Sermon 32: 1 Samuel 10:1-4

1. Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him, and said: Behold, the Lord has anointed you as prince over his inheritance. 2. When you have departed from me today, you will find two men near the tomb of Rachel, in the territory of Benjamin, to the south, and they will say to you: The donkeys which you went to seek have been found; and your father, setting aside concern for the donkeys, is anxious for you and says: What shall I do about my son? 3. And when you have gone from there and passed further on and come to the oak of Tabor, three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there, one carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another carrying a jar of wine. 4. And when they have greeted you, they will give you two loaves, and you shall receive them from their hand.

In yesterday's sermon we saw the modesty of those elders who had been invited to that solemn banquet as the most honored among their fellow citizens, when Samuel assigned the most eminent place to Saul, an unknown and ignoble young man, without having given any reason for his action. And they could indeed have suspected that he was doing this by some secret revelation. For before Samuel had looked upon Saul, he had ordered the cook to reserve the shoulder with its attachments, which surely could not have been done without the prophetic spirit — though those present could not know this, nor suspect that there was a new prophecy here. For the matter had to be kept hidden for the time being. From this we must learn that, even though the reason for things that happen in the world is unknown to us, we must not go beyond the bounds of our measure, but must hold our senses captive. For sometimes God does not wish to declare his will openly to us, in order to keep us in fear and solicitude; yet in the meantime he shows us some sign from which he will teach what is to be done, just as he has decreed. And so we must be content if we have walked in the way shown to us, even though we know neither the entrance nor the exit. Therefore, what is greater, we must be as blind persons in the things that are presented to us, and keep the eyes of our mind fixed on what God commands, so that we may strive only to compose ourselves for obedience to him, persuaded that he will provide for those things hidden from us, even if he does not at all teach us the reason for his ways. Therefore God wishes to exercise our faith in this way, that we may keep our senses in perpetual fear, and direct all our zeal toward his word, to which we willingly submit and simply acquiesce, and not inquire further of him why he wills it so. This ignorance indeed surpasses all human wisdom of those who shrewdly and subtly pry into everything. For you may see many for whom this simplicity is not satisfying,

who never obey God unless they first search out why God wills it so, and in a manner dispute with him, and who are not content unless they can fathom and understand Deity and its purposes. On the contrary, the true wisdom is to know how to be patient, and to receive with obedience what God has brought, because he will do by his own steps and in his own time what he is going to do, and will one day make known what is at present unknown to us, provided we wait patiently.

Next it follows that Samuel spoke with Saul on the rooftop, that is, in a high and sun-exposed place. For among that nation, buildings were so constructed that people would walk about on the uppermost part of the houses when the heat had subsided and they did not wish to remain in the shade. And so they would ascend to the roof, which was constructed differently from ours, and walk about as on a pavement. Thus Samuel is said to have ascended to such a rooftop terrace with Saul, to speak with him, and indeed for a second time. Then when he was about to dismiss him, and they descended to the edge of the city, Samuel is said to have told Saul to order his servant to go ahead; after which, having taken a flask of oil, he poured it over his head and declared that he had been chosen by the Lord as king of the people. Then he gave him signs by which he might be made certain of his calling to the royal dignity: namely, first, that when he departed from him, he would find two men sent by his father, who would say that the donkeys he had gone to seek had been found, and would therefore call him home. Second, three other men would meet him, going up to God at the house of the mighty God, who would give him two loaves of bread, which he should accept from their hand. Third, a crowd of prophets would come to meet him, descending from the high place, with musical instruments, and he would suddenly be so changed by God that he would prophesy with them. By these signs Samuel commands him to know and be persuaded that it is by God's will and command that he is called to the royal dignity. And this is the sum of what is recounted here.

As to the first point, in which Samuel is said to have ascended to the rooftop with Saul to speak with him, there is no doubt that he did this in order to admonish him about his duty. For it is certain that he did not discuss trivial matters with him at that time, but rather, looking to God's calling, gave him salutary precepts and also signs by which he might be more and more confirmed in his vocation; and being warned about the difficulty of that office, he might prepare himself to undertake it with greater care and solicitude, and call upon God for help, and turn from arrogance and pride, and acknowledge that he was chosen by God not on account of the dignity or excellence of his own person, but for the good and benefit of the whole people. And therefore he must endeavor to demonstrate by his very deeds that he was mindful of his duty and of the obligation by which he was bound toward the whole people, that he would have greater care for them than for himself, and would put their interests ahead of his own.

These precepts Samuel had to give not as a private person, but as a prophet of God. We must accept the signs that are sent to us by God, even if at first glance they do not appear to us with the perfection we would desire; so that we may know that God thus restrains the precipitancy innate in us, by which we want God to act according to the judgment of our own will, and to bring us at the earliest possible time to the very summit, so that we lack nothing. But in truth, because he knows our need and necessity better than we ourselves do, he therefore wishes to lead us to such knowledge of his will that we become as little children, who, destined to attain knowledge of the most excellent sciences, learn the first elements in school itself. And therefore he also tests us in various ways, to tame the foolish arrogance innate in us and keep us in our duty. For such is the arrogance of men that, however ignorant and unskilled, they still wish to be regarded as the greatest teachers and to be an object of admiration to all. Since then this disease of arrogance and insolence is implanted in us by nature, God also deals with us as he knows to be useful for us. Hence it happens that we do not arrive at the highest knowledge of things as quickly as we ourselves would wish. Therefore this example must be noted, that God is said to have instructed Saul early on so that when he came to the royal dignity he would not be ignorant of his duty — yet gradually and by certain steps; and indeed (this must be observed) not openly but as it were in secret. But the depravity of human character is such that when God confers his gifts upon us, we desire them to be proclaimed and made known to all publicly, so that we may become famous with many witnesses. And gifts seem useless to us unless they reach the ears of all, so that we may be an object of admiration and appear more excellent than others. But here we are taught that when God keeps us in a lowly state and treats us as abject and worthless, so that his gifts in us lie as if buried and men perceive nothing in us worthy of admiration or honor, we should nevertheless be content with the fact that God has revealed himself to us and communicated by whatever sign he pleased; and that we should think little of those outward displays that most people pursue and hunt after. Indeed, Saul could have objected to Samuel that if God wished him to be raised to the royal dignity, it ought to be established and made conspicuous to all orders of society, and that it could not enter the minds of men nor could they by any conjectures determine whom God was designating as king, unless he indicated it by some sign by which his decree and will became known to all. But in truth, Saul had to remain quiet and wait until God brought him forward and revealed that he was the one he had designated as king. And so in the meantime Saul ought not to have been moved at all, but to remain in his former condition and state, and to conduct himself so that nothing new or unusual would be perceived to have happened to him. Nevertheless, he had been invited to dinner and placed in the highest seat by Samuel, and preferred before the other guests — but in such a way that all were ignorant of the reason for this honor; especially since he was dismissed as no more than any rustic or stranger, and returned to his father's house, given back to his former life, occupied with tending the flocks; and therefore no indications of royal dignity yet appeared. But God willed it to be done this way, lest Saul come forward before the appointed time or thrust himself forward, but patiently wait until God brought him forward and revealed what he wished him to be.

From this, then, let us learn not to be puffed up, but if God has conferred any gifts upon us and has willed them to remain hidden in us, let us not be indignant or troubled if they are not conspicuous to all, and if we do not excel so as to be an object of admiration. Rather, let us wait until the Lord himself, as he sees it to be useful and beneficial, advances the work he has begun and brings us forward himself. And this teaching is necessary for us. For by experience itself we learn how fickle our dispositions are, and how impatient of delay, when we have received some promises from God, so that we can scarcely wait through impatience for the one whose promises we hold for the future. For example, if we are pressed by some calamity from which God promises deliverance, we would want it on the very first day, indeed even at that very moment. We cannot be still, and we are tormented by being carried away by more vehement emotions, and we would like to force God by some kind of violence to complete and accomplish his work in an instant. The more prone we are, therefore, to excessive haste, the more we should learn, when God grants some sign of his grace and favor, to hope always for better things, and patiently to wait for the time appointed by him, and to restrain our more vehement and fervent emotions, to which we are usually too indulgent.

Next, Samuel is said to have ordered Saul's servant to withdraw, when he was about to anoint him as king. By these words the above teaching is confirmed more and more. For what prevented Samuel from pouring the oil of royal anointing over Saul's head in the presence of his servant? But God is accustomed to work in this way, above human understanding, and does not allow himself to be constrained by our rules or shaped according to our will. And so he works as it pleases him; and although this may seem unusual to us, it ought all the more to incite us to compose ourselves for God's bidding and obedience, and to approve whatever he does, even though the reason for his ways may be completely unknown to us, until he himself demonstrates the meaning of the signs he has given by their very outcome, and indicates to what purpose he wishes them to be applied — and therefore why he adopted a method of proceeding that does not initially satisfy us.

And indeed, if we judge this whole business by the reckoning of our own understanding, we shall see nothing but what is absurd and alien to all right reasoning — especially since within a few days it was necessary for the one designated as king, Saul, to be publicly displayed. Why then does God not want his servant to know this for the present? Why should no testimony of this calling exist among any mortal? Surely, by human reckoning, this method of proceeding will seem unusual and without reason. But, as I said before, God is to be admired here, since he is accustomed to test our humility and modesty in this way: when, unless great outward weakness appears, and nothing great and admirable is seen — so that we may learn to hope beyond all hope. God does not accommodate his ways to the capacity of our understanding, so that we might approve or reject his deeds by our own calculation. For such is our perversity that we wish to be the authors of God's works, and desire the outcome of them to be in our hands, and never allow ourselves to be subject to God and conformed to his will. Hence it happens that in God's works we imagine mere confusion, and we inquire into them so insolently that we are not afraid to say they are done neither in proper order nor in their proper place. So insolent is human judgment. On the contrary, let us know that God, working thus against our natural senses, tests us so that in the future we may learn not to be too high-minded, nor to attempt anything of ourselves, but rather to leave to God the complete rationale of his works, and to bear it that he may accomplish what he himself has judged good and right, and to adore his administration, though it be foreign to our senses — indeed, contrary to them.

And for this reason we see it specifically stated here that Samuel ordered Saul to have his servant withdraw, so that the whole matter and that inauguration into the royal dignity might be carried out with only Samuel and Saul as witnesses, until God himself revealed the whole thing and brought it to its conclusion. From this, let us learn to admire the reason behind the Lord's ways and counsels: whose beginnings are small and slight, so tenuous that nothing great or admirable appears, so that we may learn to hope beyond all hope. For, by way of example, God could indeed give such splendor to the Gospel that it would flourish everywhere, and could utterly overthrow all superstition and idolatry in a single moment, and could at the earliest time raise up the standard of his Son Jesus Christ's kingdom, and bestow upon it such authority that no one would even dare to open his mouth to impede the course of his teaching, so that it would be proclaimed throughout the entire world in an instant. But he follows an entirely contrary course. For such is the condition of Christians that they are always tossed about by various storms, and their state is always uncertain and doubtful — indeed, dreadful in appearance and full of dangers. For if today their affairs seem to be in good condition, the day after tomorrow the greatest upheaval follows; so much so that wicked and villainous men, sworn enemies of the Christian name, are remarkably emboldened, seize power, and conduct themselves insolently, boasting of the greatest authority. Here, if we wish to apply our own judgment and evaluate God's works by that standard, it is certain that we would condemn them — but with what recklessness, I ask, and with what madness? Therefore let us learn to acquiesce in what God ordains. And if our intellect does not perceive them and our senses do not grasp them, let us know nevertheless that nothing is praiseworthy except what is set forth for us by God, and that no doctrine, no wisdom, no righteousness is approved except what he himself has taught. And this is what must be carefully noted in this passage: that God's freedom be left to him, that we allow him the dispensation of all things, and that we allow ourselves to be ruled by him gradually and by degrees, and commit ourselves entirely to his judgment.

As for the anointing, there should be no doubt that by this sign God wished to represent the grace of his Holy Spirit. For often in sacred Scripture such phrases occur by which, through the anointing with oil, the grace and anointing of the Holy Spirit is represented. For by our nature we are dry and arid, without moisture and fluid; therefore whatever we have must come from elsewhere — namely from God, who supplies our need and poverty. And for this reason the Holy Spirit is represented by oil, and new life by anointing. For we are as if dead until God himself bestows new vigor upon us, which he does through his Holy Spirit. And so we are renewed when the gifts of the divine Spirit are poured out upon us. Although indeed we all need them, yet those who have been promoted to the highest honors of high office need more excellent gifts. For beyond the fact that all must walk in the fear of God, these must lead others by example and compel them to duty. Therefore they need singular prudence and singular defenses against the various temptations to which they are subject. God therefore showed by these signs that kings must be governed by him in some special way, and must be made distinguished and venerable by more excellent and notable gifts than common people. And for this reason he willed this ceremony of anointing to be in use during the time of the law. But it should be noted that this was done by the Lord on account of the rudeness of that age, during which shadows and figures were in use, until the body and truth should arrive. And therefore it was mere trifling and a ridiculous imitation when certain kings wished to copy this example. For they seem to want to recall past shadows, as if the light of the Gospel did not today shine everywhere throughout the world, which testifies that there is no longer any place for those shadows and figures.

There was a special reason for the anointing of David. For God wished to testify that David not only needed the gifts by which, once adorned, he might maintain the royal dignity, but was also an image of our Lord Jesus Christ. For this reason, in the prophet's Psalm it is specifically said: 'Your God has anointed you above all your companions.' Although this was true of David himself, yet in a special way David was a figure of our Lord Jesus Christ, who was to come one day filled with all abundance of graces. For this reason also we often read that David is called the anointed of God. Saul indeed, I confess, was an anointed king, but one whose reign was only going to be momentary. Thus we also see that Jehu was anointed king, but his kingdom was illegitimate and rejected by God, because he had departed from the house of David. But when Scripture mentions one anointed by God, it speaks of David's successors, who were to cherish the people in hope of the mediator promised to the fathers, who would come from David's line. And that word 'anointed' is the same as 'Christ,' from whom also we are called Christians, to show that the truth corresponds to the figure, because Jesus Christ, who is the true redeemer, was under the law figured by those ceremonial rites and was called the anointed of God and Christ, as I said before. And this is also clear from the canticle of Simeon, in which that good old man is said to rejoice because he had seen the Lord's anointed, who is our Lord Jesus Christ — that eternal Word, in whom is all the perfection of those things that were figured under the law. Nevertheless, there was a great difference between our Lord Jesus Christ and those who were his figures and images. For although David was anointed, he could not then make others partakers of his anointing. But our Lord Jesus Christ was so anointed that we become partakers of his anointing, and from Christ are called Christians. For he poured out upon his members the grace of his Spirit according to the measure that pleased him. And indeed, unless we become partakers of that spiritual anointing, we cannot please God, and we have no part in him — just as in 1 John we are all said to draw from the fullness of his grace. For why are we children of God, unless because he has communicated to us his Holy Spirit? As the same John teaches, and the apostle Paul in various places, but especially in the Epistle to the Romans, to the Ephesians, to the Thessalonians, where the Holy Spirit is said to be the pledge of our inheritance to which we have been called. He, says Paul, is the one through whom we invoke God as our Father. He is said to be anointed for us, just as he is also called the anointed of God. Nor do we have so great a benefit from ourselves, but grace upon grace. For whatever gifts Christ received in all perfection, he did not receive for himself — since he did not need them — but for enriching us, so that from him alone as from a fountain we might draw all our good things, and place our entire hope in him alone, in whom is all fullness of good things, so that we may have that from which we are abundantly satisfied, as much as he has known to be needed. This is why we are called Christians — on account of him, namely, who is the Christ of God. For he received the fullness of grace, so that from him each one might receive his own measure.

As for what concerns Saul — that he was inaugurated as king by that anointing with oil — it thus indicates that all kings, princes, magistrates, and governors need divine anointing, so that they may receive from God more and more distinguished gifts than private persons, in proportion as they are called to a more excellent ministry and one of far greater importance, for the bearing of which they would be unequal without his grace and help.

As for the kiss that Samuel added, he did this not only as a sign of favor, but chiefly as a mark of honor and reverence. I acknowledge indeed that in those regions a kiss was customary, either in greeting those who arrived or in bidding farewell to those who departed. Nevertheless, a kiss was also a sign of submission and honor and veneration, just as in Psalm 2, kings and princes are commanded to kiss the Son, so that by this symbol they may testify to their submission and subject themselves to him, and attribute all their glory and dignity to him, and accordingly renounce all their glory, acknowledging that they are under the protection and patronage of the one in whom supreme power resides — not only over men but over the very angels. Thus in this passage Samuel is said to have kissed Saul, acknowledging him as king and honoring him as king, even though he was not yet admitted and recognized. In this Samuel's modesty is apparent. For it is certain that if Samuel had given place to human emotions, he would have been greatly troubled and deeply exasperated against Saul, because of the authority taken from him which he had formerly held among the people and which he had maintained for many years — because of the contempt shown toward his sons, whom he saw deposed, and the magistracy taken from them. For although Samuel had already heard the people's complaints about them, yet this new designation of a king could have struck his mind more forcefully. Now it is well known that ambition is usually joined with the greatest envy. He who envies his neighbor cannot help but be indignant if he sees the other's advancement, for the envious man wastes away at the prosperity of another. In short, the end of envy is to seek one's own advantage and that of one's family at the expense of others, and to prefer one's own interests far above others. Then envy breeds contention among equals vying with each other for honor, neither willing to yield. But here we simply see Saul received by Samuel with a kiss, as a symbol of submission, as if Samuel were abdicating his authority and magistracy — which, however, he had by no means arrogated to himself, but had received from God, as we saw. Yet he willingly yields to Saul the dignity which he sees conferred on him by the Lord, so that there is no longer any room for objection; and he therefore adds the symbol of the kiss, by which he testifies to his friendly and voluntary submission. In short, he greets and venerates Saul as king, because he recognizes that this modesty is not displeasing to God.

From this let us learn to honor with due respect those whom God raises to the highest degrees of dignity and wills to rule over us and have dominion, so that we are not only subject to them as if by force, but willingly and voluntarily obey them. And since that obedience is pleasing to God and serves as a sacrifice of sweet savor, let us offer our persons to God, willingly subjecting ourselves to those whom he has willed to be set over us.

Beyond the anointing, a threefold additional sign is added, by which Saul is confirmed by Samuel regarding the promised kingdom with certainty. For the anointing might have seemed incredible as a sign of divine will, since it was also applied to priests. For this must be the use of sacraments. And that visible anointing was, as was said before, a temporary sacrament, or sign or figure of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. For when the high priest was anointed, by that sign he was dedicated to God, so that entrance to the sanctuary was open to him, and he might stand before God as a mediator and intercessor for the whole people. And by this sign the faith of the faithful was confirmed, because in this way they were persuaded that their prayers were heard, since God had appointed an intercessor who would intercede with him on behalf of the whole people. The reason for the royal anointing was no different: by it God publicly testified that he had received into his patronage those whom he himself by his command had raised to the highest degrees of dignity for ruling others. Therefore there is no doubt that Saul was greatly confirmed when the oil was poured upon his head by the Lord's command. In the same way today, in the baptism of infants, we contemplate the washing and remission of our sins and our spiritual regeneration. Indeed, in the same baptism we also have a symbol of our death, when we are immersed in the waters or sprinkled with them as a sign of death. But at the same time we must acknowledge that we cannot be admitted into the church and counted as its members without renouncing ourselves and the world — which God must accomplish in us by his own power. And just as baptism is a testimony and symbol of spiritual gifts, so also in the holy supper the Holy Spirit seals in our hearts that Christ is our food and drink, and that we draw life from him, having first been purified in baptism from all our defilements. Therefore the anointing of which we speak was of benefit to Saul for confirming him in that calling to royal power to which he was called by the Lord through Samuel. Nevertheless, since we are weak in receiving God's promises and reveal our unbelief in many and various things, Saul needed to be confirmed by other signs as well, and indeed by multiple ones. From this the weakness of our faith is apparent, and how much the world feeds on falsehood becomes conspicuous to us. Nor should we fear being deceived by others in this matter, since each person's own imagination gives rise to error; and whatever great things we promise ourselves, we seem able to accomplish them easily and bring them to completion by our own powers. Hence it very often happens that many rush headlong into their vices, and conversely, when the divine words are to be believed and his power trusted, we cannot be persuaded and willingly acquiesce. Therefore, when in the sacred writings we see that God confirmed his promises with many signs, let us acknowledge that this was done on account of the innate vice of unbelief in men. But because there do not strike our eyes today as many signs and symbols of divine promises as were formerly offered to the ancients in the time of the law, let us not on that account think that God is lacking to us, or that our condition is therefore worse — since the condition of our age is far better and more precious than under the law of old. For in Jesus Christ we must find our complete rest; and we must know that figures and shadows are no longer to be sought, since Jesus Christ himself brought to us the body and the truth in the highest perfection.

As for the first sign that was to meet Saul: two men are said to be about to come to meet him at the tomb of Rachel, on the border of Benjamin (which was between the territory of Benjamin and Judah), who would report that the donkeys he had gone to seek had been found, and that his father was anxious about him. But how would Samuel have divined these things unless they had been divinely revealed to him? And so Saul had to be powerfully confirmed, as by a divine oracle, by which God himself was ratifying that promise about obtaining the kingdom. If Saul had obtained this grace alone — to meet two men by whom he would be led home — he would have had to regard this as a great benefit. But the purpose of those men coming to meet him was far more excellent and outstanding: namely, an unmistakable testimony that, just as those two men would meet him according to Samuel's oracle, so too he would be elevated to the royal dignity.

This is a teaching worthy of observation. For we see how from all ages men have abused signs sent by God, not rising up to God who sent them. And that vice prevails everywhere in the world today. For, I ask, who pays attention to the miracles by which God in this age has illuminated the doctrine of the Gospel? Have they not rather been turned to superstition and idol-worship by impostors? For when miracles are discussed in the papacy, are they not drawn to the confirmation of idolatry, so that men are more and more hardened and wrapped in denser shadows of ignorance? Nevertheless, miracles testify to God's power and might, so that the Gospel may be received by men with sure confidence. But those miserable papal impostors, as I said, drag them to the opposite end. Therefore this teaching must be observed by us all the more carefully, the greater is men's stupidity in recognizing the right use of signs: namely, that when God has placed certain signs before our eyes, we should not only admire them and adore God's power and virtue, knowing that he reveals himself to us in them so that we may learn to worship and venerate him; but also and above all, we should join the signs with his word. Therefore the usefulness of this sign was that Saul should not only recognize that God had taken pity on him by offering him messengers sent by his father, but also be made more certain that the promise he had received through Samuel's ministry about the royal dignity would at last be fulfilled by the one who had promised it.

The second sign was three men going up to the house of God to offer sacrifice. From this it appears that the rule prescribed by God for sacrifices was not so religiously observed as it should have been. For they are not said to have come to Ramah to sacrifice, where Samuel had built an altar and sacrificed. So they took much liberty upon themselves. But if God tolerated certain things, their practice is not therefore to be drawn into a precedent. This is what we see the papists doing today, when they try to make human traditions equal to the word of God by their own reasonings, and to persuade people that they should be regarded as the word of God. For they draw this passage and similar ones from sacred Scripture to a common sense meaning in order to lend credibility to their inventions. But if God tolerated certain things, he did not therefore approve them. Who then will reach such a degree of impudence as to therefore give free rein to his own inventions and have them regarded by men as the word of God? The Lord himself has prescribed the way for us; let us therefore follow it. For the Lord himself diligently warned beforehand through Moses that no one should do what seems right in his own eyes, but only what God commands. Therefore, since in this age we lack those signs by which God formerly dealt with his people, let us remain faithful to the simplicity of his word. Although, therefore, that Jewish people sometimes rashly sacrificed in certain places and departed somewhat from the purity of the law, and God nevertheless forgave them, let us not follow those examples, nor attempt anything too boldly while expecting mercy from divine clemency. For we must acquiesce in his will as it has been revealed to us, and cling to it alone, knowing that the servant who knows his Lord's will and does not prepare himself or act according to it will be beaten with many stripes.

Let us therefore follow the simplicity of God's word, and not look at what this or that person did, since whatever does not agree with God's word must be rejected outright. Furthermore, of the three men who were to meet Saul, one is said to be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. These details are so precisely recorded here in order to confirm Saul's faith more and more. For if mention had been made in general terms of three men coming to sacrifice, it would not have had as much weight as when all the circumstances are designated and what they will do is expressed — namely, that they will come to sacrifice laden with these things, and will give him a portion of what they carry. From all this it becomes more and more apparent that Saul needed this confirmation in order to be made certain of God's will. And in his person we may behold our own dullness and the weakness of our faith. Since indeed we do not have today the signs that those ancients had, let us pray to God that he may confirm us more and more in the certainty of his word, as he sees fit; and that by the power of his Holy Spirit he may so seal his will in our souls that we may never be tossed about by any temptations that would cause us to turn aside in one direction or another, but that we may have fullness of faith, so that we may walk in the way he has taught and shown, and constantly run the race in it.

Furthermore, the circumstance added in verse four should be observed: namely, that they will give Saul two loaves of bread. For those men are not said to have been previously known to Saul, or to have been inhabitants of the same town or village. It is only a matter of three men, who it is likely were rather strangers. Therefore, when they are said to be about to give him two loaves, God's providence is noted, who will bring it about in their hearts that on the journey they will share with him some part of the food they had brought with them. But everyone knows that travelers who have taken provisions necessary for their journey do not easily share a portion with just anyone they happen to meet who is unknown to them. Therefore this was extraordinary, and God had to work in them to make them use this generosity toward Saul. Meanwhile we see God working here simply and without display, yet in such a way that Saul could not have been better confirmed than by receiving necessary provisions from those men at the right time. But in truth, God's works are not to be measured by our capacity; rather, they are to be received with admiration, so that the more remote they are from our senses, the greater we may know the occasion offered to us for praising and glorifying God. And therefore, even though the signs he sets before our eyes may be slight and appear to human senses to be of no importance, let us not on that account fall away from faith, but be made more firmly established, until he himself fulfills his promises in the way and manner that seems most fitting and suitable to him.

Come now, brothers, etc.

1. Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on Saul's head, kissed him, and said: 'Behold, the Lord has anointed you as prince over His inheritance.' 2. 'When you leave me today, you will find two men near the tomb of Rachel, in the territory of Benjamin, to the south. They will say to you: The donkeys you went to look for have been found. Now your father has stopped worrying about the donkeys and is anxious about you, saying: What has become of my son?' 3. 'From there you will go on further and come to the oak of Tabor. Three men going up to God at Bethel will meet you there — one carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a jar of wine.' 4. 'They will greet you and offer you two loaves of bread, which you shall accept from their hand.'

In yesterday's sermon we saw the remarkable modesty of those elders — the most honored men of their community — who had been invited to the solemn banquet and yet made no complaint when Samuel assigned the most prominent seat to Saul, an unknown and obscure young man, without giving any explanation. They might, of course, have suspected that Samuel was acting on some secret revelation. Before Samuel had even seen Saul, he had already instructed the cook to set aside the shoulder with its attachments — something that surely could not have been done without the prophetic spirit, even though those present had no way of knowing this or suspecting that a new prophecy was unfolding. The matter had to remain concealed for the time being. From this we must learn that even when the reason behind events in the world is unknown to us, we must not exceed the limits of our place, but must hold our understanding in check. God sometimes does not wish to declare His will openly to us — He wants to keep us in a posture of reverent dependence. Yet in the meantime He gives us a sign by which He teaches what must be done, just as He has already decreed. We must therefore be content if we have followed the path shown to us, even when we can see neither the beginning nor the end of it. In a sense, we must be as blind people in the things set before us — keeping the eyes of our minds fixed on what God commands, striving only to conform ourselves to obedience, persuaded that He will take care of what is hidden from us, even when He does not explain the reasons for His ways. God exercises our faith in this way, keeping our minds in perpetual reverence, directing all our zeal toward His Word — to which we willingly and simply submit, without demanding further explanation for why He wills it so. This kind of humble trust surpasses all the wisdom of those who pride themselves on cleverly working out everything in advance. You will see many who cannot be satisfied with this simplicity —

— who will not obey God until they have first figured out why He wills it so, who argue with Him as though He owes them an answer, and who are not satisfied unless they can fully comprehend and explain the Deity and His purposes. True wisdom, by contrast, is knowing how to be patient — to receive with obedience what God brings about, because He will accomplish in His own way and in His own time what He intends to do, and will one day make known what is presently hidden from us, provided we wait patiently.

The text then says that Samuel spoke with Saul on the rooftop — that is, in an elevated, open-air area exposed to the sun. Among that people, buildings were constructed so that people would walk on the flat top of the house when the heat had subsided and they preferred open air to shade. They would go up to the roof, which was built differently from ours, and walk on it like a terrace. Samuel is said to have gone up to such a rooftop with Saul to speak with him — and to have spoken with him a second time there. When Samuel was ready to send him on his way and they came down to the edge of the city, Samuel told Saul to send his servant ahead. Then, taking a flask of oil, he poured it over Saul's head and declared that he had been chosen by the Lord as king over the people. Samuel then gave him three signs by which he could be confirmed in his calling to royal dignity. First: on departing from Samuel, Saul would meet two men sent by his father, who would tell him the donkeys had been found and that his father was calling him home. Second: three other men, on their way up to God at Bethel, would meet him and offer him two loaves of bread, which he was to accept from their hand. Third: a group of prophets would come down from the high place with musical instruments, and Saul would suddenly be so changed by God that he would prophesy with them. By these signs Samuel was commanding Saul to know and be certain that it was by God's will and command that he was being called to royal dignity. That is the sum of what is described here.

Regarding the first point — Samuel going up to the rooftop with Saul to speak with him — there is no doubt that he did this to instruct Saul about his duty. He was certainly not discussing trivial matters. Looking to God's calling, he gave Saul sound instruction and the signs that would confirm his calling more and more. Samuel warned him about the difficulty of the office, so that Saul might prepare himself to take it up with greater care and seriousness — calling on God for help, turning away from arrogance and pride, and acknowledging that he had been chosen by God not because of any personal excellence or merit, but for the good and benefit of the whole people. Saul must therefore show by his very actions that he was mindful of his duty and of the obligation he owed to all the people — caring more for them than for himself, and placing their interests before his own.

Samuel gave these instructions not as a private individual, but as a prophet of God. We must accept the signs God sends us, even when they do not come with the clarity and completeness we would prefer. In this way God restrains the impatience that is innate in us — our tendency to want God to act according to our own timetable and to bring us immediately to the summit, leaving us with nothing still to wait for. But because He knows our needs better than we do, He wishes to bring us to knowledge of His will gradually — as a child destined to master the greatest fields of learning must first work through the basic elements in school. He also tests us in various ways to tame the foolish arrogance that is built into our nature and to keep us in our proper place. Human arrogance is remarkable: however ignorant or unskilled a person may be, he still wants to be regarded as a great teacher and to be admired by all. Since this disease of arrogance and presumption is ingrained in us by nature, God deals with us in the way He knows is most beneficial. As a result, we do not arrive at the fullest knowledge of things as quickly as we ourselves would like. This example should be carefully noted: God is said to have instructed Saul from the beginning, so that when he came to royal dignity he would not be ignorant of his duty — but He did it gradually, in measured steps, and (this is worth observing) not publicly but as if in secret. The depravity of human nature is such that when God gives us gifts, we want them announced and made known to everyone publicly — so that we can become famous, with many witnesses to our excellence. Gifts seem worthless to us unless everyone hears about them and we can be admired and seen as superior to others. But here we are taught something different: when God keeps us in a humble state — treating us as ordinary and unremarkable, so that His gifts in us seem buried and people see nothing in us worth admiring or honoring — we should still be content that God has revealed Himself to us and communicated with us by whatever sign pleased Him. We should think little of the outward displays that most people eagerly chase after. Saul could have objected to Samuel that if God truly wished him to be elevated to royal dignity, it should be established and made plain to people of every rank — since no one could ever guess or conclude by their own reasoning whom God was designating as king, unless He made it known by some public sign. But in truth, Saul had to remain quiet and wait until God brought him forward and revealed him as the chosen king. In the meantime, Saul was not to be moved at all, but to stay in his former place and conduct himself so that nothing new or out of the ordinary would be noticed in him. He had been invited to dinner and given the seat of honor by Samuel, placed above the other guests — yet in such a way that no one knew the reason for this distinction. He was then sent home just as any ordinary man or stranger would be, returning to his father's house and his former life of tending the flocks, with no visible signs of royal dignity. God willed it this way so that Saul would not step forward before the appointed time or push himself forward on his own — but would wait patiently until God brought him forward and revealed what He intended for him.

Let us therefore learn from this not to be puffed up. If God has given us gifts and has chosen to keep them hidden within us, let us not be resentful or disturbed if they are not on display for all to see, and if we do not stand out as objects of admiration. Instead, let us wait for the Lord Himself — in His own time, as He sees best — to advance the work He has begun and bring us forward Himself. This is a teaching we all need. Experience itself shows how fickle our dispositions are, and how impatient we become when we have received some promise from God and can barely restrain ourselves while waiting for it to come to pass. For example, if we are pressed by some hardship from which God has promised deliverance, we want that deliverance on the very first day — indeed, at that very moment. We cannot be still. We are tormented and swept away by intense emotions. We want to force God, almost by violence, to complete His work instantly. The more prone we are to this kind of frantic impatience, the more we must learn — when God gives us some sign of His grace and favor — to keep hoping for better things, to wait patiently for the time He has appointed, and to hold in check those intense and fervent emotions to which we are usually far too indulgent.

Next, Samuel is said to have sent Saul's servant away before he anointed Saul as king. This detail confirms and strengthens the teaching above. What was there to prevent Samuel from pouring the oil of royal anointing over Saul's head in the presence of his servant? Nothing — and yet God habitually works in ways that go beyond human logic, refusing to be constrained by our rules or shaped to fit our expectations. He works as it pleases Him. And though His methods may seem unusual to us, that very fact should move us all the more to submit ourselves to His direction and to approve whatever He does — even when the reason for His ways is entirely unknown to us — until He Himself reveals the meaning of the signs He has given by their very outcome, and shows to what end He intended them.

If we judge this whole affair by our own human reasoning, we will find nothing but what seems absurd and contrary to all sound logic — especially given that within just a few days, the man designated as king would need to be publicly presented. So why did God not want even Saul's servant to know about it for now? Why should there be no human witness to this calling? By human calculation, this way of proceeding seems completely unusual and pointless. But, as I said, God is to be admired here, for He habitually tests our humility and modesty in this way — hiding everything outwardly so that nothing great or admirable can be seen, and thus training us to hope beyond all hope. God does not adapt His ways to the limits of our understanding so that we can approve or reject His actions by our own calculations. Our perversity runs deep: we want to be the authors of God's works, we want the outcomes in our own hands, and we resist being subject to God and conformed to His will. As a result, we look at God's works and imagine only chaos. We scrutinize them so boldly that we are not ashamed to say they are done neither in the right order nor in the right way. Such is the arrogance of human judgment. Let us instead understand that when God works in ways that run against our natural instincts, He is testing us — training us not to think too highly of ourselves, not to attempt anything on our own initiative, but to leave the entire reasoning behind His works to God Himself. We must bear with His ways, letting Him accomplish what He has judged to be good and right, and adoring His governance even when it is strange to our senses — indeed, even when it runs contrary to them.

It is specifically noted here that Samuel sent Saul's servant away, so that the entire proceeding — that inauguration into royal dignity — took place with only Samuel and Saul as witnesses, until God Himself revealed everything and brought it to its completion. From this let us learn to marvel at the reasoning behind the Lord's ways and counsels. Their beginnings are small and slight — so faint that nothing impressive appears — so that we may learn to hope beyond all hope. By way of illustration: God could have given the Gospel such splendor that it would flourish everywhere immediately. He could have overthrown all superstition and idolatry in an instant, raised the standard of His Son Jesus Christ's kingdom at once, and invested it with such authority that no one would dare open his mouth against it — and its proclamation could have spread throughout the entire world overnight. But He follows an entirely opposite course. Christians find themselves constantly tossed about by various storms. Their situation is always uncertain, often dangerous, and troubling in appearance. When their affairs seem to be going well today, the greatest upheaval may follow the day after tomorrow. Wicked and vicious men — sworn enemies of the Christian name — are emboldened, seize power, and conduct themselves with great arrogance, boasting of supreme authority. If we try to evaluate God's works by our own judgment in such moments, we would condemn them — but with what recklessness, and what madness, would we do so? Let us therefore learn to accept what God ordains. If our intellect cannot perceive it and our senses cannot grasp it, let us still know that nothing is truly praiseworthy except what God sets before us — that no teaching, no wisdom, no righteousness is valid except what He Himself has given. That is what must be carefully noted in this passage: that God's freedom must be left to Him, that we allow Him the management of all things, that we accept being governed by Him gradually and step by step, and that we commit ourselves entirely to His judgment.

As for the anointing itself, there should be no doubt that by this ceremony God intended to represent the grace of His Holy Spirit. Throughout Scripture, such imagery appears repeatedly: the anointing with oil signifies the grace and anointing of the Holy Spirit. By our nature we are dry and parched — lacking all spiritual moisture. Whatever we have must come from outside ourselves, from God, who supplies our need and poverty. For this reason the Holy Spirit is represented by oil, and new life by anointing. We are, in effect, dead until God Himself breathes new life into us through His Holy Spirit. We are renewed when the gifts of the divine Spirit are poured out upon us. While all people need these gifts, those who are elevated to high positions of authority need especially excellent gifts. Beyond what all Christians owe — to walk in the fear of God — those in leadership must lead others by example and draw them to their duty as well. They therefore need outstanding wisdom and special defenses against the particular temptations to which their position makes them vulnerable. By the ceremony of anointing, God showed that kings must be governed by Him in a special way — distinguished and set apart by gifts more remarkable than those given to ordinary people. For this reason He ordained that anointing be observed during the period of the law. It should be noted, however, that God used this ceremony because of the spiritual immaturity of that age — a time when shadows and symbolic figures were in use, until the substance and reality should arrive. It was therefore a frivolous and ridiculous imitation when certain kings in later times wanted to copy this practice. They seemed to be reaching back to old shadows, as if the light of the Gospel had not already shone throughout the entire world — a light that makes clear that there is no longer any place for those shadows and figures.

David's anointing had a special significance. God wished to testify that David not only needed the gifts required to maintain royal dignity, but was also a figure of our Lord Jesus Christ. For this reason the prophet's Psalm says specifically: 'Your God has anointed You above all Your companions.' While this was true of David himself, David was in a special way a type of our Lord Jesus Christ — the one who was to come filled with the full abundance of grace. This is also why Scripture so often calls David the anointed of God. Saul, I grant, was an anointed king — but his reign was destined to last only a short time. We also see that Jehu was anointed king, yet his kingdom was illegitimate and rejected by God because he had departed from the house of David. When Scripture speaks of one anointed by God, it refers to David's successors, who were to preserve the people in the hope of the mediator promised to the fathers — the one who would come from David's line. The word 'anointed' is the same as 'Christ' — from which we are also called Christians — showing that the reality corresponds to the figure. Jesus Christ, the true Redeemer, was foreshadowed under the law by those ceremonial rites and was called the anointed of God, the Christ, as I said. This is also evident in Simeon's song, where that godly old man rejoices because he had seen the Lord's anointed — our Lord Jesus Christ, that eternal Word in whom all the fullness of what was foreshadowed under the law is perfectly realized. Yet there was a great difference between our Lord Jesus Christ and those who were His figures and types. David was anointed, but he could not make others partakers of his anointing. But our Lord Jesus Christ was anointed in such a way that we become partakers of His anointing — and from Christ we are called Christians. He poured out upon His members the grace of His Spirit according to the measure He was pleased to give. Unless we become partakers of that spiritual anointing, we cannot please God and have no share in Him — just as 1 John teaches that we all draw from the fullness of His grace. Why are we children of God, if not because He has communicated to us His Holy Spirit? As John teaches, and as Paul teaches in various letters — especially Romans, Ephesians, and Thessalonians — the Holy Spirit is the pledge of our inheritance to which we have been called. He, Paul says, is the one through whom we call upon God as our Father. He is anointed for us, just as He is also called the anointed of God. We possess this great benefit not from ourselves, but by grace upon grace. Whatever gifts Christ received in full perfection, He did not receive for Himself — since He had no need of them — but to enrich us. From Him alone, as from a fountain, we are to draw all our good things and place our entire hope in Him alone. In Him is all fullness of good things, so that we may have from Him whatever we need, as much as He knows to be necessary for us. This is why we are called Christians — on account of Him who is the Christ of God. He received the fullness of grace so that from Him each person might receive his own measure.

As for Saul's inauguration as king by the anointing with oil, this indicates that all kings, princes, magistrates, and governors need a divine anointing — to receive from God gifts more excellent than those given to private persons, in proportion to the greater and more demanding ministry to which they are called. Without God's grace and help, they would be utterly unequal to the task.

As for the kiss Samuel added — he did this not only as a sign of goodwill but chiefly as a mark of honor and reverence. I acknowledge that in those regions a kiss was customary, whether in greeting someone who had arrived or saying farewell to someone departing. But a kiss also served as a sign of submission, honor, and veneration — just as in Psalm 2, kings and princes are commanded to kiss the Son, testifying by this gesture to their submission and subjecting themselves to Him, attributing to Him all their glory and dignity, and renouncing their own glory in acknowledgment that they stand under the protection and authority of the one in whom supreme power resides — not only over men but over the angels themselves. In this passage, Samuel kisses Saul — acknowledging him as king and honoring him as king, even though Saul had not yet been publicly presented and recognized. Samuel's modesty is clearly visible here. If Samuel had given way to his natural feelings, he would certainly have been deeply troubled and bitterly resentful toward Saul. He was watching authority he had held for many years among the people being taken from him — and he saw his sons deposed and stripped of their position. Although Samuel had already heard the people's complaints about his sons, this new designation of a king could well have hit him with fresh force. It is well known that ambition typically comes paired with intense envy. A person who envies his neighbor cannot help but feel outrage when he sees that neighbor's advancement. The envious man is eaten alive by another's prosperity. In short, envy drives a person to seek his own advantage and his family's advantage at others' expense, and to value his own interests far above everyone else's. Envy breeds strife among equals competing for honor, with neither willing to yield. But here we see Samuel simply receive Saul with a kiss — a gesture of submission — as though he were voluntarily surrendering his authority and office, even though he had never seized that authority for himself but had received it from God. Yet he willingly yields to Saul the dignity that he sees the Lord conferring on him, leaving no room for objection. He adds the kiss as a symbol, testifying to his friendly and voluntary compliance. In short, Samuel greets and honors Saul as king, because he recognizes that this humble submission is pleasing to God.

From this let us learn to honor with proper respect those whom God raises to positions of highest authority and appoints to rule over us — so that we do not merely submit to them as if under compulsion, but willingly and voluntarily obey them. Since such obedience is pleasing to God and serves as a fragrant sacrifice, let us offer ourselves to God by willingly placing ourselves under those He has appointed to be set over us.

In addition to the anointing, three further signs are added, by which Samuel confirms Saul regarding the promised kingdom. The anointing alone might have seemed an uncertain sign of God's will, since anointing was also used for priests. This is how sacraments are meant to function. That outward anointing was, as noted earlier, a temporary sacrament — a sign and figure of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. When the high priest was anointed, he was by that act dedicated to God, so that access to the sanctuary was opened to him and he could stand before God as mediator and intercessor for the whole people. By this sign the faith of the believers was strengthened, since they were assured that their prayers were heard — God had appointed an intercessor who would plead for the whole people before Him. The royal anointing served the same purpose: by it, God publicly declared that those He raised to the highest positions of authority were taken under His patronage. There is no doubt that Saul was greatly confirmed when oil was poured over his head by the Lord's command. In the same way today, in the baptism of infants, we contemplate the washing and forgiveness of our sins and our spiritual new birth. In baptism we also have a symbol of our death — when we are immersed in or sprinkled with water as a sign of death. At the same time we must acknowledge that we cannot be received into the church and counted as its members without renouncing ourselves and the world — which God must accomplish in us by His own power. And just as baptism is a testimony and symbol of spiritual gifts, so in the Lord's Supper the Holy Spirit seals in our hearts that Christ is our food and drink — that we draw life from Him, having first been cleansed from all our sins in baptism. The anointing of which we speak therefore served Saul by confirming him in the calling to royal authority to which the Lord had called him through Samuel. But since we are weak in receiving God's promises and reveal our unbelief in many ways, Saul also needed to be confirmed by additional signs — indeed, by several of them. This shows us how frail our faith is, and how much the world feeds on falsehood. We need not fear being deceived by others in this, since each person's own imagination is a sufficient source of error. We easily persuade ourselves that we can achieve great things and bring them to completion through our own abilities. As a result, many rush headlong into their vices — while on the other hand, when the Word of God is to be believed and His power trusted, we cannot bring ourselves to comply willingly. When we see in Scripture that God confirmed His promises with many signs, let us acknowledge that this was done because of the innate weakness of unbelief in human beings. And since today we do not see as many outward signs and symbols of God's promises as the ancients had under the law, let us not conclude that God has abandoned us or that our condition is worse. In fact, our situation is far better and more excellent than under the old law. In Jesus Christ we must find our complete rest — knowing that figures and shadows are no longer to be sought, since Jesus Christ Himself brought us the reality and the truth in the fullest perfection.

As for the first sign given to Saul: two men would come to meet him at the tomb of Rachel, on the border of Benjamin — the boundary between the territories of Benjamin and Judah — and would report that the donkeys he had gone to seek had been found, and that his father was anxious about him. How could Samuel have known these things unless they had been divinely revealed to him? Saul therefore had to be powerfully confirmed, as if by a divine oracle — God Himself was ratifying through this sign the promise about obtaining the kingdom. If Saul had received only the benefit of meeting two men who would bring him home, that alone would have been a great gift. But the purpose of those men coming to meet him was far greater and more excellent: it was an unmistakable testimony that, just as those two men would meet him exactly as Samuel's word foretold, so too he would be elevated to the royal dignity as promised.

This teaching is well worth our attention. Throughout all ages people have misused the signs God sent them, failing to look beyond the signs to the God who sent them. This corruption is widespread in the world today as well. Who pays attention to the miracles by which God illuminated the preaching of the Gospel in this age? Have they not rather been twisted into superstition and idol-worship by impostors? When miracles are appealed to in the papacy, are they not used to confirm idolatry — so that people are only hardened further and wrapped in thicker layers of ignorance? Yet miracles testify to God's power and might, so that people may receive the Gospel with confident trust. But those miserable papal impostors, as I said, turn them to the opposite end. We must therefore pay all the more careful attention to this teaching — precisely because so many people fail to grasp the proper use of signs. When God places certain signs before our eyes, we should not merely admire them and adore God's power, recognizing that He reveals Himself in them so that we may worship and honor Him. We must also, and above all, connect the signs with His Word. The practical benefit of this sign for Saul was not merely that he should recognize God's kindness in sending him messengers from his father. More importantly, it was to confirm him even further that the promise he had received through Samuel's ministry — concerning the royal dignity — would ultimately be fulfilled by the one who had promised it.

The second sign involved three men going up to the house of God to offer sacrifice. This detail reveals that the rule God had prescribed for sacrifices was not being observed as strictly as it should have been — for these men are not said to be coming to Ramah, where Samuel had built an altar and offered sacrifice. They were taking considerable liberty. But the fact that God tolerated certain things does not mean those things were approved and should be taken as precedents. This is exactly what the papists do today: they use their own reasoning to try to elevate human traditions to the level of God's Word, and to convince people that these traditions carry the same authority as Scripture. They drag passages like this one from Scripture to support a general principle — that anything God has allowed is therefore acceptable — in order to give their own inventions a kind of credibility. But God's tolerance of something is not the same as His approval of it. Who would be so presumptuous as to therefore give free rein to his own inventions and demand that people treat them as the Word of God? The Lord Himself has prescribed the way for us — let us follow it. Through Moses, the Lord explicitly warned that no one was to do whatever seemed right in his own eyes, but only what God commands. Since we in this age lack the special signs by which God once dealt with His people, let us hold firmly to the simplicity of His Word. Although the Jewish people sometimes sacrificed rashly in certain places and departed somewhat from the purity of the law, and God forgave them, we should not follow those examples or rashly push the limits while counting on God's mercy. We must accept His will as He has revealed it, and cling to that Word alone — knowing that the servant who knows his master's will and neither prepares himself nor acts accordingly will be beaten with many blows.

Let us therefore follow the simplicity of God's Word and not pattern ourselves after what this or that person did — since whatever does not agree with God's Word must be firmly rejected. Of the three men who were to meet Saul, one was said to be carrying three young goats, another three loaves of bread, and another a skin of wine. These details are recorded so precisely in order to strengthen Saul's faith further. If the text had merely said in general terms that three men were coming to sacrifice, it would not have had nearly the same weight as when every specific circumstance is named — what they would be carrying, and exactly what they would do, including giving Saul a portion of what they carried. All of this makes it increasingly clear that Saul needed this confirmation to be made certain of God's will. In his experience we may see a reflection of our own slowness and the weakness of our faith. Since we do not have today the signs those ancient people had, let us pray to God that He would confirm us more and more in the certainty of His Word, as He sees fit — and that by the power of His Holy Spirit He would seal His will so firmly in our souls that no temptation could cause us to turn aside. May He give us fullness of faith, so that we may walk in the way He has shown us and run the race without wavering to the end.

The detail added in verse four also deserves attention: these men would give Saul two loaves of bread. These men were not said to be previously known to Saul or to be from his town or village — they were most likely complete strangers. The fact that strangers on a journey would give him two loaves points to God's providence at work, inclining their hearts to share with him some portion of the food they had brought for themselves. Everyone knows that travelers who have packed provisions for their journey do not easily hand over a share of their food to an unknown person they happen to meet along the way. This was therefore something extraordinary — God had to work within these men to move them to show such generosity toward Saul. Yet we see God working here simply and without display, and yet in such a way that Saul could not have been more effectively confirmed than by receiving necessary provisions from these strangers at exactly the right moment. God's works are not to be measured by our capacity to understand them. They are to be received with wonder — and the more they exceed our natural expectations, the greater the occasion they give us to praise and glorify God. Therefore, even if the signs God sets before our eyes seem small and appear unimpressive to ordinary human perception, let us not fall away from faith because of it. Instead, let those signs make us more firmly established — until God Himself fulfills His promises in the way and manner that seems most fitting and right to Him.

Come now, brothers, etc.