Sermon 18: 1 Samuel 4:13-22

13. And when he had come, Eli sat upon a seat looking toward the road. For his heart was trembling for the ark of God. And after the man had entered the city, he announced the news, and the whole city wailed. 14. And Eli heard the sound of the outcry and said: What is this noise of tumult? And the man hurried and came and reported to Eli. 15. Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes had grown dim, and he could not see. 16. And the man said to Eli: I am the one who came from the battle, and I am the one who fled from the battle line today. And he said to him: What happened, my son? 17. And the one who brought the news answered: Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there was a great slaughter among the people; moreover your two sons are dead, Hophni and Phinehas, and the ark of God has been captured. 18. And when he mentioned the ark of God, he fell backward from the seat beside the gate, and with his neck broken he died. For the man was old and advanced in years; and he had judged Israel forty years. 19. Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near to giving birth, and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth; for sudden pains came upon her. 20. And at the very moment of her death, those who stood around her said to her: Do not fear, for you have borne a son. But she did not answer them, nor did she pay attention. 21. And she named the boy Ichabod, saying: The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God has been captured. And concerning her father-in-law and her husband she said: 22. The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God has been captured.

We are going to treat the death of the high priest Eli and the death of the wife of Phinehas, which was a double and twofold plague with which the people was struck by God. For Eli was not only the high priest, but, as this narrative teaches, he had governed the people for forty years. Therefore by his death the sanctuary was stripped of its honor and dignity; then also the administration of the commonwealth had collapsed, and from this the utmost desolation seemed to threaten the Israelites. Specifically, a certain man is said here to have fled from the battle to bring this news, and when he had entered the city and recounted what had happened, such stupor was brought upon all that a confused multitude filled the whole city with wailing, until that tumult reached Eli himself. He, at such an unfortunate report, tore his garment and sprinkled his head with dust, which was the custom then obtaining and was a sign of the most serious mourning. Nor was it merely a useless ceremony, for in this way men learned to cast themselves down before the majesty of God and to acknowledge themselves as miserable sinners, when God afflicted them with some plagues. Although those ceremonies that once prevailed are not in use today, yet when we are corrected by God and beaten with plagues, from which we recognize that we have provoked his wrath against us, what remains but that we at least testify by outward mourning to our inward grief — that God himself has, as it were, declared war on us and we have him as our adversary — and confessing our sins, humbly invoke his grace and mercy, and pray to be spared heavier punishments? Specifically, it is also said that Eli was looking toward the road, and sitting there on a seat near the sanctuary, received the news of so great a disaster. Furthermore, when the death of his sons was reported to him, he is said not to have been so greatly moved as not to have borne their death calmly; but at hearing the news about the ark of the covenant being led away into captivity by the enemy, he was so stricken that he suddenly lost heart, fell from his seat, and died with a broken neck. Truly a sad and mournful end for so great a man placed in such high dignity, that is, the high priest and a leading man in the commonwealth. This was by no means accidental, since we heard above that the death of his sons had been predicted to him, and an enormous desolation upon the entire people of Israel. Therefore it is evident that this man fell by this misfortune through the just judgment of God. From this example we learn how grave it is not to forestall the wrath of God, especially if he has warned us beforehand and granted us time to approach him and appease his wrath. For we saw above that Eli had been warned in good time by a prophet sent to him, and indeed by a threat repeated in the name of the Lord through Samuel, though still a youth. And although Eli did not despise God's threats, nor murmur against him, but rather with a submissive and calm spirit submitted himself to God and awaited the plagues that it pleased the Lord to send, he nevertheless did not attend to the Lord's meaning, nor provide for his family, in which through his negligence the evil had grown rather than been corrected. And so we rightly see him now punished by the Lord. If these things happen to the green wood, what do we think will happen to the dry? Therefore let us consider what kind of man Eli was. For he was not a despiser of God, but too indulgent with his children; he did not fulfill his duty in correcting the wickedness of his children, as was fitting. Yet the vengeance of God is dreadful and astonishing. For what do we think will happen to us, who are far worse than Eli, in that we have not only tolerated many crimes through our negligence, but have been complicit in them, indeed even the primary authors? Do we hope to bear these things with impunity? But especially noteworthy is that circumstance: that Eli, anxious about the ark of God, was looking toward the road. For from those words we easily gather, as subsequent experience confirms, that Eli was more concerned about the honor of God than about the safety of his own children. For there is no doubt that, although he was too lenient in correcting them, he nevertheless detested them, and largely gave up that natural paternal affection, because he saw them worthy of coming into everyone's contempt and hatred. And so we see here Eli nearly forgetful of his children, or at least not greatly concerned about them. Yet he ought to have remembered the impending judgment of God, of which he had been specifically warned by the prophet — that both his sons would die on one day. Therefore he ought to have thought about these things, and it is indeed probable that he also feared for his children; but here he seems to have set aside the care of his children, so that his zeal for the glory and worship of God might be more conspicuous. But he had not previously been as zealous as duty demanded. Here therefore we may contemplate as in a mirror how prosperity generally makes us more lax in the worship of God. And conversely, if some sign of God's wrath appears, we are roused from the lethargy that, with God showing no signs of his wrath, had so occupied us that even if everything were turned upside down, we would not be moved; and although we seem utterly blind, with offenses spreading everywhere on all sides, yet we care little about them. But if God appears ready for judgment and seems about to demand an account from us of all those things, then indeed we look about on every side, and thinking about past offenses, we begin to fear every danger. So Eli conducted himself here — which is set before us as an example so that we may be wise in time, and acknowledge from God's patience toward us that he does not wish to deal with us as our sins deserve. And though he tolerates us longer in his gentleness and patience, yet let us so honor and revere his name that we never give him occasion to cast us out or to punish us so severely as if he were going to cast us from his house and church.

Finally, although Eli is late in being anxious about the glory of God, yet this care and concern for the ark of the covenant is praiseworthy, praiseworthy the calmness of spirit with which he receives his punishment, even though he ought to have done this earlier and should not have allowed the sanctuary to be polluted and profaned so long through his negligence. For it was not the time to think about himself when, after the threat, God was coming in judgment. Meanwhile we may observe how great was his concern and care for the ark of the Lord, whose safety he preferred far above the death of his sons. This he attested by the fact itself, since at the news of the death of his sons he is not at all moved, but with a strong and patient spirit swallows the private calamity; yet when he hears mention of the capture of the ark, he collapses from dread, fearing indeed the severity of divine judgments that seemed to threaten the whole people, and falling backward from horror, he fell and died. From these words it is evident that Eli, even in death itself, retained that zeal and that affection of which the prophet glories in the Psalms: The zeal of your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen upon me. In this matter the singular benevolence of God toward him is apparent, in that even at the point of death he retained love for God, although by having too long dissimulated the crimes of his children, he seemed worthy of being utterly blinded by God and deprived of all rational sense. But thus the Lord is accustomed even when his own are wandering far and gone astray through the wilderness of this world, some laboring under this fault, others under that, to call them back to the better way and to receive them into his fold — those who seemed to be altogether alienated from him. Finally we see that Eli was inflamed with a vehement zeal for promoting the glory of God, even though he had not previously done his duty in promoting it as he ought. For when from the capture of the ark he saw that the name of God would come into the contempt of profane and impious enemies, and perceived it exposed to their insults and reproaches, he shuddered completely and considered death better for himself than life. Such was formerly the zeal of the faithful toward the church; for those words in the Psalms are well known: Let my tongue cleave to my palate, if I do not remember you, if I forget you, O Jerusalem. Since therefore, from hearing the news of the captured ark, he conceived such great grief, thinking that the worship of God among men would henceforth come into contempt, surely it is not to be doubted that his greatest joy was that the sanctuary should preserve its honor and dignity. These things are worthy of special attention, so that we may imitate the example set before us in Eli, whom we see was not indeed previously endowed with as great a zeal as he ought to have been in promoting the worship of God — indeed he was very lax and negligent in restraining his flagitious children — yet he preferred the ark of God to his own children. In this regard let us imitate the example set before us: namely, that if some calamity befalls us and God himself afflicts us, we should indeed be affected with the grief that is fitting, but in such a way that if the name of God seems to be wounded and torn by the blasphemous words of the impious, or if we perceive his worship being corrupted and defiled, we should grieve from the heart, and place the glory and majesty of God above our own private interests, and know the loss of it to be so great that we can suffer none greater. But how far we are from imitating this example; how poorly prepared we still are to follow the examples of the faithful — indeed of our Lord himself, the head of all the faithful, to whom that passage from the Psalms properly applies: The zeal of your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach you have fallen upon me. Paul also teaches us that this doctrine should be familiar and common to the whole church. Surely we are a long way from this mark of the faithful and children of God — that we should prefer to take upon ourselves any insults and every kind of reproach rather than suffer the name of God to be wounded by the blasphemous words of the impious or profaned. Each person thinks about himself and cares little or nothing about the glory of God; and if someone has suffered some loss, he greatly bewails it. If parents have lost a child, if a husband his wife, if a wife her husband, if a kinsman his kinsman and a friend his friend, or if someone has suffered some calamity, you hear great outcries from this side and that, great wailing everywhere. But if wicked and criminal men tear God with blasphemous words, if they rush headlong into wickedness with loosened reins, if persecution is threatened against the faithful, if the church is torn by the insults of the wicked, if crimes are rampant everywhere, if finally flagitious men rise up against the worship of God and seem to want to turn it upside down, who is moved? Who cares about such things? Meanwhile, however, we glory most of all in the title of Christians; indeed we want to be considered pillars of the catholic faith. But surely, although we may obtain some glory before men, we are not approved by God, nor are we reckoned among his children — unless we put on another mind: namely, that we burn with zeal for his majesty, and be affected with the desire of promoting his glory. And furthermore, if we have seen his worship come into the contempt of men, if everything turned upside down, and great confusion everywhere, let us not bear it lightly, but mourning from the very depths of our hearts, let us attest our genuine grief, even by the choice of death itself, if the matter demands it.

And so much for these matters. What is said about the manner of death is such as might rightly bring horror to those who read it, as though Eli had been completely rejected by the Lord and made reprobate. But on the contrary, let this be taken as a certain testimony of divine benevolence toward him — that God held him in the number of the elect — since such great concern for the glory of God and the ark of the covenant, with which we see Eli burning, could only have come from God. Therefore it is pleasing to the Lord, even while he corrects, to spare. For often you may see the mercy of God so joined with his wrath that even while punishing, he still gives some sign from which we may recognize that he does not deal with us by the strictest justice, but rather deigns to have mercy and act gently. Therefore although God seems to have given testimonies of his judgment in the death of Eli, especially if you consider the manner of death, yet if on the other hand you consider that Eli was already burdened with years — about a hundred years old — and therefore very infirm and weakened in strength, would it not have been the case that if a longer life after the death of his children had befallen him, and he had witnessed the subsequent desolation of the church, his griefs, pains, torment, and anguish would have been increased and multiplied? Therefore when he was taken away by sudden death, there is no doubt that this befell him from the favor and benevolence of God, so that he experienced an easier death. Finally, God always finds room for his paternal goodness, and all things work together for good for those who love God. For this reason Paul also, having laid this foundation, concludes that all things work together for good for the faithful — even death turns to the good of the faithful. Although it often happens that God deals with us more severely, as if we were alienated from him, and as if he were our enemy, whom he seems to wish to pursue to the end, yet the outcome of his chastisements is nothing other than the joy and salvation of the faithful, even of those extinguished by the most cruel death. Furthermore, there is no doubt that God determined to punish the entire people by the death of Eli, with a general desolation brought upon and derived to them. Therefore the capture of the ark did not satisfy the divine judgment, nor the thirty thousand men slain in battle, nor the flight and scattering of the rest; but the head of the people also had to be removed, and what Zechariah says had to be fulfilled in the people: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. And there is no greater sign of the divine curse than when, with political governance and administration removed, the greatest confusion of affairs is introduced. Truly neither plague itself nor famine is so destructive as the overthrow of public administration. For just as it is necessary for wretched sheep to wander aimlessly and for everything to be done confusedly and without order, so when Eli fell backward and ended his life with a broken neck, it is certain that God exacted punishment from the entire people. And therefore we see the church also lamenting in the Psalms the slaughter and desolation of the church, which was greatly increased by the death of the priests, because they could not even mourn the dead. Why is that? For does not a wife mourn a dead husband, a husband a dead wife? Do not kinsmen follow kinsmen to the grave with tears, neighbors their neighbors? How much greater then ought the mourning and grief of the Israelites to have been, not when one or two fell, but when so many thousands were slain and swept away by a single destruction as by a sudden storm — the calamity was even more bitter and severe because they could not mourn the dead and the heaps of unburied citizens.

And so much for the death of Eli. There follows next another narrative about the wife of Phinehas, the other son of Eli. When she was near to giving birth, the news brought to her of the Israelite slaughter and the death of her husband caused such stupor that, from the magnitude of her grief, she suddenly bent over, gave birth to her child, and died in the very act of childbirth. When the bystanders tried to console her and congratulate her on the birth of a son, she refused to accept consolation and paid no attention, but gave her son the name Ichabod, as a perpetual memorial of that remarkable disaster that had befallen the people. For among the Hebrews, 'kabod' signifies glory, and the preceding particle means either 'where' or 'not' — with the same sense, namely: 'Where is the glory?' or 'No glory' — as if she were saying the boy was born where there was no glory, because the people, having been affected by so great a disaster, was inglorious. Moreover, the same zeal should be observed in this woman as in Eli. For to the public calamity was added the death of her husband and of her father-in-law. But what kind of men! For the latter was the high priest, the ruler and governor of the people; the former was a priest, and to him the dignity of the high priesthood was due by succession. Therefore, left a widow by the death of her husband and bereaved by the death of her father-in-law, how great a cause for mourning she had, especially since with her father-in-law and husband all the glory of the family had collapsed, and the comfort she expected either from her husband or from her father-in-law had been taken away! Could she not have broken out into these or similar words: Wretched me, afflicted me, desolated by the death of my husband and the loss of my father-in-law — what will become of wretched, widowed me? — as women are weaker and more subject to their emotions. Surely great causes of grief and most serious mourning seemed offered to her, so that she might rightly have wailed and lamented and bewailed her condition. But yet all these things are light to her, and she overcomes all those temptations most easily, and places the glory and honor of God above all other things. For although she considers life bitter on account of the death of her husband and father-in-law, yet those things are light compared to the grief conceived from the ark. For she is said to have groaned specifically on account of the captured ark; from which it appears that she raised her mind all the way up to God — which becomes even clearer from the words of the dying woman, when she says, omitting any mention of her husband or father-in-law, that the glory of God has been transferred because the ark of God was captured — as if, with the ark of God captured, no glory remained in Israel. From this we should call to mind what we also learned above, but must learn much more from the example of this woman: how zealous we ought to be for the divine glory. For if a woman, so poorly married — to a flagitious man, a man of abandoned wickedness, a plunderer, a sacrilegious man, who had turned the house of God into a den of robbers — who could finally have been led astray by the worst examples of her husband, yet was held by such great zeal for the divine glory — then what excuse, I ask, shall we bring before the majesty of God if his name is trampled underfoot, as it were, and we bear that injury lightly? And so the example of this woman is set before us for imitation; and if we are more sluggish in this, let us know that the most severe penalties threaten us. Therefore come, if ever we hear the majesty of God torn by insults from unbelievers and his worship corrupted by the impious, let us grieve and groan. Then if some corruption has crept into the church, let us be affected with the sadness that befits Christians, and let us openly attest that sincere and pure religion is more precious than anything, since there is nothing in the whole world so greatly to be desired, inasmuch as all things are fleeting and mere enticements by which we are more and more ensnared and blinded. For being devoted to these earthly and fleeting things, we think little about divine matters. And so we must make every effort to think seriously about these things and to make use of the example set before us, so that we may seek with our whole heart what is best and chief in human life.

And so far, provided we have observed here the circumstance of timing: that this woman, though in the greatest pains — for how great are the pains of childbirth, especially when premature, is well known — yet not only does not cast aside the memory of the divine worship, but professes herself most zealous for it. Who indeed would not admire this woman's constancy? For if she had uttered those words after long premeditation, we would rightly judge her worthy of singular praise. How much more then, when in the greatest pains and in the very jaws of death, she deplores nothing but the ark of God, the glory of God? That the most wretched condition of the church alone is before her eyes, even as she forgets her children? A woman, I confess, when she gives birth has pain, because her hour has come; but after she has borne her child, she no longer remembers the affliction, because of the joy that a human being has been born into the world — for she rejoices at the infant's cry. But this woman conquered nature itself. For when she heard the news of a boy brought into the light, to whom the pontifical dignity was due by right of nature, she was not affected by it. The ark of God alone occupied her mind, it alone was before her eyes, so that no human thing could bring her joy. Since therefore this woman was so greatly moved by zeal for the glory of God, what do we think our duty ought to be in this matter? Surely we must think seriously about ourselves, and know that the profane who tear the name of God with blasphemous words and despisers of religion will not bear so great a crime with impunity, but will one day be made to stand before the throne of God and be visited with the punishments they deserve. And not only in adversity ought we to burn with this zeal for the glory of God, but especially in prosperity. For even if all things go according to our wish, and God shows himself easy and propitious to us in all things, and each person at home enjoys certain and good fortunes, and neither poverty, nor sickness, nor any calamity, nothing adverse at all presses upon us, yet let us know that the glory of God must be placed above all things, and that it ought to be the beginning of our joy, as the prophet says in the Psalms — so that we may attest that we, even though God bestows all things abundantly, are nevertheless pressed by certain stings of conscience by which all joy is taken away, unless the name of God is glorified and his church flourishes, so that we may rejoice from that. You see therefore how that circumstance should not have been passed over lightly, from which we learned that this woman did not turn her mind to what was being reported to her about the boy that was born. Why? Because her mind, preoccupied with thought and sadness about the glory of God and pure religion being despised by the impious, admitted nothing else that was human. Moreover, she is said to have twice repeated those words: The glory of God has departed from Israel, and to have given her son the name Ichabod, that is, 'No glory.' This is surely to be noted. For in this naming we see that this woman did not spare her own flesh and blood, but as it were branded a certain mark upon him, so that from the name the people in the future might recall to memory the disgrace stamped upon them, and from it be instructed. For that word Ichabod, that is, 'No glory,' contains in itself a certain disgrace and infamy. And yet by a mother, whose affections are more tender — for mothers' feelings toward their children tend to be more inclined and tender than fathers' — that name was imposed, and indeed one connected with a certain mark of infamy, so that those who heard that name might recall to memory the supreme calamity and infamy with which the Israelites had been afflicted around the time of his birth. Therefore if such fortitude and magnanimity in a woman is remarkable, what excuse shall we finally bring, who have greater care for earthly affairs and private business than for the honor and glory of God, which yet, following the example of this holy woman, we ought to place above all things, even the most precious? These things must be carefully weighed by us, so that if we have hitherto been more sluggish in doing our duty, we may be covered with shame and cast down more and more before the mighty hand of God, and burn with greater zeal for promoting his glory. For those who are so disposed toward their own flesh and blood — their children, kinsmen, in-laws, close relations — that they would rather have the name of God come into contempt than have some mark of ignominy branded upon them, plainly attest that they are touched by neither the fear nor the love of God. And yet how common, I ask, is this fault? For who does not see that if the name of God has been insulted and many offenses have crept in from those who are joined to us by no kinship, we indeed burn with great zeal and with the greatest ardor demand penalties from them, because we do not allow the glory of God to be so despised? But if some kinship has intervened, or if from some other cause there is a recommendation, do we not become advocates and patrons of the crime, so that we seem to have conspired against God himself — with many running about here and there, buttonholing this one and that, whispering something in this person's ear? In short, we are such that often those who most want to seem Christians do not cease to resist God, because they want to defend those joined to them by blood or some tie of kinship. And these are the morals of today, these are the times. Therefore let this come to mind: if we wish to pass judgment against men of this sort, the deed of this holy woman, who did not spare her son but branded a mark on him and placed him as it were on a stage for all to behold, so that from it the people might learn what it is to sin against God and to make sport of his glory.

Next follow those words that the glory of God had departed from Israel because the ark of God had been captured. But how had the glory of God departed when the ark was captured? As men are simple and weak, God willed this ark of the covenant to be among the people as his living image, so that by this means the people might acknowledge that there is one God, of whose presence they would thus be made more certain, and therefore access to whom would not be difficult, but familiar and easy. And yet, I confess, hypocrites had turned this into superstition, as was said before, and clung too much to the external sign, as men are more inclined to their own inventions. Nevertheless, not without reason did this woman say that with the ark of God captured, the glory had departed from Israel. For in Psalm 24 that ark is called the God of glory, because God represented his benevolence by this sign, as if he covered his people with his wings and shadows. And the wife of Phinehas looked to this: for because she perceived that the majesty of God was conspicuous in this people by that sign of the ark of the covenant, she said the glory of God had departed from Israel. And indeed, as we showed above, God willed to punish the people in this way, and by this sign it would be openly recognized that the supreme curse was pressing upon them, when he permitted the ark, the testimony of his presence, to come into the power of the enemy. And therefore the prophet in Psalm 78 said, as we explained above, that God delivered his strength into captivity and his glory into the hand of the enemy. And so there is no doubt that this woman turned her mind to the institution of this ark and recognized the true use of the ark of the covenant; and therefore, dying, she said there was no longer any glory in Israel. These words are indeed worthy of observation, by which she indicated that even if all things were going well and the worship of God were not exposed to the insults and reproaches of enemies and the people had not been struck by such a great disaster, yet there would be no glory in Israel. Why so? Because God was not in Israel, having departed from the people in indignation. Rightly therefore I called it a word worthy of observation. [reconstructed: For, I ask, by what things are men most accustomed to be puffed up and to boast?] Some by rank and grandeur, so that if they have ascended to some place and seat of dignity and honor, they become so insolent, intoxicated with praise, that they breathe nothing but glory and admire themselves like peacocks displaying their tails. Others are so burning with avarice that they imagine paradise to be an abundance of goods and fortunes, and so they are carried away by inflamed desire for riches and boast most greatly of the ample revenues of their estates; they slaughter the wretched with heavy usury and always delight in ready money. In short, each person boasts of his own desire and rejoices most if he can be master of his own mind. Meanwhile, we have little or no care for God, and therefore our condemnation will be the greater. For those words which the holy woman uttered as she was dying ought to be for us like a testament, by which we may be instructed in what our duty is — a testament whose authority will always endure, however much we may profane it. Let us therefore hear this witness speaking and exhorting us, and let us imitate her. For she wished to admonish each person concerning the glory of God, the zeal for which she placed above all private and most dear things.

Let us acknowledge that without a benevolent and propitious God we are by far the most wretched of all, and that whatever desired goods we have obtained are to be turned into confusion and ruin. Therefore, if we wish to enjoy happy and prosperous circumstances, let us above all have God as our Father. For if we have attained this and are firmly persuaded of his benevolence toward us, then let us know for certain that an ample ground for boasting has been set before us. But on the contrary, woe to us — woe, I say, to us and to our boasting — even if we obtain all our wishes, because these things have been heaped up for our ruin and destruction rather than our benefit. Thus the prophet, teaching how we ought to boast in God, casts down all mortal glory, by which people are usually deceived and misled. For usually the rich man boasts in his riches, the strong man in his strength and might, the wise man in his wisdom. But the prophet says: Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor let the mighty man glory in his might, nor let the rich man glory in his riches. Indeed I confess that in all these things a great ground for joy is offered to men — namely because these are testimonies of divine benevolence and favor, and by these steps we ought to come to love of him. But the prophet was looking at the vice from which nearly all suffer: that men glory in the goods received from God while neglecting their Author and not recognizing the purpose for which God bestowed them. For so far is the man who abounds in riches from learning to rise from them to God their Author, that on the contrary he seizes from them an occasion for rejecting God; and the riches from which he ought to have recognized God's liberality and beneficence toward him instead give him the boldness to be insolently exalted against God himself. Therefore we must be stripped of all our own glory if we wish to glory in God and his power.

And so from all these things, to sum up the whole matter briefly, let us learn that we — though empty of wealth and titles of rank, and destitute of all things that most people seek — nevertheless have a sufficiently ample ground for boasting, if we can glory in God's fatherly favor and benevolence toward us. For this alone is the sure foundation of glory. This one good is to be placed far above all other faculties or human speculations. But on the contrary, even if all things prosper for us, let us know that we cannot glory unless we have access to God, and can invoke him and place our trust in him alone. For it will happen that, for those separated and cut off from him, whatever gifts however excellent, and all splendor and glory, will be turned into ruin and destruction. Let us hear our Lord Jesus Christ as a most weighty and authoritative witness, speaking thus: Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall weep and mourn. Let the same judgment apply to all other human affairs, to pleasures and delights, to which men direct their minds: from which it is certain that greater confusion and condemnation will daily flow upon them, unless they carefully attend to this — that all their laughter and delight should be in the Lord, and that they should rest in his grace, from which alone they ought to expect and hope for salvation; and that they should take the utmost care never to withdraw far from God, since when he withdraws it is certain that whatever seems good will be turned into evil, and the more gifts they have received from God, the greater will be their condemnation and ruin. Let this then be the meaning and the benefit of these words: Since the ark of God has been captured, the glory of God has departed from Israel — by which we are warned that, the lamp of God's favor having been extinguished among them, only confusion and curse remain, until what men lost by their own fault they recover by being reconciled to God.

Now then, come, etc.

13. When the messenger arrived, Eli was sitting on his seat by the road, watching — for his heart trembled for the ark of God. When the man entered the city and announced the news, the whole city wailed. 14. Eli heard the sound of the outcry and said: What is this noise of commotion? The man came quickly and reported to Eli. 15. Now Eli was ninety-eight years old, and his eyes had grown dim so that he could not see. 16. The man said to Eli: I am the one who came from the battle — I fled from the battle line today. Eli asked him: What happened, my son? 17. The messenger answered: Israel has fled before the Philistines, and there was a great slaughter among the people; your two sons are also dead — Hophni and Phinehas — and the ark of God has been captured. 18. When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward off his seat by the gate, and with his neck broken he died. The man was old and advanced in years, and he had judged Israel forty years. 19. Now his daughter-in-law, the wife of Phinehas, was pregnant and near to giving birth. When she heard the news that the ark of God had been captured and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she went into labor, for sudden birth pains came upon her. 20. At the very moment of her death, those standing around her said: Do not fear, for you have given birth to a son. But she did not answer or pay attention. 21. She named the boy Ichabod, saying: The glory has departed from Israel — because the ark of God has been captured. And concerning her father-in-law and her husband she said: 22. The glory has departed from Israel, because the ark of God has been captured.

We are now going to consider the death of the high priest Eli and the death of the wife of Phinehas — a double blow with which God struck the people. Eli was not only the high priest but, as this narrative tells us, had governed the people for forty years. His death stripped the sanctuary of its honor and dignity; it also brought down the administration of the commonwealth, and from this it seemed that the worst possible desolation threatened the Israelites. A man who had fled from the battle came to bring the news. When he entered the city and recounted what had happened, such shock fell upon everyone that a confused crowd filled the whole city with wailing, until the uproar reached Eli himself. At hearing such dreadful news, he tore his garment and sprinkled his head with dust — a custom of that time and a sign of the deepest mourning. Nor was it merely an empty ceremony — in this way people learned to cast themselves down before the majesty of God and to acknowledge themselves as miserable sinners when He struck them with plagues. Although such ceremonies are no longer in use today, when God corrects and disciplines us with afflictions — through which we recognize that we have provoked His wrath — what remains but that we at least testify by outward mourning to our inward grief? We should acknowledge that God has, as it were, declared war on us and that we have Him as our adversary, and confessing our sins, humbly call upon His grace and mercy, and pray to be spared heavier punishment. It is also noted that Eli was looking toward the road, sitting by the sanctuary, when he received news of the disaster. When the death of his sons was reported to him, he did not appear to be shattered — he seemed to bear their deaths with some composure. But when he heard that the ark of the covenant had been carried away as a captive by the enemy, he was so stricken that he suddenly lost heart, fell from his seat, and died with a broken neck. Truly a sad and sorrowful end for so great a man of such high rank — the high priest and a leading figure in the commonwealth. This was by no means accidental, since we heard above that the death of his sons had been predicted to him, along with a dreadful desolation upon the entire people of Israel. It is therefore clear that this man fell through this disaster by God's just judgment. From this example we learn how serious it is not to forestall the wrath of God — especially if He has warned us beforehand and given us time to come to Him and seek to appease His wrath. We saw above that Eli had been warned in good time by a prophet sent to him, and indeed by a threat repeated in the Lord's name through Samuel when he was still a youth. Although Eli did not despise God's threats or murmur against Him — but rather with a submissive and calm spirit submitted himself to God and waited for whatever plagues the Lord saw fit to send — he nonetheless failed to attend to the Lord's purpose, or to bring order to his own household, where through his negligence the evil had grown rather than been corrected. So we rightly see him now punished by the Lord. If these things happen to the green wood, what do we think will happen to the dry? Let us consider what kind of man Eli was. He was not a despiser of God, but was too indulgent with his children; he did not fulfill his duty of correcting their wickedness as he should have. Yet God's judgment was dreadful and astonishing. What then do we think will happen to us, who are far worse than Eli — who have not only tolerated many crimes through negligence, but have been complicit in them, perhaps even their primary authors? Do we hope to escape unpunished? Especially noteworthy is this detail: Eli, anxious for the ark of God, was watching the road. From these words we can easily gather — as subsequent events confirm — that Eli was more concerned for the honor of God than for the safety of his own children. Though he had been too lenient in correcting them, he nonetheless held them in contempt, having largely set aside the natural affection of a father, because he could see they were worthy of everyone's scorn and hatred. So we see Eli here nearly forgetting his children, or at least not greatly troubled about them. He should have remembered the coming judgment of God, of which the prophet had specifically warned him — that both his sons would die on the same day. He should have been thinking about these things; it is probable that he also feared for his children. But here he appears to have set aside that concern, so that his zeal for the glory and worship of God might be more visible. In earlier times, however, he had not been as zealous as duty required. Here we may see as in a mirror how prosperity generally makes us more lax in the worship of God. And conversely, when some sign of God's wrath appears, we are roused from the lethargy that — while God showed no signs of anger — had so taken hold of us that even with everything turned upside down, we would not have been moved. Although we seem utterly blind, with offenses spreading on every side, we care little about them. But when God appears ready for judgment and seems about to call us to account, we look about on every side, thinking over past offenses, and begin to fear every danger. This is how Eli conducted himself — and it is set before us as an example so that we may be wise in time, and acknowledge from God's patience toward us that He does not wish to deal with us as our sins deserve. And though in His gentleness and patience He bears with us longer, let us so honor and revere His name that we never give Him occasion to cast us out or to punish us so severely as if He were expelling us from His house and church.

Even though Eli came late to his anxiety for God's glory, his concern and care for the ark of the covenant are still praiseworthy — as is the calm spirit with which he received his punishment. He should have shown this concern earlier and should not have allowed the sanctuary to be polluted so long through his negligence. But it was not the time to think about himself when, after the warning, God was coming in judgment. Meanwhile we may observe how deep was his concern for the ark of the Lord — a concern he placed far above the death of his own sons. He showed this by his very actions: at the news of his sons' deaths he was not shaken at all, but with a strong and patient spirit bore the private calamity; yet when he heard mention of the ark's capture, he collapsed with dread — fearing the severity of God's judgment that seemed to threaten the whole people — and falling backward in horror, he fell and died. From these words it is evident that Eli, even in death, retained the zeal and love that the prophet celebrates in the Psalms: The zeal of Your house has consumed me, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on me. Here the singular kindness of God toward him is visible — that even at the point of death he still held love for God, though by tolerating his children's crimes for so long, he seemed to deserve being utterly blinded and deprived of all good sense. But this is how the Lord customarily deals with His own when they have wandered far astray through this world's wilderness — one laboring under one fault, another under another — calling them back to a better path and receiving them into His fold, even those who seemed altogether alienated from Him. We see finally that Eli was aflame with a deep zeal for promoting God's glory, even though he had previously failed to promote it as he should have. When the capture of the ark showed him that the name of God would fall into contempt among profane and godless enemies, and he saw it exposed to their insults and mockery, he shuddered completely and considered death better for himself than life. Such was the zeal of the faithful in former times toward the church — for those words in the Psalms are well known: Let my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth if I do not remember you, if I forget you, O Jerusalem. Since hearing of the captured ark filled him with such grief — thinking that the worship of God among people would now fall into contempt — it cannot be doubted that his greatest joy had been for the sanctuary to preserve its honor and dignity. These things deserve special attention, so that we may follow the example set before us in Eli. We see that Eli was not previously as zealous as he should have been in promoting the worship of God — he was very lax and negligent in restraining his wicked children — yet he placed the ark of God above his own children. Let us imitate this example: that if some calamity befalls us and God Himself afflicts us, we should feel the grief that is appropriate — but in such a way that if God's name seems wounded and torn by the blasphemous words of the godless, or if we see His worship being corrupted and defiled, we grieve from the very heart. We must place God's glory and majesty above our own personal concerns and understand that the loss of it is greater than any other loss we could suffer. But how far we are from imitating this example; how poorly prepared we are to follow the models of the faithful — indeed of our Lord Himself, the head of all the faithful, to whom that passage in the Psalms properly belongs: The zeal of Your house has consumed Me, and the reproaches of those who reproach You have fallen on Me. Paul also teaches us that this doctrine should be familiar and common to the whole church. We are surely a long way from this mark of the faithful and children of God — that we would willingly take upon ourselves any insults and every kind of reproach rather than allow God's name to be wounded by the blasphemous words of the godless or profaned. Each person thinks about himself and cares little or nothing for the glory of God; if he has suffered some personal loss, he bewails it greatly. If parents have lost a child, if a husband has lost his wife or a wife her husband, if a relative has lost a friend, or if someone has suffered some misfortune — you hear loud outcries from every direction, great wailing everywhere. But if wicked men tear God apart with blasphemous words, if they rush into wickedness with all restraint abandoned, if persecution threatens the faithful, if the church is battered by the insults of the wicked, if crimes are rampant everywhere, if lawless men rise up against the worship of God and seem determined to overturn it — who is moved? Who cares about these things? And yet we glory most of all in the title of Christians, and want to be considered pillars of the church. But however much glory we may obtain before people, we are not approved by God or counted among His children — unless we take on a different mind: one that burns with zeal for His majesty and is driven by the desire to promote His glory. And furthermore, if we have seen His worship fall into contempt among people — everything turned upside down and great confusion everywhere — let us not bear it lightly, but mourning from the depths of our hearts, let us testify our genuine grief, even to the point of choosing death itself, if that is what the matter demands.

That is enough on those matters. The description of Eli's death might rightly horrify those who read it, as though he had been completely rejected by the Lord and left among the reprobate. But on the contrary, let it be taken as a certain testimony of God's kindness toward him — that God held him among the elect — since such deep concern for the glory of God and the ark of the covenant, with which we see Eli burning, could only have come from God. It is pleasing to the Lord, even in His correcting, to spare. Often you may see God's mercy so joined with His wrath that even while punishing, He gives some sign by which we can recognize that He is not dealing with us by the strictest justice, but rather chooses to show mercy and act gently. Therefore, although God seems to have given tokens of His judgment in the manner of Eli's death, consider on the other hand that Eli was already burdened with years — nearly a hundred years old — and therefore very weak and frail. Would it not have been the case that if a longer life had followed the death of his children, and he had witnessed the subsequent devastation of the church, his grief, pain, and anguish would only have increased and multiplied? When he was taken away by sudden death, there is no doubt that this came from God's favor and kindness — so that he experienced an easier death. God always finds room for His fatherly goodness, and all things work together for good for those who love God. This is the very foundation on which Paul concludes that all things work together for good for the faithful — even death turns to their benefit. Although God often deals with us more severely, as if He were alienated from us and wishing to pursue us to the end, yet the outcome of His discipline is nothing other than the joy and salvation of the faithful — even of those brought to death by the most cruel means. Furthermore, there is no doubt that God intended to punish the entire people through Eli's death, bringing a general desolation upon them. The capture of the ark was not enough to satisfy God's judgment, nor the thirty thousand slain in battle, nor the flight and scattering of the rest — the leader of the people also had to be removed. What Zechariah says had to be fulfilled in the people: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered. There is no greater sign of God's curse than when political governance and order are removed and the greatest confusion takes over. Neither plague nor famine is as destructive as the collapse of public administration. Just as a flock of sheep without a shepherd inevitably wanders in confusion, so when Eli fell backward and died with a broken neck, God was clearly exacting punishment from the entire people. We therefore also see the church lamenting in the Psalms the slaughter and desolation of the church — which was made all the worse by the death of the priests, because the people could not even mourn the dead. Why? Does not a wife mourn a dead husband, a husband a dead wife? Do not relatives accompany relatives to the grave with tears, neighbors their neighbors? How much greater then ought the mourning of the Israelites to have been — not when one or two had fallen, but when so many thousands were slain and swept away in a single disaster like a sudden storm — and the calamity was made even more bitter because they could not mourn the dead or bury the heaps of fallen citizens.

That is enough on Eli's death. Next follows a narrative about the wife of Phinehas, Eli's other son. She was near to giving birth when the news arrived about the Israelite slaughter and her husband's death. The shock was so great that, overwhelmed by grief, she suddenly went into labor, gave birth to her child, and died in the act of childbirth. When those standing around tried to console her and congratulate her on the birth of a son, she refused all consolation and paid no attention — but gave her son the name Ichabod as a lasting memorial of that remarkable disaster that had befallen the people. In Hebrew, 'kabod' means glory, and the preceding particle can mean either 'where' or 'not' — both conveying the same sense: 'Where is the glory?' or 'No glory' — as if she were saying the boy was born into a time of no glory, because the people had been stripped of it by such a great disaster. We should notice in this woman the same zeal we saw in Eli. On top of the public disaster, she suffered the death of both her husband and her father-in-law. And what men they were! Her father-in-law had been the high priest — the ruler and governor of the people; her husband had been a priest, with the right to succeed to the high priesthood. Left widowed by her husband's death and bereaved by her father-in-law's, she had enormous cause for grief — especially since with them had collapsed all the glory of the family, and the comfort she had expected from both was now taken away. Could she not have burst out in words like these: Wretched me, afflicted me, desolated by the death of my husband and the loss of my father-in-law — what will become of me? — as women are more vulnerable and more at the mercy of their emotions. She had every reason to wail, lament, and mourn her condition. Yet all these things were light to her — she overcame all those temptations with ease, and placed the glory and honor of God above everything else. Though she found life bitter because of the deaths of her husband and father-in-law, those griefs were slight compared to the grief she felt over the ark. She is said to have groaned specifically because of the captured ark — which shows that she lifted her mind all the way up to God. This becomes even clearer from her dying words: omitting any mention of her husband or father-in-law, she said that the glory of God had departed because the ark of God was captured — as if with the ark taken, no glory remained in Israel. From this we should recall what we learned above, but must learn far more fully from the example of this woman: how zealous we ought to be for God's glory. For if a woman so poorly married — to a flagitious man, a man of shameless wickedness, a plunderer and a sacrilegious person who had turned the house of God into a den of robbers — could have been led astray by the worst example of her husband, yet was held by such great zeal for God's glory — then what excuse, I ask, shall we offer before God's majesty if His name is trampled underfoot, and we bear that injury lightly? The example of this woman is set before us for imitation; and if we are more sluggish in this, let us know that the most severe penalties await us. Therefore, whenever we hear God's majesty being torn apart by the insults of unbelievers and His worship corrupted by the godless, let us grieve and groan. And if some corruption has crept into the church, let us be moved with the sadness that befits Christians — and let us openly testify that sincere and pure religion is more precious than anything. For there is nothing in all the world so greatly to be desired as this, since all other things are fleeting enticements by which we are increasingly ensnared and blinded. When devoted to earthly and passing things, we give little thought to divine matters. We must therefore make every effort to think seriously about these things and to make use of the example set before us, so that with our whole heart we may pursue what is best and most important in human life.

We should also have observed the circumstances of timing: this woman, though in the greatest pain — for the pains of childbirth are well known, especially when premature — not only did not set aside the memory of divine worship, but declared herself most zealous for it. Who would not admire this woman's constancy? If she had spoken those words after long reflection, we would rightly judge her worthy of extraordinary praise. How much more, then, when in the greatest pain and at the very door of death, she mourns nothing but the ark of God, the glory of God? The wretched condition of the church alone occupied her thoughts, even as she forgot her own child. A woman in childbirth has pain, for her hour has come; but after she has borne her child, she no longer remembers the anguish, because of the joy that a human being has been born into the world — she rejoices at the infant's cry. But this woman overcame nature itself. When she heard the news that a boy had been born — a boy who by natural right would have inherited the high priesthood — she was unmoved. The ark of God alone occupied her mind, it alone was before her eyes, so that nothing human could bring her joy. Since this woman was so powerfully moved by zeal for God's glory, what should we conclude our own duty to be? Surely we must think seriously about ourselves, and know that those who tear God's name with blasphemous words and despise religion will not go unpunished — they will one day stand before God's throne and receive the penalties they deserve. And we ought to burn with this zeal for God's glory not only in adversity, but especially in prosperity. Even when everything goes according to our wishes, when God shows Himself easy and favorable in all things, when each person enjoys security and prosperity at home with no poverty, sickness, or adversity pressing on us — even then let us know that God's glory must be placed above all things. It must be the starting point of our joy, as the prophet says in the Psalms — so that we may testify that even when God bestows all things abundantly, we are still pricked by a kind of inner unease that robs us of all joy, unless God's name is being glorified and His church is flourishing. We see, therefore, why that circumstance should not be passed over lightly — it shows us that this woman did not turn her mind to the news of the boy that had been born. Why? Because her mind, wholly occupied with grief over the glory of God and pure religion being despised by the godless, could admit nothing else of a human nature. She is said to have repeated those words twice: The glory of God has departed from Israel; and she gave her son the name Ichabod — that is, 'No glory.' This is certainly noteworthy. In this naming we see that this woman did not spare her own flesh and blood — she branded a kind of mark upon him, so that from the name the people in the future might recall to memory the disgrace stamped upon them, and learn from it. For the word Ichabod — 'No glory' — carries in itself a mark of shame and dishonor. And yet it was given by a mother, whose feelings are more tender — for mothers' feelings toward their children are generally more warm and tender than fathers' — and it was a name connected with a mark of infamy, so that all who heard it might recall the supreme calamity and shame that had fallen on Israel around the time of his birth. If such courage and greatness of spirit in a woman is remarkable, what excuse shall we finally have — we who care more for earthly matters and personal business than for the honor and glory of God, which, following the example of this holy woman, we ought to place above all things, even the most precious? These things must be carefully taken to heart, so that if we have been too sluggish in doing our duty, we may be covered with shame and humbled all the more before the mighty hand of God, and burn with greater zeal for promoting His glory. Those who are so attached to their own flesh and blood — their children, relatives, in-laws, close connections — that they would rather have God's name come into contempt than have a mark of shame put upon those people, clearly show that they are touched by neither the fear nor the love of God. And how common, I ask, is this fault? For who does not notice that if God's name has been insulted and many offenses committed by strangers, we burn with great zeal and demand penalties with the greatest fervor, because we will not tolerate God's glory being so despised? But when a family connection is involved, or some other personal tie creates a recommendation — do we not become defenders and advocates of the crime, seeming to conspire against God Himself, running here and there, whispering in this person's ear and that? In short, many of those who most want to appear as Christians do not stop resisting God, because they want to protect those bound to them by blood or kinship. These are the morals of today; these are the times. Let the deed of this holy woman come to mind when we want to pass judgment on people of this sort — she did not spare her own son but branded a mark on him and placed him, as it were, on a public stage for all to see, so that from it the people might learn what it means to sin against God and make sport of His glory.

There follow those words: that the glory of God had departed from Israel because the ark of God had been captured. But how had the glory of God departed when the ark was taken? Because people are simple and weak, God willed the ark of the covenant to be among the people as His living image — so that by it the people might acknowledge that there is one God, be made more certain of His presence, and therefore find access to Him not difficult, but familiar and easy. I grant that hypocrites had turned this into superstition, as was said before, clinging too much to the outward sign, as people are more naturally drawn to their own inventions. Nevertheless, this woman was not wrong to say that with the ark of God captured, the glory had departed from Israel. For in Psalm 24 that ark is called the God of glory, because God represented His goodness through this sign, as if covering His people with His wings and shade. The wife of Phinehas understood this — because she recognized that God's majesty was made visible to this people through the sign of the ark of the covenant, she said the glory of God had departed from Israel. And as we showed above, God willed to punish the people in this way — and by this sign it would be openly apparent that the supreme curse was pressing upon them, when He allowed the ark, the testimony of His presence, to fall into the enemy's hands. This is why the prophet in Psalm 78 said, as we explained above, that God delivered His strength into captivity and His glory into the hand of the enemy. There is no doubt that this woman turned her mind to the purpose of the ark and recognized the true meaning of the covenant ark; and therefore, as she lay dying, she said there was no longer any glory in Israel. These words are indeed worth noting — they indicate that even if everything were going well, the worship of God were not exposed to enemies' insults, and the people had not been struck by such a great disaster, there would still be no glory in Israel. Why? Because God was not in Israel, having departed from the people in indignation. Rightly, therefore, I call it a statement worth taking note of. For what are the things by which people are most accustomed to swell with pride and boast? Some boast in rank and greatness — if they have climbed to some position of honor and dignity, they become so arrogant, intoxicated with praise, that they breathe nothing but glory and admire themselves like peacocks spreading their tails. Others are so consumed with greed that they imagine paradise to consist in an abundance of goods and wealth, and so they are swept away by a burning desire for riches and boast most loudly of the income from their estates; they crush the wretched with heavy interest and take constant delight in ready money. In short, each person boasts in his own desires and rejoices most in being master of his own life. Meanwhile, we have little or no concern for God — and our condemnation will therefore be all the greater. For the words this holy woman uttered as she was dying ought to be like a testament to us — one that instructs us in our duty, and whose authority will always endure however much we may disregard it. Let us therefore hear this witness speaking and urging us, and let us imitate her. For she wanted to admonish everyone about the glory of God, a zeal for which she placed above all personal and most precious things.

Let us acknowledge that without a kind and favorable God we are by far the most wretched of all, and that whatever desired goods we have obtained will turn to confusion and ruin. Therefore, if we wish to enjoy true happiness and prosperity, let us above all have God as our Father. If we have attained this and are firmly persuaded of His goodness toward us, then we can know for certain that we have ample reason to boast. But on the contrary — woe to us, I say, and to all our boasting — even if we obtain everything we wish for, because these things have been heaped up for our ruin and destruction rather than our benefit. The prophet, teaching us how we ought to glory in God, casts down all human glory, by which people are usually deceived and led astray. The rich man typically boasts in his riches, the strong man in his strength and power, the wise man in his wisdom. But the prophet says: Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, nor the mighty man in his might, nor the rich man in his riches. I grant that in all these things there is a great ground for joy — for these are testimonies of God's goodness and favor, and through them we ought to come to love for Him. But the prophet was looking at the nearly universal fault: people glory in the gifts they have received from God while neglecting their Giver and failing to recognize the purpose for which God gave them. A man who abounds in wealth, so far from learning to rise from those riches to God their Author, actually seizes from them an occasion for rejecting God — and the riches from which he ought to have recognized God's liberality and kindness toward him instead give him the boldness to exalt himself arrogantly against God. We must therefore be stripped of all our own glory if we wish to glory in God and in His power.

From all these things, to sum up briefly: let us learn that even if we are empty of wealth and titles of honor, and lack everything that most people seek, we still have ample reason to boast — if we can glory in God's fatherly favor and goodness toward us. This alone is the sure foundation of glory. This one good must be placed far above all other human abilities or ambitions. And on the contrary, even if everything prospers for us, let us know that we cannot truly glory unless we have access to God, can call upon Him, and place our trust in Him alone. For those who are separated and cut off from Him will find that all their gifts, however excellent, and all their splendor and glory, will be turned into ruin and destruction. Let us hear our Lord Jesus Christ as a most weighty and authoritative witness when He says: Woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who laugh now, for you shall weep and mourn. Let the same judgment apply to all other human affairs — to pleasures and delights, toward which people direct their hearts — for it is certain that greater confusion and condemnation will flow upon them daily, unless they carefully attend to this: that all their joy and delight should be in the Lord, and that they should rest in His grace, from which alone they ought to expect and hope for salvation. They must take the utmost care never to draw far from God — for when He withdraws, whatever seemed good is certain to turn into evil, and the more gifts they received from God, the greater their condemnation and ruin will be. Let this then be the meaning and the lesson of these words: Since the ark of God has been captured, the glory of God has departed from Israel — by which we are warned that once the light of God's favor is extinguished among a people, only confusion and judgment remain, until what people lost through their own fault is recovered by being reconciled to God.

Now then, come, etc.