Sermon 13: 1 Samuel 3 continued

See what is to be learned from those words, when it is said that God appeared to Samuel sleeping in the temple and sanctuary. For if he had responded to one who was awake, to one who was devoting himself to prayers and worship, Samuel might rightly have seemed to have prepared himself and to have been heard by God. But it cannot be said that he was heard while sleeping. What then — does not God also hear the prayers of his own? Indeed he does; but that does not mean he does not also go before them. For our prayers can flow from no other source than faith, and faith itself comes from God; and therefore when God hears the prayers of his own, he also anticipates them. Therefore let us fix this more deeply in our minds, and ascend to this one wellspring of divine grace: that we were known by God at the time when we did not know him. This Paul teaches in Galatians when he says: ‘Before you knew God, what were you?’ And he teaches that the knowledge of the Galatians was from faith. And therefore, lest they attribute it to their own wisdom and industry, he specifically says that they were known and anticipated by God during the time of their blindness and ignorance. Therefore, brothers, let us here contemplate the grace of God depicted as in a painting, and acknowledge that while we slept, he himself watched over us; and that when we did not know him and were not thinking about him, he nevertheless sought us — let us store this in our grateful memory. Moreover, that threefold repetition by which God called Samuel three times with some interval of time between must be considered, because it was done not only for Samuel’s sake but also for Eli’s, so that both might share in the prophecy. For, as we have touched upon, this had to be revealed to Samuel in such a way that the prophecy would also reach Eli. For otherwise the people would have fallen into temptation when the ark of the covenant came into the storm of the enemy’s hands, so that God himself would seem to be led away captive by the enemies — into what straits would they have been reduced, unless God had first testified that he wished to avenge by these punishments the contempt of himself and the pollution of the sanctuary, by taking away the pledge of grace of which the people had rendered themselves unworthy? For the ark of the covenant represented the presence of God: and when it was captured and came into the hands of the enemies, what else did it seem than that God had deserted Judea, and in a way was testifying that he no longer wished to have dealings with those profane men by whom he had been so gravely offended? Therefore it was necessary for the people to be brought to the knowledge of their own misery and of the divine vengeance, so that, abased and made suppliant before the Lord, they might be converted to him; which would by no means have happened if Samuel had immediately understood God calling at the first time, and had received the prophecy without Eli’s knowledge. For he would not have disclosed to Eli what he had heard from the Lord, since we see that he was scarcely — indeed not even scarcely — willing to reveal that prophecy to Eli unless adjured and in a way compelled by force; and from this sign Eli would have known that God had revealed himself to Samuel by some particular revelation. This is why Samuel needed to be called a third time, indeed even a fourth, while he was still thinking little about these matters. Hence it happened that from his slowness no small instruction returned to the whole people, as God wisely and wonderfully directed each thing to the end he had appointed. So below, the Lord is glorified through the capture of the ark of the covenant among his very enemies: by which things our faith ought to be confirmed. For we see today what men are and what sort they are, not yet illuminated by the Spirit of God, by whom alone they are renewed. For even though the Israelites had so good a teacher, we see that they were still stupid and rude like beasts, until they come to the knowledge of themselves. But afterwards, reformed by the Lord, they are like new creatures raised from death. Therefore, although the Lord calls Samuel, he did not wish the revelation to be perceived by him either at the first or the third time, so that this prophecy would have all the greater weight with the people in the future. And so, until Samuel is called the third time, he thinks he is being called by Eli, not by the Lord, still ignorant of prophecies and revelation. Furthermore, Samuel’s ministry must be observed: for we see that he ministered to God under the direction of Eli. Yet you would scarcely find among many thousands — so corrupt are the morals of men — any youth so obedient to his father as Samuel showed himself obedient to the commands of the high priest, with whom he nevertheless had no family connection: for he was stationed at the sanctuary as the child of another parent, ready for the ministry of the altar if his service should be desired. And so at the very first call he leaps up and offers himself for ministry with a cheerful spirit; he does not wait to be called again: at the first summons he responds and presents himself ready for obedience to the priest. Indeed praiseworthy is this eagerness and readiness of Samuel’s spirit, freely offering his service and all his effort to the priest. But the rarer this virtue is among men in this age, the more we ought to devote ourselves to this care, that we conform ourselves to this example. For it is certain that it is set before us for our condemnation, unless we are roused by it to hear God addressing us through the mouth of men, subjecting ourselves to every higher authority and showing ourselves obedient and compliant in all things.

Furthermore, this event is said to have happened before the lamp of God was extinguished. By ‘lamp’ are understood the lamps that were lit at night in the sanctuary. There was indeed a golden lampstand with burning torches, by which the graces of the Holy Spirit were signified and the very presence of the Lord was represented, as is explained in the prophet Zechariah. But besides that, certain other lamps were also lit at night for keeping vigils in the temple. The papists have indeed imitated this, but like apes. For God had prescribed the use of these things in his tabernacle, but they were to end with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, since they were only figures and shadows by which the one who was to come was foreshadowed, and whose power and fulfillment was found in him: and therefore their use today is useless, indeed null. For our Lord Christ is that true temple in which the fullness of divinity dwells: and therefore no temple is any longer to be sought in Zion, for the whole world is dedicated to the worship of God. For this reason the ceremonies have ceased and been abolished. Therefore ridiculous was the imitation of those who instituted solemn vigils and turned the figures and ceremonies of the law into superstition. The meaning of this passage, however, is simply that this vision was given to Samuel in the deep of night, because mortals are then buried as if in deep sleep: just as the sacred records testify that the Lord often appeared to his servants at night, although he also did it during the day whenever and as often as it seemed good to him. Nevertheless, it is certain that those visions were usually nocturnal, as is sufficiently clear and evident from the history of Job. But why did God choose the nighttime for making his revelations known? Namely because men at that time are as if carried outside themselves, and see and hear nothing by which they might be drawn away elsewhere. During the day, standing or sitting during the day, wherever they turn their eyes, they are carried now here, now there, and are drawn away by many distractions on every side. But when mortals are lulled to sleep, and their senses are as if dissolved, and sleep bears the image of death, then God appears and, as it were, rouses the dead from death and draws them to himself, and makes known his will to them, and establishes his authority with them — then the testimony of his grace is far more remarkable, and its splendor more distinguished. Add to this that when such great light reveals itself in the darkness, the majesty of God displaying its divine power is far better seen: therefore the Lord frequently appeared to his prophets at night and presented visions of this kind to them.

As for the fact that Eli, from the third time Samuel called out, recognized that it was God who was speaking, we gather from this that although he had been remiss and too lenient in disciplining his sons, so that through his negligence he allowed the sanctuary to be polluted, he nevertheless retained the fear of God within himself: and although he was now spent in strength and, as it were, had one foot in the grave, and was not free from his own faults, he was nevertheless distinguished by many virtues, and indeed chief ones. For the fear of God was conspicuous in him, and the firm conviction that God, as he had at first communicated himself through prophecy, would likewise bestow the same grace upon the people in the future, and that they would never be deprived of God’s favor, and that the Lord’s promise would never be so shaken that the people once adopted would fall away from it entirely and be completely rejected. This is made sufficiently clear from his own words, by which he prepares Samuel to receive the word of God, saying: ‘I did not call you; but go and sleep, and if the Lord calls you.’ And so, although Eli’s sons were of the most corrupt morals, he himself was not therefore a despiser of the divine majesty: and although he did not retain the authority that befitted him, and did not apply the care that he owed to keeping the worship of God in good repair, he nevertheless retained this foundation and firm principle, that the word of God was owed its majesty and reverence, to which he also instructed Samuel. Nevertheless, we shall see hereafter that he paid heavy penalties, as the Lord himself had pronounced sentence against him. Since therefore God exercised the severity of his judgments against him — who was not impious or a contemner, but sinned only through thoughtlessness and the fault of old age — what do we suppose will happen to those who voluntarily, knowingly and willingly reject all doctrine, trample it underfoot, and as it were wage war against God himself, and have reached such a degree of profanity that they wish the word of God to lie buried and persist immersed in their shameful deeds? Must not a dreadful vengeance await them, since the Lord did not spare even the priest Eli, who retained so good a foundation of religion in his heart? From this we must learn the method by which we may profit much in the school of God, namely if we hear God speaking, and if his word has such weight with us that we do not let it fall to the ground, but receive it with such fear, with such modesty and reverence as is fitting.

Furthermore, we see Samuel in all things obedient to the priest Eli with all modesty — whom he honored and revered as the high priest — being admonished by him to compose himself to receive the word of God with even greater modesty and fear, until the vision was revealed to him by the Lord. If we have weighed these things with attentive minds, we shall cease to wonder that so few faithful are found in the world, but that on the contrary the greatest part of men, like wild beasts, kick against the Lord. For who prepares himself to hear God in silence? Who gives him the opportunity to speak? How many on the contrary murmur against him, and how many finally rise up against him? Do not those vices in which nearly everyone indulges — namely greed, fornication, gluttony, drunkenness and intemperance — testify to this more than enough? For do not those who give themselves loose reins for these vices impose silence on God and withdraw themselves from obedience to him? And how many besides voluntarily and deliberately cast away the word of God and, as it were, shut the door against it? It is therefore not at all surprising if few come to the knowledge of God, since no one composes himself to hear him, but all rather rush headlong into vices and follow only their own desires, so that they seem to have conspired rightly against their own salvation. Therefore, the greater the stubbornness of men in this regard, the greater attention this passage requires of us, when we hear Samuel being disposed by the priest Eli to hear God with these words: ‘Speak, Lord, your servant is listening,’ so that we may know that we can be instructed and taught in no other way than if we properly know what authority God has over us: and then attribute so much to his word that we testify by the thing itself that we have this one thing in our wishes — that he himself declare what he requires of us, so that we compose ourselves entirely for obedience to him.

Now indeed before God, etc.

Consider what is to be learned from these words, when it is said that God appeared to Samuel sleeping in the temple and sanctuary. If God had appeared to him while he was awake and devoting himself to prayers and worship, Samuel might rightly have seemed to have prepared himself and been heard as a result. But it cannot be said that he was heard while sleeping. What then — does God not also hear the prayers of His own? Indeed He does; but that does not mean He does not also go before them. For our prayers can flow from no other source than faith, and faith itself comes from God — and therefore when God hears the prayers of His own, He has already anticipated them. Let us therefore fix this more deeply in our minds and trace everything back to this one source of divine grace: that we were known by God at the time when we did not know Him. Paul teaches this in Galatians when he says: 'Before you knew God, what were you?' He teaches that the Galatians' knowledge was from faith — and therefore, lest they attribute it to their own wisdom and effort, he specifically says they were known and anticipated by God during the time of their blindness and ignorance. Therefore, brothers, let us contemplate here the grace of God as though painted before our eyes, and acknowledge that while we slept, He Himself watched over us — that when we did not know Him and were not thinking about Him, He nonetheless sought us. Let us store this in our grateful memory. Furthermore, we must consider that threefold repetition by which God called Samuel three times with some interval between — for it was done not only for Samuel's sake but for Eli's as well, so that both might share in the prophecy. As we have noted, this had to be revealed to Samuel in such a way that the prophecy would also reach Eli. For otherwise the people would have fallen into terrible temptation when the ark of the covenant came into enemy hands — it would have seemed as if God Himself were being led away captive — and into what distress would they have been driven, if God had not first testified that He intended to avenge by these punishments the contempt of Himself and the pollution of the sanctuary, removing the pledge of grace of which the people had shown themselves unworthy? For the ark of the covenant represented the presence of God — and when it was captured and fell into enemy hands, it could only seem as though God had abandoned Judea, as if testifying that He no longer wished to deal with those profane people who had so gravely offended Him. It was therefore necessary for the people to be brought to a knowledge of their own misery and of divine vengeance, so that, humbled and made to look to the Lord, they might be converted to Him. This would never have happened if Samuel had immediately understood God's call the first time and received the prophecy without Eli's knowledge — for he would not have disclosed to Eli what he heard from the Lord, as we see that he was barely even willing to reveal that prophecy to Eli when specifically asked and practically compelled to do so. And yet from that very sign Eli would have known that God had revealed Himself to Samuel by some particular revelation. This is why Samuel needed to be called a third time — and even a fourth — while he was still barely thinking about what was happening. From his slowness, however, came no small benefit for the whole people, as God wisely and wonderfully directed every detail toward the end He had appointed. So also below, the Lord is glorified through the very capture of the ark of the covenant among His enemies — by which things our faith ought to be strengthened. For we see what people are like before they have been illuminated by God's Spirit, by whom alone they are renewed. Even though the Israelites had such a good teacher, we see that they were still dull and crude as animals — until they came to a knowledge of themselves. But afterward, reformed by the Lord, they are like new creatures raised from death. Therefore, although the Lord called Samuel, He did not wish the revelation to be perceived by him on the first or even the third call — so that this prophecy would carry all the greater weight with the people in the future. And so, until Samuel is called the third time, he thinks he is being called by Eli, not by the Lord, still uninitiated in prophecy and direct revelation. Furthermore, Samuel's manner of serving must be noted — for we see that he ministered to God under Eli's direction. Yet you would scarcely find among many thousands — so corrupt are the morals of men — any young person as obedient to his father as Samuel showed himself obedient to the commands of the high priest, with whom he had no family connection at all. He had been stationed at the sanctuary as the child of another family, ready for whatever ministry at the altar his service might be called to. And so at the very first call he leaps up and presents himself for ministry with a willing spirit — he does not wait to be called again; at the first summons he responds and stands ready for obedience to the priest. This eagerness and readiness of spirit in Samuel is truly praiseworthy — freely offering his service and full effort to the priest. But the rarer this virtue is among people in this age, the more we ought to devote ourselves to imitating this example. For it is certainly set before us for our condemnation, unless it stirs us to hear God addressing us through the mouths of people, submitting ourselves to every higher authority and showing ourselves obedient and willing in all things.

Furthermore, this event is said to have happened before the lamp of God was extinguished. By 'lamp' are meant the lamps that were lit at night in the sanctuary. There was a golden lampstand with burning torches, which signified the graces of the Holy Spirit and represented the very presence of the Lord, as is explained in the prophet Zechariah. But beyond that, other lamps were also lit at night for keeping vigil in the temple. The papists have indeed imitated this — but like apes. For God had prescribed the use of these things in His tabernacle, but they were to end with the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, since they were only figures and shadows foreshadowing the One who was to come, and whose power and fulfillment was found in Him — and therefore their use today is pointless, indeed void. For our Lord Christ is that true temple in which the fullness of divinity dwells — and therefore no temple is any longer to be sought in Zion, for the whole world is now dedicated to the worship of God. For this reason the ceremonies have ceased and been abolished. The imitation of those who instituted solemn vigils and turned the figures and ceremonies of the law into superstition was therefore absurd. The meaning of this passage, however, is simply that this vision was given to Samuel in the deep of night — a time when mortals are buried as if in deep sleep. The sacred records testify that the Lord often appeared to His servants at night, though He also did so during the day whenever it pleased Him. Nevertheless, it is clear enough that such visions were usually nocturnal, as is sufficiently evident from the history of Job. But why did God choose the nighttime for making His revelations known? Because at night people are, as it were, carried outside themselves — they see and hear nothing that might pull their attention elsewhere. During the day, standing or sitting, wherever they turn their eyes, they are pulled now here, now there, distracted on every side. But when mortals are lulled to sleep and their senses are quieted — and sleep bears the image of death — then God appears and, as it were, rouses the dead from death, draws them to Himself, makes known His will to them, and establishes His authority with them. Then the testimony of His grace is far more striking, and its glory all the more bright. Add to this that when such great light reveals itself in the darkness, the majesty of God displaying its divine power is far more clearly seen — and this is why the Lord frequently appeared to His prophets at night and presented visions to them in this way.

As for the fact that Eli, from the third time Samuel called out, recognized that it was God who was speaking — we gather from this that although Eli had been remiss and too lenient in disciplining his sons, so that through his negligence he allowed the sanctuary to be polluted, he nonetheless retained the fear of God within himself. Although he was now spent in strength and, as it were, had one foot in the grave, and was not without his own faults, he was nonetheless distinguished by many notable virtues. The fear of God was evident in him, along with the firm conviction that God, who had first communicated Himself through prophecy, would likewise continue bestowing that same grace upon the people in the future, that they would never be entirely deprived of God's favor, and that the Lord's promise would never be so shaken that the people He had once adopted would fall away from it entirely and be completely rejected. This is clear enough from his own words, by which he prepares Samuel to receive God's Word, saying: 'I did not call you; but go and sleep, and if the Lord calls you.' So, although Eli's sons were of the most corrupt character, he himself was not therefore a despiser of God's majesty — and although he did not retain the authority that should have been his and did not apply the care he owed to keeping God's worship in good order, he nonetheless held to this foundation and firm principle: that God's Word was owed its majesty and reverence — and he also taught this to Samuel. Nevertheless, we shall see hereafter that he paid heavy penalties, as the Lord Himself had pronounced sentence against him. Since God therefore exercised the severity of His judgments against him — who was not impious or a deliberate despiser, but sinned only through carelessness and the weakness of old age — what do we suppose will happen to those who voluntarily, knowingly, and willingly reject all sound doctrine, trample it underfoot, and as it were wage war against God Himself — who have reached such a degree of profanity that they wish God's Word to lie buried while they persist in their shameful deeds? Must not a dreadful vengeance await them, since the Lord did not spare even the priest Eli, who retained such a good foundation of true religion in his heart? From this we must learn the way in which we may make much progress in God's school — namely, by hearing God speak, and by letting His Word carry such weight with us that we do not let it fall to the ground, but receive it with the fear, modesty, and reverence that are fitting.

We also see Samuel in all things obedient to the priest Eli with full modesty — honoring and revering him as the high priest — and being instructed by him to compose himself to receive God's Word with even greater modesty and fear, until the vision was revealed to him by the Lord. If we weigh these things carefully, we will stop wondering why so few faithful people are found in the world — and why on the contrary the great majority of people, like wild animals, kick against the Lord. For who prepares himself to hear God in silence? Who gives Him the opportunity to speak? How many on the contrary murmur against Him — and how many finally rise up against Him outright? Do not the vices in which nearly everyone indulges — greed, sexual immorality, gluttony, drunkenness, and excess — testify to this more than clearly enough? Do not those who give themselves free rein for these vices impose silence on God and withdraw themselves from obedience to Him? And how many people voluntarily and deliberately cast away God's Word and, as it were, shut the door against it? It is therefore not at all surprising that so few come to the knowledge of God — since no one prepares himself to hear Him, but everyone rushes headlong into vices and follows only their own desires, as if they had conspired together against their own salvation. Therefore, the greater the stubbornness of people in this regard, the more this passage demands our attention — when we hear Samuel being prepared by the priest Eli to hear God with the words: 'Speak, Lord, Your servant is listening.' This shows us that we can be instructed and taught in no other way than by first properly understanding what authority God has over us, and then giving His Word such weight that we show by our actions that we have one desire above all: that He Himself declare what He requires of us, so that we may compose ourselves entirely for obedience to Him.

Now before God, let us pray.