to appear and final condemnation seems imminent, let us not lose heart — but hope for the salvation that God sets before all who repent. And let us urge others to the same, so that we may experience God's help at the right time, and at last give Him thanks for all His benefits, exalting His name with unceasing praise. Now then, come on, etc.

## HOMILIA CII.