Sermon 12: 1 Samuel 2:31-3:10

31. Behold, the days are coming, and I will cut off your arm, and the arm of your father's house, so that there will be no old man in your house. 32. And you will see your rival in the temple, in all the prosperity of Israel; and there will be no old man in your house for all time. 33. Nevertheless I will not entirely remove a man of yours from my altar; but so that your eyes may fail, and your soul may waste away, and a great part of your house shall die when they have reached manhood. 34. And this will be a sign to you of what is coming upon your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall both die. 35. And I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will act according to my heart and my soul; and I will build him a faithful house, and he will walk before my Christ all his days. 36. And it shall come to pass that whoever remains in your house shall come and bow down to him, begging for a coin and a morsel of bread, and shall say: Dismiss me, I beg, to one of the priestly portions, that I may eat a morsel of bread.

In yesterday's sermon we heard that threat of the Lord, by which the Lord threatened that both Eli and his descendants would be stripped of the priestly dignity. For since the purpose of priestly dignity was that due worship and honor be rendered to God, and Eli by his excessive indulgence toward his sons had caused God's worship to become cheap among the people and to fall into contempt, and everything was full of profanation and confusion, it was fitting that he be deprived and stripped of that dignity which, as far as was in his power, he had dishonored, and thereby showed himself unworthy of it. Now the prophet, sent by God to Eli, proceeds to teach specifically with what punishments Eli and his entire posterity were afflicted by God. He says, therefore, that his arm would be cut off — that is, his strength would be cut down, indicating by a metaphorical expression the authority that God himself had bestowed upon his fathers — and the arm of his father's house — that is, the priestly dignity would be taken away, and his entire family would come into contempt and be exposed to the mockery of all. Then he adds a sign to give credibility to the threats: that those two, those splendid priests and rulers of the people, Eli's sons, by whose plundering and fornications God's very tabernacle had been profaned, would die together on one and the same day. Thirdly, he adds that God would raise up for himself a faithful priest. Now understand ‘faithful’ as either one who faithfully discharges his duty, or one who exercises the priesthood perpetually; thus a ‘faithful house’ is said to be one that endures for a long age — in which sense the word ‘faithful’ is frequently used in Scripture.

Furthermore, God says he will raise up for himself another priest by name, to meet the objection which Eli might have seemed justified in bringing: that the priesthood was his, and could not, by God's promise, be transferred to another. But God's decree is otherwise — and who shall contradict him when he speaks? Moreover, the priest to be raised up is Zadok, as we shall see below, who was appointed in place of Abiathar. Finally, the prophet adds that Eli's descendants and successors would come to such poverty that they would beg for a morsel of bread and bow down begging for a coin. For although the priests had their assigned portion, and there were few priests, nevertheless they would be reduced to such straits that they would be compelled to beg for bread, and humbly petition to be admitted to one priestly portion, so that they might eat a morsel of bread and protect themselves from hunger.

These are the main points of this passage, to be examined by us individually in what follows. Now that statement of the Lord — that he would cut off and amputate Eli's arm — is worthy of consideration, by which we are taught that we have no strength unless it is sustained by God's power and might. For the word ‘arm’ in the Scriptures is usually taken for strength and power. To God alone, therefore, all our strength must be credited, from whom alone grace and mercy flow. What then do men have to boast about, as if they could withstand any judgment, when they cannot stand against even the slightest breeze of divine judgments? On the contrary, whatever strength and life they suppose themselves to have is all the more deadly to them, the further they have withdrawn from God — unless they have learned to be cast down before God and to submit themselves to his providence. Therefore we must take pains that whatever strength and power we have, we credit entirely to God, and so depend on his grace that we may never be torn away. For it is certain that all who glory in their own industry will at last be deprived of the same, indeed reduced to nothing. And conversely let us learn to rely on God's goodness, applying our strength to his glory, so that we may sacrifice praises to him and celebrate him alone as the author of all good things. If this is rightly done by us, let us not doubt that he will exert his strength in our defense. And let that suffice concerning the word ‘arm.’

Furthermore, this is added in the divine threat: that no one from Eli's family would reach mature old age, but a rival would be appointed in his place. By these words the Lord threatens that a mark of disgrace would be branded upon Eli's descendants; for old age is a singular gift of God. Although I freely acknowledge that this miserable life is so full of hardships that the condition of those whose departure is the same as their entrance seems fortunate. For what else is human life, I ask, but perpetual languishing and sickness? For if sometimes an occasion of joy and gladness presents itself to us in prosperous circumstances, yet it quickly, often in a moment, turns to sadness, so that if today has dawned happily for us, tomorrow we struggle with misfortune. For example: if the Lord has increased a family, especially with children, and then one after another is taken by death, how great do we think is the desolation of this family? For if only one were taken from the midst, the rest could console themselves somewhat, but if the whole family has come to utter destruction, how mournful and deplorable that is! Therefore if we sometimes enjoy prosperous and happy circumstances, many adversities are soon mingled in; in short, if we consider how many and how great the stumbling blocks to which human life is exposed, we would by no means say that life is a good to be desired, but rather that death should be chosen — especially if we struggle with frequent diseases, with poverty, with the horror of death, and other inconveniences and losses of this kind, by which we daily decline and are reduced to nothing. Nevertheless, God's goodness shines and gleams in all these hardships, like a star in darkness, so that not undeservedly human life, and old age itself, are counted among good things. Therefore the Lord threatens that no one in Eli's family will grow old, as if God himself consigns to death and himself slays all of Eli's descendants, so that they are henceforth deprived of the priestly dignity. Often indeed one or another is taken by death in families, but we rarely see an entire family extinguished. But here God exercises the severe vengeance of a judge, and in this threat a sign of divine wrath appears: as if he separates those destined for wrath and death from the rest and orders them apart. All, I confess, are from their mother's womb consigned to death, but nevertheless from the same family some reach mature age, others are overtaken by premature death, so that the condition of all is not the same. But when this decree of God is pronounced against one family, that no one in it should reach old age, it is an unmistakable sign. From this let us learn, although this life must be spent with many straits, hardships, and calamities, to value God's blessing as much as is proper, so that against whatever calamities we may steel our minds undaunted, so that with greater care, zeal, labor, and solicitude we may devote ourselves to his worship and honor, so that in all these difficulties his fatherly disposition toward us may shine forth — of which we have only some foretaste in these lands, until at last, received into eternal dwellings, we may enjoy him fully. But indeed this too must be observed: that God, taking away from this earth those who are not overtaken by premature death, so afflicts them with temporal punishments that their condition is not thereby made worse, as regards the salvation that is promised in Christ Jesus. For the faithful indeed, as far as concerns the state of this present life, are exercised more harshly than others and afflicted with graver punishments, while God meanwhile spares unbelievers and grants a longer life to the despisers of his majesty — but to their heavier judgment and confusion. On the contrary, for the faithful, even if they have scarcely reached a moderate age, it is not only not detrimental but is the greatest good if they are taken from the earth early.

Moreover, the things that follow next are not to be passed over lightly, by which the severity of the divine sentence is somewhat softened — namely, that he would not entirely remove a man of this family from his altar, nor entirely reject Eli's descendants from the priestly office. These words we can interpret in this sense: as if God were deferring the execution of the punishment for a long time — which in fact did happen, for only long afterward did the severity of the divine sentence achieve its effect. For Abiathar, who was descended from Eli's posterity, was deposed from the priestly office many years later. For David reigned for quite a long time, and Samuel held the reins of government for a long enough interval, before any king of Israel arose. Therefore it is evident that God did not immediately execute his sentence against Eli, but spared him for a time. Moreover, what the Lord promises — that he would not entirely remove a man from this family — can indeed be referred to the times of Solomon, so that Eli's successors would not be cut off until then; but what is added in the following — that his descendants would not reach old age — seems rather to be understood as meaning that the Lord promises that Eli's descendants would not be entirely rejected from the priestly office, but would never be elevated to the highest dignity of the high priesthood; rather they would be subjected to those over whom they had formerly ruled. Nevertheless, he repeats that when they reached manhood they would die and not attain mature old age. From this we should observe that when God sometimes delays the threats of correction and punishment, an occasion for hardening is not thereby given to us, as if the delay of punishment removed it. And this doctrine is necessary for us. For how many do you see who, because their punishments are deferred, think them removed, and promising themselves impunity, rush more boldly and insolently into every kind of crime? For, persuaded that they will never be called to account for their evil deeds, they give free rein to every kind of crime and hope for perpetual impunity. And indeed God sometimes seems to connive at the crimes of the wicked, until, when the measure is filled, a heavier judgment falls upon them. Therefore come, brothers, let us fear the threatening God and, seriously reflecting, let us examine ourselves and pass sentence against ourselves, so that by anticipating his judgment we may be reconciled. And although certain and indubitable signs of divine vengeance may not appear as soon as we have sinned, nevertheless serious repentance must never be put off to tomorrow; for the longer we wallow in the mire of our filth, the more defiled and contaminated we shall become. Finally let us learn to regard God's judgments, even if still far off, as if they were present, remembering that Noah built the ark over many years before the flood, in which he himself with his whole family and the animals would be preserved from the flood, and that he struggled with the former world which threatened him with the coming flood; and that while the world triumphed and did nothing but make merry, Noah groaned, and with great labor, care, and solicitude built the ark — just as our Lord Jesus Christ himself exhorts us, proposing Noah's example and urging repentance. Why then did Noah so distress himself, when on every side the face of prosperity lay before his eyes? Because, warned by God's word, he feared, and as in a mirror contemplated that terrible wrath and vengeance of God hanging over the whole world, of which he had been warned by an oracle. This example we ought to imitate. For when the wicked promise themselves all things tranquil and happy, destruction is nearest. Therefore we are rightly always deterred from evil by the fear of God's judgments, even when things go prosperously and according to our wishes, lest we heap upon our own heads an even greater treasury of his wrath and vengeance, the longer his patience has invited us to repentance. And let that suffice concerning that threat by which we heard that Eli's descendants would be deposed — whose prophetic fulfillment he himself by no means lived to see. From this prophecy, in summary, this doctrine is to be retained and applied to practice, which Scripture most frequently inculcates: that just as we await with patient mind the fulfillment of divine promises, so conversely, with attentive and watchful mind, we should fear his threats, and be affected by them as if they were present, even if we enjoy prosperous circumstances and deep peace and tranquility. Thus it will be that the faithful will never be so affected by any joy, and will never so rejoice in their favorable circumstances, that they are carried away and become insolent, as the unbelieving are accustomed to do; nor conversely will they be crushed by adverse circumstances, but will temper adversity with prosperity. The opposite is true of the unfaithful. For when God defers the fulfillment of his judgments for a time, as if slow to punish them, they become insolent in a remarkable way, receive divine doctrine with sneering, hold it in mockery, and like savage, untamed, and unbridled beasts they kick; they are so intoxicated with their wealth and authority that they think all things permitted to them, and wallow more and more in their filth. And when the wrath of the avenger has bared itself, and they despair of escaping his hand, then, wretchedly stunned and dismayed, they shudder, and in the utmost anguish of mind they despair of salvation, dread the torments of hell, and finally admit no consolation; though no one pursues them, they flee, driven by perpetual terrors. Not so the faithful. For, as we have said, even though God prospers their life and deals kindly and gently with them, they nevertheless fear and impose a bridle upon themselves, lest they kick against his majesty. Indeed, even when God afflicts them with blows, they give thanks, and recall to mind the condition of this life, so that since all things threaten death, they may rise with all the greater solicitude toward God. And in prosperous and favorable circumstances the faithful are not only not carried away, but fear all the more, so that with even greater care and solicitude they devote themselves entirely to the worship of God. Nor should it be thought that their condition is made worse by this fear; for although they are pressed by various afflictions and calamities, they are never overwhelmed; rather, in the midst of the tempest of calamities they are refreshed and revived, patiently awaiting God's timely help, to which in their greatest distresses they have fled as to their only refuge. See how the faithful maintain moderation in all things, while unbelievers on the contrary incline to one side or the other and conduct themselves immoderately, so that they never enjoy true tranquility.

Let us pass to those words in which God says he will raise up for himself a faithful priest, who will act according to his heart and soul, and that he will build him a faithful house, and that he will walk before his Christ all his days. First of all, we should observe here that Eli's vain assumption about the perpetuity of the priesthood is overturned. For men deceive themselves and indulge their own fancies, in that, having attained some dignity, they imagine it to be perpetual, as if they had God bound to them — which, even if they do not profess it in words, they nevertheless demonstrate in fact. Eli could therefore have objected against the Lord that the priestly dignity was owed to him by right, and that a change of it would be a violation of God's law — that the priesthood could not come in a direct line to any others than his own descendants without going against the Lord's law. With these or similar words, I say, Eli might have seemed able to answer back to the Lord, and to persuade himself that the order once prescribed by the Lord would remain unmoved and unchangeable. But in truth, God testifies that the power and authority to appoint priests according to his own will rests with him, even those descended from Aaron's family. For God never contradicted himself. Although I acknowledge that in the end all that legal priesthood was abolished by him: for it had been ordained only for a time. Yet as long as it lasted, Aaron's family retained a perpetual right to the priesthood; but God retained the power and authority to elevate whomever he pleased from that same family to the highest honors of the high priesthood. And indeed, which priest from Aaron's family was not created by God and formed for this dignity? Who, I ask, gave him life? Therefore let us learn from this that no dignity is so firm and perpetual, no honors so certain, nothing so safe from all dangers, but that God can in a moment depose the most secure and reduce them to the vilest and most abject condition. Therefore let us learn to flee under the protection of his wings, and to think modestly of ourselves, lest we be carried away beyond measure. For if we wish to commit ourselves to a loftier breeze, our wings are insufficient; but those who desire to fly higher, trusting in their wings, are awaited by a terrible and indeed fatal fall. But if on the contrary we await the continuation of God's graces with humble prayers, it will come to pass that we persist from day to day and year to year, promising ourselves nothing certain about ourselves, but depending entirely on the goodness and benevolence of God alone, which will never deceive those who rest upon it.

Furthermore, when the Lord says he will raise up a faithful priest, this seems to contain some difficulty, since we see this was done by Solomon. But we must hold that God so uses all created things and their operations that he employs human counsels to open the way for his decrees and to bring them to their end. This is also evident in that history where Abiathar is read to have been deposed, and Zadok appointed in his place — a fact which the Spirit of God specifically records. For although Solomon removed Abiathar from the priestly office driven by necessity — namely, by Abiathar's own treachery, which he describes at greater length in 1 Kings 2:26 in these words: 'You are indeed a man worthy of death, but I will not kill you today, because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father, and endured hardship in all things in which my father labored. Go to your field; you shall no longer be a priest' — and thereafter substituted Zadok in Abiathar's place; these things, at first glance, may seem most alien from this threat of the Lord. For Abiathar suffered the punishment for his own deeds, which did not pertain to his children; and therefore it might seem that this was not the fulfillment of the prophecy of which we are treating here. Nevertheless, the Lord specifically willed it to be added in that passage of the history that Abiathar was cast out by Solomon in order that the word of the Lord might be fulfilled, which he had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. By these words our eyes are opened to look more closely at the Lord's providence: when it is specifically said that Abiathar was worthy of a graver punishment, namely death, and yet the Lord nevertheless brought it about that the decree of that prophecy once announced to Eli should achieve its effect. Moreover, that divine providence is usually hidden from us. For often God scourges someone for some particular crime, and in that person punishes the father, or grandfather, or even earlier ancestors. These judgments, although we do not grasp them because of the weakness of our mind, are nevertheless to be adored; the counsels of God in them are to be revered, and such great and perfect and admirable wisdom is to be attributed to him that we refer all our counsels to it and subject all our senses to it. See therefore how God indeed repays each one according to his own crime, and yet in them avenges the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation. And indeed this is the sense and the notable doctrine of those words: when the Spirit foretells that God would raise up a faithful priest, whom Solomon afterward ordained as priest — and although he was not thinking about executing the divine sentence, he nevertheless fulfilled the divine decree by his ministry. See by what means the omnipotent God uses all created things for the fulfillment of his decrees and arranges them to fulfill his will. For although Abiathar suffered punishment for having offended the royal majesty (for he was guilty of death), yet by this means a way was made for God's judgments, God punishing Eli in the person of Abiathar and directing upon his family the disgrace and ignominy he had threatened to bring. By all of which that doctrine we touched upon above is confirmed: that when God does not reveal manifest signs of his judgments, by the sight of which we might be terrified, we should not therefore grow insolent, but think modestly of ourselves and walk before the Lord, since even after death he has his ways of correcting and chastising us, no less than those who are still alive. And let what has been said so far about the hidden ways and reasons of divine judgments suffice — a subject which demands more ample treatment, but for the present, since we are dealing with the hidden judgments of God, let it suffice to have understood that the crimes of Eli's sons did not go unavenged, even though the vengeance was delayed until the time of Solomon; and therefore, even though the iniquity might seem to be buried and obliterated by the length of time, it had remained impressed and engraved in the eternal counsel of God.

There follows in the prophet's words: that God would build him a house, in which words another metaphorical expression is contained. For he is said to 'build a house' who creates a firm and stable condition, subject to no changes. So in Psalm 127:1, when it is said that a house is built in vain which the Lord has not built, this is said not with respect to walls, or wood, or stones from which a building rises, but with respect to durability and stability — and it should be considered that men vainly promise themselves the increase of families, wealth, and dignities, intent on these things without God's help. And in the Scriptures this manner of speaking occurs frequently — that God builds a house — when he so blesses his servants that they are increased and enriched with both his bodily and spiritual gifts. By which we are taught that it is only by God's kindness and favor that men are either raised to the highest honors and dignities, or abound in riches and wealth, even though they may seem to have attained these mostly by their own industry and labor, or even by chance and fortune. Therefore we must know that these things come about by God's blessing alone, because God holds dominion over all created things and exerts his power upon them; and therefore whatever other foundations families may rest upon — indeed even monarchies and any states however powerful — they will collapse and be reduced to nothing whenever it pleases God, unless they are supported by his hand and favor. Therefore parents who build houses for their children ought to lay these foundations and teach their children the same, if they desire to provide their families with any stability and permanence.

Furthermore, the priest is said to be about to walk before Christ — that is, before the king who would be anointed at the Lord's command. But at that time, no one yet held the royal dignity in Israel; although some mention of a king is indeed made in Moses. But nevertheless no king had yet existed in Israel until Samuel's times; rather, the Israelite commonwealth had been administered without a king. And this too should be observed: that not even Saul's kingdom was legitimate, although he ruled the people by his laws and had them subject and obedient, having been anointed by Samuel. But God was not pleased with such an election of Saul, which had arisen from sedition, without waiting for God's command. For indeed God had destined a king for Israel beforehand, but the people had to wait until God himself gave them a king, not anticipating his decree with importunate demands. The first king of Israel, therefore, was David, a figure of Christ our Lord. Therefore when the priest is said to be about to walk before Christ, he is taught that the priesthood is to be exercised until such time as the coming of the great high priest Christ in the flesh would put an end to it, at which time the church would attain its perfection. And therefore there is no doubt that the prophet, here addressing Eli, indicated that the priesthood would be temporary, even though it had endured in his family, until he had led his church to glory and felicity — which, even if Christ himself had not been made visible when he came in the flesh, was nevertheless going to illuminate the church, since he presented himself to be seen in the figure of David and others. The prophet therefore tells Eli that the priesthood would be taken from him when God himself had raised up, as it were, the banner of salvation, and had shown that he wished to reign, and had revealed in reality that he had promised a redeemer. Moreover, it should be observed that the times following Solomon's death were unfortunate — namely, the division of the entire people, with those ten tribes defecting from the house of David; and therefore we must not stop at Solomon, nor at Rehoboam, nor indeed at any other kings descended from David, but under the type and figure we must seek and grasp the truth — as if the sense of these words were this: that with Eli's sons deposed and the priesthood taken from them, God would display his grace and fatherly benevolence, and would exhibit a living image of the Redeemer, so that God's decrees would at last reach their end, when our Lord Jesus Christ appeared on earth, and the substance itself of the things prefigured in the law came into being. And this was made sufficiently apparent beforehand in the words of Hannah's canticle — namely, that God never truly showed himself as a father to those ancient patriarchs except in the king, God's ambassador and representative, as it were. Behold the hope of the ancient people, looking to God's promises, in which he had promised himself to be a father through the expected intermediary king. For this reason Jeremiah in the Lamentations says: 'The Christ of God, by whose spirit we live' — as if to say, 'who is our life' — speaking of the king who had nevertheless been led away into captivity. The king anointed by God he calls the life and salvation of the people, just as in the Psalms God is said to give salvation to his Christ — which is to be understood, however, of the whole body of the church. See how God accustoms the fathers to the expectation of that one Redeemer, from whom alone they would draw life. And how much more does it befit us to place all our trust in him, now that Christ the Lord himself has appeared on earth, through whom as leader and intercessor access to the Father is opened for us, just as he testifies of himself when he says that he is the way, the life, and the truth. Therefore if we have deviated to one side or the other, it is certain that we will always wander astray. This is sufficiently evident in the papacy, where confusion is everywhere. For how many, I ask, are the mediators everywhere, how many the ways of meriting, as they say — but without peace of conscience and without any tranquility of mind, always doubting, always hesitating, and anxiously searching, those wretched creatures of darkness! Truly you would rightly say that all the occupations of all the papists, busily doing much yet bringing nothing upon themselves but ruin and destruction, are like brute animals butting one another yet not moving from their place. Therefore come, let us learn to cling firmly to Christ our Lord alone, by whom we may be led into the right way in which we walk before God. For to this end he descended to earth: that he might receive us under his patronage, provided we truly surrender and commit ourselves to him alone.

Let us proceed to the explanation of what follows, where it is said that the survivors among Eli's descendants will beg for their bread, which is the same as if God were threatening through the prophet the greatest disgrace and ignominy in the future, combined with the hatred of all, once they were finally deprived of the priestly dignity. For, as we said before, all the descendants of Aaron held their portion before other Levites in the sacrifices, and therefore could not be expelled from the priestly office. But this, as we said, was also an extraordinary punishment, sent by the divine hand upon the sons and descendants of Eli, so that they would come to such a point of poverty and ignominy that they would be compelled to beg even for a small portion and a morsel of bread. Thus the Lord here threatens them with deposition from the priestly dignity, to which they nevertheless seemed born, because they had profaned God's name and exposed it to the mockery of the entire people; and therefore they would be exposed to the sneering, hatred, and curses of all, and would be rejected as putrid members. These things certainly agree beautifully with that sentence we explained earlier: that those who worship God and show him due reverence will in turn receive honor and dignity, but those who on the contrary dishonor God will receive disgrace and infamy. For it is fitting that those who did not worship God with their whole heart and strength should be overwhelmed with every kind of disgrace and infamy. But how few, I ask, seriously think about these things? For if perchance the matter concerns defending God's honor and glory against the blasphemous words of the profane, we are easy-going, indeed lax and blind; but if on the contrary it concerns our own injuries, we are rigid, implacable, and lynx-eyed. And especially those who mostly sit at the helm of government will consider these things a joke and a game. But let us reverently preserve the memory of that divine sentence and fear the severity of his judgments. What then do we think will happen to those who have long since perverted all integrity in the church of God — indeed, abolished it — having obtained no calling from God, and boasting in the false and spurious name of the church? If the descendants of Aaron, to whom priestly dignity was owed by divine law, are said to be going to beg for bread in punishment for their crimes, what will happen to those miserable ones who have received no title of right from God, but have crept in themselves and arrogated authority to themselves in God's church as self-appointed rulers — the Roman pope, I mean, and all that papist hierarchy, under the specious pretext of divine law, and the protection of the church, of which they falsely claim to be the head, while they utterly bury and trample underfoot God's benefits and gifts? What, I say, will happen to them when God restores his church and defends it against their tyranny? What punishments, and how terrible, do we think await them? And if God tolerates some for a time, the threats of his judgments are nonetheless most certain, and will at last achieve their effect. For this reason Zechariah foretells that when God purges his church of falsehood, then those who had formerly prophesied lies will at last be deposed, and will deny their prophetic calling, and will be overwhelmed with confusion and ignominy. But if we desire to be nourished by God so that we may give him thanks for his fatherly benevolence toward us, let us consecrate and devote ourselves entirely to him, and rest in him alone. And let us not doubt that if perhaps we are harassed by the insults and robberies of enemies, we shall at last find him to be our avenger, provided we depend on him alone; and conversely, a severe judge, if we have departed from his worship. How prone men are to flattery, when each person praises his own vices and those of his household! Therefore we must learn, warned by the example of those priests who, though they formerly had an assigned portion, were nevertheless compelled by God's judgment to beg for bread — because they had not devoted themselves to God's glory as was fitting — to make our life depend on God, whose honor and glory we ought to pursue; and if any necessity presses us regarding things pertaining either to the body or to the soul, to flee to that one alone whose business it is to supply us with nourishment. For this reason also he not undeservedly calls himself the father of our souls. Therefore if we have ample means and wealth, let us know that, committed to his protection, we shall quietly and peacefully enjoy them; and on the contrary, if our means are small, he will nevertheless make them abundantly sufficient for us, so that whatever our condition may be, as long as we render him the honor and worship that are due, nothing necessary for sustaining life will ever be lacking; and on the contrary, let us be persuaded that for those who withdraw from his patronage and do not honor him with due reverence and worship, all things will be unfortunate and unhappy, and their very means will be reduced to nothing.

But come, brothers, etc.

1. Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. 2. And it came to pass one day: Eli was lying in his place, and he could not see. 3. Before the lamp of God was extinguished, Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4. And the Lord called Samuel, who answered and said: Here I am. 5. And he ran to Eli and said: Here I am, for you called me. And he said: I did not call; go back and sleep. And he went and slept. 6. And the Lord again called Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said: Here I am, for you called me. And he answered: I did not call you, my son; go back and sleep. 7. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord been revealed to him. 8. And the Lord called Samuel again a third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said: Here I am, for you called me. Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy. 9. And he said to Samuel: Go and sleep; and if he calls you again, you shall say: Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. So Samuel went and slept in his place. 10. And the Lord came and stood, and called as he had called the second time: Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel said: Speak, for your servant is listening.

In this history we are told of the confirmation of God's future judgments against Eli himself, his sons, and his descendants. And indeed God could have executed his judgments without foretelling them to anyone; but at that time he wished the certainty of his judgments to be made known, against those profane desecrators of his name and sanctuary, and corrupters and destroyers of his worship. But the events of that age are also of our time, because God sets them before us so that we may receive instruction from them. For it is well known how ingenious men are in obscuring God's judgments, and in burying them in ingratitude, and in turning their thoughts away from them, so that they are never compelled to meditate on them except by some force or unexpectedly, and so that they may be engraved on their minds so as never to be erased. God therefore wished to make his judgments known in advance, lest it be thought that they had happened by chance or accident, but rather that they were recognized as having proceeded from God, who no longer tolerated contempt of himself and corruptions of his worship. Moreover, the faithful of that time needed to be fortified in advance against stumbling blocks, lest they fall into despair, as if there were no longer any place for God's promises, unless God himself applied his healing hand. Therefore they were greatly encouraged and strengthened when they learned of God's decree to purge the church, which Eli's sons had greatly undermined with their corruptions. All these things will become clearer as we examine each point of this passage in detail.

And first of all, it is worthy of consideration that the boy Samuel is said to have ministered to the Lord before Eli — that is, to have devoted himself to the ministry of the church, with Eli himself as his teacher and guide. For Samuel was still a very young man, committed to the care and training of the high priest, so that he might give and dedicate himself to God's worship. Here, then, the zeal of the young Samuel is described, devoting himself with all care and solicitude to the worship of God, to which he well remembered he had been bound by his parents' vow. The virtue of this young man is certainly not to be despised: recognizing his calling, faithfully exercising himself in it, and performing his duty eagerly. Add also the modesty and obedience rendered to Eli the high priest, as to a father and teacher. Therefore, imitating his example, let us learn to render faithful service to God in whatever condition we are called to by him, and to devote ourselves to it with all zeal and labor; and let us show ourselves compliant and obedient with all modesty to those to whom we have been committed and who hold authority. On this account Paul commends Timothy, because he obeyed his gospel — certainly not arrogating to himself what belongs to God alone and our Lord Jesus Christ, nor attributing to himself the power of commanding this or that, but because Timothy as a young man needed Paul's counsel. Thus Samuel is here commended for his modesty, because he faithfully discharged his duty and eagerly followed Eli's lead, being by no means refractory or obstinate, nor swollen with arrogance, but depending on his teacher's words and will. See then how we shall beautifully discharge our duty before the Lord: if we so depend on the authority of those to whom we are committed that, thinking modestly of ourselves, we surrender ourselves entirely to them; and conversely, according to the rank of their calling, those who are set over others should earnestly and unanimously seek God's glory, honor, and worship, so that since they hold authority, they do not exercise any tyranny over their inferiors, but lead by good example, while the rest willingly obey and conform themselves to their teaching, counting it among God's greatest benefits that they receive from him those by whom they may be taught.

Next it follows that the word of God was precious at that time — not indeed because the people valued it as highly as they should, but because visions and revelations appeared rarely then, and few prophets emerged, and indeed religion was greatly corrupted. For it is well known that things which are common are generally not highly esteemed. For why is it, for example, that God's works which daily assault our eyes, and his daily repeated admonitions, become cheap to us, unless because we are hardened by familiarity with them and grow more stupefied day by day? Who would not be swept into the greatest admiration if he saw the earth illuminated by the sun's radiance only once a year? But we make little of the sun's ordinary, daily rising and setting. Because, then, things that are rare and that excite men's admiration are regarded as miracles, it is said that at that time the word of God was precious, and the reason is added: that there was no manifest vision. Furthermore, it should be observed that when God, as it were, withdrew himself from this people and concealed himself from them for a time, this was done by his just judgment, avenging the people's ingratitude. For irrevocable and firm were the promises made to this people, if they had shown due reverence to God's word and his worship — promises which are contained in Moses in Deuteronomy in these words: 'I will raise up prophets for you and interpreters of my law, lest you perish.' But he had forewarned the people and seriously commanded them not to allow themselves to be led astray and contaminated by the pollutions and superstitions of the heathen, some of whom were given to gluttony and drunkenness, others to blasphemous and abusive words, others to fornications; and in short, they all lived according to the lust and desire of their hearts. Therefore, lest this people should complain that their condition was worse than that of the heathen, the Lord promises that he will be ready to hear their prayers, if they willingly submit themselves to him and order their lives according to the prescription of his law — for which, he pledges, they will never lack interpreters, and the gift of prophecy will never be missed among them; and therefore God will always address them through his prophets. This indeed is a privilege far more excellent than any tricks and illusions of the devil. Therefore, if this people had willingly submitted itself to God's word and received it with the reverence it deserved, we see that prophets would never have been lacking, by whom, called by God and adopted as children, they would be kept in obedience to him. Hence prophets have frequently been called God's banners and signs in the Scriptures. Thus we see that the Israelite people, when they had returned from the Babylonian captivity, complained before the Lord in these words: 'Lord, we do not see our signs; there is no longer a prophet, and there is none among us who knows — how long?' The sense of these words is this: 'Alas, Lord, you used to show yourself familiar to your people, sending to them your servants the prophets, and raising up interpreters of your law, as messengers and interpreters of your will. But no prophets arise among us any more. What then remains for us, except to wander headlong like sheep deprived of a shepherd into pathless and deserted places? What, I say, will become of us wretches?' Thus, as I said, the sense of those words — that God's word was precious at that time — is this: that in Samuel's times the Israelite people was unworthy of that divine favor — namely, the continuation and succession of prophets — because the land was full of corruptions and superstitions and contempt of God, because there was the greatest ignorance of the law, and each person lived according to his own lust and will. From which it later came about, during Samuel's rule, that all the idols previously erected throughout the land were cast down, and the land was purged of them. Therefore when the people withdrew from the Lord and, as it were, sent him away, it was necessary that they in turn be in some measure abandoned and rejected by God, and that his word, which should have shone before them like a torch, be extinguished. Nor did this happen only once in this people at this time, but often at other times; such are the threats found in the prophet: 'Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, and I will send a famine upon the land — not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the word of the Lord,' which is the true food of souls. In the same way that the Lord punishes men's sins — inflicting upon the earth a famine of bread and wine and other things by which bodies are sustained — so he chastises mortals with that severe famine, a truly astounding vengeance, when their souls languish and utterly fail for lack of necessary nourishment. Moreover, it is sufficiently known to everyone that we cannot be sustained and nourished in hope of eternal life by anything other than God's heavenly word. Therefore what heavier curse can befall men than to be stripped of God's word, the unique treasure of our souls, by his just judgment? For it is inevitable that those from whom the norm and rule of life has been taken away are tossed about in terrible confusion and disorder. Therefore if we desire to be assured that God cares for us, let us value his word more highly than those mentioned here did, and store it away in our hearts as an inestimable treasure, and engrave it more deeply. For otherwise it will be necessary to wander here and there and be driven astray, always unstable, and never having certainty about our salvation. Paul says that very many have fallen away from the faith because they did not retain a good conscience. By which words he shows that if we give free rein to our desires and turn aside from the doctrine of salvation, we will at last be utterly blinded by the Lord and given over to a reprobate mind, and finally plunged into the abyss of this world's corruptions. And I ask you to consider with me here how for many centuries now the word of God has not only not been valued, but has been utterly obliterated from memory. For fifty years ago, how great were the shadows everywhere, and indeed so far advanced that what the law was, what the gospel was, was unknown, and the common people, groping in the densest darkness, were utterly stupefied and rushed headlong into every kind of crime — so that the lasciviousness and unbridled lust of the pagans was never so great as that of those who falsely claim the name of Christ. Nor were those shadows momentary, but lasted for many centuries, God thus avenging the contempt of his word, by which the world made itself unworthy, since the majesty and grace of God shining in the gospel was not recognized. Therefore, taught by such sad examples, let us be wise for the future; and since God reveals himself so openly to us, and by his mercy makes this grace more remarkable day by day, as if he himself were present, conversing familiarly with us, let us take care to value his word as highly as is fitting, so that it may never be snatched from us. Indeed, let us earnestly apply ourselves to this care: that we transmit it, received from God, to posterity, so that taken up in continuous succession it may shine and flourish among them, after we, having been called by God, have departed this life.

Moreover, this too is worthy of observation: that although the word of God was in a manner smothered, it did not entirely perish, but always had some seed, and even though men resisted and contended with ingratitude against God, it was always fulfilled, and by its power overcame the lies of men. The greatest part of humanity had departed from subjection to God and obedience to his law, but God retained a few elect, disposed to obedience and his will. For we saw above that a prophet was sent to Eli to announce to him the decree of divine judgments against his family. Therefore, even though the word of God lay despised, God himself always gave some efficacy to his promises, so that no human malice could suppress them. And although for many centuries the word of God was, as it were, buried and covered with earth, so that God might have seemed to have rightly abandoned the world because of its perversity and corruption, yet by an admirable and incomprehensible means the Lord reserved for himself some remnant of a people, until the purity of religion was restored and recalled to its former dignity. And these things are indeed most worthy of observation, so that those who infer that God has forgotten his promises, which he had delivered through Moses, may be answered. For that is not the case. For it is true indeed that the fruit did not appear, because men were unworthy of it; but God himself always remained faithful. See how in the midst of the storms with which the church struggles, God testifies that he has a special care for it, and proves by his deeds that he wishes to keep it safe and sound. Yet the church is not therefore the largest or most conspicuous part of humanity; rather, it is the most despised and abject, and indeed so humble and lowly that it scarcely emerges — not unlike a few grains of wheat covered by much chaff.

Next, Samuel is narrated to have been lying in his bed in the sanctuary, and to have been called by the Lord God, and having been awakened, to have run to Eli three times; from which Eli is said to have understood that the Lord God wished to reveal himself to Samuel, even though, as we taught above, prophecies and visions were then very rare. And Samuel was taught by Eli what he should do when God called — namely, to testify and proclaim that he was prepared to hear and receive the Lord's commands and to carry them out. Finally, God is said to have again ratified the sentence already pronounced against Eli. As for the first part, from it we can see that God comes to us first, even though he has not been sought. I acknowledge that Samuel had given a good example of himself, and had been raised and dedicated by his parents to God for this purpose: to devote himself to God's worship; and therefore he slept not in someone else's house but in the sanctuary, and was not only prepared to fulfill the duties of his office but also most attentive to the obedience of the high priest, to whose care he had been committed. These are indeed a good preparation for receiving God's teaching; but Samuel would never have conceived in his mind that he would become a prophet, unless God himself had appeared first and revealed himself by a special revelation. Therefore he is prepared by the goodness of God alone for that office, to which he had already been destined beforehand. For this reason we see Jeremiah, when he tried to excuse himself before the Lord because he did not have a ready tongue, but was a boy and did not know how to speak, being addressed thus: 'Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you, and before you came forth from the womb, I prepared you, and I gave you as a prophet to the nations.' And Paul, defending the dignity of his apostolate against the envious and asserting that this title of apostle of Jesus Christ could not be snatched from him by men, says that it pleased him who separated him from his mother's womb. We see that Jeremiah was by nature unfit and unsuitable for the office of prophecy, and that he despaired of being able to exercise it faithfully, yet he was called and confirmed by the Lord for it. Who, I ask, would rightly say this came from men? But God had willed that he be not only formed in the womb, but also born a prophet. Therefore God by his gratuitous goodness goes before the one whom he wished to serve him in this office. And the same thing is to be understood of all the prophets that is said here about Jeremiah. For Isaiah also speaks similarly about himself, by no means claiming for himself the dignity of prophecy on his own, but acknowledging that he received it from him from whom we have both soul and body, by whom he was formed and called for this purpose. Add that when God calls one person or another according to his will, he also adorns that same person with the gifts necessary for the function of that office. What was Paul, I ask, before his calling, and how poorly disposed for the apostolate — indeed, how remote and alien from it? For not only was he not counted among the Christians, but he was also an enemy of the church and a persecutor of the truth; and indeed he seemed to have declared war on God himself and to fight against his grace. Nevertheless he is called by the Lord to the apostolate, and the governance of the flock of our Lord Jesus Christ is committed to him. But from where came so great a change? From God, of course: he had been known before he came forth from his mother’s womb. Let us consider this same thing in the person of Samuel, who, although he was raised among the sacrilegious, fornicators, atheists, and profane men, had nevertheless been gradually separated by God from their profane pollutions, and contrary to everyone’s expectation had been fortified against all their enticements, so that he would not allow himself to be polluted by them. And who would not marvel at what happened, when no prophet appeared at that time, and the people were utterly corrupt, and religion itself seemed to have been ruined? Therefore this must be carefully noted: that when we have been called by God to some eminent dignity, we should know ourselves to be all the more bound to him, the less any virtue or industry of ours commended us. For even if someone is endowed with outstanding talent and knowledge, these count for nothing toward our commendation before God — although we ought nonetheless to be urged by them as preparatory incentives toward God’s worship and reverence all the more. We must acknowledge that whatever good things we attain flow from his sheer liberality toward us, and that no ground for boasting remains to us, as if we had accomplished something or attained it by our own labor and industry; rather, every mouth must be stopped so that God alone may have his glory intact and unobscured, and we may credit all our gifts to him alone. And let this suffice for those who are called to some ecclesiastical vocation. But it is fitting for each of us also to note that these things apply to us, and to acknowledge that we were sought by God when we were far from him, and that he came to meet us and was found by us when we were not seeking him. For, I ask, by what aids, by what impulse of mind did we come to the knowledge of the gospel? Who here dares to proclaim his own zeal in seeking God and his truth? For what else, I ask, were we but rebellion and stubbornness when God himself sought us? For some lay entirely in the mire of vices, unless God himself called them back to the right way; some, wrapped in the densest shadows, resisted the truth of doctrine. Therefore it is sufficiently evident that we did not emerge from darkness and corruptions by our own strength, not by our industry, not by our care or labor, but that this is the work of God who seeks us and works in us, even though we ourselves turned our backs and, like beasts, struggled against him when he extended his hand. And therefore that doctrine is true and immovable: that we are anticipated by God, whatever our righteousness and holiness may be, and that by him our eyes and ears, naturally blind and deaf, are opened. For we would never perceive the doctrine of the gospel, even if we heard it a hundred thousand times, unless God himself worked in us through his Holy Spirit, opened our ears, and engraved it upon our hearts. Thus Christ the Lord himself speaks in John, chapter 6, verse 45: ‘Everyone who has heard from the Father and has learned, comes to me.’ By which words he teaches that the word of God preached by a mortal man so strikes our ears that we are taught inwardly by the Spirit of God working within, and are anticipated by his gratuitous goodness, and are drawn to him — whereas otherwise it is certain that we would remain in our native blindness and hardness of heart.

31. Behold, the days are coming, and I will cut off your arm, and the arm of your father's house, so that there will be no old man in your house. 32. And you will see your rival in the temple, in all the prosperity of Israel; and there will be no old man in your house for all time. 33. Nevertheless I will not entirely remove a man of yours from My altar; but so that your eyes may fail, and your soul may waste away, and a great part of your house shall die when they have reached manhood. 34. And this will be a sign to you of what is coming upon your two sons Hophni and Phinehas: in one day they shall both die. 35. And I will raise up for Myself a faithful priest, who will act according to My heart and My soul; and I will build him a faithful house, and he will walk before My anointed all his days. 36. And it shall come to pass that whoever remains in your house shall come and bow down to him, begging for a coin and a morsel of bread, and shall say: Please, assign me to one of the priestly portions, that I may eat a morsel of bread.

In yesterday's sermon we heard that warning from the Lord, by which He threatened that both Eli and his descendants would be stripped of the priestly dignity. Since the purpose of priestly dignity was that God receive due worship and honor, and since Eli through his excessive indulgence toward his sons had caused God's worship to become cheap among the people and fall into contempt — and everything had become full of profanation and confusion — it was fitting that he be deprived of that dignity which he had, as far as it was in his power, dishonored, thereby proving himself unworthy of it. Now the prophet, sent by God to Eli, proceeds to spell out specifically with what punishments God would strike Eli and his entire posterity. He says that Eli's arm would be cut off — that is, his strength would be cut down — using a metaphor for the authority God Himself had given to his fathers. The arm of his father's house would also be taken — meaning the priestly dignity would be removed, and his entire family would come into contempt and be exposed to universal mockery. He then adds a sign to confirm the threat: those two distinguished priests and rulers of the people — Eli's sons, through whose plundering and sexual immorality God's very tabernacle had been profaned — would both die on one and the same day. Third, he adds that God would raise up for Himself a faithful priest. Understand 'faithful' here either as one who faithfully discharges his duty, or as one who exercises the priesthood permanently — so a 'faithful house' is one that endures for a long time, which is the frequent use of the word in Scripture.

Furthermore, God says He will raise up another priest for Himself, addressing the objection Eli might have seemed justified in raising: that the priesthood was his, and could not, by God's promise, be transferred to another. But God's decree says otherwise — and who will contradict Him when He speaks? Moreover, the priest to be raised up is Zadok, as we shall see below, who was appointed in place of Abiathar. Finally, the prophet adds that Eli's descendants and successors would come to such poverty that they would beg for a morsel of bread and bow down asking for a coin. Although the priests had their assigned portions and there were few priests, they would nevertheless be reduced to such desperate straits that they would be forced to beg for bread and humbly petition to be admitted to even one priestly portion, simply to eat a morsel of bread and protect themselves from hunger.

These are the main points of this passage, to be examined one by one in what follows. The Lord's statement — that He would cut off and amputate Eli's arm — is worth careful consideration, for by it we are taught that we have no strength unless it is sustained by God's own power and might. The word 'arm' in Scripture typically refers to strength and power. All our strength must therefore be credited to God alone, from whom alone grace and mercy flow. What do people have to boast about, as if they could withstand divine judgment, when they cannot stand against even the lightest breath of God's judgments? On the contrary, whatever strength and life people think they have becomes all the more deadly to them the further they have withdrawn from God — unless they have learned to humble themselves before Him and submit to His providence. We must therefore take care that whatever strength and ability we have, we credit entirely to God and depend on His grace in such a way that we are never torn away from Him. It is certain that all who boast in their own ability will at last be stripped of it and reduced to nothing. Conversely, let us learn to rely on God's goodness, directing our strength toward His glory, offering Him praise and celebrating Him alone as the author of all good things. If we do this faithfully, let us not doubt that He will exert His strength in our defense. And let that suffice concerning the word 'arm.'

To the divine threat there is also added this: that no one from Eli's family would reach mature old age, but a rival would be appointed in his place. By these words the Lord threatens that a mark of disgrace would be stamped upon Eli's descendants — for old age is a singular gift of God. I freely acknowledge that this miserable life is so full of hardships that those whose departure is as difficult as their entrance might seem almost fortunate by comparison. For what is human life, I ask, but perpetual weakness and suffering? If sometimes an occasion of joy and gladness comes in prosperous circumstances, it quickly — often in a moment — turns to sadness, so that if today has dawned happily, tomorrow brings struggle and misfortune. Consider: if the Lord has blessed a family with children, and then one after another is taken by death, how great is the desolation of that household? If only one were taken, the rest could console themselves somewhat — but if the whole family has come to complete ruin, how mournful and wretched that is! So if we sometimes enjoy prosperous and happy circumstances, many adversities are soon mixed in; and if we consider how many and how great the hardships to which human life is exposed, we would not call life something to be eagerly sought, but might rather choose death — especially when we struggle with frequent illness, poverty, the fear of death, and other inconveniences and losses by which we daily wear away and are diminished. Nevertheless, God's goodness shines through in all these hardships like a star in the darkness — so that human life, and old age itself, are rightly counted among His good gifts. The Lord therefore threatens that no one in Eli's family will grow old — as if God Himself consigns them all to death and cuts them off, so that they are from that point deprived of the priestly dignity. It is common enough for one or another person to be taken by death in a family, but we rarely see an entire family wiped out. But here God exercises the severe judgment of a judge, and in this threat we see a sign of divine wrath — as though God separates those appointed for wrath and death from the rest and sets them apart. All are, of course, from their mother's womb destined for death — but even within the same family, some reach mature age while others are cut down prematurely, so the condition of all is not the same. But when God pronounces this decree against one particular family — that no one in it will reach old age — it is an unmistakable sign of His judgment. From this let us learn, even though this life must be lived through many difficulties, hardships, and calamities, to value God's blessing as it deserves — so that against whatever calamities may come, we may steel our minds with courage, and with greater care, zeal, and devotion give ourselves to His worship and honor, so that in all these difficulties His fatherly love for us may shine forth — of which we have only a foretaste in this life, until at last, welcomed into our eternal home, we enjoy Him fully. We must also observe this: God, in removing from this earth those who are not taken by premature death, may afflict them with temporal punishments — yet their condition is not thereby made worse as regards the salvation promised in Christ Jesus. For the faithful, as far as concerns this present life, are often tested more harshly than others and struck with heavier trials, while God meanwhile grants longer lives to unbelievers and despisers of His majesty — but only for their heavier judgment and confusion. On the contrary, for the faithful, even if they have barely reached middle age, it is not only not harmful but is the greatest good if they are taken from the earth early.

Moreover, the words that follow must not be passed over lightly — those by which the severity of the divine sentence is somewhat softened — namely, that God would not entirely remove a man of this family from His altar, nor entirely cut off Eli's descendants from the priestly office. We can understand these words in this sense: as if God were delaying the execution of the punishment for a long time — which is in fact what happened, for only much later did the full force of the divine sentence take effect. Abiathar, who was descended from Eli's line, was not deposed from the priestly office until many years afterward. David reigned for quite a long time, and Samuel held the reins of government for a substantial period, before any king of Israel arose. It is therefore clear that God did not immediately execute His sentence against Eli, but spared him for a time. Moreover, God's promise not to entirely cut off a man from this family can indeed be applied to the times of Solomon, so that Eli's successors would not be finally removed until then — but what is added about his descendants never reaching old age seems rather to mean that God's promise was that Eli's line would not be entirely rejected from the priestly office, but would never be elevated to the highest dignity of the high priesthood; instead they would be subordinate to those over whom they had formerly ruled. Yet He reiterates that when they reached manhood they would die and never attain old age. From this we should observe that when God sometimes delays His warnings and punishments, this delay gives us no occasion to harden ourselves, as if the delay meant the punishment was removed. This teaching is necessary for us. How many people do you see who, because their punishment is postponed, assume it has been cancelled — and promising themselves impunity, rush all the more boldly and insolently into every kind of crime? Persuaded that they will never be called to account for their evil deeds, they give free rein to wickedness and count on permanent impunity. God sometimes seems to overlook the crimes of the wicked — until, when the measure is full, a heavier judgment falls upon them. Come then, brothers — let us fear the God who warns us and, seriously examining ourselves, pass sentence against ourselves, so that by getting ahead of His judgment we may be reconciled to Him. And although clear and unmistakable signs of divine vengeance may not appear immediately after we sin, serious repentance must never be put off to tomorrow — for the longer we wallow in our filth, the more defiled and contaminated we become. Finally, let us learn to regard God's judgments, even when still far off, as though they were already present — remembering how Noah built the ark over many years before the flood, by which he and his whole family and the animals would be preserved; and how he endured the former world that mocked the threat of the coming flood; and how while the world celebrated and did nothing but make merry, Noah groaned and with great labor, care, and effort built the ark — just as our Lord Jesus Christ Himself urges us by appealing to Noah's example and calling us to repentance. Why did Noah put himself through such distress, when on every side prosperity lay before his eyes? Because, warned by God's Word, he was afraid — and as in a mirror he contemplated that terrible wrath and vengeance of God hanging over the whole world, of which he had been warned by an oracle. This example we ought to follow. When the wicked promise themselves everything tranquil and happy, destruction is nearest. Therefore the fear of God's judgments rightly deters us from evil even when things are going well and according to our wishes — lest we keep heaping up a greater store of God's wrath and vengeance upon our own heads, the longer His patience has been inviting us to repentance. Let that suffice concerning the threat by which we heard that Eli's descendants would be deposed — the prophetic fulfillment of which Eli himself did not live to see. From this prophecy, in summary, this is the teaching that must be retained and applied to practice — which Scripture emphasizes most frequently: that just as we await with a patient mind the fulfillment of God's promises, so we must with an alert and watchful mind fear His warnings, and be moved by them as if they were already present, even when we are enjoying prosperous circumstances and deep peace. In this way, the faithful will never be so elated by any joy or so carried away by favorable circumstances that they become proud and insolent, as unbelievers are accustomed to do — nor, on the other hand, will they be crushed by adversity, but will balance adversity with the perspective of God's promises. The opposite is true of the unfaithful. When God defers the fulfillment of His judgments for a time — as if slow to punish — they become remarkably insolent, receiving God's Word with sneering, holding it in mockery, and kicking like savage, untamed animals; so intoxicated with their wealth and authority that they think everything is permitted to them, and they sink deeper and deeper into their filth. But when the wrath of the avenger is finally revealed and they despair of escaping His hand, they are struck with wretchedness and dismay, shuddering in the utmost anguish of mind, despairing of salvation, dreading the torments of hell, and admitting no consolation — though no one pursues them, they flee, driven by constant terror. Not so the faithful. Even when God prospers their lives and deals kindly and gently with them, they still remain watchful and impose a restraint on themselves, lest they kick against His majesty. Indeed, even when God strikes them with blows, they give thanks — and they recall to mind the nature of this life, so that since everything around them points toward death, they rise with all the greater earnestness toward God. In prosperous and favorable circumstances, the faithful are not only not swept away, but fear all the more, and with even greater care and devotion give themselves entirely to God's worship. Nor should this be seen as making their condition worse — for although they are pressed by various afflictions and calamities, they are never overwhelmed; rather, in the very middle of the storm of calamities they are refreshed and sustained, patiently waiting for God's timely help, to which in their greatest distresses they have fled as to their only refuge. See how the faithful maintain a steady balance in all things — while unbelievers, on the contrary, tip to one extreme or the other and conduct themselves without moderation, so that they never experience true peace.

Let us turn to those words in which God says He will raise up for Himself a faithful priest — one who will act according to His heart and soul — and that He will build him a faithful house, and that he will walk before His anointed all his days. First, we should observe that Eli's false assumption about the permanent nature of the priesthood is here overturned. People deceive themselves and indulge their own imaginations when, having attained some position of dignity, they assume it will last forever — as if they had God bound to them. Even if they do not say this in words, they demonstrate it in practice. Eli could therefore have objected to the Lord that the priestly dignity belonged to him by right, and that changing it would violate God's own law — that the priesthood could not legitimately pass to anyone other than his own descendants. With such words, Eli might have seemed justified in arguing back to the Lord, persuading himself that the order once established by the Lord would remain fixed and unchangeable. But in truth, God makes clear that the authority to appoint priests according to His own will rests with Him alone — including those descended from Aaron's family. For God never contradicted Himself. I acknowledge that in the end all that legal priesthood was abolished by Him — for it had been ordained only for a time. Yet as long as it lasted, Aaron's family retained the standing right to the priesthood; but God always retained the authority to elevate whomever He chose from that same family to the highest dignity of the high priesthood. And which priest from Aaron's family was not created by God and fitted for that dignity? Who, I ask, gave him life? Let us therefore learn from this that no dignity is so secure and permanent, no honor so certain, nothing so safe from all dangers, that God cannot in a moment depose the most secure and reduce them to the lowest and most humbled condition. Let us therefore learn to seek shelter under His wings and think humbly of ourselves, so that we are not carried beyond all measure. For if we try to ride a loftier breeze, our wings are not enough; those who trust in their own wings and try to fly higher are heading for a terrible and fatal fall. But if on the contrary we await the continuation of God's grace with humble prayers, we will persist from day to day and year to year — promising ourselves nothing certain about our own abilities, but depending entirely on the goodness and kindness of God alone, which will never fail those who rest upon it.

Furthermore, when the Lord says He will raise up a faithful priest, this seems to present some difficulty — since we see this was accomplished through Solomon. But we must understand that God so uses all created things and their actions that He employs human means and decisions to open the way for His decrees and bring them to their end. This is also evident in the history where Abiathar is recorded as having been deposed and Zadok appointed in his place — a fact that the Spirit of God specifically notes. Although Solomon removed Abiathar from the priestly office driven by necessity — namely, Abiathar's own treachery — as he describes more fully in 1 Kings 2:26 with these words: 'You are indeed worthy of death, but I will not kill you today, because you carried the ark of the Lord God before David my father and suffered hardship in all the things in which my father labored. Go to your field; you shall no longer be a priest' — and then substituted Zadok in Abiathar's place — these things may at first glance seem far removed from the Lord's original threat. For Abiathar suffered punishment for his own deeds, which had nothing to do with his children — and therefore it might seem this was not the fulfillment of the prophecy we are discussing here. Nevertheless, the Lord specifically caused it to be added in that historical account that Abiathar was cast out by Solomon in order that the Word of the Lord might be fulfilled, which He had spoken concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh. By these words our eyes are opened to look more closely at the Lord's providence: though it is specifically said that Abiathar was worthy of a graver punishment — death itself — God nevertheless brought it about that the decree of the prophecy once announced to Eli should achieve its effect. God's providence is usually hidden from us. For often God punishes someone for a particular crime, and in that person also punishes the father, the grandfather, or even earlier ancestors. These judgments, though we do not fully understand them because of the weakness of our minds, are nonetheless to be adored — God's counsels in them are to be reverenced, and such great, perfect, and admirable wisdom must be attributed to Him that we refer all our thinking to it and subject all our senses to it. See, therefore, how God repays each person according to their own crime, while also avenging through them the sins of the fathers to the third and fourth generation. This is the sense and the important teaching of those words: the Spirit foretold that God would raise up a faithful priest, whom Solomon afterward appointed as priest — and though Solomon was not consciously executing the divine sentence, he nonetheless fulfilled God's decree through his action. See by what means the almighty God uses all created things for the fulfillment of His decrees and arranges them to do His will. For although Abiathar suffered punishment for having offended the royal authority — for he was guilty of death — yet by this very means a way was opened for God's judgments, as God punished Eli through Abiathar and brought upon his family the disgrace and dishonor He had threatened. All of this confirms the doctrine we touched on above: that when God does not reveal obvious signs of His judgments by which we might be frightened, we should not therefore grow bold and self-important, but must think humbly of ourselves and walk before the Lord — for even after death He has His ways of correcting and disciplining, no less than with those still living. Let what has been said so far about the hidden ways and reasons of God's judgments suffice — a subject that deserves fuller treatment, but for now, since we are dealing with God's hidden judgments, let it be enough to understand that the crimes of Eli's sons did not go unpunished, even though the punishment was delayed until the time of Solomon; and therefore, even though the iniquity might have seemed buried and forgotten by the passage of time, it had remained recorded and engraved in God's eternal counsel.

The prophet's words then say that God would build him a house — a metaphorical expression. To 'build a house' means to create a firm and stable condition that is not subject to change. So in Psalm 127:1, when it is said that a house is built in vain that the Lord has not built, this refers not to walls, wood, or stones, but to permanence and stability — suggesting that people vainly promise themselves growing families, wealth, and honors when they pursue these things without God's help. Scripture frequently uses this manner of speaking — that God builds a house — when He so blesses His servants that they are increased and enriched with both physical and spiritual gifts. By this we are taught that it is only by God's kindness and favor that people are either raised to high honors and positions, or abound in riches and wealth — even if they may seem to have attained these mostly through their own effort and labor, or even by chance and circumstance. We must therefore know that these things come about by God's blessing alone, because God holds authority over all created things and exerts His power over them — and therefore whatever other foundations families may rest upon — indeed even the most powerful kingdoms and states — they will collapse and come to nothing whenever God pleases, unless they are sustained by His hand and favor. Therefore parents who build houses for their children should lay these foundations and teach their children the same, if they desire to give their families any lasting stability and permanence.

Furthermore, the priest is said to be about to walk before Christ — that is, before the king who would be anointed at the Lord's command. At that time, no one yet held the royal dignity in Israel, though some mention of a king is found in Moses. No king had yet existed in Israel until Samuel's time; the Israelite commonwealth had been governed without a king. It should also be noted that even Saul's kingdom was not a legitimate one — although he ruled the people by his authority and had them obedient and subject to him, having been anointed by Samuel. But God was not pleased with such an election of Saul, which had come from popular pressure and impatient demands, rather than waiting for God's command. God had indeed designated a king for Israel beforehand, but the people had to wait until God Himself gave them a king — not to anticipate His decree with insistent demands. The first true king of Israel was therefore David, a type and figure of Christ our Lord. When the priest is said to be about to walk before Christ, the meaning is that the priesthood was to be exercised until such time as the coming of the great high priest Christ in the flesh would bring it to its end — at which point the church would attain its fullness. There is therefore no doubt that the prophet, here addressing Eli, indicated that the priesthood would be temporary — even though it had endured in his family — until God had led His church to glory and blessedness. And even if Christ Himself was not yet visibly present when the prophecy was given, He was nonetheless going to illuminate the church, since He already presented Himself to be seen in the figure of David and others. The prophet therefore tells Eli that the priesthood would be taken from him when God raised up, as it were, the banner of salvation — when He showed that He intended to reign and had revealed in reality that He had promised a Redeemer. It should also be noted that the times following Solomon's death were disastrous — marked by the division of the whole people, with ten tribes defecting from the house of David. We must therefore not stop at Solomon, or at Rehoboam, or at any other kings descended from David — but under the type and figure we must seek and grasp the truth itself. The sense of these words is this: with Eli's sons deposed and the priesthood taken from them, God would display His grace and fatherly goodness, and would present a living image of the Redeemer, so that God's decrees would at last reach their fulfillment when our Lord Jesus Christ appeared on earth, and the substance of what was prefigured in the law came into being. This was made clear enough beforehand in the words of Hannah's song — that God never truly showed Himself as Father to those ancient patriarchs except in and through the king, who served as God's representative. Behold the hope of the ancient people, looking to God's promises — in which He had promised to be their Father through the expected mediating king. For this reason Jeremiah in the Lamentations says: 'The anointed of God, by whose spirit we live' — as if to say, 'who is our life' — speaking of the king who had nonetheless been led away into captivity. The king anointed by God he calls the life and salvation of the people — just as in the Psalms God is said to give salvation to His anointed — though this is to be understood as applying to the whole body of the church. See how God was training the fathers to look forward to that one Redeemer, from whom alone they would draw life. And how much more does it befit us to place all our trust in Him now — since Christ the Lord Himself has appeared on earth, through whom as our leader and intercessor access to the Father is opened for us, just as He testifies of Himself when He says that He is the way, the truth, and the life. If we deviate to one side or the other, we will certainly always wander in error. This is sufficiently evident in the papacy, where confusion is everywhere. How many mediators are there, and how many supposed ways of earning merit — yet without any peace of conscience and without any tranquility of mind, always doubting, always hesitating, and anxiously searching — these wretched creatures of darkness! You would rightly say that all the frantic activity of the papists — busy with much, yet bringing nothing upon themselves but ruin and destruction — is like brute animals butting one another without ever moving from their place. Come then — let us learn to cling firmly to Christ our Lord alone, by whom we may be led into the right way as we walk before God. For to this end He descended to earth: that He might take us under His care, provided we truly surrender and commit ourselves to Him alone.

Let us proceed to what follows, where it is said that the survivors among Eli's descendants will beg for their bread — which is the same as God threatening through the prophet the greatest disgrace and contempt in the future, combined with the hatred of all, once they were finally stripped of the priestly dignity. As we said before, all descendants of Aaron held a portion ahead of the other Levites in the sacrifices, and therefore could not normally be expelled from the priestly office. But this, as we said, was also an extraordinary punishment sent by God's hand upon the sons and descendants of Eli — that they would come to such a depth of poverty and disgrace that they would be compelled to beg for even a small portion and a morsel of bread. The Lord therefore threatens them with removal from the priestly dignity to which they seemed born — because they had profaned God's name and exposed it to the mockery of the entire people; and therefore they would be exposed to the sneering, hatred, and curses of all, and rejected as diseased members. All of this fits beautifully with that earlier sentence: those who worship God and show Him proper reverence will in turn receive honor and dignity, but those who dishonor God will receive disgrace and shame. It is fitting that those who did not worship God with their whole heart and strength should be overwhelmed with every kind of disgrace and dishonor. But how few, I ask, seriously think about these things? When it comes to defending God's honor and glory against the blasphemous words of the profane, we are relaxed — indeed lax and blind. But when it comes to our own injuries, we are rigid, implacable, and sharp-eyed. Those who mostly sit in positions of authority will tend to treat these things as a joke. But let us reverently preserve the memory of that divine sentence and fear the severity of God's judgments. What do we think will happen to those who have long since perverted all integrity in God's church — indeed abolished it entirely — having received no calling from God and boasting in the false and counterfeit name of the church? If the descendants of Aaron, to whom priestly dignity was owed by divine law, are told they will beg for bread as punishment for their crimes, what will happen to those who received no title of right from God whatsoever — but crept in on their own and claimed authority for themselves in God's church — I mean the Roman pope and all that papist hierarchy, under the pretense of divine law and the protection of the church of which they falsely claim to be the head, while they utterly bury and trample underfoot God's blessings and gifts? What will happen to them when God restores His church and defends it against their tyranny? What punishments, and how terrible, must we think await them? Even if God tolerates some for a time, the threats of His judgments are nevertheless most certain and will at last achieve their effect. For this reason Zechariah foretells that when God purges His church of falsehood, those who formerly prophesied lies will at last be deposed, will deny their prophetic calling, and will be overwhelmed with confusion and disgrace. But if we desire to be provided for by God so that we may thank Him for His fatherly goodness toward us, let us consecrate and devote ourselves entirely to Him and rest in Him alone. And let us not doubt that if we happen to be harassed by the insults and robberies of enemies, we will at last find Him to be our avenger — provided we depend on Him alone; and conversely, a severe judge if we have departed from His worship. How prone people are to flattery, praising their own vices and those of their households! We must therefore learn, warned by the example of those priests who, though they formerly had an assigned portion, were nonetheless compelled by God's judgment to beg for bread because they had not devoted themselves to God's glory as was fitting — we must make our lives depend on God, whose honor and glory we ought to pursue. And if any need presses us, whether for things of the body or of the soul, we must flee to the One whose business it is to supply our needs. For this reason He rightly calls Himself the Father of our souls. Therefore, if we have ample means and wealth, let us know that, committed to His care, we will enjoy them quietly and peacefully. And if our means are small, He will nonetheless make them abundantly sufficient for us — so that whatever our condition, as long as we render Him the honor and worship that are due, nothing necessary for sustaining life will ever be lacking. On the contrary, let us be persuaded that for those who withdraw from His care and do not honor Him with due reverence, all things will go poorly and unhappily, and their very means will be reduced to nothing.

Come then, brothers, let us pray.

1. Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord before Eli, and the word of the Lord was rare in those days; there was no open vision. 2. And it came to pass one day: Eli was lying in his place, and he could not see. 3. Before the lamp of God was extinguished, Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was. 4. And the Lord called Samuel, who answered and said: Here I am. 5. And he ran to Eli and said: Here I am, for you called me. And he said: I did not call; go back and sleep. And he went and slept. 6. And the Lord again called Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli and said: Here I am, for you called me. And he answered: I did not call you, my son; go back and sleep. 7. Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, nor had the word of the Lord been revealed to him. 8. And the Lord called Samuel again a third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said: Here I am, for you called me. Then Eli understood that the Lord was calling the boy. 9. And he said to Samuel: Go and sleep; and if he calls you again, you shall say: Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening. So Samuel went and slept in his place. 10. And the Lord came and stood, and called as He had called the second time: Samuel, Samuel. And Samuel said: Speak, for Your servant is listening.

This history records God's advance announcement of His coming judgments against Eli, his sons, and his descendants. God could have carried out His judgments without foretelling them to anyone. But at that time He chose to make known in advance the certainty of His judgments against those who were profaning His name and sanctuary and corrupting and destroying His worship. The events of that age also speak to our own time, because God sets them before us as instruction. It is well known how clever people are at obscuring God's judgments — burying them in ingratitude, turning their thoughts away from them so they are never compelled to think about them unless forced to by some unexpected event. God wanted His judgments engraved on their minds so deeply they could never be erased. God therefore chose to announce His judgments in advance, so that no one could think these things happened by chance or accident — but rather that they would be recognized as coming from God, who would no longer tolerate contempt for Himself or corruption of His worship. Beyond that, the faithful of that time needed to be prepared in advance so they would not stumble and fall into despair — as if God's promises had no more place — unless God Himself applied His healing hand. They were therefore greatly encouraged and strengthened when they learned of God's decree to purge the church, which Eli's sons had so thoroughly corrupted. All these things will become clearer as we examine each point of this passage in detail.

First, it is worth noting that the boy Samuel is said to have ministered to the Lord before Eli — that is, he devoted himself to the ministry of the church with Eli himself as his teacher and guide. Samuel was still very young, placed in the care and training of the high priest so that he might give himself to God's worship. The text describes the zeal of young Samuel — how he devoted himself with all care and diligence to the worship of God, well aware that his parents had bound him to it by a vow. This young man's virtue is certainly not to be dismissed. He recognized his calling, faithfully exercised himself in it, and performed his duties with eagerness. Add to this his modesty and obedience toward Eli the high priest, whom he treated as both father and teacher. Following his example, let us learn to give faithful service to God in whatever state He has called us to, devoting ourselves to it with all our energy. And let us show ourselves cooperative and obedient with genuine modesty toward those to whose care we have been entrusted and who hold authority over us. This is why Paul commends Timothy — because Timothy obeyed the gospel. Paul was not claiming for himself what belongs to God alone and our Lord Jesus Christ, nor asserting his own authority to command this or that, but because Timothy as a young man needed Paul's guidance. In the same way Samuel is commended here for his modesty — faithfully discharging his duty, eagerly following Eli's lead, in no way stubborn or obstinate, not puffed up with arrogance, but depending on his teacher's direction and instruction. Here then is how we discharge our duty beautifully before the Lord: by depending on the authority of those set over us — thinking humbly of ourselves and surrendering ourselves entirely to their care. And conversely, those who are set over others, according to the nature of their calling, should earnestly seek God's glory, honor, and worship — not exercising tyranny over those under them, but leading by good example — while the rest willingly obey and shape themselves according to their teaching, counting it among God's greatest gifts to have those who can teach and guide them.

Next, the text says that God's Word was rare at that time — not because the people valued it as highly as they should, but because visions and revelations seldom appeared, few prophets came forward, and religion had become deeply corrupted. It is well known that things which are common are generally little esteemed. Why is it, for example, that God's works — which confront our eyes every day — and His daily repeated warnings grow cheap to us? Simply because familiarity breeds numbness, and we grow more dull with each passing day. Who would not be swept into wonder if the earth were lit by the sun's brilliance only once a year? But we think little of the sun's ordinary daily rising and setting. Because rare things that excite admiration are treated as miracles, the text says God's Word was rare at that time, and gives the reason: there was no open vision. We should also note that when God, as it were, withdrew Himself from this people and hid from them for a time, this was His just judgment in response to their ingratitude. For the promises made to this people were firm and irrevocable — if they had shown proper reverence for God's Word and His worship. These promises are found in Moses in Deuteronomy: 'I will raise up prophets for you and interpreters of my law, so that you will not perish.' But He had also warned the people seriously and commanded them not to let themselves be led astray and polluted by the practices and superstitions of the pagans around them — some of whom were given to gluttony and drunkenness, others to blasphemous insults, others to sexual immorality, and all of them living according to the desires and impulses of their own hearts. So that this people would not complain that their situation was worse than the pagans', the Lord promised He would be ready to hear their prayers if they willingly submitted to Him and ordered their lives according to His law. For this He pledged they would never lack interpreters — prophecy would never disappear from among them — and God would always speak to them through His prophets. This was a privilege far more excellent than any tricks and illusions of the devil. So if this people had willingly submitted to God's Word and received it with the reverence it deserved, prophets would never have been lacking — men called by God through whom they, adopted as God's children, would be kept in obedience to Him. This is why prophets are frequently called God's banners and signs in the Scriptures. We see that when the Israelite people returned from the Babylonian captivity, they cried out before the Lord: 'Lord, we see no signs for us. There is no longer any prophet, and there is no one among us who knows how long.' The meaning of these words is: 'Alas, Lord, You used to show Yourself near to Your people, sending them Your servants the prophets and raising up interpreters of Your law as messengers of Your will. But no prophets arise among us any longer. What then remains for us but to wander like sheep without a shepherd into trackless and desolate places? What, I ask, will become of us?' So, as I said, the phrase that God's Word was rare in that day means this: that in Samuel's time the Israelite people was unworthy of that divine favor — the continued succession of prophets — because the land was full of corruption, superstition, and contempt for God, because there was deep ignorance of the law, and each person lived according to his own desires. This is why, later, under Samuel's leadership, all the idols that had been set up throughout the land were pulled down and the land was purged of them. When the people turned away from the Lord and, as it were, sent Him away, it was necessary that in turn they be in some measure abandoned and rejected by God, and that His Word — which should have shone before them like a torch — be extinguished. This did not happen only once to this people at this time, but repeatedly at other times as well. So God's threat through the prophet: 'Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will send a famine on the land — not a famine of bread or thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord' — which is the true food of souls. Just as the Lord punishes men's sins by sending famine of bread, wine, and other things that sustain the body, so He chastises them with that severe famine — a truly terrible vengeance — when their souls waste away for lack of necessary spiritual nourishment. It is obvious enough that we cannot be sustained and nourished in the hope of eternal life by anything other than God's heavenly Word. What heavier curse can fall on people, then, than to be stripped by God's just judgment of His Word — the unique treasure of our souls? Those from whom the rule and guide of life has been taken away are inevitably tossed about in terrible confusion and disorder. So if we want to be assured that God cares for us, let us value His Word more highly than those people did — storing it in our hearts as a priceless treasure and pressing it ever more deeply within us. Otherwise it will be necessary to wander and be driven about, always unstable, never certain of our salvation. Paul says that many have fallen away from faith because they did not hold on to a good conscience. By these words he shows that if we give free rein to our desires and turn away from the doctrine of salvation, we will at last be completely blinded by God and given over to a depraved mind, and finally plunged into the abyss of this world's corruptions. I ask you to consider with me how for many centuries God's Word was not only not valued, but was utterly wiped from memory. Fifty years ago, how deep were the shadows everywhere — so deep that what the law was, what the gospel was, was simply unknown. The common people, groping in the densest darkness, were completely stupefied and rushed headlong into every kind of sin — so that the immorality and unbridled lust of the pagans was never as great as what was found among those who falsely bore the name of Christ. Those shadows were not brief — they lasted for many centuries. God was punishing the contempt for His Word that had made the world unworthy, since the majesty and grace of God shining in the gospel went unrecognized. Taught by such sad examples, let us be wiser going forward. Since God reveals Himself so openly to us, and by His mercy makes this grace more extraordinary each day — as if He were personally present, speaking with us face to face — let us make sure we value His Word as highly as we ought, so that it may never be taken from us. Indeed, let us devote ourselves earnestly to this: that we pass the Word on to those who come after us, received from God, so that taken up in unbroken succession it may shine and flourish among them after we, called by God, have departed this life.

This too is worth noting: even though God's Word was in a sense smothered, it never completely died. There was always some seed remaining, and even though people resisted and contended against God with ingratitude, His Word was always fulfilled and by its power overcame human lies. The great majority had turned away from submission to God and obedience to His law, but God always retained a few elect people, disposed toward obedience and His will. We saw above that a prophet was sent to Eli to announce God's decree of judgment against his family. So even when God's Word lay despised, God always gave some effectiveness to His promises — no human malice could suppress them. And although for many centuries God's Word was, as it were, buried and covered over — so that it might have seemed God had rightfully abandoned the world because of its perversity and corruption — yet by a wonderful and incomprehensible means, the Lord always preserved a remnant of His people, until the purity of religion was restored and brought back to its former dignity. These things are most worth observing, so that we can answer those who conclude that God has forgotten the promises He gave through Moses. That is not the case. It is true that the fruit did not appear, because people were unworthy of it — but God Himself always remained faithful. See how, in the midst of the storms through which the church struggles, God testifies that He has a special care for it and proves by His actions that He intends to keep it safe. Yet the church is not therefore the largest or most visible part of humanity. Rather, it is the most despised and lowly — so humble and hidden that it barely appears, not unlike a few grains of wheat buried under a great heap of chaff.

Next, the narrative tells us that Samuel was lying in his bed in the sanctuary and was called by the Lord God. Three times he was awakened and ran to Eli, until Eli understood that the Lord God wished to reveal Himself to Samuel — remarkable, given that prophecies and visions were at that time very rare, as we discussed earlier. Eli then instructed Samuel what to do when God called him: to testify and declare that he was ready to hear and receive the Lord's commands and carry them out. Finally, God again confirmed the sentence He had already pronounced against Eli. From the first part of this account we can see that God comes to us first, even when He has not been sought. I acknowledge that Samuel had already given a good account of himself. He had been raised and dedicated to God by his parents for the very purpose of devoting himself to God's worship — and so he slept not in some ordinary house but in the sanctuary, and was not only diligent in fulfilling his duties but completely attentive to the obedience of the high priest to whose care he had been committed. These are indeed a good preparation for receiving God's teaching. But Samuel would never have conceived in his mind that he would become a prophet, unless God Himself had appeared first and revealed Himself through a special revelation. He was prepared for that office solely by God's goodness — by the same God who had destined him for it beforehand. This is why we see that when Jeremiah tried to excuse himself before the Lord — claiming he lacked the right words, that he was only a boy who did not know how to speak — the Lord answered him: 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations.' And Paul, defending the dignity of his apostleship against those who envied it and asserting that no one could strip him of the title of apostle of Jesus Christ, says that it pleased God — who had set him apart from his mother's womb — to call him. Jeremiah was by nature unfit and unsuitable for the office of prophecy. He despaired of being able to exercise it faithfully. Yet the Lord called him and confirmed him in it. Who could rightly say this came from men? God had willed that Jeremiah be not merely born, but born a prophet. So God in His sheer goodness goes before the one He has chosen to serve Him in that office. What is said here about Jeremiah applies equally to all the prophets. Isaiah speaks similarly about himself — not claiming the dignity of prophecy on his own merits, but acknowledging that he received it from the One from whom we receive both soul and body, who formed him and called him for that purpose. Add to this: when God calls a person according to His will, He also equips that same person with the gifts necessary for that office. What was Paul before his calling, and how poorly suited for the apostleship — indeed how remote and alienated from it? He was not merely outside the church; he was an enemy of the church and a persecutor of the truth, and seemed to have declared war on God Himself and to be fighting against His grace. Yet he was called by the Lord to the apostleship, and the care of our Lord Jesus Christ's flock was committed to him. Where did such a great change come from? From God — who had known him before he came from his mother's womb. Let us consider this same thing in Samuel's case. Although raised among the sacrilegious, the immoral, the irreligious, and the godless, Samuel had nevertheless been gradually separated by God from their pollutions. Contrary to all expectations, he had been strengthened against all their enticements so that he refused to be corrupted by them. Who would not marvel at this? No prophet appeared at that time, the people were utterly corrupt, and religion itself seemed to be ruined. And yet God was at work. This must be carefully noted: when God has called us to some significant position, we should know ourselves to be all the more indebted to Him, the less any virtue or effort of our own recommended us. Even if someone is endowed with outstanding talent and knowledge, these count for nothing as a basis for commendation before God — though they should still urge us all the more, as preparatory incentives, toward God's worship and reverence. We must acknowledge that whatever good things we have received flow from His sheer generosity, and that no room for boasting remains for us — as if we had accomplished something by our own effort and industry. Every mouth must be shut, so that God alone has His glory whole and undimmed, and we give Him credit for all our gifts. This applies especially to those called to some ministry in the church. But it also applies to each of us personally, and we should acknowledge it: God sought us when we were far from Him. He came to meet us and was found by us when we were not looking for Him. What means, what impulse of heart brought us to the knowledge of the gospel? Who here dares to boast of his own zeal in seeking God and His truth? What were we, in fact, but rebellion and stubbornness when God Himself sought us? Some lay completely in the mud of sin until God Himself called them back to the right path. Others, wrapped in the densest darkness, resisted the truth of sound teaching. It is therefore plain enough: we did not emerge from darkness and corruption by our own strength, our own initiative, our own care or effort. This is the work of God, who seeks us and works in us — even when we had turned our backs on Him and, like stubborn animals, struggled against Him when He reached out His hand. That teaching is therefore true and unshakeable: God goes before us, whatever our righteousness and holiness may be. He opens our eyes and ears, which are by nature blind and deaf. We would never perceive the teaching of the gospel — even if we heard it a hundred thousand times — unless God Himself worked in us through His Holy Spirit, opened our ears, and engraved it on our hearts. So Christ the Lord Himself says in John 6:45: 'Everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me.' By these words He teaches that when God's Word is preached by a mortal man and strikes our ears, we are taught inwardly by God's Spirit working within, anticipated by His free goodness, and drawn to Him. Without this, we would certainly remain in our natural blindness and hardness of heart.