Sermon 17: 1 Samuel 4:5-12

Now then, let us pray, etc.

5. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord had come into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, and the earth resounded. 6. And the Philistines heard the sound of the shouting and said: What is this sound of great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews? And they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp. 7. And the Philistines were afraid, saying: God has come into the camp. And they groaned, saying: Woe to us! For there was no such exultation yesterday and the day before. 8. Woe to us! Who will save us from the hand of these sublime gods? These are the gods who struck Egypt with every plague in the wilderness. 9. Be strong and be men, O Philistines, lest you serve the Hebrews as they also served us; be strong and fight. 10. The Philistines therefore fought, and Israel was defeated, and each one fled to his tent, and the slaughter was exceedingly great; and there fell of Israel thirty thousand foot soldiers. 11. And the ark of God was captured; and the two sons of Eli also died, Hophni and Phinehas. 12. And a man of Benjamin, running from the battle line, came to Shiloh on that day, with his garment torn and his head sprinkled with dust.

In yesterday's sermon we learned how we must trust in God—that hypocrites indeed glory in the name of God, but do not seek him without pretense and dissimulation, in truth. Therefore it must be held that true faith must always be joined with repentance by a perpetual bond, if we desire to obtain grace before the Lord. Otherwise, it is certain that they will not only not draw near to him, but rather withdraw far away, if, feigning confidence, they glory in his name under a false pretext alone. And so, if we embrace the divine promises by true faith and, seriously affected by the sense of our own misery, humble ourselves before him, it is certain that our confidence will never be empty; and on the contrary, it will be utterly vain and empty if we do otherwise. Let this history which is now set before us for explanation serve as an example, in which that vehement shout of the Israelites at the arrival of the ark of the covenant in the camp is narrated—by which they were singing triumph before the victory—to have been vain and futile. For they seemed to want to triumph without God, indeed to raise trophies against him, although they bore his name before them, but falsely, and gloried in it. Next, the Philistines are said to have learned that the ark of the covenant had been brought into the camp and to have been greatly disturbed and astonished, saying that their fortune had changed, and that their affairs would be in a worse position, that the gods themselves were bringing present help to the people and fighting for them. These were the gods who once struck Egypt; how could they resist gods? It is not surprising that they speak of gods in the plural, since unbelievers, not instructed in sacred things, are not content with God alone but perpetually invent innumerable gods for themselves. Therefore this is the speech of unbelievers and people ignorant of the truth. Although the Hebrew plural word is often used of the true and only God according to the usage of sacred Scripture—but in such a way that when it is attributed to the true God, the added epithets and the verb that governs it are expressed in the singular number. But the Philistines have a different meaning: These gods, they say, by whom Egypt was once devastated, are present—those magnificent and excellent gods. And so, having learned of the arrival of the ark in the camp, they are terrified, and whatever their opinion may be, they dread the power of God. For the report had reached all of them of how magnificent the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt had been, whom no human force, however great, could have resisted. Therefore they are terrified by the presence of God. And at first glance these words might seem to be spoken in praise of the Israelites, by whom the ark had been brought into the camp. For thus we see the glory of God proclaimed by his enemies, at whose arrival the foes are so greatly terrified. But on the contrary, these words were spoken to rebuke their vain joy and false security, as will appear from what follows. And first indeed their superstitious faith is exposed, because they imagine God to be bound to this ark. Then their proud arrogance, because they persuade themselves that help is owed to them in their straits, which God had formerly promised them — yet they pay no attention to the condition attached. Nevertheless, it should be observed here that the wicked, even though they try to cast off from themselves the apprehension of the divine majesty so that they may indulge their vices more securely, are nevertheless to be terrified and overwhelmed with confusion when the Lord declares his presence. Let the experience of all ages be witness. For to pass over the immense power of God, iniquity itself is a terror to depraved and dissolute men. For it is certain that among the pagans themselves, flagitious men — fornicators, thieves, robbers, the insolent, and that sort of people — were struck dumb even at the name of their idols, and therefore they tried to bury the memory of the gods and tear it from their minds. The same is true of the papists today. For although they do not know what kind of deity they worship, yet when they are pricked by the stings of conscience, they would wish, if it were possible, to have the name of God removed from the earth, and they try by every means to accomplish this. Such is the disposition of all flagitious men, who have as it were sworn contempt of God, yet at the mention of him they shudder and gnash their teeth. Furthermore, it should be specially considered here that the Philistines were not only terrified by the name of God, but greatly feared the God of Israel, whom they had previously regarded as nothing more than a specter. Therefore him whom they had formerly despised, and whose worship they had abominated, now when they hear he is present, they fear, and at his name they shudder. The same is the condition of all who resist the truth of God and are sunk in the mire of their superstitions and idolatry: for true religion is a game to them. So we see the papists today arrogantly rising up against God, uttering blasphemous words, tearing us with insults, corrupting the doctrine of the gospel, and treating it as trifling. But if God strikes those who insult like wild beasts with even the slightest sign of his power and glory, and opens their eyes even against their will, then truly they put aside that malice and arrogance with which, previously intoxicated, they swelled. Then they must tremble, when God summons them before his tribunal. Thus it is said in the Psalms that God addresses unbelievers: Fear the living God, and tremble before him. I indeed acknowledge that often in the Scriptures those whose heart is set on his worship are stirred up to fear God. But in many passages the rebellious and despisers of the divine majesty are addressed by name, to whom the penalties of the dreadful judgment are announced against all who rise up against God and wage war in the manner of giants — namely, that he will bring forth testimonies of his presence by which they will be struck with stupor and utterly perish. But we who hear these things ought to know that some knowledge of divine power by which we are struck is not sufficient for salvation; rather, voluntary obedience must be added, by which with all reverence and fear we follow what we have learned from God's word is pleasing to him, lest we fall into the mighty hand of God. For those terrors by which unbelievers are stupefied will have no force against the faithful. And indeed unbelievers, as we shall see hereafter, are so lacking in self-control that they vomit blasphemous words against God and rush upon him like savage beasts — so blind is the mind of men. Therefore to the fear of God must be added the zeal of obeying him from a true love of the Spirit, and of voluntarily submitting ourselves to his mighty hand. But truly, brothers, how great do we think are the terrors of conscience of those who today openly declare war against God, bearing the knowledge of truth before them, yet retaining and defending papist abominations with all their might? By what stings of conscience, I say, do we think they are driven? Surely their conscience is restless and a perpetual torturer, even though they dissimulate as much as they can, so that they often break out into words of desperation such as: Woe is me! Alas, what will become of wretched me? Therefore when they triumph over us or disparage the doctrine of salvation, there is no reason to envy them. For theirs is a sardonic laugh, and however much they dissimulate, it is certain that they are lacerated by sharp stings from God, since they are compelled to obey even against their will. They are truly like criminals condemned to death and bound with tight shackles, who still have some struggle left, but whom, as their strength fails, it is necessary to yield to fate. Such is the end of those who exalt themselves against God. The fear of the wicked is therefore far different from the fear of the faithful: for the former are indeed terrified momentarily, but do not return to a better mind; but the latter fear and tremble at the sight of the divine majesty in such a way that they descend into themselves and examine themselves thoroughly for what they are, and humbly beg God's pardon, and as if prostrate at his knees implore his grace, and compose themselves for voluntary obedience. And so unbelievers are indeed sometimes terrified, and at divine threats they shudder completely, and cry out from the greatness of their pains: Woe, woe to us! But that apprehension of theirs is not lasting, since they return to their own vomit and continue to resist God himself. And so that saying of Isaiah must be fulfilled in them, namely that the wicked are like the sea driven on every side by storms and dreadful tempests, so that they never rest. Nevertheless they do not on that account relent at all from their rebellion and obstinacy. Why is that? Because arrogance and modesty are diametrically opposed to each other. On the contrary, modesty is always joined with true faith. Since unbelievers do not have this, it is certain that they persevere in their obstinacy, more and more hardened, and never voluntarily submit to the hand of God, and therefore certain destruction awaits them, and at last they are to be shattered like a clay pot. This is clearly apparent at this point as in a mirror, from the wailing of the Philistines, who at the arrival of the ark cry out: O we wretched ones, O we miserable, for the Gods have come, by whom Egypt was struck with such great plagues! Who can resist them? And having said this, they nevertheless add: Come, Philistines, let us act bravely, lest we be subjected to these Hebrews, as they were subject to us. These two things are truly very contradictory. The waves of the sea tossed by tempests and storms, about to swallow each other up, do not clash more than those two speeches of humility and arrogance. But by these things what I said above is confirmed, namely that unbelievers are indeed often compelled to experience the power of God and to be terrified by it; but that their mind and spirit, full of arrogance and obstinacy, is not for that reason softened or changed, so that even though they see their impending destruction, they nevertheless continue in their contest against God — not unlike madmen or frenzied people who throw themselves now into fire, now into a well. And such is the condition of all despisers of the divine majesty. For tranquility of conscience is the fruit of faith. Therefore all the wicked are indeed shaken by a certain terror, but seized by frenzy and madness, and forgetful of themselves, they rush against God himself with bestial fury, and they attack his majesty with their horns like untamed bulls, but to their own greatest harm and final destruction. And indeed this passage makes this more than sufficiently clear, and daily experience makes it manifest. For, I ask, how many do you see everywhere who shudder at some mention of God, or are even without any mention of him driven by internal stings of conscience, as if God himself were summoning them before his tribunal? And therefore, although they dissimulate their fears among men, they are nevertheless greatly dismayed. So if some example of divine vengeance is set before them, they are stupefied. If they see a neighbor struck down by the divine hand, they shudder completely and fear a like judgment for themselves. Finally, if God himself strikes them with plagues, they rush into desperation and do not know where to turn. But this fear is not lasting, for against God himself, having at last set aside their fear, they rise up as if to wage war with him. This is conspicuous in the example of Pharaoh. For how many times did the miracles of Moses terrify him, how many times did the plagues with which God himself struck him compel him by their fear to agree to Moses' command about releasing the people of Israel, as the Lord commanded? Truly Pharaoh himself, as long as the plagues were before his eyes, struck with fear, did not speak insincerely; yet hypocrisy lurked in his heart. For he seemed to have satisfied God if he acknowledged the God of Israel to be omnipotent, and said he did not wish to wage war against him. But he changed from hour to hour, indeed from moment to moment. When he was pressed by plagues, he confessed his fault; but when the plague was removed, he kept returning to his nature and committed things worse than before. By these examples of profane men we are admonished that we should fear God in such a way that this fear serves as a bridle by which we are held in his worship and veneration, and not moved merely by a single momentary impulse. And from this passage this doctrine should be drawn and fixed in our minds: that we should not, after the example of the Philistines, merely mourn the disaster threatening us with a momentary grief and terror; but rather that we should be cast down and entirely emptied by that terror, so that our access to God may be easier, and we may more easily obtain the remission of sins. But how great today, I ask, is the number of those who persecute the church and resist the evangelical truth, and try to mix heaven with earth in ruins and confusions? Surely we must not doubt that they are affected with the greatest terrors, and yet we see with what boldness and arrogance they are carried away against God himself. But who should wonder, since from this it sufficiently appears that they have already come into the power of the devil? Although therefore they are restrained at intervals by some fear, they nevertheless always return to their nature with greater stubbornness, and are carried headlong, not at all thinking that they have to deal with God himself. Not unlike madmen or the frenzied, who grievously afflict themselves, being very injurious to themselves, attack bystanders, recklessly throw themselves headlong; then at intervals come to their senses, beg pardon, and finally seem restored to their former health and to have recovered from their illness, yet in a moment return to a frenzy and madness far worse than the former. And the same judgment must be made about all those who have not learned to fear God and to compose themselves for his obedience so as to surrender themselves entirely to his will and suffer themselves to be governed by it. But whoever has truly learned to fear God will certainly persevere and remain in perpetual obedience: because the fear proceeds from faith, which strikes living and deep roots, to produce fruits in due season. Now when it is said that the Philistines were astonished, saying that these were the Gods who once routed the Egyptians, it appears from this that the memory of that admirable deliverance, made long ago, had remained among those pagans, and thus God had been glorified in his works by those ignorant peoples, even if not to their salvation — a memory which they would have liked abolished, however unwillingly they retained it. So we see miracles greatly praised in the papacy; but to what use, I ask? For it is certain that those miracles not only did not profit the papists for salvation, but were even turned to the contrary use, so that they were confirmed in their obstinacy against God. But truly God was glorified even among the unwilling; from which it is evident that God obtains glory from his works even in the midst of his enemies, although that knowledge is confused, and the sight of their mind is dimmed as through a fog, so that they cannot be led to God by those miracles, nor to distinguishing his truth from the deceits and impostures of the devil. Just as in this passage the Philistines indeed confess that this is the God who once afflicted and prostrated the Egyptians for the sake of the Israelites. But since their mind is blind, they imagine many gods and designate them with whatever epithets seem good to them. And thus they wretchedly tear apart the divine majesty, because they do not speak of it as he willed to be known through his Son in his holy gospel. In the plural number they say magnificent gods, excellent gods, mighty gods. And so in part they know some God, but they remain in error because they do not acknowledge the true God. Therefore we must observe all the more diligently what we said above, namely that when God out of his benevolence reveals to us certain signs of his majesty, of which we have an apprehension, we should be led by them to obedience to him; and when he speaks in his word, we should be silent, so that we may be instructed in his will, on which alone we should wholly depend, and we should distinguish the worship due to him alone from all idolatrous worship, and distinguish the true God from all false and imaginary idols. And let this be the use of this doctrine: that we should not only never have an uncertain and deceptive apprehension of God, but should acknowledge him as he is and understand his will, so that having known it, we may invoke him with true faith. Moreover, it is beyond all doubt that we shall never arrive at a knowledge of him by our senses and the powers of our intellect, unless he first reveals himself to us. But he reveals himself in his word, to which the light of the Holy Spirit is added, by which minds are illuminated that would otherwise remain immersed in the deepest darkness of ignorance. Therefore the denser the blindness of our minds, unless they are illuminated from heaven, the more ardent ought to be our zeal for frequenting this school, and for beseeching God with prayers that he would teach and govern us by his word, so that he may bring forth in us fruits worthy of so great a teacher.

And so much for these matters. Next follows: that the Philistines fought in battle with the Israelites, and thirty thousand men of the Israelites fell slain, and each of the rest fled to his own tent greatly disturbed and in the deepest mourning. A truly astonishing slaughter, which at first sight might perhaps seem to surpass all belief. For, I ask, to whose side did the victory incline? To those who, having most recently been moved by the presence of God, afterward hardened themselves against his majesty, and dared to provoke even the one they had formerly feared, and strove to overcome him in battle. O impious deed! O satanic arrogance! For the very demons tremble and shudder before the majesty of God and never put aside that horror. But we see these Philistines, who were at first seized with enormous dread, to have come to the point where they determined the God of Israel to be their adversary; but at last, having hardened their hearts, they even dared to descend into contest with him and to provoke him of their own accord, intending to find out who would be the stronger — and yet they carry off the victory. But over whom, I ask, do they triumph in their reported victory? Over the Israelites, zealous to promote the glory of God, over the adopted children of God, over God's chosen inheritance. But who would not think that heaven should rather be mixed with earth than that so horrible a deed should come to pass? The most capital enemies of the true religion, despisers of the word of God, indeed those who spit, as it were, in the very face of God, to possess victory and celebrate their triumphs; while the chosen people, God's peculiar possession, the friends of God, indeed his adopted children, for whose sake the other nations had been cast off, should come to such disgrace, such a multitude slain and fallen, the rest scattered like timid sheep expecting nothing but swords at their necks — who would not rightly wonder? Who would not be horrified? What then is the fruit, what the usefulness of this history? The more extraordinary it seems to us, the more attentively we must examine it, especially since Psalm seventy-eight commemorates the same events, the hearing of which fills the mind with horror. For after the prophet has exhorted the people not to be like their fathers, a wicked and exasperating generation, obstinate and rebellious, but rather, turning from their ways, to allow themselves to be taught and governed by God, he reproaches them for their repeated defection from God and the repeated introduction of idolatry in the time of the judges, by which the Lord had been provoked to afflict them with various plagues. Being aroused by these plagues, they invoked God and with many gestures tried to bend him to mercy, but always the same, as soon as God had relaxed his plagues in response to their prayers, they returned to their nature. But at last the prophet adds that God, in turn provoked by so many insults, was going to forsake Shiloh, the place formerly chosen by him for a dwelling, in which there stood a special testimony of his presence and beauty, and was going to reject it entirely from himself. And this is specifically said to have been a sign of God's wrath and curse upon this wretched people, whom he had found so many times to be stiff-necked, refractory, and incorrigible. These last words are most useful for the interpretation of this passage, so that we may derive from it the profit that we ought. Therefore it should be noted that God struck the people of Israel with such a great slaughter, and that the ark itself by his will fell captive into the hands of the Philistines, in order to chastise the people for their many transgressions so often repeated — because, having been admonished more often by the prophets and invited to repent, they had turned a deaf ear to the admonitions, and had held in the greatest contempt the law itself, in which they ought to have exercised themselves and which they should always have kept before their eyes and in their ears, from which they might learn the will of God. Indeed, to those fatherly admonitions and exhortations, chastisements repeated at various times had also been added, with God now giving the people into the servitude of their most bitter enemies, now exercising them with other punishments, so that those who had refused to submit to God, although so many times called back to better ways by him, through various and repeatedly imposed punishments — so that if they were not moved at the second, not at the third, not at the fourth, at least at the fifth, sixth, or seventh plague — might serve their enemies and learn to desist from evil. Therefore God dealt with his people no differently than any magistrate would deal with a criminal whom, having beaten with rods, and then finding him unrepentant, he would try to bring to a better mind by cutting off an ear or inflicting some other bodily punishment, as a memory of his crimes branded on his body. So God conducted himself toward his people, trying by every means to bring them back to himself; but that people continued with their accustomed stubbornness and obstinacy, so that they left no further room for remedy, but made themselves utterly abominable and hateful to God. But come, brothers, let these things be applied more closely to us. For if any one of us descends more deeply into himself and weighs his offenses by the plumb line of the divine law, he will rightly conclude that he has not provoked God just once, or in one kind of sins, but has sinned against his majesty in a thousand ways. We, I confess, have not entirely sent away God's word or the evangelical truth. But what prevents us from coming to that point, except that he has mercy on us and does not give loose reins to our desires? Therefore as often as we provoke him against us even with the slightest sins, do we not deserve that he should forsake us, strip us of his Holy Spirit, and leave us to ourselves like brute animals for our own destruction? Furthermore, when each one has examined himself individually in this way and scrutinized his sins, let us also confess in general that everything everywhere is so full of sins that we give God the greatest occasion to deal with us by the strictest justice. For who, although corrected and chastised more often by the Lord to be brought to a knowledge of his sins and humbly to obtain pardon and remission, has nevertheless seriously thought about them? And so we have the greatest reason to fear and to beware lest we seem to wish to abuse the patience of God.

But here someone might rightly ask how God allowed that ark of his to be captured by enemies and, once captured, to be carried away, since with the ark captured, he himself seemed to be captured and led in triumph. And indeed the prophet in the Psalms speaks thus: God, he says, delivered his strength into captivity and his beauty into the hands of the enemy. How extraordinary and unheard of this is to say! But yet it is certain that the prophet speaks thus in order to reprove the sins of the people and to show them to be all the more serious, because they had brought on that disaster by which God himself was held as it were captive by enemies and led in triumph. But shortly afterward we shall see that not only was no disgrace or ignominy added to God's glory by this captivity, but much glory. Although the unbelieving Philistines were, I confess, offered a great occasion of tearing the divine name with every kind of insult and reproach — and indeed it is certain that their joy and wantonness was not long-lasting — which we shall see hereafter cost them dearly, as God did not permit them to be insolent any longer without punishing their wickedness with the most severe penalties, so that they did not even dare to touch that ark any closer. You see that the Lord obtained more glory than disgrace from that captivity, which will become even more evident from what follows. Therefore, even though the name of God may seem to be exposed to the taunts, mockeries, and insults of his enemies, yet even by unwilling foes he is acknowledged as savior, and the God and guardian of the Jews is recognized. Why would they insult one who was captive, whose terrible power was then most visible? For it was then especially that the Philistines felt that they were impure and polluted and unworthy to touch a thing so sacred and holy. Therefore when the ark of the covenant was led into captivity, God himself was not led away; but this is imputed to the Israelites, to magnify the enormity of their crimes by which God had been provoked against them, as though those sacrilegious people had betrayed the majesty of God to the enemy. Moreover, the ark of the covenant is called God's beauty and God's strength, because it was the sign of his presence, as we taught before. And so if anyone from the people, afflicted with some grief, came to pray at the ark, he was refreshed no less than if God himself had been present in person. Just as people are more affected by a clear sky and the splendor of the sun than by one that is overcast and dark with clouds. So therefore the ark of the covenant was called the beauty and strength of God, because there the Lord would reveal his presence to the people who came in faith and repentance. And even though it were in the remotest part or corner of the land, yet against any enemies it was a wall of bronze, and the safest bulwark and defense stronger than any most fortified city, and most useful for repelling the plans, machinations, and attacks of all enemies. The ark itself was not the strength of God, but God himself exerted his power there. But that ark is captured, and God is led away captive — at least in the opinion of the Philistines. But although the ark was captured, the most potent strength of God exerted itself against the enemies. Let us learn from this to guard ourselves. For although we do not have an ark of the covenant in which God promises to be present and propitious to us, yet we have the most certain signs that he wills to dwell in our midst, when his word is purely proclaimed to us and the sacraments are sincerely administered. For these are the living images in which we may contemplate his face; these are his beauty and strength, since from them we recognize that God wills to gather us into one people, when we foster mutual concord among ourselves; and we are certain that he will never abandon those he has received into his protection, but will act as a true shepherd toward his little sheep, since he has deigned to receive us into the number of his sheep, and therefore let us rest in his care and love. On the other hand, when the wicked conspire against the doctrine of salvation and utter blasphemous words against the sacraments, it is certain that God is driven from them as if into exile, and his beauty and strength are sent by them, as far as is in their power, into captivity; nor will they be less guilty before the throne of God than if they had made sport of the very majesty of God. And we have fallen upon those times and those persons: for, I ask, have we not seen, where the gospel had been preached, where superstitions had been removed, where temples had been purged of all pollutions, in most places idolatries recalled and restored, so that those wicked men seemed to themselves to triumph over the living God? Therefore it is certain that all who have fallen into those confusions were guilty before God of contempt of the divine. For God cannot be known otherwise than in Christ Jesus and in the preaching of the gospel. But from where, I ask, did such confusion flow except from the malice of men? Furthermore, since we are assured from God's word that those who wickedly abuse the gospel and deny God by their works are guilty before the Lord, as if they themselves were leading God captive and wounding his name with blasphemous words, we must take the greatest care not to conspire with them, but rather we must make every effort to condemn and detest them, and we should live in fear and anxiety, knowing that God will one day punish us with just penalties no less than the Israelites. But woe to us if we fall into the hands of God as avenger and judge! Truly it would be better for the world to perish a thousand times over than for the name of God to come into contempt through our fault at the hands of the sworn enemies of his truth; for if that were to happen, the evil would be as if God were conquered by them. Therefore, taught by this example, let us be wise and be kept in fear and anxiety, and let us derive a twofold benefit from this. And first, let us take the greatest care never to reject the grace of God bestowed upon us. Then let us be firmly persuaded that, relying on God's grace, even if the whole world conspires against us, we shall never be forsaken, but we shall have sufficient help and defense in God against all attacks, so that whatever misfortunes befall us, we may stand undaunted. On the other hand, let us know that we shall miserably perish if we have abused the divine benefits and graces, and if through our ingratitude they lie buried within us, and if through our fault we have given wicked and flagitious men occasion to revile the divine name and to despise his majesty. Moreover, those words of the prophet in the Psalms are also to be carefully observed, when it is said that God rejected his tabernacle at Shiloh, the tabernacle where he had dwelt among men. By which we are taught that when God departs from men, nothing is taken from him. For Shiloh was not the tabernacle of God in which he dwelt as in some house, but in which he demonstrated his presence to the people. But he had chosen this people for himself as his own possession and had poured out testimonies of his beneficence throughout their whole land, so that as long as the people kept themselves in their duty, so long they found him beneficent and propitious. And for this reason God is said to have had his tabernacle among them. But let us know that God also dwells among us in a special way, when the gospel is purely preached and the sacraments are faithfully administered according to the Lord's institution. But let us not imagine such a dwelling place for ourselves to which his power and might are bound. For God never so binds himself to any persons that he cannot depart from them when he sees fit, when he perceives that the glory of his name is coming into their contempt. Therefore come, let us think seriously about these things, and having laid aside all pride and arrogance, thinking modestly of ourselves, let us walk before him in such a way that we make it evident to all that God dwells in us, firmly persuaded that if he has chosen a dwelling place among us, we shall never be forsaken by him, even though heaven be mixed with earth, but rather we shall find him a propitious Father, and experience him as our savior against all misfortunes. Being content with these things, therefore, let us rest in peace, so that whatever testimonies of his goodness God shows us, we may be sure of his presence and that they will never be lacking. Therefore though we be despised, though we be torn with every kind of insult and reproach, though we be regarded as refuse and dregs by the people of this age, though indeed the world insults us and resists with all its might, yet if we have embraced the gospel with true faith, if we have the legitimate use of the sacraments, if we have humbly invoked the name of God in faith and truth, if we have truly and from the heart professed ourselves to be God's people and attested it by our works, let us never lose heart; and though we seem exposed to the injuries of all, let us be persuaded that God will be present as our avenger and will continually supply us with new strength. If indeed we have continued on this path, let us not doubt that we shall experience God as our helper and savior, whatever misfortunes may arise; and provided we turn to him with sincere repentance, we shall most easily obtain from him remission of all the sins by which we had merited his wrath.

Now indeed before God, etc.

Now then, let us pray, etc.

5. When the ark of the covenant of the Lord came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, and the earth resounded. 6. The Philistines heard the sound of the shouting and said: What is this sound of great shouting in the camp of the Hebrews? And they learned that the ark of the Lord had come into the camp. 7. The Philistines were afraid and said: God has come into the camp. And they groaned, saying: Woe to us! For there was nothing like this yesterday or the day before. 8. Woe to us! Who will save us from the hand of these mighty gods? These are the gods who struck Egypt with every plague in the wilderness. 9. Be strong and conduct yourselves like men, O Philistines, lest you become servants to the Hebrews as they have served us; be strong and fight. 10. So the Philistines fought, and Israel was defeated, and every man fled to his tent; the slaughter was very great, and thirty thousand foot soldiers of Israel fell. 11. The ark of God was captured, and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, also died. 12. A man of Benjamin ran from the battle line and came to Shiloh that day with his garment torn and dust on his head.

In yesterday's sermon we learned how we must trust in God — that hypocrites indeed glory in God's name, but do not seek Him sincerely and truly. We must therefore hold that true faith must always be joined to repentance, if we desire to obtain grace before the Lord. Without this, people will not draw near to God but will draw far away — for if they claim confidence while glorying in His name under a false pretense, they only retreat further. But if we embrace God's promises by true faith and, genuinely moved by the sense of our own misery, humble ourselves before Him, our confidence will never be empty — and it will be utterly vain if we do otherwise. Let the history before us serve as an example: the Israelites' loud shout at the arrival of the ark in the camp — singing triumph before the victory — was vain and useless. They were trying to triumph without God, raising trophies against Him, even while carrying His name as their banner — but falsely, and glorying in it under false pretenses. Next, the Philistines are said to have learned that the ark of the covenant had been brought into the camp, and to have been greatly shaken and astonished. They said their fortunes had changed, that the gods themselves were bringing direct help to the people and fighting for them. These were the gods who once struck Egypt — how could they resist gods? It is not surprising that they speak of gods in the plural, since unbelievers, not instructed in sacred matters, are never content with one God but are always inventing countless gods for themselves. This is the speech of unbelievers who do not know the truth. Though it should be noted that the Hebrew plural is often used for the true and only God in Scripture — but when referring to the true God, the accompanying adjectives and verbs appear in the singular. The Philistines mean something different: these gods, they say — those great and mighty ones — by whom Egypt was once devastated, are now present. Having learned that the ark had arrived in the camp, they were terrified and dreaded the power of God. Word had reached all of them about the magnificent exodus from Egypt, which no human force, however great, could have resisted. And so God's presence terrified them. At first glance these words might seem to be spoken in praise of the Israelites, for here the enemies are so afraid at God's arrival that His glory is proclaimed even by them. But in fact these words serve to rebuke the Israelites' empty joy and false confidence, as what follows will make clear. First, the Israelites' superstitious faith is exposed — they imagined God was bound to this ark. Then their proud arrogance — they were convinced that help was owed to them in their need, as God had once promised, yet they paid no attention to the condition attached to that promise. Still, we should observe here that the wicked — even when they try to shake off the sense of God's majesty so they can indulge their vices more freely — are nonetheless terrified and overwhelmed when the Lord makes His presence known. Let all of history be the witness. Setting aside God's immense power, even iniquity itself is a terror to corrupt and lawless people. Among the pagans themselves, flagrant sinners — fornicators, thieves, robbers, the arrogant, and those like them — were struck dumb at the very name of their idols, and therefore tried to bury all memory of the gods and banish it from their minds. The same is true of the papists today. Although they do not know what kind of deity they worship, when their conscience pricks them, they would wish, if possible, to have the very name of God erased from the earth — and they try by every means to bring this about. Such is the disposition of all deeply sinful people who have, as it were, sworn contempt of God — yet at His name they shudder and gnash their teeth. It should also be noted especially here that the Philistines were not merely terrified by the name of God, but feared the God of Israel, whom they had previously dismissed as nothing more than a ghost. The one they had despised and whose worship they had scorned — now, hearing that He is present, they fear, and at His name they shudder. This is the condition of all who resist God's truth and are sunk in their superstitions and idolatry — to them, true religion is a joke. We see today how the papists arrogantly rise up against God, speaking blasphemous words, tearing us apart with insults, twisting the gospel's doctrine, and treating it as trifling. But if God strikes those who insult Him like wild animals with even the slightest sign of His power and glory — and opens their eyes against their will — then they must put aside that arrogance with which they had been drunk and swollen. Then they must tremble, when God summons them before His judgment seat. As Psalm 2 says to unbelievers: Fear the living God, and tremble before Him. I acknowledge that in many places of Scripture those whose hearts are set on worshiping Him are called to fear God. But in many passages the rebellious and despisers of God's majesty are addressed directly, and the penalties of His dreadful judgment are announced against all who rise up against Him — that He will bring forth testimonies of His presence that will strike them with stupor and bring about their final ruin. We who hear these things must know that a passing knowledge of divine power that strikes us is not enough for salvation — voluntary obedience must be added, by which we follow what we have learned from God's Word is pleasing to Him, with all reverence and fear, lest we fall into the mighty hand of God. The terrors that stupify unbelievers have no such force in the faithful. Unbelievers, as we shall see, are so lacking in self-control that they spew blasphemy against God and rush at Him like savage beasts — such is the blindness of the human mind. Therefore, fear of God must be joined with a zeal born of the Spirit — a genuine love that moves us to obey Him willingly and surrender ourselves to His mighty hand. Brothers, how great, do you think, are the terrors of conscience in those who today openly declare war against God — who know the truth and yet hold and defend papist abominations with all their might? By what stings of conscience, I ask, are they being driven? Their conscience is restless and a perpetual tormentor, even when they put on a good face — so much so that they often break out in words of despair: Woe is me! What will become of me? When they triumph over us or mock the doctrine of salvation, there is no reason to envy them. Theirs is a bitter, hollow laugh — and however much they pretend otherwise, they are being lacerated by God's sharp judgment, compelled to obey even against their will. They are like criminals condemned to death and bound in chains, who still struggle but whose strength fails and who must ultimately yield. Such is the end of all who exalt themselves against God. The fear of the wicked is therefore very different from the fear of the faithful. The wicked are terrified for a moment but do not return to a better mind. The faithful fear and tremble at the sight of God's majesty in such a way that they look inward, examine themselves honestly, humbly beg God's pardon, as if prostrate at His feet, and compose themselves for willing obedience. Unbelievers are indeed sometimes terrified, and at divine threats they shudder completely and cry out in great anguish: Woe, woe to us! But their alarm does not last, for they return to their own ways and keep resisting God. Thus Isaiah's saying is fulfilled in them: the wicked are like the sea driven on every side by storms and terrible tempests, so that they never rest. Yet none of this causes them to relent in their rebellion and stubbornness. Why? Because arrogance and humility are completely opposed to each other. Humility, on the other hand, always goes hand in hand with true faith. Since unbelievers lack this, they keep hardening and persevering in their stubbornness, never willingly submitting to God's hand — and so certain destruction awaits them; at last they will be shattered like a clay pot. This appears clearly here as in a mirror, in the wailing of the Philistines, who at the arrival of the ark cry out: O wretched us, O miserable us — the gods have come, by whom Egypt was struck with such great plagues! Who can resist them? And yet, after saying this, they add: Come, Philistines, be brave — let us not be subjected to these Hebrews as they were once subject to us. These two things are utterly contradictory. Waves of the sea tossed by storms and tempests crashing against one another do not clash more violently than those two speeches — one of humility and one of arrogance. But these things confirm what I said above: unbelievers are often compelled to feel God's power and be terrified by it, but their minds, full of arrogance and stubbornness, are not softened or changed — so even when they see their destruction coming, they keep fighting against God, not unlike madmen or frenzied people who throw themselves into fire or into a well. Such is the condition of all who despise God's majesty. Tranquility of conscience is the fruit of faith. All the wicked are therefore shaken by a certain terror — but seized by frenzy and madness, forgetting themselves, they rush against God with brutal fury, attacking His majesty like untamed bulls — but to their own greatest harm and final destruction. This passage makes that abundantly clear, and daily experience confirms it. How many people do you see everywhere who shudder at any mention of God, or who, even without any mention of Him, are driven by internal stings of conscience, as if God Himself were summoning them before His judgment seat? They conceal their fear among people, but they are greatly troubled within. If some example of divine vengeance is set before them, they are struck dumb. If they see a neighbor struck down by God's hand, they shudder and fear the same judgment for themselves. And if God Himself strikes them with afflictions, they rush into desperation and do not know which way to turn. But this fear does not last — before long they set it aside and rise up against God as if going to war with Him. This is visible in Pharaoh's example. How many times did Moses's miracles terrify him? How many times did the plagues by which God struck him compel him by fear to agree to Moses's command to release the people of Israel? As long as the plagues were before his eyes, Pharaoh was struck with fear and spoke sincerely — yet hypocrisy lurked in his heart. He seemed to have satisfied God by acknowledging the God of Israel as almighty and saying he did not wish to fight against Him. But he changed from hour to hour — indeed from moment to moment. When pressed by plagues, he confessed his fault; but when the plague was removed, he returned to his nature and acted worse than before. By these examples of godless people we are warned that we should fear God in such a way that this fear serves as a bridle holding us in His worship and reverence — not moved merely by a single momentary impulse. From this passage the following teaching should be drawn and fixed in our minds: we should not, like the Philistines, merely mourn the disaster threatening us with a momentary grief and terror — but should be broken and completely emptied by that terror, so that our access to God is opened more easily, and we may more readily obtain the forgiveness of sins. How great today, I ask, is the number of those who persecute the church and resist the evangelical truth, trying to bring heaven and earth down together in confusion? We must not doubt that they are gripped by the greatest terrors — yet we see with what boldness and arrogance they rush headlong against God Himself. Who should wonder, since it is sufficiently clear from this that they have already fallen into the power of the devil? Although restrained at intervals by some fear, they always return to their nature with greater stubbornness, rushing headlong — not at all thinking that they are dealing with God Himself. They are like madmen or the frenzied, who grievously harm themselves, attack bystanders, and recklessly throw themselves headlong — then at intervals come to their senses, beg pardon, and seem restored to health; yet in a moment they return to a frenzy and madness far worse than before. The same judgment must be made about all who have not learned to fear God and compose themselves for obedience to Him — surrendering themselves entirely to His will and allowing themselves to be governed by it. But whoever has truly learned to fear God will certainly persevere and remain in continual obedience, because that fear flows from faith, which strikes living and deep roots and produces fruit in due season. When it is said that the Philistines were astonished, saying these were the gods who once routed the Egyptians, it is clear that the memory of that remarkable deliverance had remained among those pagans — so God was glorified in His works among those ignorant peoples, even if not to their salvation. It was a memory they would have liked to abolish, though they retained it against their will. So we see miracles greatly praised in the papacy — but to what use? Those miracles did not benefit the papists for salvation, but were turned to the opposite end — hardening them in their obstinacy against God. Yet God was glorified even among the unwilling, which shows that He obtains glory from His works even in the midst of His enemies. But that knowledge was confused, their mental vision obscured as by a fog, so that the miracles could not lead them to God or help them distinguish His truth from the deceits and impostures of the devil. As here: the Philistines confess that this is the God who once afflicted and brought down the Egyptians for Israel's sake. But since their minds are blind, they imagine many gods and call them by whatever names seem good to them. In this way they wretchedly tear apart the divine majesty — because they do not speak of God as He willed to be known through His Son in the holy gospel. They speak in the plural: magnificent gods, excellent gods, mighty gods. So they have partial knowledge of some god, but they remain in error because they do not acknowledge the true God. We must therefore observe all the more carefully what was said above: when God in His goodness reveals to us certain signs of His majesty that we can perceive, we should be led by them to obedience; and when He speaks in His Word, we should be silent, so that we may be instructed in His will. On His will alone we should wholly depend — and we should distinguish the worship due to Him alone from all idolatrous worship, and distinguish the true God from all false and imaginary idols. Let this be the use of this teaching: that we not only never form an uncertain and deceptive idea of God, but acknowledge Him as He truly is and understand His will — so that having known it, we may call upon Him with true faith. It is beyond all doubt that we will never arrive at a knowledge of God through our senses and natural intellect, unless He first reveals Himself to us. He reveals Himself in His Word, to which the light of the Holy Spirit is joined — illuminating minds that would otherwise remain buried in the deepest darkness of ignorance. Therefore, the greater the blindness of our minds without that heavenly illumination, the more earnestly we should seek to attend this school, and the more fervently we should beg God in prayer to teach and govern us by His Word — so that He may produce in us fruits worthy of so great a teacher.

That is enough on those matters. What follows is this: the Philistines fought the Israelites in battle, thirty thousand Israelites fell, and the rest fled in disorder and deep mourning to their own tents. It was a truly astonishing slaughter — one that might at first seem beyond belief. To whose side did the victory fall? To those who, after being moved by the presence of God, had hardened themselves against His majesty and dared to provoke the very one they had just feared — resolving to overcome Him in battle. What an impious act! What satanic arrogance! Even the demons tremble and shudder before the majesty of God and never put aside that horror. Yet these Philistines, who were at first seized with enormous dread, came to the point of naming the God of Israel their adversary — and having hardened their hearts, they dared to descend into contest with Him and provoke Him, as though to find out who was stronger — and they carried off the victory. But over whom do they triumph? Over the Israelites who were devoted to God's glory, over the adopted children of God, over God's chosen inheritance. Who would not think that heaven should sooner collapse into earth than that so horrible a thing should come to pass? The worst enemies of true religion, despisers of God's Word, those who spit in God's very face — to possess the victory and celebrate their triumphs; while the chosen people, God's prized possession, the friends of God, His adopted children, the people for whose sake the other nations had been removed — to come to such disgrace, with so great a multitude killed, the rest scattered like frightened sheep expecting nothing but the sword at their necks. Who would not rightly wonder at this? Who would not be horrified? What, then, is the lesson of this history? The more extraordinary it seems, the more carefully we must examine it — especially since Psalm 78 commemorates the same events, the recounting of which fills the mind with dread. There the prophet exhorts the people not to be like their fathers — a wicked and stubborn generation, obstinate and rebellious — but rather to turn from their ways and allow themselves to be taught and governed by God. He then reproaches them for their repeated abandonment of God and repeated introduction of idolatry in the time of the judges, which provoked the Lord to afflict them with various plagues. Stirred by these plagues, they called on God and made many gestures of trying to win Him back to mercy — but they were always the same: as soon as God eased the plagues in response to their prayers, they returned to their old nature. At last the prophet adds that God, provoked by so many insults, would forsake Shiloh — the place He had chosen as His dwelling, where a special sign of His presence and beauty stood — and would reject it entirely. This was specifically said to be a sign of God's wrath and judgment upon this wretched people, whom He had found to be so stiff-necked, stubborn, and incorrigible so many times. These final words are most important for interpreting this passage and drawing the right lessons from it. We should therefore understand that God struck the people of Israel with such a great slaughter, and that the ark by His will fell into the Philistines' hands, in order to discipline the people for their many repeated transgressions — because, having been warned so many times by the prophets and invited to repent, they had turned a deaf ear, and had held the law itself in the greatest contempt, even though they should have always kept it before their eyes and ears to learn God's will. To those fatherly warnings and exhortations, repeated punishments had also been added at various times — God sometimes giving the people into bondage to their bitterest enemies, sometimes striking them with other afflictions. His aim was that those who had refused to submit to God, despite being called back to better ways so many times, might be brought around through repeated and escalating punishment — if they were not moved at the second, nor the third, nor the fourth blow, then perhaps at the fifth, sixth, or seventh plague they might serve their enemies and learn to stop doing evil. God dealt with His people like a magistrate dealing with a criminal whom, having beaten with rods and found still unrepentant, he tries to bring to a better mind by cutting off an ear or inflicting some other bodily punishment — a mark of his crimes branded on his body as a permanent reminder. In the same way God dealt with His people, trying by every means to bring them back to Himself; but that people continued in their customary stubbornness and defiance, leaving no more room for remedy, making themselves utterly abominable and hateful before God. But come, brothers — let these things be applied more closely to us. If any one of us descends honestly into himself and weighs his offenses against the standard of God's law, he will rightly conclude that he has not provoked God just once, or in one kind of sin, but has sinned against His majesty in a thousand ways. I grant that we have not entirely rejected God's Word or the evangelical truth. But what prevents us from coming to that point, except that He has mercy on us and does not give free rein to our desires? Therefore, whenever we provoke Him even with the slightest sins, do we not deserve that He should forsake us, strip us of His Holy Spirit, and leave us like brute animals to our own destruction? Furthermore, when each person has examined himself in this way and faced his sins, let us also confess together that everything everywhere is so full of sin that we give God the greatest reason to deal with us by the strictest justice. For who, though corrected and disciplined again and again by the Lord — to bring him to knowledge of his sins and to humbly seek pardon and forgiveness — has truly and seriously reflected on them? We therefore have every reason to fear and to take care that we do not appear to be abusing the patience of God.

But here someone might rightly ask how God allowed His ark to be captured by enemies and carried away — since with the ark taken, He Himself seemed to be captured and led in triumph. The prophet in the Psalms actually speaks this way: God, he says, delivered His strength into captivity and His beauty into the hands of the enemy. How extraordinary and staggering a statement! But it is certain that the prophet speaks this way in order to expose the people's sins and show them to be all the more serious, because their behavior had brought about a disaster in which God Himself seemed to be held captive by enemies and led in triumph. Shortly we will see that this captivity brought no disgrace or shame to God's glory at all — but rather much glory. I grant that the unbelieving Philistines were given great occasion to tear the divine name with every kind of insult and mockery — but their joy and arrogance were not long-lasting, as we will see. It cost them dearly, for God did not let them remain insolent much longer without punishing their wickedness with the most severe penalties, so that they did not even dare to come near the ark. You see that the Lord gained more glory than disgrace from that captivity — which will become even clearer from what follows. Therefore, even though God's name may seem exposed to the taunts, mockeries, and insults of His enemies, even unwilling foes acknowledge Him as Savior and recognize Him as the God and guardian of the Jews. Why would they insult one who was captive — yet whose terrible power was at that very moment most visible? For it was then especially that the Philistines felt how impure and polluted they were, and how unworthy they were to touch anything so sacred and holy. When the ark of the covenant was led away as a captive, God Himself was not led away — this is attributed to the Israelites to magnify the gravity of their crimes, by which they had provoked God against themselves, as though those sacrilegious people had betrayed God's majesty to the enemy. The ark of the covenant is called God's beauty and God's strength because it was the sign of His presence, as we taught before. If anyone from the people, weighed down with grief, came to pray at the ark, they were refreshed no less than if God Himself had been personally present. Just as people are more affected by a clear sky and the brilliance of the sun than by one overcast and dark with clouds. The ark of the covenant was called God's beauty and strength because there the Lord would make His presence known to the people who came in faith and repentance. Even if it were in the remotest corner of the land, it was a wall of bronze against all enemies — the safest stronghold and defense, stronger than any fortified city, most useful for repelling the schemes, plots, and attacks of all enemies. The ark itself was not the strength of God; rather, God Himself exerted His power there. The ark is captured and God is led away as a captive — at least in the Philistines' thinking. But although the ark was taken, the most potent strength of God was unleashed against the enemies. Let us learn from this to guard ourselves. We do not have an ark of the covenant in which God promises to be present and favorable to us, but we do have the surest signs that He wills to dwell among us — when His Word is purely proclaimed and the sacraments are faithfully administered. These are the living images in which we may contemplate His face; these are His beauty and strength, for through them we recognize that God wills to gather us into one people when we cultivate mutual harmony. We can be certain that He will never abandon those He has taken under His protection, but will act as a true shepherd to His little sheep — since He has deigned to number us among His flock, let us rest in His care and love. On the other hand, when the wicked conspire against the doctrine of salvation and speak blasphemous words against the sacraments, it is certain that God is being driven from them as if into exile, and His beauty and strength are being sent into captivity by them, as far as they are able. They will be no less guilty before the throne of God than if they had made sport of God's very majesty. We have come upon exactly those times and those people — for have we not seen, where the gospel had been preached, where superstitions had been removed, where temples had been cleansed of all corruptions, idolatry being recalled and restored in most places, so that those wicked men seemed to themselves to triumph over the living God? It is therefore certain that all who fell into those confusions were guilty before God of contempt for the divine. For God cannot be known otherwise than in Christ Jesus and in the preaching of the gospel. But from where, I ask, did that confusion flow, if not from human malice? Furthermore, since we are assured from God's Word that those who wickedly abuse the gospel and deny God by their actions are guilty before the Lord — as if they themselves were leading God captive and wounding His name with blasphemous words — we must take the greatest care not to join with them. Rather, we must make every effort to condemn and detest such things, and live in fear and watchfulness, knowing that God will one day punish us with just penalties no less than He punished the Israelites. Woe to us if we fall into the hands of God as our avenger and judge! Truly it would be better for the world to perish a thousand times over than for the name of God to come into contempt through our fault at the hands of His sworn enemies — for if that were to happen, it would be as if God were conquered by them. Taught by this example, let us be wise, kept in fear and watchfulness, and draw two lessons from it. First, let us take the greatest care never to reject the grace of God given to us. Second, let us be firmly persuaded that, relying on God's grace, even if the whole world conspires against us, we will never be forsaken — we will have sufficient help and defense in God against all attacks, so that whatever misfortunes befall us, we may stand undaunted. On the other hand, let us know that we will miserably perish if we have abused God's gifts and graces — if through our ingratitude they lie buried within us, and if through our fault we have given wicked and corrupt people occasion to mock God's name and despise His majesty. The words of the prophet in the Psalms must also be carefully noted, where it is said that God rejected His tabernacle at Shiloh — the tabernacle where He had dwelt among people. By this we are taught that when God departs from people, nothing is taken from Him. For Shiloh was not a tabernacle in which God dwelt as in some house, but in which He made His presence known to the people. He had chosen this people as His own possession and poured out testimonies of His kindness throughout their whole land — so that as long as the people kept to their duty, they found Him kind and favorable. For this reason God is said to have had His tabernacle among them. But let us know that God also dwells among us in a special way when the gospel is purely preached and the sacraments are faithfully administered according to the Lord's institution. Yet let us not imagine for ourselves a dwelling place to which His power is forever bound. For God never ties Himself to any people so firmly that He cannot depart when He sees fit — when He perceives that the glory of His name is falling into contempt among them. So then, let us think seriously about these things, and setting aside all pride and arrogance, thinking humbly of ourselves, let us walk before Him in such a way that we make it evident to all that God dwells among us. Let us be firmly persuaded that if He has chosen to dwell among us, we will never be forsaken by Him — even if heaven were mixed with earth — but will find Him a gracious Father and experience Him as our Savior against all adversity. Being content with these assurances, let us rest in peace — so that whatever signs of God's goodness He shows us, we may be certain of His presence and that they will never be taken away. Though we be despised, though we be torn with every kind of insult and mockery, though we be regarded as the refuse and dregs of this age, though the world insults us and resists with all its might — if we have embraced the gospel with true faith, if we use the sacraments rightly, if we have humbly called on God's name in faith and truth, if we have truly and from the heart declared ourselves to be God's people and shown it in our lives, let us never lose heart. Though we seem exposed to the injuries of all, let us be persuaded that God will be present as our avenger and will continually supply us with new strength. If we have continued on this path, let us not doubt that we will experience God as our helper and Savior, whatever misfortunes may arise; and provided we turn to Him with sincere repentance, we will most readily obtain from Him the forgiveness of all the sins by which we had deserved His wrath.

Now indeed before God, etc.