Sermon 25: 1 Samuel 7:5-10

5. And Samuel said: Gather all Israel at Mizpah, that I may pray for you to the Lord. 6. And they gathered together at Mizpah, and they drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and they fasted on that day, and they said there: We have sinned against the Lord. And Samuel judged the children of Israel at Mizpah. 7. And the Philistines heard that the children of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, and the lords of the Philistines went up against Israel. When the children of Israel heard this, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8. And they said to Samuel: Do not cease to cry to the Lord our God for us, that he may save us from the hand of the Philistines. 9. And Samuel took one suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord; and Samuel cried to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord heard him. 10. And it came to pass that while Samuel was offering the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to battle against Israel; but the Lord thundered with a great crash on that day upon the Philistines, and terrified them, and they were struck down before the children of Israel.

We saw in the preceding verses the conversion of the Israelites to God, having cast away all their former abominations and superstitions and idol-manias. Next we shall be taught that repentance and conversion must always be joined with prayers. Therefore this must be observed above all: that those who have turned to repentance must testify in deed that evil displeases them, rejecting it, and then with a serious disposition of mind submitting themselves to God and composing themselves in obedience to him. But it is further required that those who have turned should take refuge in prayers for God's mercy. For whatever change may take place in us, we are not yet free from the punishment of sins unless God pardons them. Therefore let this be established as certain: no sinner, however much he accuses himself and acknowledges his crime and puts on a different mind and disposition, can escape the judgment of God without always being held guilty until he obtains grace and peace from the Lord. And therefore it is necessary that to serious conversion and the fruits born from it, prayers also be added, by which we invoke God to have mercy on us and not to impute our offenses to us. This is made clear to us from this narrative. For after Samuel had exhorted the people to cast away from themselves all their idols and images with their foul superstitions, and to apply themselves from the heart to the worship of God and to rely on the truth of his promises, he is then said to have gathered everyone into one place, and there again to have exhorted them to the confession of sins and to tears, so that, cast down before God and groaning over their sins, they might obtain grace and mercy.

Now this place Mizpah was famous among the Israelites on account of the notable victory which the Israelites had won over their enemies in the times of Joshua, so that the place itself was a witness to them of God's presence — not at all as if it were holier than other places, or as if the people therefore drew nearer to God. But such is the weakness of men that, since they cannot approach God by themselves, they are spurred on by certain signs. When therefore God has performed a memorable work somewhere, in which his power is as it were engraved, and in which we can recognize his presence, the memory of that place where we experienced this grace clings so firmly in the mind that it can never slip away, but is always held in the greatest honor. For this reason it is likely that this place Mizpah was chosen by Samuel, so that the people, recalling the divine aid which their ancestors had formerly experienced in that place, might be all the more affected. For in that place the most powerful kings of the whole region had been routed and slain. In short, Samuel seems to have stationed those gathered in this place as if before the Lord, so that they might be more and more aroused, and with serious affection and ardor of mind, having turned to God, might deprecate the punishments for so many sins by which for so many years they had provoked his wrath against themselves.

After they had assembled at Mizpah, they are said to have drawn water and poured it out in the presence of the Lord, and to have confessed their sins, acknowledging that they had made themselves liable to God's judgment. Therefore with the prayers, confession of sins is joined, which is a part of repentance; then an external and visible sign, by which they were reminded of their impurity and of the need to lay aside the filth by which they were further provoking God's judgment upon themselves. Therefore let us observe from this that free access to invoke God will never be given to us unless preceded by a serious confession of our sins. For by this, as by a key, the approach to him is opened for us, and the bars of heaven are unfastened. Those who come to God with haughty and arrogant spirits, considering themselves worthy to be heard by God — as if he were bound by ceremonies and rites by which they have persuaded themselves they have earned his favor — will indeed beseech God with many repeated prayers, but they will pour forth empty words and will rather bring a curse upon themselves. Let this therefore be the perpetual foundation and rule of our prayers: that we confess our sins to God, so that we may obtain grace and mercy from him.

But especially when we are roused by some sting of conscience, or when God himself terrifies us with his threats and his vengeance already hangs over our heads, then he must be entreated with more ardent prayers, and our sins must be condemned more severely by ourselves. Such was the confidence of our fathers in God, who relied not on their own merits but, through the acknowledgment and confession of their sins, leaned upon the goodness of God. Scripture sets before us the notable example of Daniel, who, about to supplicate God for the return of the people to their homeland from that captivity — in which he knew the people had been sent into exile by God, banished from the land of Canaan, on account of the multitude of sins by which they had provoked God's vengeance upon themselves — says that he had confessed both his own and the whole people's sins, and this not with just a word or two, but with an amplification of both his own and the whole people's sins, in these words: We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly, and we have departed. Confusion of face belongs to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, who have sinned.

Therefore we are taught that those who are guilty of their sins must approach God in such a way that they offer him a sacrifice of humility. For the only way to appease God's wrath is to seek forgiveness. But we cannot obtain it unless we acknowledge and confess the sins of which we are guilty. Hypocrites indeed implore grace and mercy, but meanwhile they do not remember their sins, which they want to be wiped out by perpetual oblivion. But whoever desires to obtain grace and mercy from God must necessarily make this beginning: to recognize and confess himself a wretched sinner, and indeed worthy of a thousand deaths if God should deal with him by strict justice; and therefore that no other way remains to avoid eternal damnation than for God, being appeased, not to impute to us the sins that we have committed against his majesty — having confessed his sins before God and sought pardon.

As for that external sign — namely the water which they are said to have drawn and poured out before God — a more subtle interpretation is not to be sought, as some wish, namely that they had drawn water from their heart and poured it out abundantly from their eyes. For that is a frivolous interpretation, no less than that other one — that they wished to signify by the water their fragility, because they were struck with fear, since people are stupefied when God pursues them more severely. The simplest interpretation, therefore, is this: that they did it according to the common custom of that time. For we know that ablutions were prescribed by God in the law. Therefore they were sprinkled with water for purification from sins, confessing by this sign that they were polluted and full of abominations before God, and openly professing that they sought their cleansing elsewhere. For the corruptible element of water could not wash or cleanse their filth before God; but they testified by this sign that the purging of their filth could not be found in themselves, but must be sought elsewhere. Now we know that our Lord Jesus Christ came in water and blood, as John teaches and says in his first epistle, and thus fulfilled what the figures of the law foreshadowed. Therefore the people, drawing water, followed what was prescribed in the law; by the pouring out of water they professed that they were conscious of their own filth, by which they were polluted by nature, and hoped for cleansing from no other source than from the sheer grace of God through the blood of the Redeemer. For those legal sprinklings were of no less importance than the sacrifices, whose purpose was this: that the people by public confession might acknowledge themselves guilty before God, and then seek the free absolution and remission of sins through the means prescribed by the Lord himself — namely, the promised Redeemer. The papists today imitate these ceremonies, but like apes. For since our Lord Jesus Christ appeared in water and blood, just as the remaining sacrifices of the ancients have been abolished, and the gospel has a different and contrary sacrifice, so let us know that an end has been put to those legal ablutions and purifications as well. For what the papists bring forward in their own defense, to cover their error with some appearance of right — that baptism is as it were renewed by those ablutions and lustrations — is a fictitious invention. For Christ our Lord, who alone is the wisdom of God the Father, instituted a single baptism; but the papists want to have baptisms every single day of their life, morning and evening. From this it is evident that the Lord's institution is turned upside down and corrupted by them.

But it is certain that the ceremony of sprinklings among the ancients was not useless, when they entered the temple. For they were sprinkled with water: first, to be invited to repentance, and by that sign to be reminded of their vices and sins, so that, affected by the sense of these, they might shudder at the punishments they had deserved. Then also, on the other hand, to be nurtured and confirmed in hope of free reception before God and the remission of sins, however polluted with many vices and filth they might appear before him, provided they sought reconciliation not in themselves but in the Redeemer appointed by God. We ought to apply this doctrine so that, although this ceremony of sprinkling with water is no longer in use, we should nevertheless seriously think about our sins, for which we should not cease to groan and lament before the Lord; and then be persuaded of his mercy, provided we know that our purification and the cleansing of our filth is found in Jesus Christ our Lord alone.

It is then said that the Philistines, when they heard that the Israelites had assembled at Mizpah, thought about attacking them. Here we must observe that it very often happens that plans undertaken concerning the worship of God bring many disturbances and troubles, which produce no small temptation that is not so easily overcome. For this reason, what is recounted here must be weighed by us all the more carefully. For if something has been undertaken by us that especially concerns the worship of God, and the end of our plans is good, yet the outcome proves contrary — namely, with enemies provoked and irritated, we are cast into such dangers from which there is no way out — we must nevertheless take the greatest care not to seize from this an occasion for retreating and changing our plan, even though the outcome of our plans turns out contrary. For if someone should object that God indeed promised that he would take special care of his own, and indeed commanded his angels to guard them in all their ways, and yet that hope seems empty and those promises vain — and therefore it is not surprising if someone wavers in such doubtful affairs, even among those who seemed the most constant — against that stumbling block we shall bring the most effective remedy.

And by way of example, let us consider what the Philistines did in this instance. For what provoked the Philistines to arms? What aroused those who had been at rest before? Namely, that assembly of the Israelites at Mizpah. 'But what,' they say, 'could Samuel not have refrained from this assembly? Could he not have foreseen that the enemies would be provoked? Could not the whole people have beseeched God with suppliant prayers without this assembly? Did the Philistines not have good reason to be disturbed, suspecting that plans were being formed against them?' See how many would say that Samuel's plan should be judged by its outcome — that because the enemies of the people were provoked by that assembly, Samuel should be accused of imprudence or rashness. But, as I said before, we must take care not to be disturbed if God exercises us in various ways when we undertake plans that he approves and that are most consistent with his word. If anything adverse happens, let us not regret what we have done, nor ever turn aside from the right path, but acquiesce in God's will. For God tests our obedience — whether it is momentary or joined with a firm purpose of persevering. For we often see hypocrites carried along by some impulse, and if the outcome is favorable, burning thereafter with greater zeal. But if the world resists us, if everything opposes sound plans, if the devil daily stirs up new disturbances, when we are striving to serve God and to worship him according to the prescription of his will, then if we bear all events with a present and resolute mind and do not shrink back from our intended goal, it is the surest sign that the fear and reverence of God has struck the deepest and most vital roots in us, which will never fail. And let this be the use and doctrine which we ought to draw from that plan of the Philistines to invade the Israelites who had assembled at Mizpah. To this must then be added a consideration of the outcome which God gave to all those disturbances, so that we may be more and more confirmed in faith, that we never lose heart — even though the devil rages and continually stirs up new disturbances — but patiently bear whatever befalls us and await divine aid at the opportune time, as we shall see hereafter in the progress of the story.

Furthermore, we easily surmise that the Philistines were so greatly disturbed because it was likely that the people of Israel had gathered there to deliberate about war, and they thought they must be met in time. And these are generally the causes of wars: that someone fears another, and because he is afraid that if the other attacks first while he is unprepared, the damage will be greater, he thinks he must act preemptively. Hence come plans not for repelling but rather for inflicting injury, based not on reason but on suspicion — because the fear of receiving harm from another hastens the plan to act preemptively. But this is not a legitimate cause before God, nor an excuse. Therefore the Philistines will hereafter pay just penalties for their plan and for their rashness and pride. For they started this war on mere suspicion, not considering whether it was just or unjust. By this example we ought to learn that nothing should be undertaken rashly, and that neither suspicions nor any slight opinions should be given place to rouse us to war and to carry out what blind reason has dictated. And although God permits force to be repelled by force, injury should not be avenged before it has been inflicted. For it is not lawful to avenge harm not yet received; but it is lawful for a ruler or prince to repel the force of enemies, yet so that he does not attack them or provoke war without just causes.

Enough about the rashness of the Philistines. Let us in turn also learn that God's servants cannot avoid having the ungodly think ill of them, and overwhelming them with reproaches and insults and slanders — even though they are the most peaceable people, and most zealous for maintaining peace with everyone — and suspecting all sorts of sinister things about them. But what can you do about this? This doctrine must surely be pondered. For it cannot be but that we are deeply affected when, with a good conscience and having avoided all stumbling blocks as far as we can, and living blamelessly before men, we are nevertheless accused as the most harmful people and overwhelmed with six hundred slanders. But this is the condition of all God's servants: that all their plans are twisted to the opposite meaning and turned to evil, though they had a good purpose. For example, why had the Israelites assembled at Mizpah? What plans had they formed concerning the Philistines? All of them were utterly foreign to war: they were thinking about their sins, about doing penance, about imploring pardon and the remission of sins. But what about the Philistines? They think they have not assembled without great reasons. Indeed, about great matters. But they wrongly suspect that plans for war are being discussed there; they wrongly conclude that the Israelites must be confronted and their plans broken by war; that they should not wait until they had prepared with all their forces to make an attack, but should invade them while still unprepared and unarmed. So we see the people burdened with slanders by the Philistines.

Therefore we must strive with all our might not to give any occasion for people to think ill of us; but rather, as Paul admonishes, we should take care for what is honorable before all people, not only before the Lord, so that we may be pleasing and acceptable to all. And finally, when we have done everything rightly, let us not be disturbed or moved from our purpose, whatever rumors are spread about us, or whatever slanders we are burdened with, but let us be all the more fortified against all these things, provided we are conscious that it is through no fault of our own that people think ill of us.

Next, the children of Israel are said to have been struck with great fear, and to have begged Samuel not to cease praying for them until they were delivered from the hands of their enemies by the Lord. From this it becomes evident that the Israelites, although they had turned to the Lord and had practiced unfeigned repentance, confessing their sins before the Lord, nevertheless did not have complete faith, and their repentance was still very weak, as the event itself demonstrates and that fear testifies. Nevertheless, although that fear was defective, they seek a remedy suited to correcting that fault. For they ask Samuel to pray to God for them without ceasing — not indeed so that they themselves might be more carefree, but intending to join their own prayers with his as their head. And therefore they wish to use him as an intercessor before the Lord.

Let us also learn from this that when some more violent fear presses upon us and our unbelief reveals itself beyond measure, we should have recourse to this doctrine. Fear, I confess, is innate in us by nature, and even if we had perfect faith (which is impossible), yet as long as we are clothed in this corruptible body, fear will always have a place in us — not indeed such as leads to despair and takes away from us the ability to see what must be done and what course to follow, but one in which we nevertheless remain quiet and tranquil. But when a more violent fear invades and so afflicts the wretched that death seems most imminent, then unbelief reveals itself, which we cannot conceal. Meanwhile, however, a remedy must be sought for this evil. Therefore, if some such fear troubles us, let us nevertheless acknowledge that God does not wish us to lose heart, but rather to be stirred up to redouble our prayers, and to be persuaded that his help will be ready in the most desperate circumstances, and to place all our confidence in him, and thus by his power to overcome whatever may seem to threaten us with destruction. See how fear should not repel us from God, but rather draw us to him, so that, recognizing the fault innate in us, we may flee to God's mercy. And the prophet notes this in this passage when he says the Israelites were struck with fear because of the Philistines. For that fear is noted because they ought to have despised the threats and forces of the enemy with a bold and resolute spirit, firmly persuaded that God would be favorable to them and would never abandon his chosen people in desperate circumstances. That fear is therefore rightly noted as defective; but since they are not overwhelmed by that fear, nor wail like those in despair, but ask Samuel to solicit God with prayers on their behalf, and find rest in God's mercy, and make the invocation of his name their greatest and safest refuge, they testify by sufficiently clear proofs that they had made much progress in that conversion of which we have spoken. And this example is set before us to imitate, so that when placed in the greatest straits, we may know that we are called by God to solicit him with prayers and implore his help. Today, however, no Samuel is present at hand to whom we might flee as one who would intercede for us. Although he was a faithful servant of God and faithfully discharged his office, he was nevertheless a man, not free from human weaknesses, and one who also had to pray to God for himself. But we have our Lord Jesus Christ, one for all — not only for men but also for angels. Since therefore our Lord Jesus Christ professes himself to be our advocate and has taken upon himself the office of interceding with the Father on our behalf and presenting our prayers to him, we ought with all the greater confidence to flee to God whenever the state of our affairs seems to be in the greatest danger.

As for Samuel's promise above that he would be an intercessor and advocate before God for the people, he did this not out of arrogance, not from a vain opinion of any dignity of his own by which he would claim for himself this office of interceding before God (for he was not ignorant of the divine law), but he did it in order to humble the people more and more and to teach them that they could obtain nothing from God without an intercessor. Therefore he was in the midst of the people a type and image of our Lord Jesus Christ, instructing the people that they were not worthy to be received into grace by God except through Christ as intercessor and advocate before him. Therefore let us hold that today no mortal is set before us by God as an advocate, but that Christ is the fulfillment of the things that were foreshadowed in the law — that through our Lord Jesus Christ and his intercession we are pleasing and acceptable to God, and our prayers are sanctified and blessed, so that they are ratified and accepted by him.

It follows next that the people asked Samuel to cry to God unceasingly on their behalf. Now by 'crying' here we do not understand some great shouting, but the ardent affection of the one praying. For we shall see hereafter that 'crying' is used for a vehement affection, so that even though the faithful do not break out into any words, their prayers are nevertheless called cries. Thus God, speaking to Moses, says: Why do you cry to me? Yet Moses was not speaking at that time; but such was his ardor and vehemence of mind that all his faculties seemed poured out in prayer. When therefore mention is made here of Samuel's crying, a more vehement affection in prayer is expressed, as if he sent up sighs from the depths of his heart all the way to God in heaven, wholly rapt outside himself and poured out in prayer to God.

Let us also consider the reason they add: that we may be delivered from our enemies. For by these words the people profess that they cannot not only win victory over the enemies, but cannot even be rescued without special divine help, accepting the lamb as an offering of praise because it would bring liberation. Thus acknowledging their weakness, they rest in God alone. And imitating this, we ought to join these two things together as inseparable: namely, that we should know well our own weakness and littleness, and cast off every vain opinion about ourselves — yet so that we are not plunged into the abyss of despair; but rather, let us set God's power against our recognized weakness, and know that he alone is sufficient to help us and to rescue us from all dangers; and let us hold it as certain that our confidence in him will never be in vain when we have fled to him in prayer, but that, once invoked, he will be present at the opportune time to bring help.

Next it is said that Samuel took one suckling lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord, and that it was pleasing and acceptable to God, since the Philistines were struck down and put to flight by the Israelites, as we shall see more fully hereafter. The fact that Samuel offered a sacrifice indicates that our prayers cannot be pleasing and acceptable to God without an offering. And this was the purpose of all the ancient sacrifices — whether those offered in the morning, or in the evening, or on the Sabbath, or on a weekday, whether ordinary or extraordinary — namely, that they might profess that those approaching God were pleasing and acceptable by no other means than through that perpetual sacrifice previously promised to the fathers. Now indeed, with those legal sacrifices removed and abolished, those who pray to God must look to the death and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ; for unless this is done, it is certain that our prayers will always be empty and futile, indeed that we will have no access to God at all. This, then, is what Samuel taught by his sacrifice: namely, that his prayer would be futile and vain, and that he was unworthy to obtain grace, unless it were sanctified through the sacrifice he was offering. Nor was he looking only at the external and visible sacrifice, for he knew that neither a slain lamb nor any other animal could blot out the sins of the people; but, as the ancients were accustomed to do, he was looking to our Lord Jesus Christ, who was the goal and scope of all the legal ceremonies and rites.

But here a very difficult question arises — namely, how Samuel himself is said to have sacrificed, when he did not hold the office of high priest, and therefore could not offer sacrifice according to the law. The answer is that Samuel offered that sacrifice through another priest appointed by God, especially since the people could not be assembled without the priests and indeed the chief priests being present, for this is what the nature of their office required. Thus David and Solomon are often said in Scripture to have offered sacrifices — not indeed with their own hands, but through the one to whom that office had been committed by the Lord. For it was not lawful for kings to usurp this priestly dignity, which was proper to those who had been designated by the Lord. Therefore the answer is that Samuel did not usurp another's office, but he offered ...to have offered the sacrifice by the hands of the high priest — which answer indeed has a certain appearance of truth, since after the sacrifice was offered the Philistines are said to have been slain and put to flight, and that flight and slaughter is attributed not to Samuel's prayer but to his sacrifice. But what if we grant that, with the high priest not present, Samuel offered that sacrifice with his own hand? We shall say that God, sparing Samuel and pardoning his sin, held the sacrifice to be pleasing and acceptable, which otherwise, acting by strict justice, he would rightly have rejected. Nevertheless the papists will not gain anything by this passage, as though abusing it as some most fortified shield against us, to prove that they are not bound to follow God's word in all things, and that it is lawful for them to worship God as reason dictates, and that their works are nonetheless meritorious, even if they do not follow God's commands. The papists therefore persuade themselves that with this most powerful shield they will easily convince anyone of their superstitions and gain approval for them. For they say: Since Samuel himself offered the sacrifice contrary to the command of the law, and it was nonetheless pleasing and acceptable to God — as the outcome itself proved, when Samuel was heard — it also follows that all our works will likewise be good and pleasing and acceptable to God, even if they are not commanded in express and explicit words. But I have already said above that Samuel had priests with him, and that he was not ignorant of the law, and therefore did nothing contrary to the prescription of the law — especially since, as we observed above, he was not ignorant that obedience is valued more by God than sacrifice, and therefore it is not likely that Samuel violated the inviolable order and transgressed God's law. But granted that Samuel acted contrary to the prescription of the law, how does this help the papists? For this principle must always be retained: that Samuel, arrogating to himself authority to do and innovate something contrary to God's will, strayed from the prescription of the law. But what else is it to violate God's law than to resist God's will? Therefore no one will free Samuel from blame if he arrogated so much to himself. For if whatever is in agreement with God's word is good and holy, it follows conversely that whatever is contrary to it is sin and iniquity, and brings divine condemnation with it. Therefore neither Samuel nor any mortal is to be spared — indeed not even the angels themselves — if they have done anything contrary to and in conflict with God's will. Should we then imitate Samuel sinning? Should we follow him deviating from the right way? Would we not seem to be willingly tempting God and wishing to provoke him to wrath? Far be it, therefore, that we should deflect even the slightest bit from God's word, or lean to this side or that beyond God's word, abusing Samuel's example, lest we seem to have willingly sought our own ruin and destruction. But if someone objects that Samuel was nonetheless heard by the Lord, I freely confess that God pardons many things for the faithful and receives them in grace, not imputing offenses, even though they are unworthy. But I say it does not follow from this that God is so bound and constrained that he must act in the same way toward all. For God indeed converts whenever it pleases him, even if they are unworthy. But shall we assert this with boldness and arrogance? On the contrary, we ought to be humbled and utterly cast down, so that God's truth may be the more illustrious. For even if we strive to acquire some name through good works and be considered holy and perfect, yet if God were to deal with us by strict justice and not embrace us with his mercy, it is certain that both we and whatever worship we have offered him would be rejected, and rightly so. Therefore let this be established: Samuel is not to be imitated by us in this matter, if he did anything contrary to God's law; and if he found favor with God for a reason unknown to men, let us not therefore follow evil in place of good and right. And if Samuel strayed from the prescription of the law, let us carefully consider what we ought to do and what we are accustomed to do to the contrary. Furthermore, if so great a prophet was made worthy of being heard not by his own dignity but by the free mercy of God, what would happen to us wretches, who are far removed from his excellence, unless God dealt most mercifully with us? And so much for Samuel's sacrifice. Meanwhile it should be observed by what means God hears our prayers, namely by looking upon the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only true priest and the sole perfect sacrifice. For it is certain that although Samuel's prayers are said to have been heard, the flight of the enemy and the victory won over them is nevertheless not attributed to his prayers but to the sacrifice offered. From which it appears that our prayers cannot be pleasing to God otherwise than by his grace, and not by any merits of ours — as the papists falsely seem to want to bind God to themselves in all things, so that if they are commanded to obtain necessary things from God by prayers, they hold up their worship, by which they believe God is so bound to them that they think a portion of the good things God bestows is owed to their merits.

On the contrary, this passage clearly teaches that God, although attentive to the prayers of his people and ready to bring them aid, is nevertheless not moved by any merits of their prayers or their righteousness, but solely by his own mercy. Therefore they must approach God relying solely on him whom God has appointed, and accordingly let them know that the one Jesus Christ our Lord has been made advocate and perpetual mediator, since he once offered in himself a sacrifice acceptable to the Father, by which we might be delivered from the servitude of sins into freedom and freed from all fear. Therefore whenever we come to the Father in his name, we shall never be repelled from his grace. For this reason we must be all the more careful not to fall into the arrogance of those men who think God's good things are bestowed on us because of our merits. Rather, this doctrine must be condemned and rejected as impious and blasphemous, and we must acknowledge that whatever we do in the worship of God — whether we pour out prayers or perform anything else — will be vain and useless unless we rely on our Lord Jesus Christ and are brought to God the Father through him and reconciled to him. And therefore the greatest benefit of God toward us in this time must be acknowledged: he has exhibited to us the truth and perfection of those things that were promised under the legal shadows, so that if in the time of the law the authority of sacrifices — which were only shadows and figures — was so great, we may hope for greater things in this age from Christ himself, who is the body and truth of the legal shadows. And therefore, if the difficulty of the times should be such that we seem placed in the jaws of wolves and having one foot in the grave itself, destitute of all help, let us never lose heart, but let us know that God will always appear as a deliverer and bring the most joyful help, and if only we earnestly entreat him with ardent prayers — as we see Samuel did — he will hear our prayers.

Now indeed there remains, etc.

5. Samuel said: 'Gather all Israel at Mizpah, and I will pray to the Lord for you.' 6. So they gathered at Mizpah, and they drew water and poured it out before the Lord, and they fasted that day and declared there: 'We have sinned against the Lord.' And Samuel judged the sons of Israel at Mizpah. 7. When the Philistines heard that the sons of Israel had gathered at Mizpah, the lords of the Philistines marched up against Israel. When the sons of Israel heard this, they were afraid of the Philistines. 8. They said to Samuel: 'Do not stop crying out to the Lord our God for us, that He may save us from the hand of the Philistines.' 9. Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. Samuel cried out to the Lord for Israel, and the Lord answered him. 10. As Samuel was offering the burnt offering, the Philistines drew near to attack Israel. But the Lord thundered with a great crash against the Philistines on that day and threw them into confusion, and they were routed before Israel.

In the preceding verses we saw the conversion of the Israelites to God — having cast away all their former abominations, superstitions, and idol-worship. Now we will be taught that repentance and conversion must always be joined with prayer. This must be observed above all: those who have turned to repentance must show in deed that evil displeases them by rejecting it, and then with a genuine disposition of heart submit themselves to God and shape their lives in obedience to Him. But beyond that, those who have turned must also take refuge in prayer, seeking God's mercy. For whatever change may take place in us, we are not yet free from the punishment of our sins unless God forgives them. Let this be firmly settled: no sinner — however much he accuses himself, acknowledges his crime, and changes his mind and conduct — can escape God's judgment on his own. He will remain guilty until he obtains grace and peace from the Lord. Therefore it is necessary that genuine conversion and the fruits it produces be accompanied by prayer — calling on God to have mercy on us and not to hold our offenses against us. This narrative makes that clear. After Samuel had urged the people to cast away all their idols and images with their foul superstitions, and to devote themselves wholeheartedly to the worship of God and to trust in His promises, he is then said to have gathered everyone together in one place. There again he urged them to confess their sins and to weep, so that, humbled before God and mourning over their sins, they might obtain grace and mercy.

The place Mizpah was well known among the Israelites because of the notable victory God had given Israel over her enemies in the time of Joshua. The place itself was a memorial to God's presence — not because it was holier than other places, or because people were somehow nearer to God there. But such is human weakness that, unable to approach God directly on their own, people are helped along by outward signs and reminders. When God has done something remarkable in a place — something in which His power is, so to speak, inscribed — and where we can recognize His presence, the memory of that place where we experienced His grace clings firmly in the mind. It never easily fades, but is always held in the highest honor. This is likely why Samuel chose Mizpah: so that the people, recalling the divine help their ancestors had experienced there, would be all the more deeply moved. In that place the most powerful kings of the whole region had been defeated and slain. In short, Samuel seems to have gathered them in this place as if setting them before the Lord, so that they might be more deeply stirred — and with genuine affection and earnestness, having turned to God, might plead for pardon from the punishment of the many sins by which they had for so many years provoked His wrath against themselves.

After they assembled at Mizpah, they drew water and poured it out in the presence of the Lord, and confessed their sins, acknowledging that they had made themselves liable to God's judgment. Joined with their prayers was this confession of sins — which is a part of repentance — along with an outward and visible sign by which they were reminded of their impurity and the need to lay aside the filth that was provoking God's further judgment upon them. We must observe here that free access to call upon God will never be granted to us unless a sincere confession of our sins comes first. By that confession, as by a key, the way to God is opened for us and the bars of heaven are unlocked. Those who come to God with proud and arrogant hearts — thinking themselves worthy to be heard, as if God were obligated by their ceremonies and rituals by which they believe they have earned His favor — will pray long and repeatedly, but will pour out empty words and in fact only bring a curse upon themselves. Let this therefore be the constant foundation and rule of our prayers: that we confess our sins to God, so that we may obtain grace and mercy from Him.

Especially when some sting of conscience rouses us, or when God Himself strikes us with His warnings and His vengeance is already hanging over our heads — at such times He must be sought with more urgent prayer, and our sins must be condemned by ourselves more severely. This was the confidence of our fathers in God: they did not rely on their own merits, but leaned upon the goodness of God through acknowledgment and confession of their sins. Scripture sets before us the notable example of Daniel. When he was about to pray to God for the return of the people to their homeland from captivity — knowing the people had been sent into exile by God, driven from the land of Canaan because of the many sins by which they had provoked His vengeance — he confessed both his own sins and those of the whole people. And not with just a word or two, but with a full, extended confession of both his own and the people's sins: 'We have sinned, we have committed iniquity, we have acted wickedly, and we have gone astray.' 'Shame belongs to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, who have sinned.'

We are taught here that those who are guilty of sin must come to God in such a way that they offer Him a sacrifice of humility. The only way to appease God's wrath is to seek forgiveness. But we cannot obtain forgiveness unless we acknowledge and confess the sins of which we are guilty. Hypocrites do call on God for grace and mercy — but they do not think about their sins, which they want buried in permanent oblivion. Whoever desires to obtain grace and mercy from God must begin here: recognizing and confessing that he is a wretched sinner, indeed worthy of a thousand deaths if God dealt with him by strict justice. He must see that no other way remains to escape eternal condemnation than for God, in His mercy, not to hold against him the sins he has committed — having confessed them before God and sought pardon.

As for the outward sign — the water they drew and poured out before God — a more elaborate interpretation should not be sought, as some have wished. For example, the idea that they drew water from their hearts and poured it abundantly from their eyes is a fanciful reading. Equally far-fetched is the interpretation that they meant to signify their own fragility by the water — since people are stunned when God presses them hard. The simplest reading is this: they followed the common custom of that time. We know that God prescribed washings in the law. They were sprinkled with water for purification from sins, confessing by this sign that they were polluted and full of abominations before God, and openly declaring that they sought their cleansing from somewhere outside themselves. The corruptible element of water could not actually wash away their filth before God. But by this sign they testified that the cleansing of their impurity could not be found in themselves — it had to be sought elsewhere. We know that our Lord Jesus Christ came in water and blood, as John teaches in his first letter, and thereby fulfilled what the figures of the law had foreshadowed. So the people, by drawing and pouring out water, followed what was prescribed in the law. By this act they confessed their awareness of the filth by which they were polluted by nature, and they hoped for cleansing from no other source than the sheer grace of God through the blood of the promised Redeemer. Those legal sprinklings were no less significant than the sacrifices. Their purpose was for the people, through public confession, to acknowledge themselves guilty before God, and then to seek free absolution and forgiveness of sins through the means the Lord Himself had appointed — the promised Redeemer. The papists today imitate these ceremonies, but they do so like apes mimicking what they do not understand. Since our Lord Jesus Christ has now appeared in water and blood, just as the ancient sacrifices have been abolished and the gospel has a different and contrary sacrifice, so let us know that the legal washings and purifications have likewise come to an end. What the papists put forward in their defense — claiming that their repeated washings and lustrations renew baptism — is a invented fiction. Christ our Lord, who alone is the wisdom of God the Father, instituted a single baptism. But the papists want a new baptism every day of their lives, morning and evening. This shows plainly that the Lord's institution has been overturned and corrupted by them.

It is certain, however, that the ceremony of sprinkling among the ancients was not without purpose when they entered the temple. They were sprinkled with water, first, as an invitation to repentance — a sign reminding them of their vices and sins, so that, feeling the weight of these, they would shudder at the punishments they had deserved. But second, on the other hand, to be nurtured and confirmed in the hope of free acceptance before God and the forgiveness of sins. However polluted and filthy they appeared before Him, they were assured of welcome — provided they sought reconciliation not in themselves but in the Redeemer whom God had appointed. We ought to apply this teaching in our own lives: even though the ceremony of water-sprinkling is no longer practiced, we should nonetheless take our sins seriously — groaning and lamenting before the Lord without ceasing. And we should be persuaded of His mercy, knowing that our purification and the cleansing of our filth is found in Jesus Christ our Lord alone.

We are then told that when the Philistines heard the Israelites had assembled at Mizpah, they began planning an attack. We must observe here that plans undertaken in the worship of God very often bring many disruptions and troubles — producing no small temptation that is not easily overcome. For this reason, what is recounted here must be weighed by us all the more carefully. If we have undertaken something that especially concerns the worship of God — a plan with a good and right purpose — yet the outcome turns contrary: enemies are provoked and stirred up, and we find ourselves in such danger that there seems to be no way out — we must take the greatest care not to seize on this as reason to retreat and abandon our plan. Someone might object: God promised to take special care of His own, to command His angels to guard them in all their ways — yet that hope seems empty and those promises seem vain. It is no surprise if even the most steadfast waver in such uncertain circumstances. Against that stumbling block we have a most effective remedy — as we will see.

As an example, consider what the Philistines did in this instance. What provoked the Philistines to arms? What stirred those who had been at peace before? It was the assembly of the Israelites at Mizpah. 'But,' some will say, 'could Samuel not have avoided this assembly? Could he not have foreseen that the enemies would be provoked? Could the whole people not have sought God in prayer without gathering in one place? Did the Philistines not have good reason to be disturbed, suspecting that war plans were being made against them?' See how many people would judge Samuel's plan by its outcome — claiming that because the enemies were provoked by the assembly, Samuel was guilty of rashness or poor judgment. But as I said before, we must take care not to be shaken if God tests us in various ways when we undertake plans He approves and that align with His Word. If something adverse happens, let us not regret what we have done or turn aside from the right path, but rest in God's will. God tests our obedience — whether it is momentary or paired with a firm purpose to persevere. We often see hypocrites carried along by impulse who burn with great zeal when the outcome is favorable. But when the world resists us — when everything opposes sound plans, when the devil stirs up new disturbances daily as we strive to serve and worship God — if we face all of that with a steady and resolute spirit and do not draw back from our goal, that is the surest sign that the fear and reverence of God has taken the deepest root in us, roots that will never fail. Let this be the lesson we draw from the Philistines' plan to attack the Israelites assembled at Mizpah. We must also keep in mind the outcome God gave to all those disturbances, so that we may be more and more strengthened in faith — never losing heart even when the devil rages and continually stirs up new troubles — patiently enduring whatever comes and waiting for God's help at the right time, as we shall see in the story ahead.

We can easily see why the Philistines were so alarmed: they likely assumed the Israelites had gathered at Mizpah to plan war, and they felt they needed to act before it was too late. This is how wars generally begin: one party fears the other, and believing that waiting until the other attacks first will make the damage worse, decides to strike preemptively. Plans like this are not driven by reason but by suspicion — the fear of receiving harm from the other side hastens the decision to act first in order to inflict it. But fear of future harm is not a legitimate cause before God, and it is no excuse. Therefore the Philistines would pay just penalties for their rashness and arrogance. They launched this war on mere suspicion, without stopping to consider whether it was just. From this example we ought to learn that nothing should be undertaken rashly, and that neither suspicion nor vague impressions should be enough to drive us to war and to carry out what blind passion has dictated. Although God permits force to be answered with force, injury should not be avenged before it has been inflicted. It is not lawful to avenge harm not yet received. A ruler may repel the force of enemies — but only in a way that does not mean attacking or provoking war without just cause.

Enough about the rashness of the Philistines. Let us also learn that God's servants cannot avoid being maligned by the ungodly — being buried in reproaches, insults, and slanders — even when they are the most peaceable people imaginable, deeply committed to keeping the peace with everyone. The ungodly will still suspect all kinds of evil about them. But what can you do about this? This teaching must be taken to heart. It is deeply painful when, with a clean conscience — having avoided every stumbling block we could, and living blamelessly before men — we are still accused of being the most harmful people alive and buried under hundreds of slanders. But this is the lot of all God's servants: their plans are twisted into the opposite meaning and turned to evil, even when the purpose behind them was entirely good. Why had the Israelites gathered at Mizpah? What plans had they been forming about the Philistines? None of it had anything to do with war. They were thinking about their sins, about repentance, about imploring God's pardon and forgiveness. And the Philistines? They assumed the Israelites had gathered for great and serious reasons. Great reasons, indeed — but the Philistines wrongly concluded it was a war council. They wrongly decided they must confront them and break their plans by force — not waiting until the Israelites were fully prepared, but attacking while they were still unarmed and unready. So we see the Israelite people crushed under the Philistines' false accusations.

We must therefore strive with all our strength not to give people any reason to think ill of us. As Paul urges, we should take care for what is honorable not only before the Lord but before all people, so that we may be pleasing and acceptable to everyone. And when we have done everything rightly, let us not be shaken or driven from our purpose by whatever rumors are spread about us or whatever slanders are heaped upon us. Let us be all the more firm against all of it — as long as our conscience is clear and we know the fault is not ours.

Next, the sons of Israel are said to have been seized with great fear and to have begged Samuel not to stop praying for them until the Lord delivered them from the hand of their enemies. This makes clear that although the Israelites had turned to the Lord and had practiced genuine repentance, confessing their sins before Him, they still did not have complete faith — their repentance was still very weak, as the event itself shows and as that fear testifies. Yet even though their faith was defective, they sought the right remedy for it. They asked Samuel to pray to God for them without ceasing — not so that they themselves could relax and do nothing, but intending to add their own prayers to his as their leader. They wanted him to act as an intercessor before the Lord on their behalf.

Let us also learn from this that when a more intense fear presses upon us and our unbelief exposes itself openly, we should have recourse to this teaching. Fear is, I confess, natural to us, and even if we had perfect faith — which is impossible in this life — as long as we are clothed in this corruptible body, fear will always have a place in us. Not the kind that leads to despair and robs us of all ability to think clearly and act rightly, but a fear in which we nonetheless remain quiet and composed. But when more violent fear invades — so overwhelming the wretched that death seems imminent — then unbelief reveals itself, and we cannot hide it. Even so, a remedy must be sought for this condition. When such fear troubles us, let us recognize that God does not want us to lose heart. Rather, He wants fear to drive us to redouble our prayers — to be persuaded that His help will be ready even in the most desperate circumstances, to place all our confidence in Him, and thereby by His power to overcome whatever threatens to destroy us. Fear should not drive us away from God but toward Him — so that, recognizing our own weakness, we may flee to His mercy. The text specifically notes that the Israelites were struck with fear because of the Philistines. That fear is noted because they should have met the threats and forces of the enemy with bold and steadfast hearts, firmly persuaded that God would be favorable and would never abandon His chosen people in desperate circumstances. The fear is rightly noted as a failure of faith. But since they were not crushed by it, since they did not wail like those in despair but instead asked Samuel to plead with God on their behalf — finding rest in God's mercy and making prayer their greatest and safest refuge — they gave clear proof that they had made real progress in the conversion we have been discussing. This example is set before us to follow: when we find ourselves in the greatest trouble, we should know that God is calling us to seek Him in prayer and to implore His help. Today, however, no Samuel is present to intercede for us. Samuel was a faithful servant of God who faithfully fulfilled his office. But he was also a man, not free from human weakness — one who also had to pray to God for himself. But we have our Lord Jesus Christ — advocate for all, not only for men but for angels. Since our Lord Jesus Christ presents Himself as our advocate and has taken on Himself the office of interceding with the Father on our behalf and presenting our prayers before Him, we ought with all the more confidence to flee to God whenever our situation seems most desperate.

As for Samuel's promise to be an intercessor and advocate before God on behalf of the people, he did this not out of arrogance or any vain claim to some special dignity that entitled him to intercede before God. He was not ignorant of the divine law. Rather, he did it to humble the people more deeply and to teach them that they could obtain nothing from God without an intercessor. He stood among the people as a type and image of our Lord Jesus Christ, instructing them that they were not worthy to be received into God's grace except through Christ as intercessor and advocate before Him. Let us hold, therefore, that today God has not set any mortal before us as an advocate, but that Christ is the fulfillment of all that was foreshadowed in the law — that through our Lord Jesus Christ and His intercession we are pleasing and acceptable to God, and our prayers are sanctified and blessed, so that they are confirmed and accepted by Him.

The text then says that the people asked Samuel to cry out to God unceasingly on their behalf. By 'crying out' here we do not mean loud shouting, but the earnest intensity of the one praying. We will see later that 'crying' is used for a deep intensity of feeling — so that even when the faithful speak no words at all, their prayers are still called cries. So God, speaking to Moses, said: 'Why do you cry to Me?' — yet Moses was not speaking aloud at that moment. His intensity and ardor of heart was such that all his faculties seemed poured out in prayer. When mention is made here of Samuel crying out, it conveys a more intense kind of prayer — as though he sent up sighs from the depths of his heart all the way to God in heaven, completely absorbed and poured out in prayer to God.

Let us also consider the reason the people gave: that we may be delivered from our enemies. By these words the people confessed that they could not only win victory over their enemies — they could not even be rescued without special help from God. They offered the lamb as an expression of praise for the deliverance that would come. Acknowledging their own weakness, they rested in God alone. We ought to imitate this by holding these two things together as inseparable: we must clearly know our own weakness and smallness and cast off every vain confidence in ourselves — yet not be plunged into the abyss of despair. Rather, let us set God's power against our recognized weakness, knowing that He alone is sufficient to help us and deliver us from all dangers. And let us hold it as certain that our confidence in Him will never be disappointed when we have fled to Him in prayer — for once called upon, He will be present at the right moment to bring help.

Next it is said that Samuel took a nursing lamb and offered it as a whole burnt offering to the Lord — and that it was pleasing and acceptable to God, since the Philistines were struck down and put to flight by the Israelites, as we will see more fully in what follows. The fact that Samuel offered a sacrifice shows that our prayers cannot be pleasing and acceptable to God without an offering. This was the purpose of all the ancient sacrifices — whether offered in the morning or evening, on the Sabbath or on an ordinary day, whether regular or extraordinary — that the worshipers might declare they were pleasing and acceptable to God by no other means than through the sacrifice of the one promised long before to the fathers. Now, with those legal sacrifices removed and done away with, those who pray to God must look to the death and passion of our Lord Jesus Christ. Unless this is done, our prayers will always be empty and futile — we will have no access to God at all. This is what Samuel was teaching through his sacrifice: that his prayer would be pointless and vain, and that he was unworthy to obtain grace, unless it were sanctified through the sacrifice he was offering. Nor was he looking only at the outward and visible sacrifice, for he knew that a slain lamb — or any other animal — could not blot out the sins of the people. Rather, as the ancients were accustomed to do, he was looking forward to our Lord Jesus Christ, who was the goal and fulfillment of all the legal ceremonies and rites.

Here a very difficult question arises: how is Samuel himself said to have sacrificed, when he did not hold the office of high priest and therefore could not lawfully offer sacrifice under the law? The answer is that Samuel offered that sacrifice through another priest appointed by God — especially since no gathering of the people could take place without the priests, and indeed the chief priests, being present, as the nature of their office required. Similarly, David and Solomon are often said in Scripture to have offered sacrifices — not with their own hands, but through the one to whom that office had been committed by the Lord. It was not lawful for kings to take on the priestly dignity, which belonged to those God had specifically designated for it. So the answer is that Samuel did not usurp another's office, but offered the sacrifice through the hands of the high priest — an answer that has some appearance of truth, since after the sacrifice was offered the Philistines are said to have been killed and put to flight, and that rout is attributed not to Samuel's prayer alone but to his sacrifice. But what if we grant that, with the high priest not present, Samuel offered that sacrifice with his own hand? We would then say that God, showing mercy to Samuel and pardoning his sin, regarded the sacrifice as acceptable — though by strict justice He would rightly have rejected it. However, the papists will gain nothing from this passage, even if they use it as a supposedly airtight argument to prove they are not bound to follow God's Word in all things — that they may worship God as reason dictates, and that their works are still meritorious even when not commanded by God. The papists persuade themselves that this is a powerful shield by which they can easily justify their superstitions to anyone. They argue: since Samuel himself offered sacrifice contrary to the command of the law, and it was nonetheless pleasing and acceptable to God — as the outcome proved when Samuel was heard — it follows that all our works will likewise be good and acceptable to God, even if they are not expressly commanded in His Word. But I have already said that Samuel had priests with him and was not ignorant of the law. He did nothing contrary to its prescription — especially since, as we noted, he well knew that God values obedience more than sacrifice. It is therefore not likely that Samuel violated the sacred order and transgressed God's law. But even if we grant that Samuel acted contrary to the law's prescription, how does that help the papists? This principle must always be maintained: if Samuel took it upon himself to do something contrary to God's will, he strayed from what the law prescribed. What is violating God's law but resisting God's will? Therefore no one will free Samuel from blame if he claimed so much authority for himself. If whatever agrees with God's Word is good and holy, then whatever contradicts it is sin and iniquity — and brings divine condemnation with it. Therefore neither Samuel nor any mortal is to be excused — not even the angels themselves — if they have done anything contrary to and in conflict with God's will. Should we imitate Samuel in sinning? Should we follow him in departing from the right path? Would that not be willfully tempting God and deliberately provoking His wrath? Far be it from us to deviate even slightly from God's Word, or to lean beyond it in any direction on the pretext of Samuel's example — lest we seem to have willingly sought our own ruin. But if someone objects that Samuel was nonetheless heard by the Lord, I freely grant that God forgives the faithful for many things and receives them into grace, not holding their offenses against them even when they are unworthy. But this does not mean God is so bound and obligated that He must do the same for everyone. God indeed shows mercy to whom He pleases, even when they are unworthy. But shall we presume on this with boldness and arrogance? On the contrary, we ought to be humbled and brought low, so that God's truth may be all the more clearly seen. Even if we strive through good works to be regarded as holy and perfect, if God were to deal with us by strict justice — without showing us His mercy — both we and all our worship would rightly be rejected. Let this be settled: Samuel is not to be imitated by us in this matter, if he did anything contrary to God's law. And if he found favor with God for reasons unknown to us, let us not on that account follow evil in place of good and right. And if Samuel did stray from the law's prescription, let us carefully think about what we ought to do — and what we habitually do that is contrary to it. Moreover, if so great a prophet was heard by God not because of his own excellence but because of God's free mercy, what would become of us wretched people — who are far below his excellence — unless God dealt with us most mercifully? That is enough on Samuel's sacrifice. Meanwhile we should observe the means by which God hears our prayers: He looks upon the death of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only true priest and the sole perfect sacrifice. Although Samuel's prayers are said to have been heard, the flight of the enemy and the victory over them is attributed not to his prayers but to the sacrifice offered. From this it is plain that our prayers cannot be pleasing to God except by His grace — not by any merits of ours. The papists wrongly claim to bind God to themselves in all things, so that when they are commanded to seek from God the things they need through prayer, they hold up their own worship as something by which God is so obligated to them that they believe a portion of what He bestows is owed to their merits.

On the contrary, this passage clearly teaches that God, though attentive to the prayers of His people and ready to bring them aid, is not moved by any merits of those prayers or by the righteousness of the one praying — but solely by His own mercy. Those who pray must therefore approach God relying solely on the One God has appointed. Let them know that Jesus Christ our Lord has been made our advocate and perpetual mediator, since He once offered Himself as a sacrifice acceptable to the Father — by which we are delivered from the slavery of sin into freedom and freed from all fear. Therefore whenever we come to the Father in His name, we will never be turned away from His grace. For this reason we must be all the more careful not to fall into the arrogance of those who think God's blessings are bestowed on them because of their own merits. Rather, that doctrine must be condemned and rejected as impious and blasphemous. We must acknowledge that whatever we do in the worship of God — whether we pour out prayers or perform any other act — will be vain and useless unless we rest on our Lord Jesus Christ and are brought through Him to God the Father and reconciled to Him. Therefore we must acknowledge the greatest gift God has given us in this age: He has shown us the truth and fulfillment of what was only promised under the shadows of the law. If in the time of the law the authority of sacrifices — which were only shadows and figures — was so great, how much more may we hope in this age from Christ Himself, who is the body and truth of all those legal shadows. Therefore, even if our circumstances are so desperate that we seem placed in the jaws of wolves, with one foot already in the grave, stripped of all help — let us never lose heart. Let us know that God will always appear as a deliverer and bring the most welcome help. If only we earnestly call upon Him with urgent prayers — as we see Samuel did — He will hear us.

Now indeed there remains, etc.