Division. _D.S \\5^\ Section t.rTli ^ ^ No, .11.. THE PREACHER'S COMMENTARY ON THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL. THE |aacher0 Complete ^amiletical COMMENTARY ON THE OLD TESTAMENT (ON AN ORIGINAL PLAN), cEith (Eritkal anb (SxplaiintotB ^otes, indices, ^t. ^t., BY VARIOUS AUTHORS LONDON: RICHARD D. DICKINSON, a9, FARRINGDON STREET. 1 88 4. HOMILETICAL COMMENTARY ON THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL. BY EEV. W. HARRIS, AUTHOR OF llomihticul Commentary on the Boole of Proverbs, Outlines of Sermons on Miracles and Parables of Old Testament, and Sermons for Boys and Qirls. LONDON: RICHARD D. DICKINSON, 89, FARRINGDON STREET. 1884. DARLING AND SON, MINERVA STEAM PRINTING OFFICE, 35, EASTCHEAP, E.C. INDEX OF SUBJECTS. PAGE Accusation, False, How to meet 16 Actions, isolated, not the standard of character ... ... ••• ••• 403 ,, Motive of, determine their character ... ... ... ••• 428 Advancement, True 196 Adversity reveals enemies 231,269 ,, ,, hidden excellence 76,398 Affection, Examples of strong 378,423 Appearances often deceptive 172 ,, cannot deceive God ... ... .•• ... ••• ••• 173 Atonement, Conscience feels need of 86 Beneficence, dishonest 3°^ Birth of a child. Importance of 1^ „ natural, no guarantee of character 40 Blessings may be turned into curses 86 Bravery in a bad cause not uncommon 72 Body, Resurrection of the, necessary 105 Calamities, Aggravations of 362 „ Amelioration of ^°^ may involve both innocent and guilty ^71 " 971 „ not always soften Calling, God's, will be made plain 1^^ Character of man influences conduct of God ^^^ men's conception of God 408 Children blest for parent's sake may imitate sin of parents ^"^^ not always like parents 105,212,329 Circumstances often misinterpreted INDEX OF SUBJECTS. PAGE Claims, just, not always to be enforced 350 Confession not repentance •• • ••• ••• ••• ••• •■• •••166,238 Courage with humility ••• ... ... .•• ••• ••• ••• 152 „ of best men may fail 215 Day of grace has its limits^.. ... ... ••• •• ••• .•• 262 Death of the righteous 242 Deceiver may be deceived .. . ••• ... ••• ... ••• ••• 275 Deed, good, lasting influence of a 272 „ may be done from bad motive 287 Desires may be granted in displeasure ... 107,270 ,, good, not always granted ... ••. ... ... ••• ... 313 Discontent, popular ; its tendency 390 Disobedience, Penalty of ••• ... ... ... ••• ••• .•• 143 Distrust, Fruit of 143,258 Dispensations, Divine, progressive... ••• ... •.• ••• ••• 316 Diversity of gifts, Intention of •.. ... ... ••• ••• .-. 400 Election, God's purpose in 316 Elevation, moral, of man ; its source ... ... ... ... ... 412 Emotion, religious ; its expression and dangers ... ... ... ... 305 „ „ Ungodly cannot sympathise with ... ... ... 305 Enemies of God sometimes used to fulfil His purposes ... ... ••• 99 „ „ unite against Him ... ... •.. ••• ••• 324 „ of the good. Portion of the 87 ,, attack in times of weakness • ... ... ... .•• 131 Enmity, Effects of 226 Epochs in life of men and communities ••• ... ... ... ... 123 Evil men thwart each other 232 „ powers ruled by God 176 „ tendencies in good men ... ... -.• ••• --. ... 335 „ Tendency of, to repeat itself 254 Failure in lawful undertakings. Reasons for 69 Faith, A failure of 215 „ Opportunities of ... 226 „ Connection between, integrity and 259 „ Victories of 152,187 Family life, no hindrance to spiritual life and service 105 Fleeing, sometimes better than fighting 202 Forgiveness, honourable 134 Forgiven sin, may be punished ... ... ... ... ... ...267,346 INDEX OP SUBJECTS. Friendship, true elements of „ Capabilities of... „ Proofs of Genealogy, Value of a Generosity has its prudent side Gifts not graces „ Diversity of, intention of God, His being and character „ useless to contend with „ His silent working ... „ unchangeable... „ Forbearance of „ the refuge of the perplexed ... „ His ways and word will stand the test „ has spoken to man ... „ His desire for man ... „ Views of, influenced by character ... ,, Existence of, a source of human satisfaction ,, Dependence upon, only source of moral success Godly, sometimes rebuked by ungodly ... „ may be debtors to ungodly „ help each other in trouble .. „ men, often inconsistent Good, Tendency of, to repeat itself Gratitude gives courage „ good to give personal expression to ... „ of the heart must find its way to the lip Greatness, True Guidance, Divine ... Hatred, a sustaining power Heart, Sin in the, must be resisted Help, Seasonable ... Heroic deeds beget others Home, Serving God at Humility, True „ Honour should produce Inconsistencies of good men Indignation, Righteous, may degenerate Ingratitude, Nature of PAGE ...193 ,211 ...193 ;,2ii ...200 ,326 7 375 ... 207 ... 400 ... 26 ,412 ... 33 79 ... 85 ,162 ... 128 .. 228 412 420 ... 421 ... 408 416 416 384 202 204 287, 351, 429 ,. 254 ... 272 ... 100 403 276 221, 314, 412 233 ... 334 ... 374 424 ... 21 ...118, 126 ... 319 287, 351, 429 244 51 INDEXi OF SUBJECTS. PAGE Ingratitude, Penalty of ... ... ••• ... ••• ••• ••• 127 Integrity, connection of faith and.. ... ••• ••• ••• ••• 259 Intercession, Duty of 138 Jealousy, in whom found 185 „ Danger of ... ... ••• ••• ••• ••• ••• 196 Effects of 223 Joy in God, its foundation 404 Judgments on the godly will extend to the ungodly 82 „ on good men by bad ... ... 275 Knowledge God's, infinite 28 Laws, Temporary and permanent 216 „ Natural, God's servants 394 „ Cause of suspension of beneficial ... ••• ••. ••• ••• 394 Liberty, Foundation of true 96 Licentiousness, its degrading power ... ... ■•• ••• ... 41, 355 Life, God the Author of 30 Light, Moral, consequence of refusing 263 „ God the source of — ••• 412 Love, Strength of parental... ... ... .•• ••• ••• ••• 378 „ strong obligations of its objects 423 Man, Influence of one 134, 227 „ helped by man 169 „ must work with God 280 „ God speaks by, to man 420 Marriage, as instituted by God 9 Mediator, Qualifications for a 200 Meekness, Power of 186 Mercy with chastisement 177 Messenger, A Divine 50 Ministry, True 44 „ in holy things. Training for ... 206 „ Obligations of 92 Miracles, not always convincing ... ... ... ... ... ... 80 Misjudgment of others 15,16,177,288,368 Motives, Importance of 428 Music, Influence of 179 INDEX OF SUBJECTS. National discontent, an opportunity for the ambitious. ,, sin „ „ authority of its retribution ,, unity, Need of Nobility of nature, common meeting ground ,, „ seeks occasions of self-sacrifice PAGE 390 158,395 159 97 398 423 Obedience, when unblest „ partial, useless „ best sacrifice. Why ? ... „ to parents „ insures help Occasions needed to reveal men . - . Omission, Sin of Oppression breeds rebellion Ordinances of God must be reverenced ,, valued when lost 68 162 163 185 299 133 62 220 92 93 Peace-Maker, a double blessing Position, Social, to be respected ... Possessions, Unlawful, must be relinquished Power brings obligation Praise, Duty of Prayer, Elements of true ... ,, Character gives weight to... „ Duty of intercessory ,, Conviction of the good in relation to ,, a law of God's kingdom ... ,, when unavailing ... ,, must be offered in submission ,, Promises fulfilled in answer to „ self-willed. Consequence of Promises of God „ „ fulfilled in answer to prayer ,, fulfilled by means of the ungodly Prosperity brings false friends „ brings special temptation Providence of God ... „ End of ., of man... Prudence, Value of Prudent sometimes to forego just claims. 391 237 287 326 ... 25,99 11 99 138 160 320 160 161 99,320 270 75 ■ 99,320 99,289 324 333 32, 115,126,265 34 265 245 350 INDEX OF SUBJECTS. PAGE Punishment of sin ... ... ... ... ... -.. ... ••. 52 „ ,, a ruler's duty ... .. ••• ... ... ... 355 „ „ not remitted because delayed ...' ... ... 395 Purposes, God's, fulfilled by unlikely means 126,224 ( „ and human instrumentality ... ... ••. 292, 370, 377 Qualifications for service differ at different periods of life ... ... 399 Reasoning, Mischievous 358 Rejecting God, Consequences of ... ... ... ... -.• •-. 137 Relationship, natural, without like character ... ... ... ... 71 Penalties of ... 220 Repentance, Elements of true 82,94 „ God's acceptance of 85,341 „ Exhortation, helpful to 95 „ God's, nature of 162 „ Rewards of ... ... ... •.• ... ... ••- 268 „ God brings men to 340 Retribution, National 159,395 Review, the past, good to ... ••• 137 Ruler, Qualifications of a good 46,297 ,, True, will find obedient subjects 296 Saceifice of one for many, when just ... 392 ,, Divine compensation for ... ••• ... ... ••• 45 ,, Self-influence of ... ... ••• ... "• ... 424 Satan, where he seeks to work ... ••• 176 Secret forces in life... •• ••• ••• ••• ••• ... ... 122 Selfishness, Punishment of... ... ... ... ... ... ... 243 Self-interest, an insecure foundation of trust ... ... ... ... 390 Self-will, Consequences of 153 Strength of 282 Servants of God sometimes shrink from duty ... 170 „ ,, often misunderstood ... ... ... ... ••• 171 Signs from God, Intention of ... ... ... ... -. ••. 124 Sin, Power of 40,44 ,, beyond human intercession ... ... ... ... ... .•• 47 „ National 158 ,, confessed without repentance 166 „ of one injures many ... ... ... ... ... ... 283,347,390 „ Pleasure of, short lived 347 INDEX OF SUBJECTS. Sin, Divine barriers to „ unfits to deal with other offenders ... „ differently viewed by godly and ungodly „ must be repented of before forgiveness „ punishment of... Spirit of God, where He works ,, ,, may influence without sanctifying „ of a man's life, the standard of character Sorrow must not hinder duty „ human, God can cheer in ... Soul-experience, Metaphors expressing . . . Standard, true, of human actions Submission, Grace of Success not always token of Divine favour „ false, short-lived ... Supernatural and the natural „ manifestations not always lead to godliness Superstition, Effects of ... PAGE 201 .358,391 .360,429 360 52, 395 176 207 407 383 412 404 292 161 350 384 115 207 71 62. Time no respecter of character Training early : its advantages Transitions in life reveal men Trust in God, when practical 104 58 268 280 Ungodly Man, Characteristics of an Unity, Need of national „ Misfortune bond of Unseen, Voice of the „ Reality of the ,, not generally preferred to the seen Faith in the 373 97 220 58 60 107 187, 299 Victory, Defeat may be better than 69 „ the best ... 134 „ Blessings following 102 of faith 187 „ of God's kingdom on earth dependent on moral conditions . . . 323 Vindication of an innocent man ... ... ... ... ... ... 237 Vows, Use and obligation of ... ... ... ... ••• ... 21 Wae, generally begun by those in the wrong 329 INDEX OF SUBJECTS. PAGE Wealth, one of its penalties, and one of its dangers and blessings ...385, 386 Wicked, Freedom of, argument from ... ... ... ... * ... 355 Workers for God, Oneness of ... - 324 Worst purposes find instruments ... ... ... 223 Youthful training, Blessings of 58 Young, Godliness in the 44 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXVIII. VERSES PAGE Ceitical and Expositoey Notes 260 3—25 Endor, The Woman of 262 CHAPTER XXIX. Ceitical and Expositoey Notes 265 1 — 11 Achish, David, and the Philistines ... 265 CHAPTER XXX. Ceitical and Expository Notes 267 1—31 Ziklag, David at 267 CHAPTER XXXI. Critical and Expository Notes 270 1 — 7 Death of Saul and Jonathan 270 8—12 Jabesh-Gilead, Gratitude of the men of 272 BOOK II. CHAPTER I. Critical and Expository Notes ^^4 1—16 David receives tidings of Saul's Death ... 275 17—27 Lament of David over the Death of Saul and Jonathan ... ^7b CHAPTER II. Critical and Expositoey Notes 278 1—7 Hebron, David goes to ^^^ 8—32 Ishbosheth made King CHAPTER III. Ceitical and Expository Notes 284 1—21 Abuer renders allegiance to David j°^ 22—39 Abner, Murder of CHAPTER IV. Critical and Expository Notes 291 1—12 Ishbosheth, Murder of CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. VEKSES PAGE Critical and Expository Notes ■ 294 1—5 King of all Israel, David ... 297 6 — 25 Jerusalem, Conquest of 299 CHAPTER VI. Critical and Expository Notes 302 1—29 Zion, Removal of Ark to 304 CHAPTER VII, Critical and Expository Notes 311 1—7 Temple, David Forbidden to Build the 313 12—16 Messiah, Promise of the 316 17—24 Messiah, Promise of the 319 CHAPTER VIII. Critical and Expository Notes 322 1 — 18 Conquests and Establishment of David 323 CHAPTER IX. Critical and Expository Notes 325 1—13 Mephibosheth 326 CHAPTER X. Critical and Expository Notes 328 1 — 19 Ammonites, David and the 329 CHAPTER XL Critical and Expository Notes 332 1 — 27 David's Adultery and Murder of Uriah 333 CHAPTER XII. Critical and Expository Notes 338 1—13 Nathan and David 340 14 — 25 Punishment of David 346 26 — 31 Ammon, Final Conquest of 351 CHAPTER XIII. Critical and Expository Notes 352 1 — 39 Ammon, Sin and Murder of 354 CONTENTS. VEKSES CHAPTER XIV. PAGE Critical and Expository Notes ... „ 356 1 — 24 Tekoah, the Woman of ... 353 25 — 33 Absalom, David forgives 36q CHAPTER XV. Critical and Expository Notes ... 3gi 1 — 37 Absalom, Rebellion under 3g3 CHAPTER XVI. Critical and Expository Notes 3^7 1 — 4 Ziba, Treachery of ... ... 3(33 5 — 19 Shimei and David ... ... ... ... ... .. 359 20—23 Ahithophel's Counsel 37O CHAPITER XVII. Critical and Expository Notes 371 1 — 24 Ahithophel, death of 372 25 — 29 Mahanaian, David at 374 CHAPTER XVIII. Critical and Expository Notes 376 1 — 33 Absalom, death of 377 CHAPTER XIX. Critical and Expository Notes 381 1 — 15 David's Restoration 383 16—40 Shimei, Mephibosheth, and Barzillai 385 CHAPTER XX. Critical and Expository Notes ... 388 C. xix. 41 to XX. 2 Shebna, the Rebelhon of 390 14—26 Shebna, Death of 391 CHAPTER XXI. Critical and Expository Notes 392 1 — 9 Gibeonites, Breach of Covenant with them punished 394 10 — 14 Rizpah and David 368 CONTENTS. CHAPTER XXII. VEBSES PAGE Critical and Expository Notes 400 David's Song of Thanksgiving — 1—19 Part 1 403 20—28 Part II. 403 29—40 Part III 412 47—51 Part IV 416 CHAPTER XXIII. Critical and Expository Notes 418 1—7 David's Prophecy 420 8—39 Mighty Men, the, and the Well at Bethlehem 423 CHAPTER XXIV. Critical and Expository Notes 425 1—25 Numbering the People 428 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY ON THE BOOKS OF SAMUEL. INTRODUCTION. The Books of Samuel form but one work in the Hebrew MSS. The division was first made in the Septuagint translation, where they are reckoned as be- longing to the Books of the Kings, and are called " the books of the kingdoms," " evidently with reference," says Keil, " to the fact that each of these works contains an account of the history of a double kingdom, viz., the Books of Samuel the history of the kingdoms of Saul and David, and the Books of Kino's that of the kingdoms of Judah and Israel." The suitability of such a title is very obvious when we consider that the book contains an account of the establishment of the monarchy in Israel." Its date and authorship rest entirely upon conjecture, and scholars are divided in their opinions u]-)on both subjects. The Jews believed that the first twenty-four chapters of the first book were written by Samuel himself, and that the remainder was the work of Nathan and Gad. (See 1 Chron. xxix. 29). Many modern scholars of the Anglican Church adopt this view. Keil and other commentators, however, regard it as certain that the book was not written until after the division of the kingdom under Rehoboam, and found their opinion principally upon the remark in 1 Sam. xxvii. 6, that " Ziklag pertaineth unto the kings of Judah unto this day." There is internal evidence in the contents and style of the book that it was not written long after the division of the kingdom. There is, for instance, no reference to the decay of the kingdoms, and the style and language are free from the Clialdaisms of a later period. The author of the article on the " Books of Samuel," in Smith's Biblical Dictionary, says, " The Book of Samuel is one of the best specimens of Hebrew j^rose in the golden age of Hebrew literature. In prose it holds the same place which Joel and the undisputed prophecies of Isaiah hold in poetical and prophetical language. It is free from the peculiarities of the Book of Judges, and likewise from the slight peculiarities of the Pentateuch. It is a striking contrast to the Book of Chronicles, which undoubtedly belongs to the silver age of Hebrew prose ; and it does not contain so many alleged Chaldaisms as the few in the Books of Kings." Upon this subject of its authorship Keil says, "Judging from the spirit of his writings, the author was a prophet of the kingdom of Judah. It is unanimously admitted, however, that he made use of written documents made by persons who were contemporaries of the events described." A reference to one such person is made in 2 Sam. i. 18, and it seems highly probable that the other sources drawn upon by the author were the works of Samuel, Gad, and Nathan, mentioned in 1 Chron. xxix. 29. " It is very evident," says Keil, "that the author had sources composed by eye-witness at command, and that these were employed with an intimate knowledge of the facts, and with historical fidelity, inasmuch as the history is distinguished by great perspicuity and vividness of description, by a careful delineation of the cha- racters of the persons engaged, and by great accuracy in the accounts of B 1 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. localities, and of subordinate circumstances connected with the historical events." The chronology of the events recorded in the book of Samuel in relation to those of the latter part of the book of Judges has also been a matter of some dispute. It may be stated in general that the events recorded embrace a period of about 125 years, and there is strong reason to believe that the judgeships of Eli and Samson were partly contemporaneous, and that Samuel was^between twenty and thirty years old when Samson died, the work of the latter being confined entirely to the west and south-west of the kingdom. The silence of the author of the one book concerning the principal persons mentioned by the other is no argument against this view. " Notwithstanding tlie clear and definite account given in the Book of Judges," says Hengstenberg, " it has been too often forgotten that it was not the author's intention to give a complete history of this period, but that he only occupies himself with a certain class of events, with the acts of the Judges in a limited sense, the men whose authority among the people had its foundation in the outward deliverance which the Lord vouchsafed to the nation by tlieir instrumentality. In this sense Eli was by no means a Judge, although in 1 Sam. iv. 18 it is said that he ''judged Israel." Eli was High-priest, and merely exercised over the affairs of the nation a more or less extended free influence which had its origin in his priestly dignity. Hence the author of Judges had nothing to do witli Eli, and we are not to conclude from the fact that he does not mention him that Eli's influence was not felt at the time of which he treats. And the author of the books of Samuel had just as little to do with Samson. His attention is fixed on Samuel, and he only mentions Eli because his history is so closely interwoven with that of Samuel. The Book of Samuel takes up the thread of history where the Book of Judges lets it fall, towards the end of the forty years' oppression by the Philistines (1 Sam. vii.). The following table is given in Lange's Commentary (English translation) : — Samson's judgeship, - - - B.C. 1120— 1100. Eli's life (98 years) - - - B.C. 1208— 1110. Eli's judgeship (40 years) - - - B.C. 1150— 1110. Samuel's life, - - - B.C. 1120 (or 1130)— 1060. Saul's reign ----- B.C. 1076—1050. But the compiler doubts " Whether we have sufiicient data at present for settling the question." , . , , . „ , The history contained in the Book of Samuel is the history of a great epoch in the history of the Jewish nation, and consequently of an epoch in the history of the kingdom of God upon the earth. In the language of Dr. Erdman, one of the authors of Dr. Lange's Commentary — " The theocracy was extri- cated by Samuel's labours from the deep decline pictured in the first book, and in the Book of Judges, and under the guidance of God was led by this great reformer into a new path of development. Without, under Samuel and the royal rule introduced by him, political freedom and independence of heathen powers were gradually achieved, and within, the internal theocratic covenant-relation between the people of Israel and their God was renewed and extended on the basis of the restored unity and order of political and national life by the union of the prophetic and royal offices From the beginning of our books we see the great theocratic significance of the prophetic order in the history of the kingdom of Israel ; in the first place, as the organ of the Divine Spirit, and the medium of the Divine guidance and control. Samuel appears here as the true founder of the Old Testament prophetic order as a permanent public power alongside of the priesthood and the kingly office. Wordsworth says, " The Book of Samuel occupies an unique place, and has a special value and interest, as revealing the kingdom of Christ. ' 2 CHAP. I. EOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. It is the first book in Holy Scripture which declares the incarnation of Christ as King. It is the first book in Scripture which announced that the kingdom founded in Him, raised up from the seed of David, would be universal and ever- lasting." An examination of the book shows that the author's purpose was not to give a chronological statement of facts. It differs in this respect widely from the Books of Kings. _ References are made to facts assumed to be known transactions apparently trival are narrated with great fulness, and events which generally hold a prominent place in historical works — such as great victories are very briefly passed over. The last four chapters are not immediate historic continuations of the events related in the preceding chapters, and the history of David ceases quite abruptly, and makes it evident that the author's aim was not that of a mere historian or biographer. We conclude on this subject with some extracts from Keil's Introduction to his Commentary on this Book : " Through the establishment of the monarchy, the people of Jehovah's possession became a 'world power;' the kingdom of God was elevated into a kingdom of the world, as distinguished from other ungodly kingdoms of the Avorld, which it was eventually to overcome in the power of its God But the Israelitish monarchy could never thus acquire the power to secure for the kingdom of God a victory over all its foes, except as the king himself was diligent in his endeavours to be at all times simply the instrument of the God- King, and exercise his authority solely in the name and according to the will of Jehovah ; and as the natural selfishness and pride of man easily made this con- centration of the supreme earthly power in a single person an occasion for self- aggrandisement, and therefore the Israelitish kings were exposed to the temptation to use the plenary authority entrusted to them, even in opposition to the will of God, the Lord raised up for Himself organs of His own Spirit, in the persons of the prophets, to stand by the side of the kings and make known to them the will and counsel of God Whilst the predictions of the anointed of the Lord before and in connection with the call of Samuel (1 Sam. ii. 27-36, iii. 11 sqq.), show the deep spiritual connection between the prophetic order and the regal office in Israel, the insertion of them in these books is a proof that from the very outset the author had this new organisation of the Israelitish kingdom of God before his mind, and that it was his intention not simply to hand down biographies of Samuel, Saul, and David, but to relate the history of the Old Testament Kingdom of God, at the time of its elevation out of a deep outward and inward decline into the full authority and power of a kingdom of the Lord, before which all its enemies were to be compelled to bow. Israel was to become a kingship of priests, i.e., a kingdom whose citizens were priests and kings. The Lord had announced this to the sons of Israel before the covenant was concluded at Sinai, as the ultimate object of their adoption as tlie people of His possession (Exod. xix. 5, 6). Now, although this promise reached far beyond the times of the Old Covenant, and will only receive its perfect fulfilment in the completion of the kingdom of God under the New Covenant, yet it was to be realised even in the people of Israel so far as the economy of the Old Testament allowed. Israel was not only to liecome a priestly nation, but a royal nation also ; not only to be sanctified as a congregation of the Lord, but also to be exalted into a kingdom of God. The establishment of the earthly monarchy, therefore, was not only an eventful turning point, but also an "epoch-making" advance in the development of Israel towards the goal set before it in its Divine calling. And this advance became the pledge of the ultimate attainment of the goal, through the promise which David received from God (2 Sam. vii. 12-16), that the Lord would establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. With this promise God established for His anointed the eternal covenant, to which David reverted at the close of his reign, and upon which he rested 3 EOMILETIG COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. his Divine announcement of the just ruler over men, the ruler in the fear of God (2 Sam. xxiii. 1-7). Thus the close of these books points back to their commencement. The prophecy of the pious mother of Samuel (1 Sam. ii. 10) found a fulfilment in the kingdom of David, which was at the same time a pledge of the ultimate completion of the kingdom of God under the sceptre of the Son of David, the promised Messiah. This is one, and in fact the most conspicuous, arrangement of the facts connected with the history of salvation, which determined the plan and composition of the work before us. By the side of this there is another, which does not stand out so prominently indeed, but yet must not be overlooked. At the very beginning, the inward decay of the house of God under the high priest Eli, is exhibited ; and in the announcement of the judgment upon the house of Eli, a long-continued oppression of the dwelling place [of God] is foretold (chap. ii. 32). Then in the further course of the narrative it is shown how David first of all brought the ark of the covenant, about which no one had troubled himself in the time of Said, out of its con- cealment, had a tent erected for it upon Mount Zion, and made it once more the central point of the worship of the congregation ; and how, after that, when the Lord had given him rest from his enemies, he wished to build a temple to the Lord to be the dwelling-place of His name ; and lastly, when God would not permit him to carry out this resolution, but promised that his son shoidd build the house of the Lord, how, towards the close of his reign, he consecrated the site for the future temple by building an altar upon Mount Moriah (2 Sam. xxiv. 25). Even in this series of facts, the end of the work points back to the beginning, so that the arrangement and composition of it according to a definite plan are very apparent. If we take into account the deep-seated connection between the building of the temple as designed by David, and the confirmation of his monarchy on the part of God, as exhibited in 2 Sam. vii., we cannot fail to observe that the historical development of the true kingdom, in accordance with the nature and constitution of the Old Testament Kingdom of God, forms the leading thought and purpose of the work to which the name of Samuel has been attached, and that it was by this thought and aim that the writer was influenced throughout in his selection of the historical materials which lay before him in the sources which he employed." That our Lord and the Apostles recognised the Book of Samuel as forming a part of the canon of Holy Scripture is shown by the following references which are made to it in the New Testament : — Matt. xii. 3, 4, etc., to 1 Sam. xxi. 1-6. Acts iii. 24 to the general history. Acts vii. 46 to 2 Sam. vii. 1, 2. Acts xiii. 20-22 to 1 Sam. ix. 15. Heb. i. 5 to 2 Sam. vii. 14. EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. BOOK I. CHAPTER I. Critical and Expository Notes. — Verse 1. The site of Ramath-Zophim is declared by- Dean Stanley to be " the most disputed problem of sacred topography." It is universally allowed and it is implied by Josephus to be the Eamah in which Samuel lived, died, and was buried • but next to nothing of its position can be gathered from the narrative. It is here said to be in Mount Ephraim, but the limits of that district are uncertain. The name Ramathaim the double eminence — probably points to a city whose site was on two hills. But there were several cities of this name in the land of Israel, and all on more or less elevated sites. No certain explanation has ever been given of the addition Zopkim. Thei-e was such a place on the east of Jordan (Num. xxiii. 14), and " the land of Zuph " is mentioned in chapter ix. 5. The region may have derived its name from Elkanah's ancestor. Some regard it as a common noun signifyino- " watch-towers " from the high position of the city. Elkanah. "The Levitical descent of Elkanah and Samuel is put beyond doubt by a comparison of the genealogy here with those in Chronicles (1 Chr. vi. 22 sq., and verse 33 sq.). Samuel is here shown to belong to the Kohathites. Elkanah, i.e., he whom God acquired or purchased, is both in its signification and use a Levite name. AH the Elkanahs mentioned in the Old Testament (leaving out the one in 2 Chron. xxviii. 7, whose tribe is not stated) were demonstrably Levites, and belonged mostly to the family of Korah, from whom Samuel was descended " (Lange's Commentary). "Ver. 2. "Two wives." "Perhaps he took the second on account of Hannah's barrenness " {Wordsn.oortTi). Ver. 3. " Yearly." Probably to the Passover, as that was the only feast which the whole family were accustomed to attend (Luke ii. 41). "To worship and sacrifice." "The beautiful picture of Israelitish piety which we have in the following account of Elkanah and Hannah is introduced by these features, as the chief and fundamental ones. The worship relates to the name of the Lord, who dwells in His chosen place in the sanctuary, and is the expression of the remembrance of this name before the Lord. The sacrifice is the embodied praj'er. In the sacrifice worship is presented to the Lord as the act by svhich the offerer brings himself and all that he has to the Lord " [Lange's Commentary). If the Law given by God to Moses had been observed, Elkanah would (unless he was now more than fifty years of age, which seems unlikely) have been required to officiate in his turn in the service of the tabernacle. (See Numb. viii. 24-26). That he did not do so is only one evidence, among many, of the low state of religion at the time. " Lord of Hosts," "Jehovah Zebaoth." " Here first used as a Divine name. It represents Jehovah as ruler of the heavenly hosts, i.e., the angels (Gen. xxxii. 2) and the stars (Isa. xl. 26) ; it is simply applied to Jehovah as the God of the universe " (Kcil). "This appellation occurs sixty-two times in Isaiah, sixty- five in Jeremiah, and not once in Job or Ezekiel " ( Wordsworth). " Shiloh." i.e., " Rest." The tabernacle was set up here in the days of Joshua (Josh, xviii. 1). Its position is described in Judges xxi. 19. This minute description has enabled modern travellers to identify it. " This quiet place, situated on a hill (Psa. Ixxviii. 54), was the scene of the mighty revolution brought about in the histor)' of the theocracy by the call of Samuel to be the prophet of God, and by the overthrow of the priestly house of Eli" (Lange's Commentary). "And the two sons of Eli," etc. They performed the priestly functions for their father, on account of his great age. Ver. 4. " When Elkanah offered." " That this sacrifice was a praise or thank-offering (Lev. vii. 15) is clear from what follows" (Lange's Commentary J. "Portions." Of that part of the peace-offerings which belonged to them that offered. This vi'as the whole, except the fat, which belonged to the Lord, and the breast and the right shoulder, which belonged to the priest. This feast was intended to be of a joyful character (Deut. xii. 12, xvi. 11), Ver. 5. " A worthy portion." This phrase has been much disputed, but it seems most likely to mean a double portion. This was an Oriental mode of expressing favour. See Gen. xliii. 34. " The Lord had shut up her womb." Childlessness was not only held to be a misfortune, but a Divine punishment (Gen. xix. 31 ; xxx. 1, 23). Ver. 6. " Her adversary." i.e., Peninnah. Ver. 7. " He did so year by year," i.e., every year Elkanah gave Hannah a double portion. Ver. 9. " Post," or portal. " Probably a porch which had been placed before the curtain that formed the entrance into the Holy Place " ( Keil). " Temple," " or pcdace, so called not on account of the magnificence of the building, but as the dwelling place of the God-king of Israel as in Psalm v. 8" (Keil). "I think this is the first place where the temple oi Jehovah is mentioned. This confirms the opinion that the book was compiled after the building of the Temj^ " A, Clarke'^. 5 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. Ver. 11. " Sterile women in the East to this day perform pilgrimages to holy places, and often make a vow that, in case they should be blessed with a son, he shall become a monlc (Fausset). " Vowed a Vow." This vow contained two distinct points — (1 ) That she would dedicate her son to the Lord in a life-long service, while as a Levite he was only bound from the age of 20 to 50 (Num. viii., 24, 25), and (2) that "no razor should come upon his head," by which he was set apart as a Nazarite for the whole of his life. " There is no notice in the Pentateuch of a Nazarite for life ; but the regulations for the vow of a Nazarite of days are given in Num. vi. 1-21 Of the Nazarites for life three are mentioned in the Scriptures : Samson,' Samuel, and John the Baptist. The only one actually called a Nazarite is Samson. The Rabbis raised the question whether Samuel was in reality a Nazarite. It is expressly stated that no razor shall come upon his head ; but no mention is made of abstinence from wine. It is, however, worthy of notice that Philo makes a particular point of this, and seems to refer the words of Hannah, in verse 15, to Samuel himself. We do not know whether the vow for life was ever voluntarily taken by the individual. In all the cases mentioned in sacred history, it was made by the parents before the birth of the Nazarite himself. According to the general law of vows (Num. xxx. 8), the mother could not take the vow without the father. Hannah must therefore either have presumed on her husband's concurrence, or secured it beforehand. The Nazarite of days might have fulfilled his vow without attracting much notice until the day came for him to make his offering in the temple. But the Nazarite for life, on the other hand, with his flowing hair and persistent refusal of strong drink, must have been a marked man. Whether in any other particular his daily life was peculiar is uncertain. He may have had some privileges which gave him something of a priestly character — there is an ancient tradition that Nazarites were permitted even to enter into the Holy of Holies. Perhaps it would not be unreasonable to suppose that the half -sacerdotal character of Samuel might have been connected with his prerogative as a Nazarite. Though not necessarily cut off from social life, when the turn of his mind was devotional, consciousness of his peculiar dedication must have influenced his habits and manner, and in some cases probably led him to retire from the world. And as the vow of the Nazarite was taken by his parents before he was conscious of it, his observance of it was a sign of filial obedience, like the vow of the Rechabites. . . . The meaning of the Nazarite vow has been regarded in different hghts. Some deny that it involved anything of an ascetic character ; others imagine that it was intended to culti- vate, and bear witness for, the sovereignty of the will over the lower tendencies of human nature ; whilesome regard it wholly in the light of a sacrifice of the person to God That the Nazarite vow was essentially a sacrifice of the person is obviously in accordance with the terms of the Law (Num. vi. 2). In the old dispensation it may have answered to that " living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which the believer is now called upon to make." (Smitlis Bible Jjictionartj.) That part of the vow of the Nazarite which had to do with his spiritual nature was the absti- nence from strong drink. The other observances were merely ceremonial, and related only to the outward man. But strong drink can and often does influence the mind, and may be the means of moral deterioration. Even when not indulged in to excess, it may be used to such an extent as to dull the spiritual sense, and to unfit men for holding intimate communion with God. It was not a mere arbitrary statute when " The Lord spal:e unto Aaron, saying, Do not drinh wine or sironrj drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die" (Num. x. 8-9). "Ver. 13. "She spake in her heart." Prayer is almost always oral in the East, even in public (Kitto). Ver. 14. "Put away thy wine from thee," i.e., sleep off the effects of intoxication. Ver. 15. "Neither wine nor strong drink has been j^oured out unto me, but I have poured out my soul before the Lord " (A. Clarke). Ver. 16. "Belial," i.e., worthlessness or wickedness. Tire word is not'a proper name, although it has become impersonified to indicate the " ^vicked one." " Complaint," " meditation, inward movement of the heart, sighing " (Keil). Ver. 17. This word of the High Priest was not a prediction, but a pious wish (Keil). Ver. 20. " Samuel." " From Shama to hear, and El, God ^ Wordsworth). " The words of Hannah are not an etymological explanation of the name, but an exposition founded upon the facts" (Keil). Ver. 21. " Yearly Sacrifice " literally, the " offering of the days,"— the Israelites' customary and obligatory annual sacrifice. The " offering of the days " is, as it were, the yearly reckoning with the Lord, the presentation of those portions of the property which fall to him in the course of the year " ( Eenystenberg ). " His Vow." Here is a proof that Elkanah had likemse vowed unto the Lord in reference to Samuel. Ver. 23. " Only the Lord establish His word." " Elkanah setks from God, and suppliantly CHAP. T. EOMILETIG COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. begs with prayers, that, since God has bestowed on him male offspring, He will consecrate him and make him fit for His service {Calvin). Ver. 24. Hebrew mothers were accustomed to suckle their children for three years (2 Mace, vii. 27). " A child three years old is not troublesome in the East, and his nurture and education could be committed to the women that served at the door of the Tabernacle. By the education which the boy received in the Sanctuary he was even as a child to grow into the service ; and moreover, as a child, he could perform little outward services" (Lan who will seek to place such men as Hophni and Phiuehas at the altar, if it be but to distress and drive away from it such worshippers as Hannah. The family is often our furnace, it has pains as necessarily secret as severe ; and where they can be told they are told in vain to any but God. Such was the family of Hannah. The Church itself will try the patience and faith of its true members. It will try whether we can acknowledge a true minister of God, and meekly bear with his infirmities, though, like Eli, he mistakes our case, and chiUs the heart which he should cherish ; whether we can receive the promises of God from His mouth, though it sometimes speaks unadvisedly. The Church is a fire to try the Church. 3. But true religion will be owned and honoured of him who gave it, as was the case with Hannah. The Lord often does so beyond all that we ask or think. Hannah had asked for a man-child; but it was not in her contemplation to ask for a Samuel — that light of Israel — that prophet mighty in word and deed — that blessing and pattern to the world in every age. — Cecil. 22 HOMILETIG COMMENTARY: SABIUEL. CHAPTER II. Critical and Expository Notes. — Ver. 1. "And Hannah prayed." "Hymns are wont to be comprehended under the name of prayers " (Ps. Ixxi. 20). " It was the most ancient way of preserving the memory of things to posterity, poets being more ancient than historians or orators." (Patrick.) "Mine Horn." "There is no reason for supposing here a reference to the custom among Oriental women (Druses and others) of wearing silver horns on the head to which the veil is attached, and which, by their position, indicate the woman's position as maiden, wife, or mother. There is no trace of such a custom among the ancient Hebrews. The word translated horn is used of the horns of beasts, of horns for blowing and drinking, or for any horn-shaped vessel, and of a mountain peak. It is the symbol derived from horned beasts, which carry the head high in vigorous courage and consciousness of power." ( Lange's Comrncntarii.) " Mine horn is exalted " does not mean, I am proud, but " my power is great in the Lord." (Keil.J " This figure appears first here, and connects this song with that of David, in 2 Sam. xxii. 3, and is adopted in the Gospel, and applied to Christ in the song of Zacharias" (Luke i. 69). (Wordsworth.) "The mouth is 'enlarged,' or 'opened' wide, to proclaim the salvation before which the enemies would be dumb." ( Keil.) Vei'. 2. " Rock." This figure is another connecting link which joins this song with that of Moses (Deut. xxxii. 4) with David, and all with Christ." ( Wordsworth.) (See on this subject in Comments.) "The symbolical designation of the covenant-G-od by liock, which occurs frequently, was suggested naturally by tlie configuration of the ground in Palestine, where masses of rock, surrounded by steep precipices, offered an image of solid and sure protection." (Lange's Commentary.) Ver. 3. " By Him actions are weighed." Keil translates, "To Him deeds are weighed," that is to say, the acts of God are weighed, i.e., are equal or just. Many expositors agree with him, and about an equal number understand it to signify that God weighs, or rightly estimates the actions of men. Ver. 4. "The bows of the mighty," etc. "Bows were a principal part of warriors' weapons and their girdles a principal part of their military habit " (Patrick). Ver. 5. " They that were full," etc. " See an instance in verse 36 " [Biblical Commentary). " Ceased " either to be hungry or to work for bread. " The barren hath borne seven," i.e. many. " Seven children are mentioned as the full number of the Divine blessing in children " (Ruth iv. 15). — (Keil.) "Here ijrophecy concerning the Church mingles with her hymn of praise." — (Patrick.) (On this subject see Comments on the Sonc/.) Ver 6. " The Lord killeth," etc. Killing denotes (with a departure from the ordinary sense) bringing into the extremest misfortune and .suffering, which opjn-esses the soul like the gloom of death, or brings it near to death — making alive is extricating from deadly sorrow and introducing into safety and joy. — See Deut. xxxii. 39, Psa. xxx. 3, etc. [Lange's Commentary). Ver. 8. " The beggar from the dunghill." " This alludes to a form of wretchedness known in the East, and indicating the lowest degree of poverty and humiliation. The dunghill — a pile of horse, cow, or camel offal, heaped iip to dry in the sun and serve as fuel — was and is piled up in the huts of the poor ; and sometimes, from necessity, is the haunt of wandering- mendicants, who, finding it in some outhouse outside the city, lodge there for want of better accommodation : so that the change that had been made in the social postion of Hannah appeared to her grateful heart as auspicious and as great as the elevation of a poor despised beggar to the highest and most dignified rank (Fausset.j " The pillars of the earth." " There is no need to find a geographical theory in a poetical statement. And even if it expresses the authoi''s geographical views, it is not the thought of the passage, but only the fi'amework of the thought ; the real thought here is solely religious, and has nothing to do with physical science" (Translator of Lange's Commentary J. Woi-dsworth calls it "a figurative expression derived from a palace or temple, " Some understand by the pillars, the rulers of the earth. Ver. 9. " Keep the feet," etc. Either from error and sin (Fausset) or from misfortune (Lange's Commentary). "Darkness." Symbolic of misfortune. Ver. 10. " Thunder." " Thunder is a premonitory sign of the approach of the Lord to judgment" (Keil). "Literally fulfilled in this history" ( Wordsworth). "The ends of the earth." " The object of God's judicial interposition is not only the members of the chosen people, but the whole world" (Lange's Commentary), "His anointed" or "Messiah." The first time the word is used in Holy Scripture. Ver. 11. "Minister." " The word is used in three senses in Scripture. 1. Of the service of both priests and Levites (Exod. xxviii. 35-43, etc.). 2. Of the ministrations of the Levites 23 HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. ss rendered to the priests (Numb. iii. 6), where the phrase is nearly identical with that used here. 3. Of any service, especially one rendered to a man of God (Num. xi. 28 ; 1 Kings xix. 21 ; 2 Kings ri. 15, etc.). The application of it to Samuel as ministering to the I^ord before Eli the priest accords most exactly with Samuel's condition as a Levite " ( Biblical Commentary ). " He must have been engaged in some occujDation suited to his tender age, as in playing upon the cymbals, or other instruments of music ; in lighting the lamps, or similar easy and interesting services " ( Fausset). Ver. 12. " Sons of Belial." See on Chapter i. 16. Ver. 13, 14. They were not content with the portions assigned to them by the Levitical law, namely, the heave-leg and wave-breast (Lev. vii. 30-34), but robbed the offerer of that portion which belonged to him while he was preparing it to celebrate the feast of thanksgiving before the Lord, Ver. 15. "The fat," etc. This was the part of the animal which was to be offered to God (Lev. iii. 16, vii. 23, 25, etc.). " This was high contempt of God to demand their portion before God had His " (Patrick). " In the case of the peace offerings, the offerer slew the animal himself at the door of the tabernacle and the priest poured the blood and burnt the fat " (Biblical Conimentary ). Ver. 17. " The young men." "Not the servants of the priests (Keil) but the j^riests themselves, the sons of Eli " ( Langt's Commentary). Ver. 18. "But." The Levite-child is contrasted with th'e grown-up priest" (Wordsworth). " Ephod." " It does not apjiear whether the Levites wore the ephod properly. Micah wore one, biit that may have been in his character as priest (Judges xviii. 4, 6, 14), and David when he danced before the ark (2 Sam. vi. 14). Possibly this was a mark of Samuel's special dedication " (Biblical Commentary). Ver. 19. "Coat." Meil, rendered mantle in 1 Sam. xv. 27, xxviii. 14, etc. "It probably resembled the ^-oie or ' lfei7 ' of the High-j^riest (Exod. xxviii. 31), but was made of course of some simpler material, and without the symbolical ornaments attached to the lower hem, by which that official dress was distinguished" {Keil). " It is interesting to know that the garment which his mother made and brought to the infant prophet at her annual visit was a miniature of the official priestly tunic or robe ; the same that the great prophet wore in mature years, and by which he was on one occasion actually identified. When the witch of Endor, in answer to Saul's inquiry, told him ' that an old man was come up covered with a meil,' Saiil perceived that it was Samuel" — 1 Sam. xxviii. 14. (Smith's Biblical Dictionary J. Ver. 22. " Very old," " consequently listless " (Patricl-). " The women that assembled." The same phrase as that used in Exod. xxxviii. 8. Some commentatoi-s consider that these women were employed in spinning, etc., for the service of the tabernacle like those mentioned in Exod. XXXV. 25. Others, as Hengstenberg, look upon their service as purely spiritual, as that of Anna (Luke ii. 36). Others again regard them as simply worshippers. Kitto says that if they were employed in service they would have been inside, not at the doors of the tabernacle. Ver. 25. '• If one man sin against another," etc. " A man may intercede with God for remission of a penalty due to himself, but who shall venture to entreat for one who has outraged the majesty of God." (Wordswoi-th.) Ver. 26. " In favour," etc. The same words as are used of Christ (Luke ii. 52). ^ Ver. 27. " A man of God." A prophet, as in 1 Kings xiii. 1, etc. " The only one mentioned since Deborali." (Biblical Commentary.) " Thy Father." " Eli was a descendant of Ithamar, the youngest son of Aa.ron " (1 Chron. xxiv. 3). . . . "The transfer of the high-priesthood to him must have taken place, because at the death of the last high-priest of the family of Eleazer (Aaron's eldest son), the remaining son was too young and inexperienced to take his place." (Keil.) Ver. 28. "Did I not give," etc. The bountiful provision made by God for His priests is mentioned as the great aggravation of the sins of Eli's sons. (Biblical Commentary.) Ver. 31. "The judgment did not fall upon Eli's house immediately. His grandson Ahitub (1 Sam. xiv. 3), and Abiathar, Ahitub's grandson (1 Kings i. 25 ; ii. 26), successively held the office of high priest. So much importance in the East has always been attached to old age that it would be felt to be a great calamity, and sensibly lower the respectability of any family which could boast of few old men." (Fausset.) Abiathar, the last high priest of Eh's family, was deposed by Solomon, and the high-priesthood reverted to that of Eleazar, to whose family Zadok belonged (2 Sam. xv. 24 ; xvii. 15 ; xix. 12 ; xx. 25. 1 Kings ii. 27). 24 HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. Ver. 32, "This was the captivity mentioned in Judges xviii. 30. ( Wordsiuortli. ) Ver. 35. "A faithful priest." This probably refers, in the first instance, to Samuel, who was evidently called by God to perform priestly acts ; and, secondly, to Zadok, the father of a long line of priests. It is also generally regarded as pointing on to the Messiah. " It would then seem best to regard it as announcing a line of faithful men." ( Tr. of Lange's Commentary.) Ver. 36. "A piece of silver." The word is used only here. It signifies a small piece of money, and has been rendered " a beggar's coin." " Commentators are divided in their opinion as to the historical allusions contained in this prophecy." {Keil.) MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— VERSES 1—10. Hannah's Song, I. The end of a granted desire should be the beginning of praise. The desire of the husbandman ends when the last shock of corn is safely housed in the barn. Then comes the harvest song indicating that desire has been completed by fulfilment. The ploughing and sowing, the bearing of the precious seed, the toil, the hope, the fear, the patience are all things of the past, and the end of all these should be a beginning of something new — of a song of thanksgiving. So it will be in the kingdom of God at the end of the present dispensation. The groaning and travaihng of the whole creation — the sin, the sorrow, the tears, and struggles of the present will one day be ended — the earnest expectation of the creature — the desire of the best of the human race in all worlds — the prayer of ages — will end in complete fulfilment : and the end of all the desire and longing of the present will be the beginning of praise. A " new song " will be sung to celebrate the incoming of the new era — the birth of the new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness (2 Pet. iii. 13). The beginning of a perpetual thanksgiving will celebrate the end of the present state of things and the incoming of the new. And so it should always be in the life of the individual. It was so wdth Hannah. She had not experienced the consummation of her desire without experiencing deep sorrow — without long and patient waiting upon God. But the desire, the tears, the hope were behind her. The child had been born, the son had been given. The vow had been paid and the gift of the Lord had been given back to Him. The tide of joy and gratitude had been rising higher and higher in her heart from the hour in which she left her home until she stood in the very same spot where she had stood before — "a woman sorrowful and grieved in spirit." And now she was a joyful mother, and gladness flooded her soul and burst forth into a mighty song of exultation and thanksgiving, II, The experience of one ind^ridual is often symbolic and prophetic of the experience of many. The light that shone upon Paul on his way to Damascus pained and blinded him at first. And the bodily pain and blindness were symbolic of the pain and darkness of his soul from the light which sinned into his soul. But out of the darkness and sorrow came light and joy, such as he had never known before. Of the experience of how many was this experience of Paul symbolic and prophetic ! How many through his pain and joy were brought to pass through a like experience ! To how many was the soul transition of this man an earnest of the same transition from darkness to light ! Hannah's experience was symbolic and prophetic of wliat was to be the experience of many of her nation. Those who were godly among them had been long grieved at heart because of the persecution of their enemies — because it seemed, indeed, as if God had forgotten to be gracious to His own people. Many a time, doubtless, had they asked Gideon's question — " Jf the Lord he with us, ivhy then is all this befallen us ? and where he all His miracles which our fathers told us of ? " 25 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. (Judges vi. 13). But a new era was now to begin. Hannah's joy coming after her long sorrow was anticipatory of a time when the garment of praise should take the place of the spirit of heaviness with all true patriots and servants of God in the land of Israel. III. The language of the human soul in one age is often fitted to express its feelings in all ages. A common life expresses its existence in the same general outward form from age to age. The life of the rose or of the lily finds expression in the same general outward form to-day as it did when God first called it into existence. There are modifications and individual distinctions, but ?the general outline is the same. So with the life of the human soul. Although time modifies the form in which it gives expression to its thoughts, although each individual has an experience which in some respects differs from that of any other creature, yet the language spoken ages ago finds an echo in the hearts of men and women in each generation, and expresses their feelings as well as it expresses the feelings of the person who first uttered them. How perfectly does the language of some of the Psalms, for instance, fit the experience of many men- and women in this nineteenth century. What a close resemblance there is between this song of the happy mother of Israel's prophet, and that of the mother of that prophet, priest, and king, who was not the Saviour of Israel merely, but the Saviour of the world. There are slight modifications, but the great backbone of thought running through the one is the same as that in the other. And the same words, with slight changes of expression, might be used by any soul who had emerged from a long night of sorrow and darkness into a new and brighter epoch in its history, and as a matter of fact it has been so used by the Church of God in all ages, and will be until time shall be no longer. These thoughts are suggested by the song as a whole. We will now notice its main subjects. I. Thatlthere is one God in contradistinction to many, "There is none beside Thee." The human soul and the world around us speak alike of the oneness of God. The heavens that declare His glory, and the firmament that showeth His handy work speak of One Supreme Ruler who controls all the forces by which the hosts of heaven move in their appointed paths. The vast machine has many complications, but the unity of its movements and operations bear the stamp of one ruling mind. The human soul cries out for One God — for one distinct and over-ruling power above all the principalities and powers of the universe. The Bible declares unmistakably that there is such a Being. There is one " everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the heavens and the earth, who hath meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust oj the earth in a measure, and tceighed the mountains in scales and the hills in a balance," and none " instructed Him, or taught Him knowledge, or showed to Him the way^ of understanding" (Isa. Ix.). He alone is the " King eternal, immortal, invisible" (1 Tim. i. 17), who '' doeth according to His will in the army of heaven and among the inhabitants of the earth" (Dan. iv. 35). The human soul may well rejoice in the knowledge that its destinies and the des- tinies of all the creatures of the universe are in the hands of a distinct identity like itself, yet so much greater and more powerful as to be able to control all the apparently conflicting forces which are at work into a complete and perfect harmony for the good of His creatures. The Israel of Jehovah in all ages have reason to rejoice in the knowledge that " the Lord our God is one Lord " (Deut. vi. 4). II. That this one God is pure in His character. "There is none holy as the Lord." If a human creature who holds in his hands the eartidy destinies of other creatures (who are inferior to him in power) is lawless and wicked, of what 2G CHAP. II. HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. misery may he be the cause ! When an earthly judge, although skilful and learned, is known to be morally bad, we feel that his want of purity is not only injurious to himself, but may affect the destinies of those upon whom he is called to pass sentence. So with any ruler or judge of men in any capacity : purity of character, perfect integrity (so far as a human creature can be pure and upright), is felt to be indispensable to the well-being of those whom they govern or whom they judge. If this be so in the case of a Inmian and finite being, how much more so is it in the case of the Almighty and Infinite God? If such a thing as a moral flaw in His character could be conceived, how terrible would be the issue ! He who is to judge the world must be perfectly righteous. There must be nothing in His feelings and disposition that woidd tend to influence Him to do anything but the strictest justice. Seeing that the destinies of untold millions are in His hands. He must be absolutely without spot in His moral character. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. xviii. 25) But in order to do right at all times He must be absolutely incorruptible and un- defiled. And this He is declared to be, this He has shown Himself to be. He has shown it in His hatred to sin. A man's moral purity, his holiness, may be esti- mated by the abhorrence in which he holds all moral impurity — anything which can defile his own soul and the souls of others. That God hates sin may be seen in the searching and binding character of His law. Human lawgivers make laws which deal with man's outward life — which have to do with him as a citizen rather than as a man. If he abstains from certain outward actions, the law allows him to live unmolested. But God's law is so holy that it penetrates into the spirit, legislates concerning thoughts and feelings, passes sentence upon hidden motives as well as upon visible actions. The "exceeding broadness" (Psa. cxix. 96) of the law reveals the Lawgiver's hatred to sin, and His consequent moral purity. And God's hatred to sin, and, therefore. His holiness is seen in in the extent of the sacrifice He has made to put away sin. A human ruler's abhorrence of any evil law or custom may be estimated by the efforts he makes to abolish it ; by the self-sacrifice he is willing to undergo to rid his country of the curse. In nothing is the absolute holiness of God seen so plainly as in the fact that He "gave His only-begotten Son " to "put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself" (Heb. ix. 26). Those who sing the song of the Lamb slain glorify the name of the Lord for His holiness (Rev. xv. 3, 4). And the contemplation of His work of redemption gives His saints on earth the most assuring proof of that holiness " at the remembrance " of which they join the first singer of this song in " giving thanks " (Psa. xxx. 4). III. That immutability is a necessary consequence of God's absolute purity. "Neither is there any rock like our God." The unchangeablenessof any human being depends upon his goodness and upon the length of time he has been good. He will be unchangeable in his feelings and actions in proportion to his moral purity, and the longer he has lived a holy life the more fixed and rock-like will be his character. If a man has pursued a line of righteous conduct for half-a-century — if in all that time he has been a man of unblemished integrity — everyone will feel that he is less likely to change now than he was fifty years ago. Every year that has passed over his head — every step that he has taken in the path of uprightness — has added something to the immutability of his character. God has ever been perfectly holy — holiness is His most important attribute — the one which forms the most weighty theme of the adoration of those of His creatures who are nearest to Him in moral character (Isa. vi. 3). And because He is so holy He must be unchangeable in His character. His everlasting holiness is a guarantee that He will always be the same in thought, and word, and deed ; ■while He remains the Holy One of Eternity, He must continue to be the un- 27 HOMILETIO COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. changeable God (Mai. iii. 6). And that God is thus unchangeable may well furnisli men with a theme of song. It is an instinct of humanity to reach out after something less cliaugeable than themselves — to endeavour to lay hold of some object to which, as to a rock, they may anchor for rest and security. All the eftorts of men to secure for themselves permanent positions in the world — to ensure to themselves and to their families a source of livelihood which will not fail them — are indications of their desire for a rock of some kind upon which they may rest. That upon which they place their dependence may be a very unworthy object of trust for an immortal spirit, yet men will make a rock of any object rather than have none. But those who, like Hannah, know the holy and unchangeable God, make Him, and Him only, the object of their entire trust — the Rock of their souls. They know from joyful experience that in all their need He has been, and ever will be, " a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge from the storm, a shadow from the heat, ivhen the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall" (Isa. xxv. 4). IV. God is likewise to be rejoiced in as a God of knowledge. ''The Lord is a God of knowledge," etc. 1. He knoivs Himself This is more than any human creature can assert concerning his own identity. The anatomist who can describe every bone and vein and nerve in the human body is looked upon as a man of knowledge, but when he has done this there are many mysteries connected even witli the body that are utterly beyond his grasp — he stands before them in absolute ignorance. The student of man's mind is considered to be a man of knowledge if he can say something instructive concerning the world of thought and feeling within man— if he can analyse the operations of the mind and classify the mental faculties and throw some light upon the relations of body and soul. Yet when he has said all, how little has he said which can unfold to us the mystery of our own existence — how little does the wisest man know concerning himself. But God has a ])erfect knowledge of His own nature. He never returns from any reflection upon Himself with any mist of ignorance resting upon Him — He comprehends the whole length and breadth and depth and height of His own Infinite Being. 2. He has a 2)erfect knowledge of His own actions. " By Him actions are weighed " — not only the acts of men but His own. Man cannot pretend to any perfect judgment of his own actions. He knows not the real value of his own deeds — he does not knowwhither they will tend — he can only come to anapproximate estimate of his o^vn motives. ButGod can perfectly weigh Hisacts — He knowsexactly whatwill be their effect — He has a perfect knowledge of the motives which prompt them. 3. Having this perfect hiowledge of Himself and of all that He does, the Divine Being must knoiv man in all the mystery of his complicated being, and must be able perfectly to estimate the ivorth of every human action. The greater includes the less. He who made man must comprehend the nature of his existence ; He knows what constitutes life ; He comprehends how mind acts upon matter, and sees the subtle link which unites soul and body. And in the matter of human actions, He " is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, and all things are naked and opened in the eyes of Him with xohom ive have to do " (Heb. iv. 12-13). The motives that prompt human deeds, the influence that those deeds will have upon future ages, the nature of the human will which is behind every human deed are all to Him as an open book. 4. Ihe 2J'>'oper con- dition of heart in the presence of such a God is humility. " Talk no more so exceeding proudly ; let not arrogancy come out of your mouth." Limited knowledge on any subject should make men humble in the presence of those who are better informed. It ill becomes such to assume to dictate to and instruct those who are far moi-e competent to speak upon the matter. How much more should man's limited knowledge of himself and of his Creator — of his own 28 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. actions, and of the actions of the All- Wise and All -knowing God — cause him like Job, to "lay his hand upon his mouth " (Job xl. 4). Unable as he is rightly to weigh even his own actions, how can he dare to constitute himself a judo-e iu what seems to him dark in the mysteries of the Divine deahngs. The only condition of heart proper to finite creatures is that of Him "who is of a contrite spirit," and who " trembles " at the Divine Word (Isa. Ixvi. 2). Our own ignorance and our conviction of God's infinite knowledge should lead us to put unreserved faith in His declarations, and yield uncompromising obedience to His commands. We make the knowledge of a fellow-man a ground of confidence, and we show our confidence by obeying their word. Our narrow outlook around us and beyond us makes safety to be found only in listening to the words of " the God of Knowledge," in striving to conform our lives to His revealed will and leaving the result with confident trust in His bands. V. This holy immutable God of Knowledge is the author of those inversions of the ordinary course of nature which often occur in a manner totally unforeseen and unexpected. " The bows of the mighty are broken The Lord maketh poor and maketh rich He raiseth up the poor out of the dust," etc. The natural law of the world is that the strong will hold on their way against what is weak, and that they, being in power, shall remain in possession. It is a foregone conclusion that the warrior Avho has the o-reatest force at his command will win the victory. Men expect the race will be'^won by the swift, and the battle by the strong. But God has other forces which He can bring into the field, and if He is not " on the side of the great battalions " He will bring about such unlooked for combinations that those who have fallen in the struggle will stand upright, " being girded with power," and those who have been mighty will be overthrown, and the lame will take the prey. When the forces of Egypt overtook the Israehtes at Pi-hahiroth, the natural conclusion of a looker-on would have been that nothing could prevent the slaves so lately made free from being overmastered and retaken into bondage. But God beinf>- on the side of the weak, brought auxiliaries into the combat such as Pharaoh had never dreamt of having to fight against. The w^ater of the Bed Sea was turned into an opposing force on behalf of the oppressed, and the army of Egypt was over thrown by a power against which their horsemen and chariots and their mighty men were utterly powerless. Between Egypt and Israel there was no comparison as to natural strength, but the Lord of nations brought supernatural reinforcements to the aid of the naturally weak, and thus "the bows of the mighty were broken and they that stumbled were girded with strength." The woman v/ho first uttered these words had long been walking through life with a heavy burden of sorrow weighing her to the earth : gladness and exultation seemed to be the portion of her persecutor, but none seemed destined for her. But the Lord who "bringeth low and liftethup," brought laws into operation which entirely changed the colour of her existence, and from being an object of scorn she became most unexpectedly raised to a position of more than ordinary honour. 1. These unseen and unhioivn laws are generally brought into operation in order to punish the strong for their oppression of the xveah. God alone is responsible for these inequalities in national or individual life; and because He is so, He will take account of those who, being endowed with greater physical or mental advantao-es use them to lord it over those who have not been so favoured. Hannah's sorrow arose from a cause entirely beyond her own control, and those who oppressed her because of it were guilty of a great sin against God Himself In the exaltation of her despised rival, Peninnah receives a just punislnuent for her wickedness • from the birth of Samuel her influence in the family must have declined and none of her children are even mentioned in the sacred history, wliile that of Hannah's son was honoured throughout his nation during his life, and is held in 29 HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. lionour now that two thousand years have passed away. And so it is with the rise of one nation on the stage of history and the dechne and fall of another. " Therefore hear now this, thou afflicted and drimken, hut not with ivine : Thus saith thy Lord, the Lord, and thy God that pleadeth the cause of His people. Behold, I have taken out of thine hand the cup of trembling, even the dregs of the cup of my fury ; thou shalt no more drink it again : But I will put it into the hand of them that afflict thee ; %vhich have said to thy soul. Bow down, that ive may go over" (Isa. li. 21-23). Such_ is the method of the Divine govern- ment — there is a purpose iu this subversion of natural order, and that purpose is retribution to the strong oppressor who has trampled on the rights of the weak. 2. God has a just right and reason so to intervene. '' For the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and He hath set the world upon them." He is the proprietor of the earth — the land upon which the oppressor dwells is His by the most iudisputable right — that of creation. The human proprietor claims a right over tliat which be has purchased — he can eject tenants from his property who do not meet his just demands. How much more is it the prerogative of Him who called the earth into being to eject from their dominion over _ it those who disregard His just demands, and abuse the power and the position wliich He has entrusted to them ? God had a right to call Abraham from Ur of the Chaldees, and to give to his descendants the land of the Canaanite. He had a right to sweep the inhabitants of the cities of the plain from off the face of His earth when they so grossly defiled their fair inheritance. He had a right to call Moses and David from following the sheep, and set them in high places, to fulfil His eternal purposes. He had a right to take Nebuchadnezzar from his throne, and make his dwelling with the beasts of the field, until he knew "that the Most High ruleth in the hingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever He will," and uiitil he acknowledged that all " His ways are judgment, and those who ivalh in pride He is able to abase " (Dan. iv. 25-37). " The earth is the Lord's," and "they that dwell therein" (Ps. xxiv. 1), and He, by right of pro- prietorship, puts in an absolute claim to dispose of that which belongs to Him as He sees best. VI. God also bestows and takes away human life. " He bringeth down to the •^rave, and bringeth up." 1. He alone can give life. There are many things m which man can imitate God. He can imitate God's benevolence by bestowing upon his fellow creatures gifts which will sustain and embellish their existence. He can be, to some extent, an imitator of God's character (Ephes. v. 1). But he can in no way imitate Him as the Giver of life. In that the Creator stands absolutely alone in the universe— this is His sole prerogative. Human life is continued in the world by the instrumentality of man, but human parents are but instruments. In this respect there can be no likeness between man and God. God is the only Being who has " life in Himself" (John v. 26). His is the only independent life, the highest archangel — he who is permitted to draw the nearest to the inaccessible light wherein dwells the Divine Majesty — is as much dependent for existence upon the only source of life as the tiniest insect that crawls beneath our feet. He was not until God called liim into existence, and that existence is sustained only by Him who '^■ave it at the first. Of One alone can it be said that He "hath irnmortali ' V " (1 Tim. vi. 16), because all others receive it as a gift from Him. 2. He onhf has the j^oiver and the right to take life. He who gave has a right to take, and lie only does take it. For whatever may be the second cause comin<^ between, it is by Divine appointment that men die. Coming to the f^ravo is not a debt of nature, but a Divine appointment. Nature is inexorable m exacting her debts — she works alwaj's by laws which she cannot set aside. She is strong enough to kill, but not strong enough to make an exception to the 30 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. rule — she cannot go out of her destined course to serve the highest purpose — to favour the most holy character. But there have been exceptions to the universal law of death — exceptions which have been made by Him who is the Lord of Nature, and who can set aside her claims — can leave her debt unpaid when He sees fit. Nature did not make the law, because she has no power to make exceptions to the rule. It is God alone who " bringeth to the grave." Death is not a chance which happens unto us. The arrow that entered between the joints of Ahab's armour came from a bow " drawn at a venture," but the arrow winged its way by Divine appointment. And so it is with all death's arrows, not one but hits the mark to which God has destined it. But it must be remembered that the appointment of death was not part of God's original plan in relation to men. Although it is now " appointed unto men once to die " (Heb. ix. 27), it was not so from the beginning. God's purpose concerning man at the first was to give life, and not to take it away ; to bestow upon His creature an undying existence, a perfect and unending life of body as well as of soul. It is man's disobedience alone which has brought about the Divine appointment of death. " Going to the grave" is not the outcome of God's original purpose concerning man, but an appointed penalty for man's transgression. Death being thus a Divine appointment, dying should be regarded as a duty to be cheerfully discharged. Men face death bravely and cheerfully when they feel that their country or their earthly ruler has appointed them to it. The good man should learn from such examples to die as a duty of Divine appointment. A Christian ought to die cheerfully, seeing he dies by the command of the Lord of life. This thought ought to reconcile him to the inevitable, and help him to meet the last enemy without dismay. In proportion as a fellow-creature is good, we trust him with our life — with interests that are dearer to us than life. In proportion as he is wise as well as good — especially if he is powerful in addition to his wisdom and his goodness — our confidence in him is increased, our feeling of security in his hands is strengthened. The claim of the Eternal and Infinite God to kill and to make alive rests not only upon His power, but upon His character. He is uotonly the Author of life, but He is the King who cannot wrong any of his subjects, the Judge of all the earth who must, from the necessity of his nature, do right at all times to all His creatures.' If God kills, it is not only because He takes what is His own, but because He is doing what is the best thing to be done, and in the best manner. 3. The resurrection from the dead depends tipon the Giver of life. He not only "bringeth down to the grave," but He " bringeth up." {a] This we mio-ht have regarded as probable if we had no revelation upon the subject. We might have concluded that He who at first " breathed into man the breath of life," and thus made him a " living soul," could at His pleasure reanimate the dust and bring life again out of death. If God could give life where there was no life, is it not highly probable that He can give it agaiu where it has once existed ? ib) That He has done so is a matter of histor)^ We have it upon reliable authority that He has restored dead men to life — that He has reanimated the lifeless clay, (c) That He must do this for all mankind is certain. Those who make promises ought to perform them if they are able to do so. If a man promises to redeem a pledged garment of his poorer l)rotlier and is able to fulfil his promise, ought he not to do it, knowing as he does that his needy brother is expecting anxiously the promised raiment to cover his scantily clothed body ? The raiment of God's children is held in pledge by death — He holds the garment until tlie time of the " redemption of the body *" (Rom. viii. 23). God has promised to redeem that raiment, and He holds Himself bound to fulfil His promise, and Ave hold him bound also. Christ has given His word to bring from the grave both the just and the unjust — " The hour is coming when all that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and shall 31 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. come forth ; they that have done good unto the resun'ection of life, and they that have done evil unto the resurrection of damnation " (John v. 28, 29). The vision of the seer has pictured for us that great redemption day — that day of " bringing up from the grave" of the human race (Rev. xx. 12, 13). VII. In all the acts of His providence, in all the unlooked-for changes which He brings to pass, God has a special oversight of His own children. " He shall keep the feet of His saints." 1. The character of the persons ivhose feet are Ji0pt — "Saints." Sainthood implies a soul transition. A man that is known to have been born poor and is found in after life to be living in wealth is known to have experienced a great transition in his outward circumstances. By what means or at what time in his life this change took place may not be revealed, but that it has taken place is a certainty. So with a saint. Such a man is in a condition to which he was not born. Sainthood is " not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (John i. 13). Therefore every human saint has been the subject of a soul-change. He may have been suddenly raised from a state of spiritual poverty to wealth, or he may have acquired his riches by degrees — increasing little by little in his knowledge of God and in confidence in His character. 2. The change has taken place by the consent of his will. Change of will brings about a change of position. If a child who hated his lessons can be made willing to learn, his position in relation to knowledge is at once changed. A sinner passes into a saint by becoming willing to learn of the Holy One how to become holy. Willingness is the bridge by which the sinner passes from a state of opposition to God into a state of reconciliation to Him, and being thus reconciled to God is to be brought into that fellowship with Him which constitutes sainthood. The entire process of the transition is described by the Apostle in 1 John i. 5-9. Fellowship with God based upon a know- ledgeof His character makesaman a saint, but before this knowledgecan beattained there must be a willingness to learn. 3. The saint needs a keeper for his feet. The cliildwho has but just learned to walk needs a steady and strong hand to guide his steps. The person who "keeps his feet " must possess a wisdom and strengtii superior to that of the child's. God is a guide and an upholder of the steps of His saints. He alone is " able to keep them from falling" (Jude 24). They cannot see the dangers in the distance coming to meet them, or even those which are now about their path. Hence their need of an eye that can discern them, and a hand that can deliver from them,a"Godof knowledge," who is perfectly acquainted Avith every danger to which they can be exposed, and a God of such absolute power as to be able to deliver them. And His word of promise to each one is, " Fear thou not, for I am with thee. Be not dismayed, for I am thy God ; I ivill strengthen thee ; yea, 1 tvill help thee ; yea, I will uphold thee ivith the right hand of my righteousness (Isa. xli. 10). Their weakness and their ignorapce are both elements of danger, and both are fully met by their Allwise and Omnipotent Keeper. The other part of the verse implies that they are surrounded by enemies, both seen and unseen, who do not fail to watch for their halting, and lose no opportunity they can lay hold of to trip them up; but "the wicked shall be silent in darkness, and by strength shall no man prevail" against the saints of God. They may, and often do, prevail against a saint's earthly possessions, and even against his life. Jezebel by strength did " prevail " against Naboth's vineyard, against his life. Fur the time she was paramount against a good man. Herodias did likewise prevail against the liberty and life of John the Baptist, and her strength was strong enough to silence the voice that had been lifted up against her crimes. And in many like cases the wicked have prevailed against the earthly prosperity and life of the saints of God by His permissive providence. But notwithstanding this permissive clause in the Divine code — notwitlistanding the licence that God thus gives to the enemies of His saints — there is no relaxing of 32 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. His hold, either of the saint or the sinner. The feet of the saint are still upheld, and when they pass through the waters and the fire of temptation and persecution they " shall not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon them (Isa. xliii. 2), their character and all their real interests shall come through the trial without loss or injury. 4. The keeping of the saints feet arise from God's special inheritance in them. They are " His saints." The mother watches her child's feet because the child is her own. She may have a general interest in all children, but the feet of her own child are the objects of her most watchful love. If she is a godly mother, she not only keeps the feet of her child's body, but she cares unceasingly for the feet of the moral nature. She lays herself out to guide aud to guard the spiritual as well as the natural life. All who are saints are God's purchased possession, and His special relation to them, and theirs to Him, makes sure an unceasing care on His part for all their real interests. VIII. The inference to be drawn from a contemplation of God's character and government is, that contention against Him is vain. ] . He can overcome His adversaries by His physical omnipotence. " Out of heaven He shall thunder upon them." God's manifestations of power in the material world are sometimes of such a nature as to make men feel their utter powerlessness in His hands. When tlie seaman finds that all his efforts to guide his vessel are as useless as the dashing of the sea-spray against the rock, he becomes conscious of a power which is far beyond that of human skill and science. When the lightnings flash through the heavens and the thunder shakes the earth, we feel most deeply how passive we are in the hands of the Almighty Being, who can thus hold back and roll up the clouds of heaven. At such times we not only k7tow how useless it is to contend with God, but we are made to feel it ; we are conscious that to contend with One who has such powerful physical forces at His beck is as vain as it is wicked. The voice of God's thunder made even the heart of the hardened Pharaoh to quake and to acknow- ledge himself defeated (Exod. ix. 27, 28), and all God's mighty mani- festations in the natural world should lead His creatures to humble themselves before Him. 2 He can confound them by His superior wisdom and goodness. " The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth." The opponent in military warfare who can use the movements of his adversary to work his defeat and can carry the battle into his very camp and overthrow him on his own ground, is not one whom an enemy cares to meet. Neither is the opponent in argument to be despised who can turn a man's own reasonings against him and confound him by his own words. God has done this with His adversaries over and over again. He has made the plans of the wicked instrumental in carrying out His own purposes and in working out their own destruction. Men ought by this time to have learned how useless it is to contend with One who " taheth the ivise in their oum craftiness:" so that " the counsel of the froward is carried headlong" (Job v. 13). The imperfect knowledge of a human judge may enable men successfully to contend against him. The fact that he is ignorant of many things that he ought to know may defeat the ends of justice, and lead him to an erroneous decision. But God is a perfect judge — His decisions are always perfectly just and equitable, because he lacks neither the perfect knowledge nor the perfect righteousness, out of which must come a perfect ruler. When the final judgment comes — when the Son of man shall " sit upon the throne of His glory, and before Him shall be gathered all nations " (Matt, xxv, 31, 32), all men will feel that it is utterly useless to seek to evade His searching scrutiny — that His holiness and His omniscience make certain the overthrow of all that is opposed to Him. " l^ie Lord cometh with ten thousand of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jude 14, 15). D 33 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. IX. The end of confounding' the wicked and the end of all God's dealings with men is the establishment of a kingdom of righteousness. " He shall give streuuth unto His King, and exalt the horn of His Anointed." In nature all change tends to the development of perfection. The blade and the green ear are but stepping-stones to the fully ripened grain. The bud unfolds into the perfect flower, the flower is followed by the fruit. So is it in God's kingdom. All the overturnings and changes, all the judgments upon the ungodly, are but stepping-stones to the establishment of the kingdom of righteousness. All the kings who have ever sat upon the thrones of the world have been preparing the way for the rule of " His King," who is one day to rule all the nations. Looking away into the future under the influence of the Spirit of God, Hannah foretells the advent of a king who should reign in _ righteousness, and anticipates the Psalmist King of Israel when he sang of Him who should "judge the ^yoor of the people " and " save the children of the needy, and break in pieces the oppressor ;" who shall "have dominion also from sea and to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth;" whose "name shall endure for ever, and he continued as long as the sun;" and whom "all nations shall call blessed." (Psalms Ixxvi.) To the undisputed reign of this King all the present dealings of God with men and nations are tending. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 1. The repetition of "in the Lord " emphasises the fact that the joyous frame of mind and lofty con- sciousness of power has its root in the Lord, and pre-supposes the most inti- mate communion with the living God. The mouth "opened loide over mine enemies " intimates that the joy and courage that filled her soul had found utterance. — Langes Commentary. Hannah's song of praise compared tvith her former prayer. 1. She was then in " bitterness of soul" (i. 10) ; now her "heart rejoicetli." 2. Then she was "humiliated" (i. 5, 8, 11); now she is " exalted." 3. Then her adversary " provoked her "^ (i. 6); now her " mouth is opened wide over her enemies." 4. Then she " poured out her soul before the Lord " _(i. 15); now she " rejoices in His salvation." Often we remember to pray, and then forget to praise. — Translator of Langes Commentary. There is not one petition in all this holy hymn, but thanksgiving is a prin- cipal part of prayer ; it is also an artificial begging. — Trapp. How has Hannah's glory been ex- alted? "In the Lord," saith she. The elevation is no more dangerous, for it has a solid foundation, a root that cannot be shaken. The glory that comes from men is accompanied by the feebleness of those who give it, so that it is easily overthrown, but it is not so with the glory which comes from God. It is the glory of which the prophet speaks (Isa. xl. 6, 7, 8). Hannah is a remarkable example of this truth. Kings, generals, great men, are forgotten, notwithstanding all their efforts to make their names immortal, notwithstanding the magnificent tombs that they build, the statues that they erect, the monuments they leave as tokens of their success, their very names are forgotten. But Hannah is celebrated to-day throughout all the world, her glory is celebrated wherever the sun sheds its light For, when God glorifies anyone, death comes in vain, time passes on in vain, the glory of the mortal survives, and its flowers are kept unfading : nothing can throw a shadow upon that bright- ness.— Chrysostom. Ver. 2. God manifests Himself as holy in the government of the kingdom of His grace by His guidance of the righteous to salvation. — Keil. Tico characteristics of the life of God's children in their relation to the HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. living God: 1. The lixxrahle reverence before Him, in view of His holiness. 2. The heartiest confidence in Him, in view of His unchangeable faithful- ness. — Lange's Commentary. Holiness is a chief and super-eminent perfection of God, that wherein the Divine excellence doth chiefly consist. Therefore it is the most frequent epi- thet given to His name in Scripture. We never read mighty najne or wise name, but frequently holy name. The holiness of God is His glory and beauty. Therefore He is said to be "glorious in holiness." He is mighty in power, and rich in grace, and glorious in holiness. — Wisheart. Ver. 3. The manner of God's weigh- ing actions. 1. With perfect know- ledge. 2. With absolute rectitude (Ver. 2). 3. With immutable justice (Ver. 2). — Langes Commentary. The weighed or righteous acts of God (see Keil's rendering in Critical Notes) are described in Vers. 4-8 in great and general traits, as displayed in the government of His kingdom, through the marvellous changes which occur in the circumstances connected with the hves of the righteous and the wicked. — Keil. I. The perfection of God's know- ledge. 1. It is present and actual; His eye is always open, and everything is in the view of it. The knowledge of the creature is more power than act; it is not much that we are capable of knowing, but there is ver}'' little that we actually know, and 'tis but one thing that we can fix our thoughts upon at once. But the knowledge of God is an actual and steady comprehension of things, all objects are at once in the view of the Divine understanding. 2. It is intimate and thorough. Our knowledge glides upon the superficies of things ; Ave do not know things in their realities, but as they appear and are represented to us in all their masks and disguises : but God knows things throughout, all that can be known of them. 3. It is clear and distinct. We are often deceived with the near like- ness and resemblance of things, and mistake one thing for another ; our knowledge is but a twilight, we see things many times together and in a heap, and do but know them in gross. But those things which are of the least consideration, and have the greatest likeness to one another, the very hairs of your head, are severally and dis- tinctly known to God. 4. It is certain and infallible. Everything almost im- poses upon our understandings, and tinctures our minds ; our temper and complexion, our education and pre- judice, our interest and advantage, our humours and distempers, these all mis- represent things and betray us into error : but the Divine understanding is a clear, fixed, constant, and undis- turbed light, a pure mirror that receives no stain from affection, or interest, or any such thing. 5. It is easy and without difliculty. We must dig deep for knowledge and take a great deal of pains to know a little ; we strive to comprehend some things, but they are so vast tliat we cannot ; other things are at such a distance, that our under- standing is too weak to discern them ; others so little, so small and nice, that our understanding cannot lay hold of them ; but God's understand- ing being infinite, it is a vast compre- hension of all things without difliculty or pain. II. God's knowledge of the heart teaches — 1. The folly of hypo- crisy. If we deal with men this is not a very wise way, for there is danger of discovery even from them, therefore the best way for a man to seem to be anything is really to be what he would appear ; but having to deal with God, to whom all our disguises are apparent, 'tis a madness to hide our iniquity in our bosoms. 2. Charge yourselves with inward purity and holiness, because of the pure eyes which behold the most secret motions of your souls. Fear and shame from men lay a great restraint upon our outward actions, but what a strange freedom do we take within our own breasts ! This is an argument of the secret atheism that lies at the bottom of our hearts. 3. This is a matter of encouragement to us in many cases — " When my 35 HOMILETIG COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. heart is overwhelmed within me, then Thou knoivest my path " (Ps. cxliii. 3) — in cases of difficulty which depend upon the hearts of other men, which, though we do not know, yet God knows them. But especially is this a matter of comfort to us when we suffer by the calumnies and reproaches of men, when the world chargeth us with crimes, then to be able to appeal to the Searcher of hearts. 4. This renders all deep and profound policies of the wicked a vain thing. God sees those cobwebs which they are spinning, and can blow them away at a breath. 5. If God only knows the hearts of men, then what art thou, man, that judgest another's heart ? Will thou assume to thyself the prerogative of God ? — Jillotson. Vers. 4, 5. Every power which will be something in itself is destroyed by the Lord ; every weakness, which despairs of itself, is transformed into power. — Von Gerlach. Vers. 4-8. The unity amid change of the opposite ways which the pious and the ungodli/ must go. 1. One starting point, the Lord's inscrutable will, which determines them. 2. One hand, the Almighty hand of the Lord -which leads them. 3. One goal at which they end, humble submission under that hand. The wonderful guidance oj the children of men in quite opposite ways. 1. The opposite direction in which they go, (a) from the height to the depth, (h) from the depth to the height. 2. The opposite design which the Lord has therein with men, (a) to lead them from the heights of ]iride and haughty self-complacency to humble submission under His un- limited power, (h) to exalt them from the depths of humble self-renunciation to a blessed life in the enjoyment of His free grace. 3. The opposite ^«c?, according as men cause tlie divine design to be fulfilled or defeated in them : (a) everlasting destruction with- out God, (b) everlasting salvation and life in, and with God. — Lange's Com- mentary. 36 Vers. 3-10. The contrasts which the change in the relations of human life presents to us in the light of Divine truth. 1. God's holiness and man's sin. 2. God's almightiness and man's powerlessness. 3. God's gracious design and man's destruction. — Lange's Com- mentary. Ver. 5. The view held by some, that in Hannah's barrenness and subsequent fruitfulness there is a mystical or typical meaning, deserves consideration. Hannah is said to be the type of the Christian Church, at first barren and reviled, afterwards fruitful and re- joicing. As to such typical character we must be guided, not by outward resemblances, but by fixed principles of Biblical interpretation. These facts may guide us to a decision — 1. God's relation to His people is set forth under the figure of marriage (Lsa. liv., Jer. iii., Hosea i. — iii.) 2. Isaiah (liv. 1) describes God's spiritual jieople as barren, yet with the promise of many children. 3. Paul (Gal. iv. 27) quotes this passage of Isaiah, refers it to the Church of Christ as distinguished from the Jewish dispensation, and declares that this antithesis is given in Sarah and Hagar. . . . What he declares is that Sarah is the mother of the child of promise, wdiile Hagar's child is the product of natural fruitfulness. . . . Throughout his argument it is the spiritual element of promise and faith on which Sarah's typical position is based. Only, therefore, where we can show such spiritual element are we justified in supposing a typical charac- ter. There must be involved the truth that the origination and maintenance of God's people depend on His promise, and not on hum.an strength. This is not necessarily involved in the history of every barren woman who becomes fruitful. . . . Hannah seems to be simply a pious mother, whose prayer for a son, contrary to human proba- bilities, is granted. — Translator of Lange's Commentary. Ver. 6. He layeth men for dead, and then reviveth them, as 2 Cor. i. 9, 10. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. That great apostle was " in death's often ; " and those ancient confessors cry out, " for Thy sake are we killed all the day long " (Rom. viii. 36). — Trapp. Hannah asserts that supreme sove- reignty of God, of which the boasting, arrogant spirit, whether found in Peninnah's pride of fecundity, or in Sennacherib's pride of conquest, or in Nebuchadnezzar's pride of empire, or in Antichrist's pride of rebellion, is a blasphemous denial. — Biblical Com- mentary. The word sheol signifietli — (1) The grave, the place of dead bodies ; (2) by a metaphor, a state of adver.sity in this world ; (3) the forlorn estate of those who are deprived of God's favour and inward comfort, whether for a time and when they are utterly cast off. — Willet. The Lord bringeth down to the grave by the terror which He awakens in the soul of justly merited punishment, and He bringeth up by humble faith that He grants in His infinite mercy and in the merits of the blood of His Son. — De tSacif. Ver. 8. These words contain the reason of all that precedes in the five foregoing verses : for the very earth being founded, upheld, and supported by the Lord, no wonder that all the inhabiters of it are in His power, to dispose of them as He thinks good. — Patrick. The plans of the Most High are very different from men's expectations. In order to execute them He rejects the great. While He allowed kings upon the throne to ignore His greatest miracle, He drew from the dust twelve disciples, and made them the masters of the nations, the judges of the world, the instruments of the greatest event which has ever taken place, the pillars of His Church, and partakers of His eternal empire. And He takes from the obscurity of a peasant's home a poor, unknown girl, and makes her the mother of the Highest. — Duguet. Ver. 9. This is a lower love and courtesy than to keep their hands (John xiii. 5, 6). He keepeth them from utter prola])sion, from devoratory evils, as Tertullian saith, so as that either they fall not at all — stumble they may, but they get ground by their stumbling — or if they fall, they shall arise ; for the Lord putteth under His hand (Psa. xxxvii. 24). There is still a supporting grace, below which they cannot possibly fall Augustine, striving against his headstrong corrup- tions in his own strength, heard a voice saying, " Thou would'st stand by thy- self, and therefore fallest." — Trapp. As Jehovah, tlie God of Israel, the Holy One governs the world with His almighty power, the righteous have nothing to fear. But the wicked will perish in darkness — i. e., in adversity, when God withdraws the light of His grace, so that they fall into distress and calamity. For no man can be strong through his own power so as to meet the storms of life. — Keil. God keeps the feet of His people. 1. Bij the prevention of sinful and evil occasions, so in that He does not so easily suffer them to come within the compass of ruin and spiritual destruc- tion. 2. By fortifying and strengthen- ing the heart and mind against closing with them, so that though occasions be administered, yet they shall have no power or efficacy upon them. He does this both by the grace oifear and by the grace oi faith. God, by stirring up in His servants a holy tenderness and jealousy over themselves, does by this means very much scare them, who, by fearing lest they should sin, do come to avoid sinning itself. And faith is another supporter likewise. It lays hold upon all the promises of assistance and strengthening which God has made to His servants, siich as this now here in the text, therefore it is said, " We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation " (1 Pet. i. 5). By the power of God as the principal. And by faith as the instrumental. We may likewise take the words in reference to temporal things. 1. God will bless His saints in their xvays, not only for the pre- serving of their souls from sin, but the 37 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. pi'eserving of their bodies from destruc- tion. He that will keep the /ff?^ certainly will not be wanting to the breast and head. He names the feet, that from them we might rise higher to all the rest. 2. He will bless them in regard to their works. There is a blessing upon a righteous hand whatsoever it be that he undertakes. As a blessing of pro- tection upon his person, so a blessing of success upon his labour and constant employment As there is a difference between the wicked and the godly, in regard of their disposition, so is there likewise in regard of their condition. 1. It is a state of dark- ness, {a). In the ignorance of their minds, (b). In the inordinancy of their affections — malice shades the mind, and so any other unruly passion, (c). In the practice of all other sins whatsoever, forasmuch as they seek the dark for the commission of them. (d). In that spiritual blindness to which they are delivered and given up. This is the darkness of the ivay, there is also the darkness of tiie end — the darkness of death, which is common to all, and the darkness of judgment. 2. It is a state of silence, (a). Grief, horror, and perplexity shall seize upon them. Silence is an attendant upon grief and astonishment in their extremities. (bj. It is a note of conviction, they shall have nothing to say for them- selves, (c). It is a note of abode and continuance. It does denote the im- movableness and irrecoverableness of their miserable condition. — Morton. The title, saints, is of all names the most honourable. It literally signifies the hah/ ones. It associates the servant of God with his Maker, "whose name is holy," with his Redeemer, "the Holy One of Israel," and with " the Holy Ghost," not to mention those holy ones who veil their faces before His throne. — Jowett. Ver. 10. Here Hannah casts a pro- phetic glance at the consummation of the kingdom of God. As certainly as the Lord God keeps the righteous at all times, and casts down the wicked, so certainly will He judge the whole world, to hurl down all His foes and perfect His kingdom which He has founded in Israel. And as every king- dom culminates in its throne, or in the full might and government of a king, so the kingdom of God can only attain its full perfection in the king whom the Lord will give to His people and endow with His might. The Anointed of the Lord, of whom Hannah pro- phesies in the spirit, is not one single king of Israel, either David or Christ, but an ideal king, though not a mere personification of the throne about to be established, but the actual king whom Israel received in David and his race, which culminated in the Messiah. The exaltation of the horn of the Anointed of Jehovah commenced with the victorious and splendid expansion of the power of David, was repeated with every victory over the enemies of God and His kingdom gained by the successive kings of David's house, goes on in the advancing spread of the king- dom of Ciirist, and will eventually attain to its eternal consummation in the judgment of the last day, through which all the enemies of Christ will be made His footstool. — Keil. Hannah's devout acknowledgment that God only is the Rock, and that it is the sole prerogative of God to raise up princes and to give them strength, stands in striking contrast to the people of Israel, who impatiently asked for a king to judge them like the nations, and to go out before them, and to fight their battles (chap. viii. 5-20), instead of waiting patiently God's time, and instead of rejoicing in their privi- lege in not being like the nations, but in being the special people of God, and instead of relying upon His Al- mighty arm to save them from their enemies. She is the first who addresses God as the " Lord of Hosts" (see chap. i. 11), a title which emphatically declares the sovereignty of the Unseen Ruler of the world ; and in this also, by her faith in Him, she stands in contrast with the faithless impatience of the people of Israel who asked Samuel to make them a visible head. The king of whom Hannah prophesies HOMILETW COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. is " Ills king," a king by whom the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth, not the king craved by the peoinle on mere u-orlcUy considerations, but the King to be appointed by God, in His own time, and a figure of Christ of whom Jehovah speaks by David (Psa. ii. 6; Ixxii. 1) to whom all judgment is given, and who will put all enemies under His feet (John v. 22-27 ; 1 Cor. XV. 2b-^,%).— Wordsworth. The judgment of God's primitive justice. 1. Whom it threatens — the ungodly, " adversaries." 2. How God makes it approach with warning signs, " out of heaven shall He thunder." 3. How it discharges itself against all the world that is opposed to God. " The Lord shall judge the ends of the earth." 4. How it promotes the per- fecting of His kingdom. " He shall give strength unto His king." — Langes Commentary. Vers. 1-10. The Magnificat of Hannah is an evangelical song, chanted by the spirit of prophecy under the Levitical Law. It is a prelude and overture to the Gospel. It is a con- nection of sweet and sacred melody between the Magnificat of Miriam after the passage of the Red Sea — sym- bolising the death, burial, and resur- rection of Christ, — and the Magnificat of Mary after the annunciation of His birth. Let this song of Hannah be read in the Septuagint, and then the Magnificat in St. Luke's original, and the connection of the two will be more clearly recognised. . . . The true cha- racteristic of sacred poetry is that it is not egotistical. It merges the indivi- dual in the nation and in the Church universal. It looks forward from the special occasion that prompts the utte- rance of thanksgiving, and extends and expands itself, with a loving power and holy energy, into a large and sympa- thetic outburst of praise to God for His love to all mankind in Christ The Magnificat of Hannah is conceived in this spirit. It is not only a song of thanksgiving, it is also a •prophecy. It is an utterance of the Holy Ghost moving within her, and making her maternal joy on the birth of Samuel to overflow in outpourings of thankful- ness to God for those greater blessings in Christ, of which that birth was an earnest and a pledge. In this respect it may be compared to the Song of Moses (Deut. xxxii.) and the Song of David (2 Sam. xxii.) — Wordsworth. The history leaves us no room to doubt that the immediate occasion of this song was the birth of Samuel ; yet, if viewed in reference to this occa- sion alone, how comparatively trifling is the theme ! How strained and mag- niloquent the expressions ! Hannah speaks of her " mouth being enlarged over her enemies," of " the bows of the mighty men being broken," of " the barren bearing seven," of "the full hiring themselves for bread," and other things of a like nature, — all how far exceeding, and we might even say cari- caturing the occasion, if it has respect merely to the fact of a woman, hitherto reputed barren, becoming at length the joyful mother of a child. Were the song an example of the inflated style not uncommon in Eastern poetry, we might not be greatly startled at such grotesque exaggerations ; but being a portion of that Word which is all given by inspiration of God, and is as silver tried in a furnace, we must banish from our mind any idea of extravagance and conceit. Indeed, from the whole strain and character of the song, it is evident that, though occasioned by the birth of Samuel, it was so far from having ex- clusive reference to that event, that the things concerning it formed one only of a numerous and important class pervading the providence of God, and closely connected with His highest purposes. In a spiritual respect it was a time of mournful barrenness and desolation in Israel: "the word of the Lord was precious, there was no open vision," and iniquity was so rampant as even to be lifting up its insolent front, and practising its foul abominations in the very precincts of the sanctuary. How natural, then, for Hannah, when she had got that child of desire and hope, which she had devoted from his birth as a Nazarite to 39 HOMTLETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. the Lord's service, and feeling her soul reignty which delights to exalt a moved by a prophetic impulse to regard humble piety, while it pours contempt herselt" as specially raised up to be " a on the proud and rebellious. And as sign and a wonder " in Israel, and to every exercise of this principle is but do so particularly in respect to that part of a grand series which culminates principle in the Divine government in the dispensation of Christ, her song which had so strikingly developed itself runs out at the close into the sublime in her experience, but which was de- and glowing delineation of the final stined to receive its grandest mani- results to be aciiieved by it in connec- festation in the work and kingdom tion with His righteous administration, which were to be more peculiarly the This song, then, plainly consists of two Lord's. Hence, instead of looking ex- parts, in the one of which only — the clusively at her individual case, and concluding portion — it is properly pro- marking the operation of the Lord's phetical. The preceding stanzas are hand in wiiat simply concerned her taken up with unfolding from jjast and personal history, she wings her flight current events, the grand spiritual aloft, and takes a comprehensive survey idea ; the closing ones carry it forward of the general scheme of God ; noting in beautiful and striking application to especially, as she proceeds, the work- the affairs of Messiah's kingdom. — ings of that pure and gracious sove- Fahhairn, MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 12—17. The Sin of Eli's Sons. I. Natural birth is not a qualification for spiritual service. It does seem to fit men for some professions. The sons of sailors and soldiers often seem to be horn with tendencies towards the profession of their forefathers, and very early give proof that they are intended by nature to enter a service which only requires natural gifts for its right fulfilment. But men do not inherit qualifications which fit them to be moral leaders and spiritual guides. It is not enough to possess the natural gifts which belong to holy progenitors, another and a higher law must be brought to exert its influence upon a man's heart before he is fit to succeed his parent in spiritual service. If he succeeds to his father's position merely because he is his son, it is a transgression of the law of God's kingdom and must end in evil. If birth and blood and time-honoured custom could qualify men for a moral service, then Eli's sons would have been fully fitted to succeed their father. They were born to a good social position — no man in the kingdom stood higher than Eli. They belonged to a family peculiarly honoured by God — no human being ever held a higher spiritual position than the High- priest of Israel. They could trace back their relationship to Moses, that man of God, whose name had for generations justly held the highest place in the history of his nation and was destined to become one of the most honoured in the kingdom of God. They were in this respect " Hebrews of the Hebrews " — members of its most honoured family — born representatives of the nation of which God was, in a special sense, the invisible king. Yet they were utterly untit for their important office. They "knew not the Lord" and therefore they were His enemies although they were Eli's sons. II. When men thus throw away all the advantages of birth and education, they generally become sinners of a double dye. Although godliness does not come by inheritance there is ever3d:hing in a pious ancestry to favour its growth. The swimmer who finds himself in the stream with both wind and tide in his favour to second his efforts, is doubly to blame if he neglects to use his advan- tages, and dies by his own deliberate choice if he throws away the opportunity 40 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. he had of gaining the shore. Though time and tide waited not for liim, yet they waited u2)on him, and he is verily guilty if he refused to take advantage of them. Some are born into this world to find themselves surrounded with social and spiritual influences which, like favourable winds and tides, wait to make the road to godliness easy to them. If they neglect to avail themselves of these good gifts of God they must become sinners of the blackest type, for they harden their hearts against the most softening influence, they sin against light and knowledge. Thus did the sons of Eli. They were launched into life upon a stream whose current was flowing towards that which was pure and holy — they were surrounded by influences which tended to make them worthy to be priests of the Most High God and true sons of Abraham. But they cast them all aside, and not onl}^ did not become spiritually fit for their service, but grew into monsters of iniquity, and turned the very tabernacle of God into a home of the grossest sin. III. No bond arising from social position or rank is strong enongh to prevent the manifestation of the sin which is in the heart. A tree may at present seem to be in a healthy condition, but if there is that in the root beneath the ground that is enough to kill the tree, nothing can prevent the fact from becoming evident in that part of the tree which is above the surface. Leaves and branches will, bye-and-bye, tell the tale. Nature is a symbol, and an expounder of moral truth in this matter as in many others. There is nothing morally bad that is hidden in a man's heart that will not manifest itself in his life, though his reputation and his rank call upon him to conceal it. The secret sin will ere long become too strong to continue secret, although loss of position and influence may be the result of its being made public. Social prestige is a garment too narrow to conceal from view the hidden man of the heart, however desirable it may be to do so. If the tree is corrupt, the fruit will be corrupt also (Matt, xii. 33). Eli's sons had every temporal advantage to gain from preserving an outward decency of conduct — they must have been fully aware that only by so doing could they command in any degree the respect which was usually accorded to men in their position. But sin in the human heart is like pent-up water, which after being held back for a time rushes forth with a force that breaks down every dam, and sweeps away every obstacle, and carries desolation where- ever it goes. Even the restraint of the office of the priesthood was not strong enough to hold back Hophni and Phinehas from the gi'ossest crimes, and their lust and greed broke down every social barrier, and spread moral desolation all around them. IV. Those who are both irreverent and licentious poison human nature in its highest and lowest relations. The sin of licentiousness is a sin against the animal part of man ; it defiles his body, and causes the race to degenerate physically. It makes all animal ties, which are intended to bring blessings to men, sink below those of the brute creation. The Lord is for the body (1 Cor. vi. 13), and He has proved that He cares for man's physical well-being by the strictness with which He has fenced him round in this respect. He who transgresses God's laws in this matter poisons the source of man's physical well-being, and degrades his nature below the lowest animal. A river, while it flows within its appointed channel, carries fertility and beauty wherever it goes, but when it bursts its banks it obliterates all the beauty of the landscape, and spreads destruction all around. So with men's animal passions. While they keep within the limits prescribed for them they are instruments of enjoyment and of blessing, but when the boundary is broken down and they flow beyond their lawful channel, they leave nothing but a curse behind them. Eli's sons were guilty of thus defiling the body, and by so doing they poisoned one of the ordained streams of social blessing in their own families and in that of many 41 HOMILETIC C03IMENTARY: SAMUEL. others in Israel. They ^vere also guilty of the grossest irreverence, and in this they sinned against man's higher nature. Their conduct tended to dislodge from the mind all conceptions of tlie holiness and purity of God. This they did by the ]}lace in which they committed their most open crimes. The hospital is the place where men hope to receive healing medicine. If those who are expected to dispense remedies give poisonous drugs instead of healing, where shall the sick turn for help ? The house of God is the place where men ought to find that which will conduce to moral health. If there they find only moral corrup- tion, where shall they look ? What higher crime can men be guilty of than that of turning the house of spiritual healing into a moral pest-house. Of what greater act of irreverence could the sons of Eli have been guilty than that whereby they corrupted the chastity of the women who frequented the tabernacle ? They also tended to lower men's conception of God by profaning His service. If a man constantly takes the name of God upon his lips in a light and careless manner he educates those about him to think lightly of the Divine Being. This is a tribute that a child of the wicked one is expected to pay to his father the devil, that thereby the name of the holy God may be lightly esteemed in the world. But if profanity of speech tends to dishonour God in the minds of men, much more does profanity of action. The sons of Eli were profane doers, and were therefore profane in a manner more calculated to pro- duce irreverence in others than men of profane speech merely. They took God's name in vain in their actions, and despised the holy name by which they were called by despising the offerings which were made to God according to His appointment. By open disobedience to God's plain command, by robbing the Lord, and by robbing those who came to worship Him, those wdiose special function it was to hallow Him before the nation caused His offering to be abhorred. It is treason to speak or act against the king in any part of his dominion, but to defy him in his throne-room would surely be the most aggravated form of the crime. The Avhole earth is the Lord's, and to act with irreverence towards Him in any part of His dominion is a sin, but to profane His holy ordinances in the palace of the Great King, is a sin of the blackest hue. The body-guard of a monarch is especially bound to render him loyal and faithful service ; if it betray its trust, where is he to look for faithful servants ? God's ministers in all ages are the body-guard of the Eternal King ; if they prove themselves renegades and unworthy of the high honour that He has put upon them, others will find in their unfaithfulness a licence to set Him at defiance. (For a parallel case in the modern history of the Church, see Froude's " Annals of an English Abbey." " Short Studies," vol. iii). OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 12. So were Jehoshua the accompanied with faith and fear of high-priest's sons (Ezra x. 18). Their God (Rom. i. 21 ; Titus i. 16). — parents, much ejnployed about other Irapp. things, are oft not so careful of well- If the conveyance of grace were breeding their children ; and besides, natural, holy parents would not be so they are apt to abuse their father's ill suited with children. . .". . If authority and power to a licentious virtue w^ere as well entailed on us as practice. Eli brought up his sons to sin, one might serve to check the bring down his house. They hneiv not otlier in our children ; but now, since the Lord. Apprehensively they knew grace is derived from heaven on whom- Hini, but not affectively ; they had no soever it pleaseth the Giver, and that lively light, their knowledge was not evil, which ours receive hereditarily 42 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. from us, is multiplied by their own corruption, it can be no wonder that good men have ill children ; it is rather a wonder that any children are not evil. ... If our children be good, let us thank God for it ; this was more than we could give them ; if evil, they may thank us and themselves, us for their birth sin, themselves for the im- provement of it to that height of wickedness. — Bishop Hall. Ver. 15. God may well call for the best of the best ; but these liquorish Lurcos would needs be served before Him and be their own carvers. Boiled meat would not content them. But it ill becometh a servant of the Lord to be a slave to his palate. Christ biddeth His apostles, when they come into a house, j" eat such things as are set before them." — Trapp. Ver. 17. It hath been an old saying, De templo omne honum, de templo omne malum — all good or evil comes from the temple. — Chrysostom. Where the pastor is good, and the people good, he may say to them, as Paul to his Corin- thians, "Are ye not my work in the Lord?" (1 Cor. ix. 1) Where the pas- tor is bad, and the people no better, they may say to him, Art thou not our destruction in the world ? It is no wonder if an abused temple makes a disordered people. A wicked priest is the worst creature upon God's earth ; no sin is so black as that shall appear from under a white surplice. Every man's iniquity is so much the heinouser as his place is holier. The sin of the clergy is like a rheum, which, rising from the stomach into the head, drops down upon the lungs, fretting the most noble and vital parts, till all the mem- bers languish into corruption. The lewd sons of Eli were so much the less tolerable by sinning in the taber- nacle. Their sacrifices might do away the sins of others; no sacrifice could do away their own, Many a soul was the cleaner for the blood of those beasts they shed; their own souls were the fouler by it. By one and the same service they did expiate the people's offences and multiply their own. Our clergy is no charter for heaven. Such men are like the conveyances of land : evidences and instruments to settle others in the kingdom of heaven, while themselves have no part of that they convey. It is no impossible thing for men at once to show the way to heaven with their tongue, and lead the way to hell with their foot. It was not a Jewish ephod, it is not a Romish cowl that can privilege an evil-doer from punishment. Therefore it was God's charge to the executioners of His judgment, " Begin at mine own sanctuary " (Ezek. ix. 6) ; and the apostle tells us that "judg- ment shall begin at the house of God " (1 Pet. iv. 17) ; and Christ, entering into His prophetical office, began refor- mation at His Father's house (.John ii. 15). Let our devout and holy behaviour prevent this, and by our reverent carriage in the temple of God let us honour the God of the temple. .... If Christ, while he was upon the cross, saith Bernard, had given me some drops of His own blood in a vial, how carefully would I have kept them, how dearly esteemed them, how laid them next my heart. But now He did not think it fit to trust me with those drops, but He hath entrusted to me a flock of His lambs, those souls for whom He shed His blood, like whom His own blood was not so dear unto Him ; upon these let me spend my care, my love, my labour, that I may present them holy saints to my dear Lord Jesus. But let Christians bew^are, lest, for the abuses of men they despise the temple of God. For as the altar cannot sanctify the priest, so neither can the unholiness of the priest disallow the altar. His sin is his own, and cannot make you guilty ; the virtue and comfort is from God, and this is still able to make you holy. When we read that "the sin of the priests was great before the Lord, for men abiiorred the offering of the Lord," this, we all confess, was ill done of the priests, and I hope no man thinks it was well done of the people. Shall men, therefore, scorn the sanctuary, and cast that contempt on the service 43 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. of God which belongs to the vices of must needs fall out with God ? . . . . men? This were to add our own evil We say of the sacraments themselves, to the evil of others, and to offend much more of the ministers — These do God because He was offended. Cannot not give us what God doth give us by the faults of men displease us, but we them. — 2\ Adams. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Vers. 18-21, and 26. True Ministry. I. Qualification for the service of God is not always on the side of years. A child may have a more correct idea of how to serve God than a man. The son may possess knowledge on this matter of whicli his parents may be pro- foundly ignorant. This is true of other knowledge than spiritual. One who is very young in years may far surpass his elders in his aptitude for science or art. The youthful Watt had thoughts suggested to his mind by the phenomena of nature such as had never occurred to the ancients who had preceded him, and he Avas thus at a very early age more qualified to serve his generation in this department of knowledge than they were. So in spiritual service. Age and experience do not necessarily qualify men to minister acceptably before the Lord. Hoplnii and Phinehas were old enough to serve God acceptably in the priest's office, but while they brought dishonour upon Him in the performance of the most sacred functions, the child Samuel so performed his more humble duties as to make tiiem an acceptable service to Jehovah. It is not the office which is held, but the spirit in which its duties are performed, that constitutes the real service, and that depends not on years, but on character, and often those who have been long nominal or even real servants of God are outstripped in fervour and devotion by those who have entered the lists many years later. " Many that are first shall be last, and the last first " (Matt. xix. 30). Many who take the lead in the first start of the race are left far behind when others have reached the goal. Some who enter a school long befoi'e others are over- taken and outstripped by the later comers. And it is so in the Church of God. The sons of Eli were in the priesthood before Samuel was in the world, yet he was far in advance of them in the possession of that " reverence and godly fear," without which no service to God is acceptable (Heb. xii. 28). II. When regeneration has begun in the young and cZegeneration has set in in those of mature years, the progress is commonly rapid in both. While Samuel "grew on, and was in favour both with the Lord and also with men," Hophni and Phinehas hastened to fill up the measure of their iniquity. The sinful human nature which is the inheritance of all men was common both to Samuel and the sons of Eli, and they were both surrounded with influences favourable to the overcoming of evil tendencies and to the formation of a holy character. But Hophni and Phinehas strengthened every sinful natural disposition by giving themselves up to be ruled by their passions, by utterly disregarding the connnandment of the Lord, the voice of conscience, or even their owni repu- tation. Such an entire disregard of all tlie restraints whicli God had placed upon them made rapid degeneration inevitable, and they soon became as bad as it was possible for fallen men to become. But Samuel's upward growth was as rapid as their descent. He had evidently already become a subject of the regenerating influence of the Holy Spirit, he had yielded himself up to that Divine guidance which is powerful enough to renew the human heart and to give a new birth unto holiness, and so to make the path of him who is willing to be moulded by it " as the shining light which shineth more and more unto the 44 CHAP. II. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. perfect day." The child grew and so did the men. The one ripened for a noble and holy and useful life, the others for the condemnation and judgment of God. III. The most godless and the holy may be found associated in the external service of God. ISamuel and the sons of Eli were both engaged in the temple service. Samuel was "girded with a linen ephod," and so, doubtless, were they. Wheat and tares grow together in the same field. John and Judas sat at meat together with the Lord. A saint of the highest type may be associated in external religious service with a most villanous man, they may worship in the same house of God, may sit together at the table of the Lord. It must and will be so until the harvest when the Lord of the field will say to the reapers, " Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them ; but gather the ivheat into my barn' (Matt. xiii. 30). IV. Fulfilled obligations will not discharge us from obligations yet to be fulfilled. Hannah had taken her child and given him to Eli for the service of the Lord, but her loving care of him did not end there. Her heart was still with him, and her hands still busy for him. She " made him a little coat, which she brought to him from year to year." The performance of past duties to God does not free us from the obligations of the present any more than debts discharged in the past will release us from those we may contract in the future. Not even a very special work done for God, or a great sacrifice made for His service in the past, will discharge us from tlie obligation to perform the commonest duties of to-day. When Hannah had performed her vow, and dedicated her first-born son to the Lord, and under the influence of the Holy Ghost had sung of the coming kingdom of righteousness and of the Lord's Anointed, she still regarded it as her privilege and duty to care for her child's every-day bodily wants, and to make his garment with her own hands. She recognised the fact that if the spirit is to serve God in the present life the body must be cared for too, even as did the great Apostle of the Gentiles when, looking forward to being shortly crowned by his Lord in Paradise, he sent for his " cloak which he left in Troas," that so long as he was in the flesh he might keep his body from cold and sickness, and so continue fit to serve His Master until the end should come (2 Tim. iv. 13). Those whose hearts are right will not despise the lowliest or the most ordinary work, or call anything that their hands find to do common or unworthy of their notice. V. We have here a record of Divine compensation for human sacrifice. " The Lord blessed Hannah, so that she conceived, and bare three sons and two daughters." The kingdom of nature demands sacrifices of men. The husband- man must cast away some seed and give it up as it were to death, and he must do this without regard to the wind or the cold. But Nature is generous when she finds that her conditions are fulfilled, she gives an ear for a single grain, and the joy of harvest to compensate for the toil of the sowing-time. And as it is in God's natural kingdom, so is it more abundantly in His spiritual kingdom. No service rendered to Him, not " even a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple," shall lose its reward. Hannah gave her firstborn son to the Lord in the service of the temple, and her home was gladdened by five more children. She found that God heaped into her bosom " good measure " and " running over." In the more spiritual dispensation of the New Testament men must not look for, nor do spiritual men desire such a repayment in the same kind, but God will be no man's debtor, and the word of Christ is sure : " And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my names sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life " (Matt. xix. 29). 45 nOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. BOOK I. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS Ver. 18. Samuel did not merely worship and enjoy spiritual training? ; he ministered before the Lord, and did what he could to make himself useful. " Perhaps," says Matthew Henry, " he attended immediately on Eli's person- was ready to him to fetch and bring as he had occasion ; and that is called ministering to the Lord. . • • _• He could light a candle, or hold a dish, or run on an errand, or shut a door ; and because he did this with a pious dis- position of mind, it is called ministeJ'mg to the Lord, and great notice is taken of it." We have not now a tabernacle such as there was in Shiloh, nor have we such services as Samuel was called upon to render ; but in the Church of God there is sphere wide enough for the most active energy, diversified enough for many workers, and simple enough for the youngest to under- take .... Common obedience and everyday life, too, receive a consecra- tion from the godly motive. Children, by their infant prayers, have ere now awakened a parent's long silent heart. f. . An infant's hymn has awakened the hardened, and the_ example of a believing boy has occasioned an older mind to inquire, " What must I do to be saved?" — Steel. Ver. 19. This was much in Samuel's education. It nurtured the family feeling, the loss of which is a great deprivation. It kept his heart tender, when amidst strangers his feelings might be blunted. It provided for him that he might not be reproached. — Steel. " Petty little histories ! " cries Un- belief. "What matters it whether one knows that Samuel had a little coat or no?" Holy Scripture is not written for the wise, but for child-souls, and a child-like soul does not doubt that even the little coat which Hannah prepared for her Samuel has its his- tory. If I think of Hannah as every year sewing this coat at her home in Ram ah, I know that at every stitch a prayer for her Samuel rose up to the throne of the Lord. The coat which she was sewing would re- mind her that she had given him to the Lord ; and when the coat was ready, and she brought it to Shiloh, then every time with the coat she anew gave Samuel to her God, and said, " I give him to the Lord again for his whole life, because he was obtained from the Lord by prayer." — Daechsel. MAIN EOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Vers. 22-25. Eli's Reproof of his Sons. I. Impartiality is an essential qualification in a judge or ruler. Some sins against Divine laws are to be dealt with by human rulers. Magistracy is an ordination of God, and in proportion as tlie character of him Avho administers the law is good, and tlie law itself is just, human judges ai-e reflections of God, and represent Him who will not acquit the guilty, and will defend the innocent. But, above all things, he who holds such an office must be impartial. Eli, as the judge of Israel, was bound to imitate God in this particular, as in all others. No man ca'a lic honoured by his fellow-creatures unless he deals out evenhanded justice to all to whom he administers law, and the man who will allow rank, or position, or relationship to influence his judgment is no representative of Him who will render to all their dues. A man should be specially guarded when called upon to pass sentence or administer justice to one who is connected with him by the ties of blood or friendship. Such a medium has a tendency to distort our sense of right and wrong — to lead us to excuse the crime with which we should deal severely in a stranger. What we should look 46 CHAP. 11. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. upon as pure villany in the one we may be disposed to regard as mere misfortune in the other. It needs a much higher standard of character than that possessed by Eli to deal out the rightful measure of punishment to those who are nearly connected with us. The goodness and integrity of God leads Him to adopt a course directly opposite to that which men generally pursue in such a case. He punishes with greater rigour in proportion as the offender has been hitherto favoured and brought into near relation to Him. We have reason to believe that few of the sons of God stood nearer the Eternal throne than Satan. And because it was so, his punishment has been severe in proportion, the hell into which he was banished was deep in proportion to the place in heaven from which he fell. No people of ancient days stood in such near and intimate relation to God as did the people of Israel. Yet for this very reason no nation has received such severe punishment for transgression, " You only have I known of all the families of the earth ; therefore I ivill punish you Jor all your iniquities" (Amos iii. 2). God, being the perfectly righteous judge and governor, is the Being whose example should be followed by all human magistrates, and the prominent feature in God's magistracy is His strict impar- tiality. If Eli had imitated God in this respect he would have dealt very differently with his abandoned sons. But he looked at their crimes through the medium of his fatherly relationship, and this medium so softened down the blood-red stains upon their characters that when, as the first magistrate of Israel he ought to have sentenced them to death or at least to have excommunicated them from office, he contents himself with a very tame remonstrance. He touches them gently with the back of the sword, whereas if a Moses or such a man as the first Phinehas had been in his place, he would have thrust the blade into them up to the very hilt (Num. xxv. 6-11). His stern rebuke of Hannah for a fancied crime shows that he could be severe, in speech at least, upon occasions, and the contrast even in the words used to the unoffending woman and those in which he reproved his sons, makes him stand convicted of cross impartiality, and therefore as lacking the most essential qualification of a magistrate. II. Men who are merely emotional are fit neither to govern men nor to train children. Honey is good for man's eating, and contains some nutriment and also healing properties. But honey alone would be a poor sustainer or nourisher of human life. Wax is a useful material for some purposes, but it would be poor material of which to build a house. To feed upon the first would be to make sickness certain ; to build with the second would be to ensure the fall of the house. Emotions have their place in the human soul, and a man destitute of feeling is a monster ; but feelings are not to be the guide of human conduct, and the judge or the father who is swayed entirely by his emotions vdW in time forfeit all respect and confidence. Tenderness and gentleness are blessed and Divine attributes of character, but mere softness and inertness must not be mistaken for them ; and where they really exist there is no lack of capability for righteous indignation, no want of will to administer deserved rebuke. Eli's failure in his duty as a judge leads us to infer that he had been a too indulgent father — that which unfitted him to deal justly with his grown sons would have unfitted him to train them in childhood. Contrast the tender and long-suffering Son of God with the soft-hearted Eli, and place the reproof of the high priest side by side with our Lord's denunciations of similar characters holding a like position, and we see how the tenderest compassion is compatible with the most terrible denunciation of sin. " Woe unto you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites ! . ... Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hellV etc.— (Matt, xxiii. 23-35). III. There are sins beyond the power of human intercession. Even Eli 47 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. book T. allowed tliis (ver. 25). Men have committed and do commit certain sins, and other men have interceded and do intercede for them and obtain their pardon. This is the case where sins are committed against other men, and sometimes when sin is committed against God. God Himself has accepted human mediation, and has held back His judgments. This He did often in tlie case of Moses and the people of Israel. Many a time He spared the sinful nation because the voice of His servant pleaded for them. But sometimes no inter- cession of man can avert Divine displeasure — no human creature can prevent the thunderbolt of God's judgment from falling. Noah, Daniel, and Job were men who were highly esteemed by God, and whose prayers on behalf of others are — in the case of two at least — known to have been effectual (Job xlii. 8 ; Dan. ix. 20, 23). But, if they had all lived in the days of Ezekiel, their joint inter- cessions could not have saved the guilty Israelites from the chastisement which their sins had made inevitable — " Though these three men, Noah, Daniel, and Joh, were in it, they should deliver but their own souls hy their righteousness, saith the Lord God" (Ezek. xiv. 14). The sins of Hophni and Phinehas were so outrageously vile, and their position and office so aggravated their crimes that they were beyond the power of human intercession. No prayer of Eli, not even the prayers of a Noah, a Daniel, or a Job, could now have turned away the judgment of God from them. The father seems to feel that he cannot ask forgiveness for them in their present state of heart — he exhibits some conception of the enormity of their crimes when he says, " If a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him ? " It was his right and privilege to draw nigh to God on behalf of others, but the iniquity of his sons was so great, that his very position as high-priest forbade his pleading that God would pass over their sins. rV, When sinners are beyond the reach of intercession and marked for Divine punishment, they will not repent. The people of Sodom were in such a condition. Intercession for them could not avail, because they were so hardened in sin that repentance had become a moral impossibility. Even after God had stricken them with blindness they persisted in endeavouring to perpetrate their enormous wickedness, thus proving that neither the persuasions of men, nor the judgments of God, could lead them to repentance. Eli's sons were as great sinners, for if their crimes were not quite so black, they were committed against Divine light and holy influences such as were not possessed by the men of Sodom. Where could stronger inducements to repentance be found than those which they had set at nought ? How could men be led to repentance who turned the very house of God into a house of shameless crime ? Before the executioner brings the sharp steel to the neck, he blindfolds the culprit. These men had blindfolded themselves by their persistent iniquity, and nothing now could prevent God's axe from falling. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 23. Had these men but some importeth. A vehement rebuke to a little slackened their duty, or heed- capital evil is but like a strong shower lessly omitted some rite of the sacrifice, to a ripe field, which lays that corn this censure had not been unfit ; but which were worthy of a sickle. It is to punish the thefts, rapines, sacrileges, a breach of justice not to proportionate adulteries, inccvsts of his sons with the punishment to the offence : to "Why do ye so," was no other than to whip a man for murder, or to punish shave the head which had deserved the purse for incest, or to burn treason cutting off. . . . An easy rebuke doth in the hand, or to award the stocks to but encourage wickedness, and makes burglary, is to patronise evil instead of it think itself so slight as that censure avenging it. — Bp. Hall. 48 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. Ver 24. Too mild all along. He should have said as Isa. Ivii. 3, 4, "Draw near hither, ye sons of the sor- ceress," etc., ye degenerate brood and sons of Belial and not of Eli. . . . He should have said, " Woe is me that I live to hear it ; it had been better that I had died long since, or that you had been buried alive, than thus to live to stink above ground." But he saith only, " I hear ill of you by all the people," as if he went only upon hearsay, and were put on by the people thus to check them. — Trapp. Ver. 25. The duties which men are required to perform in society are two- fold, they owe duties to their brethren, they owe duties to God ; or rather, considered in a Christian light, every one of our social duties, as it should be performed on a religious principle, so should it be considered of a religious character. "Whatsoever we do, we should do all to the glory of God." The mind of man, however, is so gross that it is necessary for the sanctions of religion to be seconded by the authority of human laws in enforcing the ob- servance of our social and moral duties. Not only, therefore, is the wrath of God denounced against the sinner for his offences, every one of which is a violation of God's authority, but " if a man sin against another, the judge also judges him" — he is amenable also to that human authority which he has despised. Still, after all that can be done by man's interference, after all the severity of punishment which men can inflict upon the offender to deter others from a like offence, it is the anger of God which is most to be avoided, it is the punishment of God which is most to be dreaded. Com- paratively trifling should be our fear of them " which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul ; " for com- paratively feeble is their vengeance, and comparatively light and transitory is the punishment which they can in- flict ; but our fear of the Divine wrath should, if possible, be great in propor- tion to the greatness of the power of Him "who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell." — Bishop Mant. I read not in the Scripture of a hypocrite's conversion, and what won- der ? For whereas after sin conversion is left as a means to cover all other sins, what means to recover him who hath converted conversion itself into a sin ? — Trapp. " The Lord would slay them !" It is a dreadful sencence, and we would fain know of whom it was uttered. It is spoken of particular persons and not generally. ... of the sons of a priest, brought up amidst holy things from their childhood. . , , What more could have been done unto the vineyard ? What greater means of knowledge, what better opportunities of being impressed with a sense of God's majesty and holiness could possibly have been granted them ? But these means and opportunities had been neglected, till what was food at first was now their poison. They had gained such a habit of seeing and hearing holy things unmoved that nothing could possibly work on them. It is probable that every fresh service which they performed about the taber- nacle did but harden them more and more. How, then, could they hearken to the voice of their father, a kind old man indeed, and a good one, but one with none of that vigour of character which commands respect, even from the evil. Were his words of gentle rebuke likely to move those hearts which for years had served every day in the pre- sence of God, and had felt neither fear for Him nor love of Him, Vain was it to hope that such hearts should be so renewed to repentance. The seal of destruction was set on them but too plainly ; the Lord would slay them ; the laws of His providence. His un- changed and unchangable providence, had decreed that their case was hope- less ; for they had hardened their hearts greedily all their lives, and their work was now set so sure that they could not undo it, because they could not now wish it to be undone. — Dr. Arnold. The purpose of God was not the 49 HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. BOOK I. cause of their disobedience, but their disobedience was a sign that they were now ripe for destruction, and that the righteous purposes of God in their case should now soon be executed. — Starke. They were in a state of inner hard- ening, which excluded the subjective condition of salvation from destruction, and so they had already incurred God's unchangable condemnation. As hardened offenders they were already appointed by God to death ; therefore the word of instruction had no moral effect upon them. — Langes Commen- tary. God is more honoured or dishonoured in our religious actions than in all the actions of our lives; in them we do directly pretend His honour and ser- vice, and therefore if w^e do not walk in them watchfully, and intend them seriously, the greater is our sin. For a trespass cornmitted against holy things the Jews were to bring a ram, to be valued by the shekel, to the sanctuary ; for a trespass against their brethren a ram was required, but no such valua- tion expressed ; whence Origen infers : "It is one thing to sin in holy things, another thing to sin beside them." . . When men are some way off in a king's eye they will be comely in their carriage ; but when they come into his presence-chamber to speak with him they will be most careful. . . . God is very curious how men carry themselves in His courts. ... Do but observe, under the law, how choice He was about all things relating to His wor- ship: the tabernacle must be made of the best wood, the purest gold, the finest linen, etc. . . . And what is the substance of all these shadows, but this, that God will be served by holy men, in the purest, holiest manner? . . , Dost thou not know that He " will be sanctified in them that draw nigh unto Him?" (Lev. x. 3). Great persons are impatient of contempts and affronts, especially when they are offered them in their own houses ; God will sooner overlook thy forgetfuluess of Him in thy trade or travels than in His taber- nacle. When thou drawest nigh to Him there. He will be sanctified, either in thee or upon thee. If thou refuse to give Him glory in His service, be- lieve it, He will get Himself glory by thy suffering. His worship is His face, and look for His fury if thou darest Him to His face. — Swinnock. MAIN HOMILETICS OF VERSE 27. A Divine Messenger. I. This remarkable messenger was a nameless person. " There came a man of God unto Eli." All the prominent stars that stud our skies, and contribute their portion of light to the inhabitants of earth, are known to astronomers by name, but there are others that are so far off as not to admit of distinction, and we group them under some general designation : yet each one of tiiese far-off bodies sheds some light upon us, nameless as it is. There are records in the holy Scriptures of many nameless persons, Avho, notwithstanding the little that is told about them, have been used by God to shed upon men the light of His truth. We group them together, like a cluster of far-off stars, under the general title of "men of God," and all we know of their individual character or history we gather from the message which they delivered, and which has been left upon record to shed a permanent light upon the w^orld. But although we cannot tabulate and name all the myriad stars of heaven, those which are left unnamed by men are known by name to their Creator. " He calleth them all by names " (Isa. xl. 26). And so it is with those human light-givers whose names are not known to their fellow-men. Although this man of God remains unknown by name to all who read his words, yet he was and is known and named by His Divine Master, who called him to His work, and has long since rewarded him for it. And as those nameless stars may excel in magnitude 50 CHAP. ir. EOMILETIQ COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. and glory many of those which, from their nearer position to us, seem to be stars of the first magnitude, so these unnamed prophets may be as great in God's kingdom, and may have done as great a work in His estimation as those whose names are left recorded upon the Divine page. And so it may be now with many a God-sent messenger, whose name is unknown to the world, or even to the Church — he may be more highly esteemed by Him whose name is above every name, and stand in much closer fellowship with Him than many a one whose name stands high in the estimation of his fellow-Christians. But, after all the general name includes the particular — the greater name includes all lesser names. " A man of God " includes all that can be said in honour of either Isaiah the prophet or Paul the apostle. For " a man of God," when the designation is not a misnomer, signifies — 1. A man who has got his character from God. An Englishman when he is a true representation of his country and nation, has the disposition and tendencies which generally characterize his people. A child generally has some of the characteristics of h-s parent, because he is of his parent. So a man of God is one who possesses, in some degree, a God-like disposition, is one who is in sympathy with God, who loves what He loves, and hates wiiat He hates. No particular name can express more con- cerning a man's relation to God than does this general one. " We are of God " (1 John iv. 6), is as much as can be said of any human creature, for these four words include all the blessedness of Divine sonship — all the glory of the life everlasting. 2. In the Scripture, a man of God is one tvho bears a message from God. This is a title given both to Old Testament prophets and to New Testament ministers. "But thou, mail of God, flee these things" (1 Tim. vi. 11). "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God .... that the man of God may be perfected," etc. (2 Tim. iii. 16, 17). In both these passages the general name includes and means more than the particular. A " man of God" is more than Paul or Timothy — it is one who is entrusted with a message from the Eternal for his fellow-man — one who has " received " from God "the things which he speaks" (1 Cor. ii. 12, 13). He speaks to men of God and for God — his life-work is that of beseeching men to be " reconciled to God" (2 Cor. V. 20) — his one business in the world is to declare the " message " which he "has heard of Him," viz., that "God is light, and in Him is no darkness at all" (1 John i. 5). II. This messenger, though nameless, has been held in much greater honour by men than has the well known house whose doom he declared. Character is much more important than name, and the better the deed or the word the more easily we can dispense with the doer or the speaker. The names of Eli, of Hophni and Phinehas stand out prominently upon the page of Hebrew history, but what is recorded of the higli-priest and judge himself is not calculated to set him very high in the estimation of men — he has left little more than his name behind him — while those of his sons are associated only with the memory of their crimes. The nameless prophet passes before us like a ship upon the horizon making for her destined port. We know not whence she came or whither she is going, but she leaves a pleasing impression upon the mind. But Eli and his sons remain like wrecks upon the shore, whose only use is to warn others to shun the rocks upon which they were broken. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— VERSES 27—36. A Divine Message. I. The charge. The house of Eli is charged with ingratitude. Perhaps no greater crime is chargeable upon human nature. The slave who has been freed 51 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. from the tyranny of a cruel master by the putting forth on his behalf of a strong arm and who has not only been thus made a partaker of liberty but who has been clothed, and fed, and educated by the same benefactor, is expected to manifest gratitude to him to whom he owes all that makes life worth having. Gratitude ought to well up in his spirit like water from a living spring, and if such a man proves ungrateful it indicates that he is destitute of all right feeling, for he sins, not against law but against love. Eli's family, in common with all the other families of Israel, had dwelt in the " house of bondage." They had been for many years in " the iron furnace, even in l^gypt," and God had delivered them from their degraded condition and made them " a people of inheritance unto Himself" (Deut. iv. 20). To be ungrateful to such a deliverer shows them to be without natural feeling. But their ingratitude was aggravated by their elevation above all the other families of the nation. " Did I plainly appear unto the house of thy father, when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house ? And did I choose him out oj all the tribes of Israel to he my priest ?" This is the head and front of their crime. When a number of homeless children are taken from the streets, and housed and cared for, those who rescue them have a claim upon the gratitude of all. But if out of this number, one is made the object of special care and is selected to fill a higher position than the rest, the ingratitude of this one w411 be so much greater than the ingratitude of the others, as the benefits bestowed upon the one have been greater than those bestowed upon the rest. Ingratitude in any would be a sin ; but ingratitude in the one who has been especially favoured would be a sin of deeper die. The house of Aaron, of which Eli was a member, was bound to God by the common ties of gratitude by which all Israel was bound ; but God had claims upon them wliich far exceeded those of any other family of the nation. The members of Aaron's family had been elected by God to the highest possible honour, they had been set apart to the most sacred office, and they had been sustained at the command of God by the offerings of the people. It was demanded of them in return that they should show their gratitude for such unparalleled favours by reverent obedience to God. But the conduct of those who now represented them was of the very opposite nature. There had been the blackest profanity instead of reverence, and those who ought to have been examples of holiness had been promoters of vice. Ingratitude has been called a monster in nature, and a comparison between the privileges enjoyed by those men, and the returns they made, convicts them of being guilty of this monstrous crime in an aggravated form. II. The sentence. The authority and influence of Eli's house was to cease in Israel. That men by misdeeds entail a tendency to sin upon their posterity is a fact plainly written in the history of families and the oracles of God. A bad father generally leaves behind him bad children. This law must work unless God reconstitutes the present order of nature and makes each man's power to work good or ill to end with himself But while there is the relationship of parent and child this cannot be. Wherever we look we find instances in which children are born to an inheritance of good or evil influences, and the after-life of the greater number takes its moral tone from the character of their parents. Hence it is that families as well as individuals merit the blessing or the punish- ment of God. Eli had not used his own authority and influence to much purpose, and his sons had shamefully abused that which had been entrusted to them by God. Such men were very unlikely to be the founders of a house which would be a blessing to Israel, therefore the sentence is directed not against Eli and his sons only, but against their posterity. As they had dishonoured God, so God would bring their house to dishonour. As Eli had not used his power and authority to prevent the defilement of the house of the Lord, he 52 HOMILETIG COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. shall have no power to hold back the desolation of his own. As he and his sons had not fidfilled the conditions laid down for the observance of the priests, their sons shall have no conditions to observe, for the priesthood shall be trans- ferred to others. As is generally the case in the judgments of God, the nature of the punishment bears some resemblance to tlie nature of the transgression, ^' He that leadetk into captivity shall go into captivity ; he that killeth tvith the sword must be killed with the sword " (Kev. xiii. 10). III. The authority for the sentence. "Thus saith the Lord." God's autho- rity to pronounce this doom upon the house of Eli springs — 1. From the relation which He sustains to men in general. God was the absolute proprietor of the lives of these men, as He is of the life of every human creature. He, as we have seen (see on chaj). ii. 6), is the giver of life to men ; to Him also belongs the world, which He has "given to the children of men" (Ps. cxv. 16) tor a dwelling-place, and, if men abuse His good gitts, He has an absolute right to deprive them of that which He has bestowed. 2. But God had a special right to judge the house of Eli, a right springing from the special relation to Himself in which He had placed them. As we have before seen, in considering the charge, as Israelites they had been objects of His special favour, as men of the house q/*^aro?« they were brought into a closer relationship to God, and this threefold obligation gave to Jehovah a threefold authority to pronounce upon them and theirs this terrible yet deserved sentence. IV. The principle upon which God exercises this authority over all men. " For them that honour me I will honour," etc, God can be known so as to be honoured. God must be known, not only as to His existence, but as to His character, in order to be honoured. Eli and his sons had enough knowledge of the character of Jehovah to make it possible for them to honour Him, they had enough knowledge to make their " lightly esteeming" Him a black transgression. Wherever men find moral excellence they are bound to honour it, their consciences call upon them to reverence goodness wherever it is found, and God here lays down a law of His government that He will not hold tliem guiltless who withhold from His perfect character the honour which is His due, OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 29. " And honourest thy sons selves up to an unbridled indulgence above me." Choosing rather to gratify of their passions and their covetous- them than to glorify me, by abdicating ness. — Biblical Commentary. them from the priestliood. But it may It is often easy to be exposed to this be Eli feared lest the high-priesthood reproach of God without being aware of should by this means go from his it. Those who labour to spread the family, as it had before from Eleazar's light of Divine truth by publicly de- fer misdemeanour, which also after- daring it to the people certainly offer wards befell him, and he by seeking to a sacrifice which may be very accep- prevent it hastened it. — Irapp. table to God, But if they nourisii in The well-fed beast becomes un- their hearts a secret pride, and if they manageable and refractory, and refuses seek in these holy services their own the yoke, and bursts the bonds (Jer, v, glory rather than the glory of God, 5, 7, 8). So the priests, instead of they take for themselves the first- being grateful for the provision made fruits of the sacrifice. They become for them, in their pampered pride the end of their action, and Gud is became dissatisfied, wantonly broke only the means. They put the creature the laws of God Avhich regulated their before the Creator, and this is the share of the offerings, and gave them- greatest of all misplacements.-X'e/bat^. 53 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. Ver. 30. " Them that honour Me, I toill honour y This isa bargain of God's own making ; you may bind upon it. '^ And they that despise Me." God's visitation is like chequer-work, black and white. — Irapp. Never did man dishonour God but it proved the greatest dishonour to himself. God will find out ways enough to wipe off any stain upon Him ; but you will not so easily re- move the shame and dishonour from yourselves. — Baxter. There are three sorts of men to be considered with respect to the honour due to God. I. Such as despise Him instead of honouring Him. Such were the sons of Eli who knew not the Lord. Those do not know God who despise His services. It is impossible to despise infinite goodness, and power, and wis- dom, for those are things which all that know them cannot but reverence and esteem. For a poor creature to despise his Creator, or one that lives upon the bounty of another to despise his benefactor, seems to be such an in- consistency in morality, as if human nature were incapable of it But although God cannot be despised for His glorious perfections, yet His authority may be despised when men presuiiiptuousl)^ break His laws — when "they profess to know God, but in works deny Him" (Tit. i. 16), when they own a God, and yet live as if there were none. II. There are such as pretend to honour God, but do not. Men may be guilty of dishonouring God under a pretence of honouring Him, by worshipping their imagina- tions instead of Him, or by doing honour to Him according to their own imaginations, and not according to His will. Persons form false concep- tions of God, and so give their worship to an idol of their own fancy, and they pretend to honour Him not according to His will, but according to their own fancy. There are some things practised and defended in the Christian world, which one would hardly think possible to have ever prevailed, had it not been that men thought to do honour to God by them. III. But 54 there is a way left to give God tha^ honour which is due unto Him. I shall not take in all the ways of honouring God, but consider that which is most proper to the design of these words .... It was not for Eli's personal miscarriages that God thought Himself so dishonoured by him, but for want of taking due care in suppressing profaneness and corrup- tion in others. And this shows the true way in which God may be honoured by those who are bound to take care of others. 1. By an universal dis- countenancing of all sorts of vices and profaneness. 2. By an even, steady, and impartial execution of the laws against vice and debauchery. 3. By a wise choice of fit instruments to pursue so good an end. — Stilling fleet. Outwardly, we see nothing to blame in the personal conduct of Eli. All that can be expected is found ; all due respect for his office, all proper solem- nity in the discharge of it. He is just the character who would have been eulogised by the men of his day as doing honour to the post which he filled ; who, as the saying is, would have been respected in his life and lamented at his death .... But we presently see that he had been only up to, not beyond the mark, for what was expected of him. He had sense enough of propriety and decency, creditably to discharge an office, to the capability of filling which this same sense alone raised him. He had never lived above his office. That God had delighted in burnt offerings and sacrifices he had impressed upon himself, and these things were the summit of his estimate. He had never learned that there are things better than sacrifices and more acceptable than the fat of rams He knew not that in order to do good a man must live above, not up to, his outward duties ; that influence with others is found not where life is raised up to the routine of duty, but where that routine of duty is quickened and inspired by a life led in higher places and guided by nobler motives. This sense of decency, this fine conservative feeling. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. may get one man creditably through his work, but it has no power over those who grow up around him ; it has no deep springs, no living and sparkling eye, no winning to something above itself; all its motives are secondary ; what others did before, others will think now Eli found, as men ever find, that all this system of secondary motive is nothing to curb the bounding heart of the young, or to win the guidance of their strong and precipitous course. He who dwells in the circumference of his life gains no sympathy from those who dwell in its centre Such a state in the in- dividual, the family, or the community, contains of necessity the elements of decay and of down ward progress What will be the effect on a com- munity of the prevalence of a lifeless and conventional religion ? First, and necessarily, a low standard of duty, up to that which is required by man, not beyond it. Next, a false estimate of realities ; a substitution of primary objects for secondary ones ; a growing conviction that tliis world is real, and another world visionary ; that words and ceremonies will serve for religion ; but that deeds all belong to self and the world As Israel became acted upon by the system which pre- vailed under Eli, superstition succeeded to the fear of God. . . . Who taught his people to trust to the ark to save them, and to forget Him. . . To what must a people have been degraded, who could look on that ark, accompanied with two ministers of such iniquity and profligacy, and greet its arrival with shouts of triumph ? . . . Where life is lived as unto God, and in His sight and His revelation of Himself held as a living present truth, there is the seed of all true happiness, of all true success, of all genuine honour. Such men, whether they prosper or fall, alone win the real prizes of life : solid usefulness, firm stability, inward peace. Such families alone are the nurseries for worthy future generations, where God's name is known and loved ; where, if there be no glittering armour, no nicely jointed harness for the youth- ful warrior to go forth in, the young arm is at least familiar with the use of the simple sling, and knows where to cull the smooth stones from the river of the water of life. Such nations alone contain in them the pledges for sound and honourable progress, where the national religion is not a system upheld for venerable association's sake, but is a genuine portion of the people's life, a living seed expanding through its history . . . On the other hand, the man of mere proprieties gets to his grave in peace ; the man of selfish views wins his prize, and be- comes great and fills a space in the world, and passes away, but who cares for either ? . . . The family where God was not, we have already followed in the same downward path ; but who can tell, till the last dread day, the shame and misery and ruin which have overwhelmed men in generation after generation, for want of God as the guide of their youth ? And if we ask respecting the fate of nations that have despised God — read it in the desola- tions of Nineveh and Babylon : read it in the history of the ancient people of God, scattered over the nations. — Alford. God is honoured in general by avowed obedience to His holy will, but there are some acts which more signally conduce to God's glory. 1. The fre- quent and constant performance (in a reverent manner) of devotions immedi- ately addressed to His name (Psalm xxix. 2). 2. Using all things peculiarly related to God, His holy name, His holy word, His holy places, with especial respect (Isa. Iviii. 13). 3. Yielding due observance to the deputies and ministers of God, as such (Rom. xiii. 4; Mai. ii. 7, etc.). 4. Freely spending what God hath given us in works of piety, charity, and mercy (2 Cor. ix. 13 ; Prov. iii. 9, xiv. 31). h. A II penitential acts, by which ive submit to God, and humble ourselves before Him (Josh, vii. 19; Rev. xvi. 9). 6. Cheerfully undergoing afflictions, losses, disgraces, for the profession of God's truth (John xxi. 19). 7. By discharging faithfully those offices which God hath entrusted 55 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. BOOK T. US with, and diligently improving those talents which God hath committed to ns. — Barrow. Ver. 33. The posterity of Eli pos- sessed the high-priesthood in the time of Solomon, and even when that dynasty was preserved to another family, God preserved that of Eli ; not to render it more happy, but to punish it by seeing the prosperity of its ene- mies, to the end that it might see itself destitute and despised. This shows the depth of the judgments of God, and the grandeur of His justice, which ex- tends even to distant generations, and manifests itself to sinners both in life and death — both in their own disgrace and in the prosperity of their enemies. — Calmet. Ver. 35. The exercise of the priestly office, which is well-pleasing to God : 1. Its personal condition and presup- position, fidelity, firmness, steadfast- ness, " I will raise Thee up a faithful priest." 2. Its rule and measure. "According to that which is in my heart and soul." 3. Its blessing and reward. "And I will build him a sure house," etc. — Lange's Commentary. Of the priests under the law it might be generally said that they walked before the Lord's Anointed ; or, in other words, they were appointed by His authority — they acted by His direction, and as his servants and representatives, till He should come personally to offer the one sacrifice on the strength of which their offerings had been made available on behalf of His believing people. And, in this view of the subject, the last clause of the verse conveyed another and more explicit assurance that the priesthood should be perpetuated during the Old Testament dispensation, notwithstand- ing all the calamities which might from time to time befall Israel. But it implied more. It contained a pro- mise of blessing on that priesthood. To walk before the Lord's Anointed must, I think, have implied not only walking by His directions as ser- vants, but walking in the light of 5a His countenance as their api)rovin§' Lord and Master, in so far as His Church was dependent on their ser- vices for her edification and comfort. And how frequently then must the people of God, in Old Testament times, have been comforted and refreshed in seasons of perplexity and trouble w hen they called to mind this gracious assu- rance. But it is to the New Testament Church that this passage has opened up, in all its fulness, the inexhaustible fountain of consolation which it con- tains It is impossible for us to read the words without at least having Christ brought before us, and without feeling that to Him alone can the words be applied in their full, literal, and absolute sense Christ is exalted to the throne of the universe, but He has not forgotten His priestly office. He regards it with complacency, and still executes it with delight ; for "He is a priest upon His throne." — Dr. R. Gordon. Ver. 36. See the sin and its punish- ment. They formerly pampered them- selves, 2Mdifed to the full on the Lord's sacrifices, and now they are reduced to a morsel of bread. They wasted the Lord's heritage, and now they beg their bread. ... In religious establish- ments vile persons, who have no higher motive, may and do get into the priest's office, that they may clothe themselves with the wool, and feed themselves with the fat, while they starve the flock. But where there is no law to back the claims of the worth- less and the wicked, men of piety and solid merit only can find support, for they must live on the free-will offerings of the people. Where religion is es- tablished by law the strictest ecclesi- astical discipline should be kept up, and all hireling priests and drones should be expelled from the Lord's vineyard. — A. Clarke. Vers. 27-36, Indulgent parents are cruel to themselves and their posterity ; Eli could not have devised which way to have plagued himself and his house so much as by his kindness to his chil- CHAP. II. HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. dren's sins. What variety of judg- ments does he now hear from the messenger of God ! First, because his old age, which uses to be subject to choler, inclined now to misfavour his sons, therefore there shall not be an old man left of his house for ever ; and because it vexed him not enough to see his sons enemies to God in their profession, therefore he shall see his enemy in the habitation of the Lord; and because himself forebore to take vengeance of his sous, and esteemed their life above the glory of his Master, therefore God will revenge Himself by killing them both in one day ; and because he abused his sovereignty by conniving at sin, therefore shall his house be stripped of this honour, and see it translated to another ; and lastly, because he suffered his sons to please their own wanton appetite, in taking meat off from God's trencher, therefore those which remain of his house shall come to his successor to beg a piece of silver and a morsel of bread .... I do not read of any fault Eli had but indulgence ; and which of the notorious offenders were plagued more? Parents need no otlier means to make them miserable, than sparing the rod. — Bishop Hall. God often contents himself with a single example of the estimation in which He holds the violation of certain duties. But one lesson so terrible ought to be sufficient to instruct every age, and unhappy is he who does not profit by it. — Duguet. CHAPTER ni. Critical and Expository Notes. — Ver. 1. "The child Samuel." According to Josephus, Samuel was now twelve years old. "Precious," i.e., rare. "The word was rare that came directly from the Lord by prophetic announcement to the people ; the proper organs were lacking, persons who were filled with the Spirit of the Lord, that they might be witnesses of His word ; there was lacking also in the people the living desire for the direct revelations of God in His word" (Lange's Commentary). "No open vision," lit. "no vision spread abroad." "Here Tision includes all the ways whereby God revealed Himself to men. Which He did then so seldom that, whatsoever revelation there might be privately to some pious persons, there was none then publicly acknowledged to be a prophet" (Patrick). Ver. 2. " His eyes began to wax dim." This mention of Eli's dimness of sight is introduced parenthetically. It explains Samuel's supposition that he had been called by Eli : the imperfect vision of the aged priest would make him dependent upon the services of an attendant, and these services Samuel was probably appointed to render" ( Hohson). "The lamp of God," i.e., the seven-branched candlestick. " This stood in the centre, on the left of the entrance, and is now mentioned for the last time. Itwas superseded in the reign of Solomon by the ten separate candle- sticks, but revived after the captivity by the copy of the one candlestick with the seven branches, as is still seen on the arch of Titus. It was the only light of the Tabernacle during the night " (Dean Stanley). "Went out." This indicates that the time was near morning. "Temple." See on chap. i. 9. " The sanctuary was so encased with buildings as to give it the name and appearance of a house or temple " (Dean Stanley). " Samuel slept in the court, where cells were built for the priests and Levites to live in when serving in the sanctuary. See ver. 15. (Keil). " The high-priest was not in domestic residence at the temple, much less, therefore, at the tabernacle But Eli, who was now an aged man, with all his family grown up and settled in their own households, might, both from feeling and convenience, incline to reside constantly at his humble official lodge, under the shadow of the tabernacle. The proper place of Samuel would have been among the attendant Levites, but on account of his personal services to the high-priest, he rested not far from him " ( Kitto). " The Lord." Jehovah. " This name stands after the temple because it is the Covenant God who descends to His people, and dwells with them, that is brought before us. On the other hand, in connection with the lamp and the ark, Elohim is used in the sense of the Divine in general" (Lange's CommaUary). Ver. 4. " The Lord called Samuel." " Probably by a voice from the ark in the Holy of Holies " ( Wordsworth). 57 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. Ver. 5. " He ran," etc. " Which shows the great readiness and promptness of his obedience, which made him come, yea, run at his first call " (Patrick). Ver. 7. " Did not yet know," etc. "He had not the special knowledge of God which was given by exti'aordinary revelation" (^ZaH;/e's Commentary). "Revealed," literally uncovered. " The metaphor is transferred in a certain way in Chap. ix. 15, where it is said (Hebrew) that the Lord uncovered the ear of Samuel. Our word revelation may be taken as including both these ideas " ( Hobson). (See comments on ver. 21.) Ver. 10. " Stood." The voice becomes a vision. " A personal presence, not a mere voice, or impression upon Samuel's mind is here indicated" (Bishop Hervcy). Ver. 11. " The ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle." A mark of dread and horror. (See 2, Kings xxi. 12 and Jer. xix. 3.) "As a sharp, discordant noise pains one's ears, so the news of this harsh punishment shall give pain to all who hear of it " (Lange's Commentary on Kings). Ver. 12. "I will also make an end." " He does not mean that He would begin and make an end at once ; but that He would persevere in His punishments, and not desist when He began, till all His threatenings were fiilfilled, viz., in the death of Eli, and of his sons, and the slaughter of eighty-five priests of this family by Doeg, and the thrusting Abiathar out of his office, and so depriving that family of its dignity and honour " (Patrick). Ver. 13. "Judge." "To judge on account of a crime is the same as to punish it.'' {Keil.) " Restrained." " He contented himself with mere remonstrance when, as High Priest and Judge in Israel, he had severer measures at his command, which he ought to have employed, setting aside his personal feelings of parental tenderness." {Hobson.) Ver. 14. " Sacrifice nor offering." " Neither the bloody nor unbloody offerings." (See Lev. xvi. 6.) " The sin of Eli's sons was so heinous as not to be purged by this appointed sacrifice." {Hobson.) Ver. 15. " Opened the doors." " This appears to have been a part of Samuel's duty. We have not to think of doors opening into the Holy Place, however, but of doors leading into the court." {Keil.) Ver. 16. " My Son." " How much is expressed in this one word." {Thenius.) Ver. 17. Observe the climax in the words with which, in three sentences, Eli demands information from Samuel ; it expresses the excitement of his soul. He asks for the word of the Lord ; he demands an exact and complete statement, he adjures Samuel to conceal nothing from him." {Lange's Commentary .) Ver. 19. "None of his words fall to the ground." " A metaphor from arrows shot out of a bow, which hit the mark." {Patrick.) Ver. 20. " From Dan to Beersheba," i.e., from the northern to the southern extremity of the land. Dan (anciently called Laish) was a northern frontier town, and Beersheba was situated on its southern border. "That Samuel was established to be a prophet of the liord." " A very important statement." What Samuel did in offering sacrifices, etc. (see vii. 9) was not, as some seem to imagine, an irregular intrusion into the priestly office. But in a time of great degeneracy and confusion, when the exercise of the ordinary functions of the Levitical priesthood was in abeyance, Samuel was specially raised up by God, and received an extraordinary commission from Him to do what He did in maintaining the worship of God, and all Israel " knew," by visible tokens, that he was established to be an expounder and interpreter of God's will ( Wordsicorth). main eomiletics of the paragraph.— y erses 1—10. The Voice of the Unseen. I. Special preparation qualifies for special revelation. "Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli." In any branch of service, whether rendered to men or more directly to God, training is needed before a man is fit to fulfil its duties. Men to whom the voice of nature has spoken in any special manner are generally . men who have been her students from their early years, and their long waiting upon l)er in her temple has made them capable of receiving special revelations from her. Newton and Faraday were made partakers of some of her secrets only 58 CHAP. III. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. after years of training in her school, and the same may be said of the poets and artists whose ears have been opened, or whose vision has been enhghtened in an especial manner to hear her voice, or to see her beauties. David's early days were spent in meditating upon the heavens that declared the glory of God and the firmament that showed the Divine handiwork. Doubtless this early training had much to do with his susceptibility to impressions from the works of God in nature in his after-life, and made him able to see God in all the things that He has made. God, by early training, fitted him to be not only a. king and a soldier, but a poet. So Samuel was prepared, by early and special training, to receive special revelations from God. II. Early religious training fits men for great and important work in after life. From his very early days Samuel dwelt in the sanctuary of the Lord, and was in daily attendance upon the services of His house. Corrupt as were some of those who ministered in holy things, there were doubtless some good and elevating influences around him which would accustom him to the thought of the God of his fatliers, and tend to prepare him for the special work to which he was destined. The comparatively easy and pleasant ministry unto the Lord within His house prepared him for the sterner service he was to be called to render without the courts in a more public capacity. The sailor's child is first taught to handle an oar in the sheltered cove before his father's cottage, in sight of home and within reach of his mother's eye. But this easy exercise is to fit him in after years to move out into the wide ocean and face the perils of the storm, and with a skilful hand pilot his vessel safely over a dangerous sea. The home-life of every well-trained child is a calm and peaceful bay, in which, encircled by loving laws and gentle words, he is being fitted to fight the difficulties and temptations of life outside the charmed circle. Li due time he moves out into the vast sea of life, and finds himself in a world altogether different from his childhood's home ; but the holy influences that were around him there have fitted him for taking his place and doing his work in the world, so as to glorify God and bless himself and others. So it ought to be with every member of a godly household, so it was with Samuel. The " gentleness of God " (2 Sam. xxii. 36) as he experienced it in the comparatively calm and peaceful atmosphere of his early days, made him fit to fulfil the arduous mission to which he was afterwards called, and strengthened him to fulfil all the Divine commands even to the terrific one of " hewing Agag in pieces before tlie Lord " (1 Sam. xv._ 33). What a contrast was the last-mentioned stern service to the gentle ministry of his early days, but obedience to the will of God was doubtless the motive power in both. This habit of obedience is the one which above all others, perhaps, fits men bravely and faithfully to fulfil their duties to God and men. If a child has been accustomed from a sense of duty to render obedience to his hunaan father or guardian he will come more readily to subject his will to his Divine Father. Submission to the lesser and imperfect being prepares the way for submission to the Almighty and Perfect One. We see from Samuel's ready response to what he supposed was the call of Eli, how accustomed he was to render implicit obedience to him who stood to him in the place of his earthly father, and this submission to a human will and authority was one of the most important elements in his early training to fit him in after life to render unhesitating obedience to the word of the Lord, and to shrink from no service which He called upon him to perform. III. God speaks when His speech is most needed. Ptain is never so precious as when famine has set in from lack of it. When the clouds have for long ceased to yield refreshment to the earth, then every drop is as precious as gold. When there is lack of the rain of heaven, then there is dearth, and disease, and death. So is it in the spiritual world when there is a lack of spiritual teaching. From 59 HOMILETIO COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. booki. this soiil-famine tliere springs apace all kinds of spiritual diseases, and souls perish for lack of bread. In Israel, at this period of its history, there was such a soul-famine, and with few exceptions its whole " head was sick, and its heart ■was faint" in consequence, and "wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores" broke out in the lives of those who ought to have been fit mediums for the descent of that spiritual rain which makes glad the wilderness and the solitary place, and causes the spiritual desert to rejoice and blossom as the rose. In this time of great need God broke the long silence, and in this word coming to Samuel there was " a sound of" that " abundance of rain " which was to be poured down upon this highly-favoured people almost unceasingly until the time of Malachi. This voice of God, coming to the youthful Samuel in the night watches, was to be the beginning of a long series of "open visions," and of an abundant revelation of the mind and will of God. But the first drops of the shower fell in a time of spiritual drought, and famine, and disease. IV. God speaks through spiritually qualified instruments. A coloured glass is not a fit medium to transmit the pure white light of the sun. A blackened glass almost entirely shuts out his rays ; light can hardly find any entrance through such a medium. God's silence had been of so long continuance because those who ought to have been fit mediums to transmit His word were utterly incapable even of receiving it. Neither Eli nor his sons were qualified instruments by which God could reveal His will to the people. Even the high- priest himself was not one whose spiritual nature was sufficiently awake to render him capable of receiving visions of God. And he who would reveal to others the word of the Lord must be able first to see and hear for himself. But Samuel was of an entirely different nature. His ear had been rendered susceptible to spiritual voices, his eyes were fitted to discern spiritual realities, and his will was so far in harmony with the will of God — his desire to serve the Lord was so far single and unbiassed, — as to render him a fit medium through which the light of the Divine word could be transmitted. V. The unseen world is as real as that which is seen. The personality of Eli in the tabernacle was one that could be seen — it was within the reach of Samuel's bodily senses. But he came to be conscious of a Person, quite as real, though ordinarily beyond the reach of his vision. He who spoke to Samuel in his sleep was as real an existence as was the priest to whom he at first attributed the voice. That Samuel at first mistook the voice of the invisible God for the voice of the visible Eli shows how strongly he was assured of the reality of the person who spoke to him — how certain he felt that the voice belonged to a real and actual existence. That which is unseen by our mortal eye is as real, and is as near to us, as that which our bodily vision can ajprehend, and it only needs God to awaken our spiritual senses to make us conscious of this. Many a man can testify from his own experience that communion with God is quite as much a reality as any communion with man. Samuel, during his minority, had many a conversation with the aged Eli, and had doubtless received some good impres- sions from his intercourse with the old priest. But the intercourse which he held from this time forth with a person who spoke to him from the invisible world was as real and far more impressive than any he had ever had with the person before whom he had so long ministered to the Lord. So real was it, and so strong an impression did it make upon him that he could afterwards reproduce the words that had been spoken to him, and felt that communion with Him whose dwelling is not with flesh, was a more influential fact of his life than any intercourse with men. He had been conversant with many facts concerning Jehovah before this time, but he now awoke to such a personal consciousness of His existence, and such an abiding sense of His nearness, that up to this crisis in his history it is said of him that he " knew not the Lord." 60 OHAP, III. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 1. Since the extraordinary gifts stand in close connection with the ordinary, we must conclude that the latter also were sparingly dealt out, that among the masses there was a great deal of lukewarmness, and even open apostasy. The want of a reforma- tion was urgent. That the extra- ordinary gifts, however, had not quite disappeared, we learn from the example of the man of God who comes to Eli to upbraid him with his sins and also to announce the Divine judgment. And with respect to the ordinary gifts, we are led to the conclusion that there was at that time a not inconsiderable ekloge, not only by the institution of holy women (see Critical Notes on chap. ii. 21), but also by the custom of the Nazarite, of which we have two con- temporaneous examples in Samson and Samuel, and must therefore have been pretty widely spread. Hence we infer that the spirit of piety was by no means dead, especially since an institu- tion such as that of the Nazarites stands in close connection with the whole national tendency, and can only flourish when more or less supported by it. — Hengstenberg. Faithful in little, and therefore entrusted w^ith more, being the next famous prophet to Moses, and called the first (Acts iii. 24, 2 Chron. XXXV. 18). — Trapp. The time of Samuel's appearance in Israel as prophet was a time of an internal judgment of God, which con- sisted in the lack of intercourse of God tvith His people by revelation. It was a theocratic interdict incurred by the continual apostasy of the people from their God . . . Such a judgment came upon Saul (chap, xxviii. 6, 15) ... . The same law presents itself in all periods of the kingdom of God ; men lose the source of life, God's revealed word, by a Divine judgment, when they withdraw from intercourse with the living God, and will not accept His holy word as the truth which controls their whole life. — Lange's Commen- tary. Ver. 2. God lets old Eli sleep, who slept in his sin ; and awakes Samuel to tell him what He would do with his master. He, who was wont to be the mouth of God to the people, must now receive the message of God from the mouth of another ; as great persons will not speak to those with whom they are highly offended, but send them their checks by others. — Bishop Hall, Ver. 4. He answered " Here am /." A hearing ear is a sweet mercy; and a heavy ear, a grievous judgment (Isa. vi. 9). — Trapp. Ver. 5, 6. He would not have lain down to sleep had he thought that the Lord had spoken unto him. So, if men did but consider that God speaketh unto them by His ministers, they would hear and heed much better. How oft do we either turn a deaf ear to God's call, or else mistake, and run another way, till He please to speak home to our hearts, and cause us to hear Him. — Trapp. Ver. 10. For the first time Samuel stands with consciousness in the pre- sence of the majesty of God — and immediately all the riddles of life begin to be solved for him, and the meaning of his own life to become clear. What he says bears the clearest stamp of a really begun communion with the Lord. Is it not the resolve to say and to do all that the Lord might show him of His lofty thoughts and ways — is it not this, and nothing but this, that is ex- pressed in " Speak, Lord, for Thy ser- vant heareth ? " Has he not thereby once for all renounced self-knowing and self- will ? That was the faithful- ness as a prophet, which all Israel, from Dan even to Beersheba, recognised in him (ver. 20). And that which thus first established a true communion with the Lord could also alone be the power that maintained it. The con- stant prayer, " Speak, Lord," and the constant vow, " Thy servant heareth" — that is the hand which takes hold of 61 EOMILETIG COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. book I, God's right hand, to be held fast by it (Jb) steadfast dependence on the Lord with everlasting life. "Speak, Lord," in free love [Thy servant] ; (c) uncon- etc.,atestimo7i]/of'iinconditio7ialdevo- ditional, joyful obedience to His will tion to the Lord. \. How such a testi- [Thy servant /if?argif/«]. Conditions of mony is reached (a), through the Lord's a blessed fulfilment of ones calling awakening call ; {h), through recep- for the kingdom of God—1. The ex- tivity of heart for God's word ; (c) perience of the power of the Divine through the deed of self-denial in the word : I have called thee by name, renunciation of all self-knowledge and 2. The repeated call in prayer, "Speak, self-will. 2. What is therein testified Lord." 3. The fulfilment of the vow : and praised before the Lord— (a) "Thy servant he&reth." — Langes humble subjection [speak, Lord]; Commentary. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH— Verses 10—21. The Sin of Omission and the Grace of Submission. I. The mere omission of one man may be the calamity of many. Many and terrible disasters have often been brought upon many people by one man's omission in the performance of his duty. If the man who stands at the wheel of the vessel omits to look at the compass, he may bring death or ruin to hundreds of his fellow-creatures, as well as loss of reputation to himself if he should survive the wreck. If one miner neglects properly to secure his light, the death of all his fellow-workmen may as truly lie at his door as if he had slain each one separately with his own hand. Omissions permit the play of forces which are destructive to human life, and therefore are sometimes as guilty as commissions. Eli's great sin was a sin of omission : " His sons made them- selves vile, and he restrained them not." His omission of parental restraint permitted the unchecked play of the evil passions of his ciiildren, and brought as sure and as terrible a destruction upon them as if he had taken their lives with his own hand. And the evil consequences of his neglect of restraint did not end with them ; the mischief which was thus left to work spread into every household in the land, and soon the whole nation had cause to mourn over their high-priest's omission of his duty. If Eli had restrained his sons he would certainly have dehvered his own soul from blood-guiltiness, and mio-ht have delivered them from such a public execution, and the nation from overwhelmin"- disgrace. Mere protestation against sin will do something to stem the tide or if it is powerless to do that it is a witness against it. A godly man can sometimes do no more than can a pillar in the midst of an eddying river. He can but offer the resistance of his own life and words to the prevailing current of iniquity. He cannot check its onward course. Less than this will not deliver him from guilt, but this will do it. " // thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that tvicked man shall die in his iniquity ; but his blood will L reouire at thine hand. Nevertheless, if thou warn the tvicked of his way to turn from it if he do not turn from Ms way he shall die in his iniquity ; but thou hast delivered thy soul." (Ezek. xxxiii. 8, 9.) This is all that God requires when men can do no more. Eli had hardly done this and his povv^er to do more — to hinder his sons from continuing their public profanation of God's house and services constituted him a partaker in their sins, and to some extent in their punishment when he " restrained them not." This great omission of his life made him the instrument of bringing the wrath of God, not only upon his house but upon his nation. II. A noble nature has no pleasure in the downfall of a rival. A generous soul'is grieved at the afilictions that come upon men even through their own sin. 62 CHAP. III. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. He not only "rejoiceth not in iniquity " but rejoiceth not in the punislnnent that iniquity brings even when the downfall of the evil-doer is the occasion of his own promotion. If a young man sorrows over the just disgTace of those whose fall is his own stepping-stone to promotion, he shows that he is possessed of a truly noble disposition. Samuel was not gladdened by being thus honoured by God, seeing that the message he received was charged with heavy tidings concerning those whom he honoured to some extent. Some consciousness of his own advancement must have been borne in upon him by this revelation he must have had some presentiment that the setting of Eli's sun would be the rise of his own, yet he shrinks from showing the vision evidently not only from unwillingness to grieve his aged friend, but from a sense of sorrow at the terrible retribution which awaited him and his. III. The highest wisdom under Divine chastisement is the submission which justifies God. There are children who will justify their human parents even when they are under correction, because they have such confidence in the character of those parents, and because their own consciences convict them of deserving that which they are now suffering. God's children should always be able to do this. They ouglit to be so assured of His unimpeachable justice and wisdom, as well as of His love, as to be able at all times to echo the words of Eli, and thus to "justify the ways of God to men." Eli here proves himself a true son of Abraliam in the full assent he gives to Abraham's assurance "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right ? " (Gen. xviii. 25) Being fully convicted of his own negative sins, and of the positive crimes of his children he takes the course of true wisdom, and yields himself and his family into the hands of that King who he knows can do no wrong. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 11. When God executes judg- ditary succession and the whole exist- ment upon anyone, all should tremble ing hierachy of Israel. — Stanley at these examples of severity upon Parents cannot do God's work and others, and say with Vax\\," Because God will not do i5/^e/rs; but if they use of unbelief they were broken off, and the means, God will not withhold His thou standest by faith. Be not high- blessing. — A. Clarke, minded, but fear'' (Rom. xi. 20). — De Oh, it is dangerous to do the work ^acy. of God negligently. Eli was a mar^i- strate, and should have put forth his Ver. 12. Execution of justice is authority and punished those uno-odly God's work, though His strange work children That you (who are (Isa. xxviii. 21), and when once He magistrates) be terrors to evil-doers is beginneth. He will go thorough-stitch expressed as one of your chief duties with it ; He will neither dally nor (Rom. xiii. 3) If you are not desist till it be done. — Tra'p'p. look to yourself, for God hath iron hands for justices that have leaden Ver. 13. Ihe judgment that was to heels, and will one day strike them fall on Ithamar is the likeness of the home for forswearing themselves to judgment which has followed the cor- spare others. He will be a terror to ruption and the nepotism of the clergy thee and make tliee a terror to thyself everywhere. It was to begin with the who will not at His command be a alienation of the people from the wor- terror to evil-doers. Thou sinnest in ship of the sanctuary ; it was to end others whilst thou sufferest them to in a violent revolution, which should sin, and thou shalt one day suffer with overthrow with bloodshed, confiscation, them (Rev. xviii. 4). . . . Cowards are and long humiliation the ancient here- more fit to be slaves than rulers A 63 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. BOOK I. magistrate should be like Moses: in his own cause as meek as a lamb, iu God's cause as stiff as an oak, as bold as a lion He that spareth the bad hurteth the good. The chirurgeon must cut off incurable members, and the physician of the State must purge out the peccant humours of the body poli- tic, lest they infect and injure the whole. — Swinnock. "For the iniquity which he Jcnoweth." Both by tliat prophet (chap, ii- 29), and by that domestical chaplain, his con- science. — Trapp. Ver. 13, 14. The guilt and conse- quences of parental unfaithfulness. I. The sin here mentioned. It is not said that Eli set his sons a bad example. It is evident, on the contrary, that his example was good. Nor is he accused of neglecting to admonish them ; for we are told that he reproved them in a very solemn and affectionate manner. . . , But though Eli admonished he did not restrain. He did not employ theauthority with which he was clothed, as a parent, to prevent tliem from indulging their depraved incHnations. . . . Every parent who is not as careful of the morals as he is of the health of his children; everyone who takes more care of the literary than of the moral and religious education of his children, is guilty of this sin. II. The punish- ments denounced. They are here de- nounced generally ; but are described at large in the preceding chapter. 1. That most of his posterity shall die early. The sin of which Eli was guilty naturally tends to produce the consequence here threatened. . . , If parents wish their sons to die before they reach half the common age of man, they cannot adopt measures better calculated to produce this effect than to cast loose the reins of parental authority. 2. That such of his child- ren as were spared should prove a grief and vexation, rather than a comfort to him This was not less terribly fulfilled in the family of David We are told respecting one of his children, that his father had not displeased him at any time, saying, 64 Wherefore hast thou done so ? We may then conclude that he was equally culpable iu his treatment of his other children. And what was the conse- quence ? This part of the threatened punishment, like the former, is the natural and almost inevitable consequence of the sin against which it is denounced. . . . Especially will such parents usually meet with uukindness and neglect from their children if they live to be dependent on them in their old age. 3. That his posterity should be jjoor and contemptible. Children who are not re- strained by their parents will almost inevitably contract habits of idle- ness, instability, and extravagance, which naturally lead to poverty and contempt. Here again we see the natural consequences of Eli's sin in its punishment. Lastly, God declares that none of the methods thus appointed to obtain the pardon of sin, should avail to procure pardon for the iniquity of his house. This awful threat con- veyed a plain intimation that they sliould die in their sins, and this too, was the natural consequence of his conduct. He had suffered them to follow without restraint those courses which rendered them unfit for heaven until their day of grace was nast. .... They were given up to a hard heart and a reprobate mind. They could not now be brought to repen- tance, and. of course, no sacrifice nor offering could purge away their sins. .... Thousands now in the region of despair, and thousands more on their way to join them will for ever curse their ])arents as the authors of their misery. The terrible punishments denounced against this sin show how exceedingly displeasing it is to God. 1. Because it proceeds from wicked and hateful principles . . . Sometimes it proceeds from the love and practice of vice . . . In religious parents, it almost invariably proceeds from indolence and selfish- ness . . . There is also much unbelief, much contempt of God, and much positive disobedience in this sin. 2. Because it entirely frustrates His design in establishing the family state. 3. On HOMILETIG COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. account of the good which it prevents, and the infinite evil which it produces .... No sin tends to produce more or greater evil and misery. 4. Because those who are guilty of it act a most unnatural part. God knew that it would not be safe to trust us with the education of immortal souls, unless we had powerful inducements to be faithful to the trust. He, therefore, implanted in the heart of parents a strong affection for their offspring, that they might be thus induced to educate them as they ought. But those who neglect to restrain their children do violence to this powerful operative principle, and may be said to be like the heathen, without natural affection. — Payson. Ver. 15. As the child Samuel was not elated by this vision and revelation vouchsafed to him in the temple, but went humbly to Eli, and when it was morning did the daily work prescribed to him, — so the child Jesus, after the honour paid to him in the temple, "went down to Nazareth, and was sub- ject" to Mary and Joseph (Luke ii. 51), — Wordsworth. As this is the first circumstance which throws light upon the character of one who was destined to become a great man in Israel, it behoves us to regard it well. Most lads of his age evince much eagerness in communi- cating anything surprising, without much regard to the pain it may be calculated to infli(;t. Samuel knew that he had been highly honoured by a special communication from God, The burden of a great doom had been imparted to him, and such secrets of high import it is hard for youth to bear undisclosed. But with Samuel there was one consideration that over- ruled every other. The secret con- cerned his venerable lord, who had been as a father to him, and could not fail to afflict his spirit, — Kitto. Ver, 18, Though we must groan and feel God's hand, yet we must not grumble and fret at His dealings. Patience is thy duty under the sharpest providence. He is too just to be questioned, too good to be suspected, and too great to be quarrelled with. Eli doth not fall in His face in a passion, but falls down at His feet in humble submission. — Swinnock. " Told him every whit." Bitter truths must be spoken, however they be taken, and if ministers be mannerly in the form, yet in the matter of their message let them be resolute. — Trapp. If Eli have been an ill father to his sons, yet he is a good son to God, and is ready to kiss the very rod he shall smart withal : " It is the Lord," whom I have ever found holy and just, and gracious, and He cannot but be Him- self; " let Him do what seemeth Him good," for whatsoever seemeth to be good to Him, cannot but be good, howsoever it seems to me. Every man can open his hand to God while He blesses ; but to expose ourselves will- ingly to the afflicting hand of our Maker, and to kneel to Him while He scourges us, is peculiar only to the faithful. — Bishop Hall. I. A judicious discovery from whence all evils come. " It is the Lord." He is omnipotent, and who hath withstood His power. He is just, and will bring no evil without good cause. He is wise, and whatsoever evil He bringeth He can draw it to a good end He remaineth the same God in the fire and in the earthquake which He was in the still voice ; the same when He slew the Israelites as when His light shone upon their tabernacle. His glo- rious attributes cross not one another. His justice taketh not from His mercy, nor His mercy from the equity of His justice ; but He is just when He bindeth up, and merciful when He woundeth us. , , , The same God that overthrew Pharaoh in the Eed Sea, that "slew great and mighty kings" (Psa. cxxxvi. 15, 17, 18) did deliver up His own people, did deliver up the ark to Dagon: for His justice. His wisdom, and His mercy " did endure for ever." II. A well-grounded resolu- tion. Let us learn with Eli to "kiss the Son, lest He be angry " (Psa. ii. 12), nay, to kiss Him, and bow before Him .when He is angry; to off'er Him up a 65 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. BOOK I. peace-offering, our wills, of more power than a hecatomb, than all our nume- rous fasts and sermons, to appease His wrath. . . . This is the truest surrendry we can make. ..." I do not only obey God, and do what He would have me, but I am of His mind," saith the heathen Seneca." . . . The stubbornest knee may be made to bow, and obedience may be constrained. But the true Israelite doeth it with joy and readiness, and though he receive a blow he counteth it as a favour, for He that gave it hath taught him an art to make it so. — Anthony Faringdon. Ver. 20. Not only of the whole Church in general, but of every Chris- tian hearer in particular, it is demanded that, with reference to the doctrine taught, he shall perceive whether it is right and true or not, and stand his ground. In the case of Samuel the word did not hold good — " the prophet has no honour in his own country." He comes before us here d.^a'pro'phetwho lias much honour in his own country — (1) Because he was a faithful prophet of God ; (2) because he was counted worthy by God of continual revelations through His word ; (3) and God con- firmed his proclamations by the publicly manifested fulfilment of them as a ful- filment of his word. — Cramer. When Samuel had entered into an immediate relation to God, a relation between him and the nation also began. He receives through them the dignity of a prophet, of a mediator between God and the nation. With him pro- phecy mounted a new step. While the prophets had previously entered power- fully into the history only in solitary decisive instances, /«"s prophetic activity was a continuous one. — Hengstenberg. Ver. 21. God breaks through the silence of many years, and reveals Himself to Samuel. Wherefore was this ? Samuel had a childlike faith ; therefore he was very dear to God. The words are remarkable, "the child was a child " (see notes on chap. i. 24), and "he grew before the Lord." He was a child in innocence, humility, 66 simplicity, holiness. He was holy amid scenes of unholiness. In spite of the pernicious example of Eli's sons, the priests of God, the child stood firm ; he was true to God in the most trying circumstances, therefore God revealed Himself to him. The child Samuel was preferred to the aged Eli, the high priest and judge ; and thus, as Theodoret remarks, God showed that holy childhood is better than hoar hairs. He was "wiser than the aged," and had "more understanding than his teachers," because he " kept God's commandments" (Psa. cxix. 99, 100). — WordsiDorth. • TheLord revealedYixm^QM to Samuel. It is with, perhaps, one exception the earliest instance of the use of the word which has since become the name for all Divine communication. "The Lord uncovered the ear" such is the literal expression ; a touching and significant figure taken from the manner in which the possessor of a secret moves back the long hair of his friend, and whispers into the ear thus laid bare the word that no one else may hear. It is a figure which precisely expresses the most universal and philosophical idea conveyed by the term "Revelation," thence appropriated in the theological language of both East and West. " The Father of Truth," says Professor Muller — indicating his own use of this phrase to describe the mission of the Semitic races — " chooses His own pro- phets, and He speaks to them in a voice stronger than the voice of thun- der. It is the same inner voice through which God speaks to all of us. That voice may dwindle away and become hardly audible ; it may lose its Divine accent, and sink into the language of worldly prudence ; but it may also from time to time assume its real nature with the children of God, and sound into their ears as a voice from heaven. A "Divine instinct" would neither be an appropriate name for what is a gift or grace accorded but to few, nor would it be a more intelligible word than " special " revelation. — Stanley. CHAP. IV. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. CHAPTER IV. Critical and Expository Notes.— Ver. 1. "And the word of Samuel," etc. Commentators are divided in their opinions whether this clause is connected with the rest of the chapter, and whether it signifies that Israel went out to battle by the command of Samuel. Many think they entered into the conflict without Divine direction ; but Keil says, " The two clauses, ' The word of Samuel came to all Israel' and ''Israel ivent out,' etc., are to be logically connected together in the following sense : ' At the word or instigation of Samuel, Israel went out against the Philistines to battle." There is no doubt that the Philistines were ruling over Israel at this time. " Ebenezer." This name was not given to the place until a later period (see chap. vii. 12). "Aphek." As this word means strength, or firmness, it is applicable to any fort or fastness ; and there were several places so named in Palestine. According to chap. vii. 12 this Apheh must have been near Mizpeh, probably the Mizpeh of Benjamin mentioned in Josh, xviii. 26, and identified by Robinson as the present Neby Samwil, five miles north-west of Jerusalem. Ver. 2. " Joined battle." " This word describes the sudden mutual assault of the opposing lines." (Lange's Commentary.) Ver. 3. " Let us fetch the ark," etc. " In recommending this extraordinary step, the elders might recollect the confidence it imparted to their ancestors (Numb. x. 35 ; xiv. 44), as well as what had been done at Jericho. But it is more probable that they were influenced by the heathenish ideas of their idolatrous neighbours, who, in order to animate their soldiers and ensure victory, carried the statuettes of their gods in shrines, or their sacred symbols to their wars, believing that the power of those divinities was inseparably associated with, or residing in, their images." (Dr, Jamieson.J Ver. 4. " The people." " It was the army that here acted, rather than the people in a political capacity, but the word 'people' perhaps points to the absence of a regular army." ( Tr. of Lange's Commentary.) Ver. 7- " God is come into the camp." " The ark is called by the sacred writer 'The ark of the Lord (Jehovah) ', but the Philistines, being heathens, say that ' Elohim is come into the camp ; ' and they sj)eak of God in the plural number — 'These mighty gods.'" (Wordsworth.) " Just as all the heathen feared the might of the gods of other nations in a certain degree, so the PhDistines also were alarmed at the might of the God of the Israelites." (Keil.) " There hath not been such a thing heretofore." " The ark was always carried by the priests in the van (Numb. x. 33 ; Josh. iii. 14), and, with one solitary exception, when the attack upon the Amalekites and the Cauaanites was made in spite of an express prohibition of Moses, it was invariably carried with them in their early wars. But when they had become settled in Canaan, and the ark was established in Shiloh, the practice of carrying it into the field was discontinued, till now that ignorance and superstitious fear revived it." ( JJr. Jamieson.) Ver. 10. "There fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen." "The slaughter in ancient warfare seems, from the record of profane as well as sacred history, to have been often immensely greater than in modern times, since the introduction of gunpowder and artillery. And in the nature of the case it must have been when the soldiers of opposing armies met in close combat — man engaged in mortal strife with man ; and when the weapon.s, too, were tipped with poison, the result could not be otherwise than a fearful carnage. The great numbers, then, of the Israelites who are recorded in this passage (as well as in similar ones) to have fallen in battle, and which have called forth the sneers of the infidels as gross e.xaggerations, are, from the character of the context, perfectly credible, and the statements of the sacred historian are not only in the present instance corroborated by the testimony of Josephus, but harmonise with the recital of Herodotus, and other historians, as to the vast mortality that frequently marked the battles of antiquity." (Dr. Jamieson.) Ver. 13. "Eli sat upon a seat by the wayside." "This sitting on the side of the way by which the first message must come answers precisely to the intense expectation in which Eli, though blind, had taken this position, so as, if not with the eyes, yet with the sense of hearing, to learn straightway the arrival of the first messenger. He sits, as in chap. i. 9, at the inner, so here at the outer, gate of the sanctuary, on his seat, and, as appears from verse 18, on the side of the gate, which was also, therefore, the side of the adjacent way." (Erdmann.) Ver. 14. "When Eli heard the noise of the crying." "His blindness explains the fact that he failed to observe the messenger who ran hurriedly by without noticing him." {Erdmann.) Ver. 15. "His eyes were dim," literally, "Ms eyes stood." "This is a description of the so-called black cataract [amaurosis), which generally occurs at a very great age from paralysis of the optic nerve." (Keil.) 67 ' HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. book i. Ver. 21. "Ichabod," i.e., Not-glory. The narrator has in mind her words upon which she based that ejaculation, but does not state them as hers till afterward ; here he states beforehand the fact contained in them as a historical explanation. We must note, however, the difference between /tis explanation and A e?- reason for that exclamation in verse 22. While Ae mentions the reference to the two dead, she bases the name on the one thing only, the capture of the ark." (Erdmann.) MAIN EOMILETICS OF VERSES 1 and 2. The First Defeat at Ebenezer. On the connection of the first clause of this verse with the following para- graph see Critical and Expository Notes on the chapter. Adopting the view of Kiel and others, we remark — I. That there may be an obedience which will bring punishment. Upon the people and upon the priests of Israel at this time there rested the curse of unpardoned sin. Eli's sons had neither confessed their guilt nor amended their lives, and the religion of the entire nation was very much like that depicted by Isaiah at a later period, when, delivering the word of the Lord, he tells both rulers and people that their " incense is an abomination," and their feasts a " trouble and a tveariness " unto the Most High because they had forsaken Him in their hearts. (See Isa. i. 1-15.) Therefore punishment came to them while in the act of obeying the word of the Lord by Samuel. As there had been no obedience unto life, there was now an obedience unto death. This act of obedience was doubtless in conformity to the national desire, and the desire to free themselves from the yoke of the Philistines was both natural and right in itself, but it was unaccompanied by a willingness to submit to the righteous law of Jehovah and to obey His word, and therefore it brought judgment instead of blessing. There are many parallel cases in individual history. Many men make plans and try to gratify desires which may in themselves be lawful, but they cannot have the Divine blessing because they set aside the indispensable Divine condition of having in the first place a right relation to God by pardon of sin and righteousness of life ; and therefore their efforts to free themselves from difficulties or to gain a more desirable condition often end in placing them in a worse position than they were in at first. But in the case before us it was not the mere effort to gratify a lawful desire that brought the judgment, but an undertaking engaged in in obedience to a Divine com- mand. As in the case of Balaam, obedience was made a means of punishment. That false prophet at last set out on his journey in obedience to the word of the Lord, but " God's anger was kindled because he went " (Num. xxii. 22), and punishment came to him even in his obedience. Israel at this time desired a national victory without national repentance — they desired free- dom from the yoke of the Philistines without submission to the yoke of Jehovah, and thought that this would be true freedom. Their numbers were great, and they imagined that numbers would avail them in conflict with their ancient enemy, even although they lacked cleanness of hands and purity of heart before God. They ignored the conditions of success laid down for them by the mouth of Moses — " Jf thou shalt hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe and to do all His commandments lohich I command thee this day, that the Lord thy God ivill set thee on high above all nations of the earth. . . . aiid the Lord shall ca^ise thine enemies that rise up against thee to be smitten before thy face ; they shall come out against thee one way and shall flee seven ways." But they again found from bitter experience that the Divine threaten- ing was no idle word. " But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to ohserce to do all his commandments and 68 CHAP. IV. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. His statutes which 1 command thee this day the Lord shall cause thee to he smitten before thine eneviies ; thou shalt go out one ivay against them and flee seven ways before them" (Deut. xxviii. 1, 7, 15, 25). II. Where the moral condition for victory is wanting, it is better to have defeat. The word which came to Israel and led them out to defeat was a blessing, because defeat was just what they needed at the time. The defeat in circumstance that leads to an improvement in character is a victory in reality. If national or individual loss in material things leads to moral gain, it is better than the most splendid worldly success. How terrible seemed the defeat of all the purposes and plans of the mighty monarch of Babylon when he was " driven from men, and did eat grass as oxen ;" but it was a great moral victory, for it brought him to a higher moral standing, and taught him to "praise and honour Him that liveth for ever and ever" (Dan. iv. 34). Many a man in humbler walks of life has learned to know himself and his God in the day Avhich has seemed to bring him nothing but defeat and ruin. The defeat of Israel at this time was the first of a series of steps by which, under the rule of Samuel, they rose to a more healthy state of national life ; and, therefore, what was in the first instance a judgment was in the end a blessing. A victory over the Philistines, when they were in a state of opposition to God, would have been a far greater national calamity in the end than the two crushing defeats recorded in this chapter. Freedom from chastisement, either in the nation or in the individual, is the most terrible curse which God can inflct. Far better is it to suffer the severest punishment for sin. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Verse 1. Not only were the people of Israel from the oppression and to learn that the Lord had departed dominion of its foes was absolutely from them, but Samuel also was to impossible without its inward couver- make the discovery that the deliverance sion to God. — Keil. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 3—11, The Captuee of the Ark. I. Here is failure in a lawful enterprise. If a man finds himself so oppressed by a stronger power that his moral nature suffers in consequence, it is both lawful and right to endeavour to free himself from the yoke of the oppressor. Especially if he finds himself the slave of habits which tend to his moral degeneration, he is bound, out of regard for his own real interests, to use every means within his reach to obtain his freedom. The enterprise against soul- oppression, whether individual or national, is ahvays lawful. If a nation is under such a yoke of bondage, and can find no way to liberty except through strife — if it finds that by reason of its oppression it is sinking in the moral scale, and sees no possibility of bettering its condition, except by the sword — such a nation is justified in resorting to the use of such means. Israel was so oppressed by the Philistines. Tiie yoke of the heathen was not only injurious to them materially but spiritually. It was not only a national humiliation but it tended to national degradation of soul. Therefore they were fully justified in using every lawful effort to be free, and they were not defeated because they were engaged in an undertaking which was in itself displeasing to God. II. Here is failure in a lawful enterprise because undertaken in a wrong spirit. As we have seen in considering the first defeat recorded in this chapter, Israel go' HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. book r. undertook to throw off the yoke of the Philistines without submission to the yoke of God, and this was altogether contrary to the Divine revealed will con- cerning them. They must first submit to Jehovah, and then their enemies would siibmit to them, " 0, Israel, if thou ivilt heurlien unto me, there shall oio strange god he in thee ; neither shalt thou worship any strange god Oh that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had xvalked in my ways ! I should soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. The hatersofthe Lord shoidd have submitted themselves unto Him; but their time shouldhave endured for ever(^'&. Ixxxi. 8-15). But they were not willing to lend an obedient ear to the Word of the Lord, and therefore the Lord's hand was turned against them in their day of need. This subject is full of teaching for the individual man. The soul of every man is by nature more or less enslaved by appetites and passions which will degrade him if he does not war against them. But there is but one way to do this successfully. There must be submission to the yoke of God before we can cast off the yoke of sin and Satan, Man's will in its present condition is not strong enough to overcome the evil within his own heart. ''To will" may "he present ivith him, but how to perform that which he wills he finds not" (Rom. vii. 18). There must be submission to a higher ^vill before the Philistines of the heart can be brought into subjection. We are " made free from sin" by becoming "servants to God" (Rom. vi. 22) — by falling in with His method of salvation by the death of His Son, and thus receiving from Him the Divine help by which alone we can conquer sin within us. The man who sets out to free himself from the bondage of any sinful habit in any other way will find himself in the condition of Israel at this time — he will be baffled and beaten on every side, and will have to give up the contest in despair. The evil spirit may go out for a time, but when he returns he will find the house unoccupied by any stronger power, and " then goeth he, and taketh ivith himself seven other spirits more ivicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there; and the last state of that man is worse than the first" (Matt, xii. 43-45), III, Failure in any lawful enterprise demands inquiry into the cause of the failure. Even Israel said, " Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to-day ?" (ver. 3). He who has failed to overcome any sinful habit within himself, or has been defeated in his efforts to lessen the power of evil in the world, should ask himself why it is so. If he knows that the end for which he strives is for the glory of God, he will do well to suspect that the cause of the failure rests with himself, and a searching and sincere inquiry into the state of his own heart may lead to some wholesome discoveries, and prevent defeat in future efforts. Israel here admits that the hand of God was behind the hand of the Philistines, and that it was Jehovah who had smitten them by the sword of their enemies ; but their inquiry lacked earnestness and sincerity. They admit that their failure demands investigation, but they stop short without arriving at the real cause of their defeat. They were unwilling to push the question to its final issue ; but such a question asked with a desire to find the real answer cannot fail to bring instruction to the man who asks it, IV. Unwillingness to admit the real cause of failure will probably lead to the use of means which will end in greater disaster. The inhabitants of a house which is built upon a sandy foundation may blame the thunder when the walls rock and crack beneath the storm, and they may seek to render themselves secure by making the walls thicker and the roof more firm. But all such efforts are only making more certain the ultimate fall of the building — all that is added to a structure upon such a foundation is only hastening its downfall and the destruction of its inhabitants. They have entirely missed the real root of 70 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. the mischief. The thunder may be the occasion of the damage, but it is not the cause. That is to be found in the nature of the soil upon which the house is built, and their failure to find it leads them to use means which end in greater disaster. So it was with Israel in their first defeat. They did not search deep enough to find the real cause of their discomfiture. The Philistines under God were the occasion, but their own sin was the cause of their misfortune, and failing to find it they rushed to the use of means which resulted in a more shameful defeat and a more terrible humiliation. To send for the ark of God into the field was useless, because that state of heart was wanting which made the symbol of God's presence anything more than a chest of wood — it was but to cast greater dishonour upon the God whose favour alone made the ark a sacred tiling, and thus to add another sin to the many which already stained their national history. And God demonstrates the uselessness and unlawfulness of their effort by permitting this most sacred symbol to fall into the hands of the uncircumcised Philistines. V. Relationship to the victories of the past without the character of the victors may lead to wrong inferences and fatal results. There are many men of the present day who have a special relationship to the great events of the past, because they are descendants of those who were the actors in those events. But if they infer from their mere relationship that they are as fit to accomplish great things as their forefathers were, they fall into an error which may be fatal to themselves and others. They must first make sure that they possess the mental and moral qualities by which their ancestors became so renowned. It is not enough to be bone of their bone and flesh of their flesh unless they partake of their spirit. The children of the great and good must be great and good themselves if they would do the great deeds of their fathers. If they venture upon great enterprises, looking for success to their descent from some hero of the past, they will find that it will avail them nothing to bear his name if they lack his courage, his self-denial, his fortitude and his faith. _ Priests bearing the ark of God had in the past history of Israel made a way by which they had advanced to glorious victory. There had been a memorable day in their history when " as they that hare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priests that hare the ark were dipjyed in the hrim of the water, that the waters were cut off and the people passed over right against Jericho " (Josh. iii. 16). And perhaps both priests and people hoped for some such interposition of God on the present occasion. But then the ark was borne by men who had faith in God — the feet of those by whose touch under God Jordan was driven back, were cleaner feet that those of Hophni and Phinehas. The priests who stood firm in the midst of Jordan — the first to descend into its bed and the last to leave it — had confidence in the living God, and their courage and faith spread itself throughout all the ranks of Israel, and inspired them with a like faith and courage. But although the same ark of God was in the midst of Israel to-day it was borne upon the shoulders of men who had only a bodily kinship to their ancestors, and who, instead of inciting the people to confide in the God of their fathers, had brought His name and His worship into contempt. It was an act of the highest presumption on their part to bring the ark of God into the field, knowing, as they did, that though they belonged to a priestly family, they had none of the qualifications for the priestly office. If they relied upon their relationship to the victors of the past they were soon to become examples to all succeeding ages of the futility of such a reliance. VI. When superstition is the foundation of joy, the joy will soon be turned into sorrow. It is superstition to attach any value to the symbol when that 71 nOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. book i. whicli makes the symbol worth anything has departed. The human body is a goodly and precious object, while it is tenanted by a living soul ; but without the soul it is only dead matter. So is it with a symbol, and that which it signifies. When that which it symbolises is gone it is as a body without life. The ark was intended to be a sign to the Israelites of the presence in their midst of the invisible God. The mercy seat, upon which the blood of atonement had been sprinkled, and over which the glory of God had been visibly manifested, had been a token of the favour of Him to whom Israel had bound themselves to render obedience. But the covenant had been broken by their faithlessness, and the presence in their midst of the symbol of what had for a time ceased to exist, was of as little worth as the presence of a corpse in the place of a living man. To attach any value to it was an act of ignorant superstition, and the hope founded upon such a basis must end in disappointment. " When the ark of the covenant came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout " (ver. 5), but their triumph was of short duration because it was founded upon a superstition. Joy springing from such a source only increases the bitterness of the disappointment when the true state of things is revealed, and men should look well to the foundation of their hope and joy and see tliat it is founded upon the truth of God, or the false hope will be but as the lightning flash which is gone in the twinkling of an eye, and makes the darkness all around seem deeper than it Avas before. The shout that now rang through the Hebrew camp was a terrible contrast to the cry of despair that ran through the host when the ark of God was taken. VII. Men will fight as valiantly for a bad cause as for a good one. The Philistines fought as valiantly as the Israelites (ver. 10). History furnishes us with abundant testimony to the fact that courage is born of error as well as of truth. He who believes a lie may contend for it as valiantly as he who fights for the very truth of God. The Israelites, fallen as they were, had more of right and truth on their side than their enemies had, yet the Philistines were at least as bold and brave as they were. Though the heathen believed that they were opposed by the mighty gods that smote the Egyptians, they resolved to quit themselves like men, and fight even unto death rather than become servants to the Hebrews. And the issue of the battle shows that their resolu- tion did not falter. The courage of the battle-field is to a large degree of an animal nature, hence the savage will stand and die at his post with as much fortitude as the citizen soldier, and he who fights without knowing what he fights for, or for the worst of causes, will be as brave as he who fights from the purest and most patriotic motives. No men ever fought in a more unjust cause than the Spaniards who sought to crush the liberties of the Netherlanders, and yet their bravery was on many occasions equal to that of their opponents, who were engaged in the holiest of all struggles — the struggle for religious freedom. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 3. The voice of many of us bring me the sacrament that shall save now is like to the voice of the Jews in me ; thou runnest to thy baptism, to the time of their distress. " Bring iis thy sabbath, to privileges, and thence the ark," say they, "that it may save concludest that thou canst not be con- us," when, alas, they were destroyed demned ; when, alas, thou mayest go by the Philistines for all their ark. So to hell fire for all thy font-water, and thou, reader, when conscience frighteth to eternal torments, though thou hast thee, or death comes nigh thee, pro- often been at the Lord's table (Matt, bably speakest in thine heart. Come, vii, 22). Baptismal water is not the bring me the ark that may save me, laver of regeneration. Many sit at 72 HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL the Lord's table which do not taste of His supper Spiritual privileges always commend God to us, but not us to God. — Sivinnock. " Trust ye not in lying words," says the prophet (Jer. vii. 4), " saying, The temple of the Lord ; " but if ye thoroughly amend your ways, "then will I cause you to dwell in this place for ever and ever " (ver. 7). It is observable that God there refers to this history, and says, "Go ye now to Shiloh, and see what I did to it for the wickedness of my people. Probably David remembered it, when he refused to allow the ark to be carried with him in his retreat before Absalom out of Jerusalem (2 Sam. xv. 25) . — Wordsivorth. As Israel became acted on by the system which prevailed under Eli, superstition succeeded to the fear of God. Now superstition is the refuge of the conscience when it has lost the sense of God's personal presence. You may measure by its prevalence the absence of God I from men's hearts. It will be natural that in an age of mere outward respect for religion, superstition should be advancing and regaining its hold. — Alford. It will often happen that those who are least affected by the overwhelming sense of God's abiding presence with His Church, the authority of her ministry and the power of her ordi- nances, will be found, and that too because of their little inward affection, most forward on all occasions to talk about, and in argument to contend for, the high privileges with which Christ has endowed her. Such men, like the Israelites when defeated by the Philis- tines, in the hope of victory scruple not at every conflict with their enemies to lay bare, as it were, the veiled glories of the tabernacle, and at their own will to bring forth the ark of the cove- nant, as if that alone were wanting to strike dismay into the opposing ranks and ensure success But to make war in the name of the Lord against others only, and not against our own sins and iniquities, is to pollute the name of God and cause His offering to be abhorred, — Bishop Fulford. Ver. 4. Jehovah as covenant-God is more properly designated in a two- fold manner, corresponding to the situation, in which the Israelites desire His Almighty help, which they think to be externally connected with the ark. As Jehovah Bahhaoth (Lord of Hosts), He is the Almighty ruler and commander of the heavenly powers. As Jehovah who " dwells above the cherubim," He is the living God, the God of the completest fulness of power and life, who reveals Himself on earth in His glory, exaltedness, and dominion over all the fulness of the life wliich has been called into being by Him as Creator. This designation of God is never found except in relation to the ark, which is conceived of as the throne of the covenant-God, who dwells as King in the midst of His people. The cherubim are not representatives of the heavenly powers, since they are, as to form, made up of elements of the living, animate, earthly creation which cul- minates in man. Representing this, they set forth, in their position on the ark, the ruling might and majesty of the Living God, as it is revealed over the manifoldness of the highe.st and completest life of the animate creation. In these two designations of God, then, reference is had to the glory and do- minion of God, which embraces and high exceeds all creaturely life in heaven and on earth, and whose saving inter- position the Israelites made dependent on the presence of the ark. In sharpest contrast to this indication of God's loftiness and majesty, stands the men- tion of the two priests, Hophni and Phinehas, whose woithlessuess has been before set forth, and who represent the whole of the moral corruption and sham religious life of the people. — Lange's Commentary. Ver. 5. When the ark was brought into the host, though with mean and wicked attendance, Israel doth, as it were, fill the heaven and shake the earth with shouts, as if the ark and 73 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. victory were no less inseparable than they and their sins. Even the lewdest men will be looking for favour from that God whom they cared not to dis- please, contrary to the conscience of their deserviugs ; presumption doth the same in wicked men which faith doth in the holiest. Those that re- garded not the God of the ark think themselves safe and happy in the ark of God. Vain men are transported with a confidence in the outside of religion, not regarding the substance and soul of it, which only can give them true peace. — Bp. Hall. Ver. 9. Observe the Philistines crying, " God is come into the camp ; woe unto us ! " etc. Yet they settle, hearten, harden themselves to fight against Him Refractory and perverse affections make^a man frantic. There may be a sober knowledge, that the patient may say, " I see better things," and a faith (but such as is incident to devils) " I allow of them," but where the whole man is tyrannised over by the regent-house of irrefragable affects, he concludes his course with, "I follow the worse," — T. Adams. Ver. 10. It is just the same now, when we take merely a historical Christ outside us for our Redeemer. He must prove His help chiefly inter- nally by His Holy Spirit, to redeem us out of the hands of the Philistines ; t bough externally He must not be thrown into the shade, as accomplish- ing our justification. If we had not Christ, we could never stand. But if we have Him in no other way than merely without us, and under us, if we only preach about Him, teach, hear, read, talk, discuss, and dispute about Him, take His name into our mouth, but will not let Him work and show His power in us. He will no more help us than the ark helped the Israelites. — Berlenherger Bible. It is one of the weightiest laws in the kingdom of God, that when His people, who profess His name, do not show covenant fidelity in faith and obedience, but, under cover of merely 74 external piety, serve Him in appear- ance only, being in heart and life far from Him, He gives them up for pun- ishment to the world, before which they have not magnified the honour of His name, but have covered it with reproach. — Langes Commentary. Ver. 11. ''The arh of God was taken." Why did God permit this ? I. In order to show that His presence had forsaken Israel, because they had forsaken Him. II. In order to show that visible ordinances of religion only profit those who have the spirit of religion within them. III. In order to show that though men are bound to use the means of grace which God has instituted for the conveyance of His blessings to them, yet God's presence and working are not tied to those means. He can act without them. — Wordsivorth. Instead of bewailing a nation's sins, and preaching public repentance and interceding for mercy from a forgiving God, Hophni and Phinehas had joined in the superstitious desire to take the ark into the field of battle, and they met with a bloody and iguominous death as the price of their perilous temerity and open profanity. It is ever dangerous for ministers of religion to mix in the strife of war. Not that it is foreign to their duty to become pastors of soldiers — that is a duty in- cumbent upon them But it ill becomes the minister of peace to mix in the clang of arms. It was an evil day for Hophni and Phinehas when they took the ark of the covenant from Shiloh, and sought to work on the fanaticism of the people by unveiling the Holiest of all. They provoked the judgment which shed their blood. It was an evil day for Zwingle when he left his chaplain's post to wear a helmet, a sword, and a battle-axe : covered with wounds, insulted, killed, he lay under a tree at Cappel ; not yet forty-eight years of age, his body cut and burned, and his ashes driven to the winds. " He had wielded an arm that God had forbidden," says D'Aubign^ : "the helmet had covered IIOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. his head, and he had grasped the halberd. His more devoted friends were themselves astonished, and ex- claimed, ' We knew not what to say — a bishop in arms.' The bolt had fur- rowed the cloud, the blow had reached the reformer, and his body was no more than a handful of dust in the palm of a soldier." — Steele. The ark of God zvas taken. These words record the most disastrous event that had till then befallen the children of Israel. . . . Even in the worst times, when the revolt might seem universal, there were always some, however few, who constituted the Church, the true Israel, who never bowed the knee to a false god ; and to all such, Shiloh, with the tabernacle, the altar of burnt offering, and the ark of the covenant, would be a precious spot, towards which their thoughts would turn in every season of distress and disaster So long as there was no visible intima- tion that God had deserted Shiloh, true believers in Israel would still cherish the hope that, however severe might be the judgments with which God visited them, He had not finally given them up. . . . But now what could every thoughtful man in Israel conclude, but that all the wonderful deliverances in connection with the ark of which their fathers had told them, were at an end ? . . . The state of the people of God at the time here referred to, as well as the immediate cause of their being brought into that state, reminds us of another period in which the Church must have been in great darkness and perplexity. I refer to the time when our Lord was de- livered into the hands of ungodly men, when He was crucified, and remained for a time under the power of death. I do not say that the one is designedly typical of the other. But we know that the ark was in various respects a remarkable type of Christ, and the passage before us naturally suggests, at least, his humiliation and death. — B. Gordon. Rather than God will humour super- stition in Israelites, he will suffer His own ark to fall into the hands of Philistines : rather will He seem to slacken His hand of protection, than He will be thought to have His hands bound by a formal mis-confidence. The slaughter of the Israelites was no plague to this ; it was a greater plague rather to them that should survive and behold it. The two sons of Eli, who had helped to corrupt their brethren, die by the hand of the uncircumcised, and are now too late separated from the ark of God by Philistines, who should have been before separated by their father ; they had formerly lived to bring God's altar into contempt, and now live to carry His ark into captivity. — Bishop Ball. MAIN EOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 12—22. The Death of Eli. I. All God's promises become histories. In the natural world there is promise of what shall be, and in due time there is the history of its having been. The green blade of spring is a promise of the harvest that is by and by a fact in the history of the world. The cloud no bigger than a man's hand upon the horizon is the promise of the storm that may be presently set down in the catalogue of destructive visitations that have devastated the earth. In the days of Noah a promise of judgment hung over the people of his day for one hundred and twenty years. So long was it before the cloud burst that the terror which was perhaps aroused at the first announcement of its appearance passed away long- before the storm burst. But it came, and the flood is now a fact in the history of the world. God had foretold the judgment which is described in this chapter some years before. If the message which had been sent to the house of Eli had ever caused the hearts of Hophni and Phinehas to quake, the delay in the 75 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. execution of the sentence had probably only hardened them in their sin, and perhaps even Eli himself might have loegun to hope that it would not be so terrible as it had seemed to him at first. But on this memorable day God gave a demonstration to all coming ages that all His promises, whether of judgment or mercy, will one day become facts in the history of the universe. A promise was made to Isaiah concerning the deliverance of his nation from Babylon long before it went into captivity, but both captivity and deliverance, with all the circum- stances foretold concerning the latter in Isaiah xlv., have long ago become well- known historic facts. The great fact in which all history centres — the incarnation of the Son of God — was for ages only a promise. The dim outline given to our first parents in Eden was like the tiny germ bursting from the seed which grew into the blade and ear as the ages rolled, until the promise became the great historic event of the world. And there are promises now waiting to become histories, and they will as surely have their fulfilment as those that have gone before. What has been is a pledge of what will be. Men say, concerning Christ's second advent, "Where is the promise of His coming?" But that promise of the Lord will one day as surely be a fact of past history as those that have gone before. II. The effects produced by the fulfilment of this promise of judgment. There was not a family in the land who was not smitten with a sense of national calamity. A stab at the heart sends a pain through all the frame, the extremities of the body feel a blow aimed at the seat of life. In countries where the army is drawn from the fields and workshops of the people, the strength of the nation is often found gathered upon the battle-field, and a defeat there is a blow at its very heart and sends a thrill of anguish into every home. Such was the nature of the blow which Israel had now sustained, and the entire body of the nation felt the shock. Wherever there was a child of Abraham the news of the defeat pierced him through like a stab of cold steel. But the calamity was more intensely felt by some households than by others. In any time of national calamity the leaders of the nation have to bear a larger portion of the sorrow than the masses. They lose more in every way. They have more to lose — more in substance — more in honour ; as their position has been higher, their fall is greater, and as more responsibility has rested upon them, so their disgrace is heavier. Although all the families of Israel sufiered on this day none suffered so much as the house of Eli. Even if it had not been the execution of a special judgment upon them, their position would have made them the greatest sufferers, but the consciousness that the calamity was mainly due to the sins of their house intensified a thousand-fold the severity of the blow. The effect that the news had iipon the aged high-priest shows how severely he felt it. In felling an aged oak many a stroke of the hatchet may be dealt before there is any sign of its fall, but at length the woodman gathers all his strength for a final stroke, which, following upon all that have gone before, lays it even with the ground. So it is with men and the strokes of adverse providence — they stand upright after having received many a heavy blow, but one may come at last which, finding their courage and patience weakened by the trials of the past, crushes them altogether. Job bore up manfully against repeated and heavy blows, but at last a stroke fell which laid even this brave and patient man prostrate like a fallen tree. Eli had seen many a sad day in the course of a life which covered nearly a century, but he had never seen a day like this. Even now he bore calmly the news of Israel's defeat, and even that of the death of his sons, but the tidings that the ark of God was taken Avas too much to bear and live — this stroke killed him. III. Calamity often reveals excellencies which are hidden in prosperity. There are many men in the Church of God living in ease and comfort who do 76 HOMILETIG COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. not seem to possess any extraordinary heroism. But very often such men, under circumstances of special trial, reveal a nobility of character that men never knew before that they possessed. Like spices, they must be crushed before they yield their fragrance. What is recorded of the life of Eli does not leave the impression that he was a very exalted character ; but the fact that it was the loss of the ark of God that killed him, and not the news of his own personal bereavement, shows that there was much latent patriotism in him, notwithstanding his grave shortcomings. We should never have known how much he really prized the hallowed tokens of God's covenant-relation to Israel if this calamity had not befallen him. The thought that God had departed from his people broke his heart before he fell and broke his neck. It is the same with his daughter-in-law. We should never have known of this woman's piety if this blow had not fallen upon her. It was not the death of her father, or of her husband, that made her refuse to be comforted and to go down to the o-rave with Ichahod upon her lips, but " she said, The glory is departed from Israel; for the ark of God is taken." OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 13. There be four reasons why the people of God are so much troubled when the ark of God is in danger, I. Because of the great love they bear to it. As " God loved the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob" (Psalm Ixxxvii. 2), so the people of God love the ordinances of God, and the faithful ministers of Christ. "Lord, I have loved the habitation of Thy house, and the place where Thine honour dwelleth " (Psalm xxvi. 8). Now love stirreth up the affections, as young Cresus, though he were dumb, yet seeing his father like to be killed, cried out "Do not kill my father !" Such is the love of the saints of God to the ark ; they cannot but tremble when they see the ark in danger, and for Sion's sake they cannot hold their peace, and they cannot be silent until the Lord make the righteousness thereof go out like brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burnetii. II. Because of the interest they have in the ark of God. Literest stirreth up affection as whon another man's house is on fire ; as you had a lamentable and sad providence this last week, and it is not to be forgotten how suddenly in all our feastings may God dash all our mirth. Now consider, how were they affected that had an interest in those that were burned ; so the people of God have an interest in the ark. God is the haven of a child of God, his portion and inheritance, and when God begins to forsake them they can- not but be troubled. The ordinances of Gocl are the jewels of a Christian and the treasure of a Christian, and the loss of them cannot but trouble them. III. Because of the mischiefs that come upon a nation when the ark is lost. Woe be to that nation when the ark is gone. For when the ark of God is taken the?i the tva-i/s o/ Zion mourn, and none come to her solemn assemblies. That is matter of sadness. Then the oninisters of Christ are driven i?ito corners. This is matter of heart- trembling. Then the souls of men are in danger. There is cause of sadness. Then do the enemies of God blasphem.e and then is Jesus Christ trampled under- foot. IV. Because of their aceessari- ness to the losing of the ark. And this was that which made Eli so much troubled, because he knew that for his sin God suffered the ark to be taken. And there is none of us so holy but our consciences must accuse us. 'We have done something that might rause God to take the ark from us. — E. Calamv 1662. •^' Ver. 22. With the surrender of the earthly throne of His glory the Lord appeared to have abolished His 77 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. covenant of grace with Israel ; for the ark, with the tables of the law and the capporeth, was the visible pledge of the covenant of grace which Jehovah had made with Israel. — Keil. The glory is departed from Israel — so it seemed in the eyes of men. But with God there is " no variableness or shadow of turning" (Jas. i. 17) ; and in that dark night of sorrow to the Hebrew Church and nation His glory shone forth most brightly. There is no Ichabod to God. His sovereign power and Divine independence were seen to work more gloriously and gra- ciously even when the visible Church appeared to be overthrown He inaugurated a new era in Samuel, and prepared the way for the Gospel. He showed that the Aaronical priest- hood was only parenthetical and pro- visional ; that the Levitical ordinances were not necessary to God's gracious dealings with His people ; that they were shadows which would one day pass away ; that they were like a scaffold for building up a house — the Church of Christ God thus gave a prophetic foreshadowing of what was more fully displayed to the world when the material temple of Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, and the universal Church of Christ was raised up in its stead. — Worclsivo7'th. The union of the heart with God in the deepest foundation of its being reveals itself in times of great misfor- tune and suffering in this, that the sorrow and mourning is not restricted to the loss of earthly human posses- sions, but directs itself chiefly to the loss and lack of God's gracious pre- sence, and thus shows that for the inner life the glory of God and blessed- ness in communion with Him is become the highest good. So here, in this refraining from grief over the loss of what to the flesh was the nearest and dearest, and in the outspoken sorrow only over the violence done to God's honour and the contempt cast on His name, is verified the Lord's word, " He who forsaketh not father or mother, or brother, etc., is not worthy of me." Lange's Commentary. What cares she for a posterity which should want the ark ? What cares she for a son come into the world of Israel, when God was gone from it? And how willingly doth she depart from them, from whom God was departed ! Bishop Hall. CHAPTER V. Critical and Expositobt Notes. — Ver. 1. " Ashdod." One of the five Philistine satrapies, about thirty-two miles north of Gaza, and about a mile from the sea. It is now the little village of Esdfid. Ver. 2. " Dagon." One of the chief Philistine deities. " With regard to the image of Dagon, compounded of a man and fish, i.e., of a human body with head and hands, and a fish's tail, see Stark's Gaza and Layard's Nineveh, where there is a bas-relief from Khorsabad, in which ' a fit^ure is seen swimming in the sea, with the upper part of the body resembling a bearded man, wearinf tlie ordinary conical tiara of royalty, adorned witli elephant's tusks, and the lower part resemblino- the body of a fish.' (Starke.) As the bas-relief represents (according to Layard) the war of an Assyrian king with the inhabitants of the coasts of Syria, most probably of Sargon, wlio had to carry on a long conflict with tlie Philistian towns, more especially with Ashdod, there can hardly be any doubt that we have a representation of the Philistian Dagon here. This deity was a personification of the generative and vivifying principle of nature for which the fish, with its innumerable multiplication, was specially adapted, and set forth the Giver of all earthly good." (Keil.j Ver. 4. " The word were is not in the original, and would be better omitted ; the head and palms of Dagon, being cut off, were lying on the threshold. Here was the miracle, and it was very significant. It was done by the Divine power. The head and palms of Dagon, the chiefest of his members, the emblems of his strength, were lopped off." ( Wordsworth.) " Only the stump," etc. Literally, "only Dagon, the fish (from dag, ajish), the ignoblest part, was left." ( Wordsworth. ) 78 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY': SAMUEL. Ver. 5. " Therefore neither the priests — tread on the threshold," etc. " Cf. Zeph. i. 9. ' On the same day will I punish all those that leap on (or over) the threshold.' No douht this phrase was intended (perhaps with some irony) to describe the worshippers of the Philistiau Dagon." (Hohson.) Ver. 6. " He destroyed them." From chap. vi. 4, 5, 11, 18, where, besides the votive offering referring to the bodily disease, a second, the golden mice, is expressly mentioned, it is clear that, in addition to the corporal plague, another, a land-plague, had fallen on the Philistines. "He destroyed them" (like "destruction" or ''desolation," in Mic. vi. 13, used of persons) denotes a wasting of the land, that is, of the produce of the fields, as the support of human life, by mice which " destroy the land " (chap. vi. 5). {Erdmann.) " We must go to the East for parallels to these ancient plagues. A parallel to this plague of mice is furnished in the recent history of Ceylon. In 1848, the coffee-crop of that fertile island was vitterly destroyed by mice, and the people, losing their staple harvest, were reduced to the most terrible misery and want." {S. Cox.) "Emerods." "The disease we call bleeding j^iles," a disease very common in Eastern lands, where the extreme heat induces indisposition to exercise, and the liver is very apt to grow sluggish and weak. The word is vernacular English for the Greek compound from which we derive the technical medical terms, " hemorrhoids, hemorrhage," which designate a flow of blood. {S. Cox.) " The heathen generally regarded diseases affecting the secret parts of the body as punishments from the gods for trespasses committed against themselves." (Jamieson.) Ver 8. " Let the ark of the God of Israel," etc. The princes of the Philistines probably imagined that the calamity which the Ashdodites attributed to the ark of God, either did not proceed from the ark, i.e., from the God of Israel, or if actually connected mth its presence, simply arose from the fact that the city itself was hateful to the God of the Israelites, or that the Dagon of Ashdod was weaker than the Jehovah of Israel ; they therefore resolved to let the ark be taken to Gath in order to pacify the Ashdodites." {Kcil.) "Gath." Also one of the five Philistian satrapies. Its site is not accurately known, but it is generally identified with the modern Tell-es-S&fieh, 10 miles east of Ashdod, and about the same distance S. by E. of Ekron. {See Smith's Biblical Dictionary.) Ver. 10. "Ekron." Another of the princely cities, now AHr. Ver. 12. '• The cry of the city went up to heaven." " The disease is attended^ with acute pain " {Jamieson). Note. — This chapter, with the following, strikingly illustrates the non-missionary character of the old dispensation. For centuries the Israelites were near neighbours of the Philistines, and had some acquaintance with their political and religious institutions. Yet the Philistines had at this time only a garbled and distorted account (ch. iv. 8) of the history of the Israelites, derived probably from tradition, and seemingly no particular knowledge of their religion, nor did the Israelites ever attempt, though they were in the times of Samson and David in close connection with Philistia, to carry thither a knowledge of what they yet believed to be the only true religion. This religious isolation was no doubt a part of the Divine plan for the development of the theocratic kingdom, guarding it against the taints of idolatry, and permitting the chosen people thoroughly to apprehend and appropriate the truth which was then to go from them to all the world. But if we look for the natural causes which produced this isolation in ancient times, we shall find one in the narrowness of civilisation of ancient times, where the absence of means of social and literary communication fostered mutual ignorance and made sympathy almost impossible, and another in the peculiarly national local nature of the religion of Israel, with its central sanctuary and its whole system grounded in the past history of the nation, presenting thus great obstacles to a foreigner who wished to become a worshipper of Jehovah. {Amer. Tram: of Lange's Commentary). MAIN EOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH— Verses 1-5. The Fall of Dagon. I. God works in silence and in secret against false systems of religion to give men a public and sudden proof of their folly. Dagon's downfall took place in the secrecy of the night : when daylight came, his destruction w^as made apparent. God's kingdom of nature, and His kingdom of grace, are alike in this, that neither " come with observation " (Luke xvii. 20). All the winter nature seems to be at a standstill, but all the time secret preparation is going on beneath the ground and within the plants for the outburst of life and beauty in 79 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. the spriiif^. And in His spiritual kingdom there have often been times and seasons in which there has seemed to be hardly any true religious life left in the world, when solitary believers in God here and there have been'ready to exclaim with the prophet of old, " i, even I only, am left" (1 Kings xix. 14). But it has often been found that such seasons of darkness have been followed by a day in which the truth of God has won great victories in the hearts of men, giving proof that His spirit has been, during all the long night, working silently and secretly in men's hearts. So it was before the downfall of Paganism after the coming of Christ, and before the overthrow of the Papal tyranny at the time of the Reformation. When the pious Israelite lay down that night and thought of the sacred ark of the covenant in the house of Dagon, he must have been ready to exclaiii with the dying wife of Phinehas, " The glory is departed from Israel." But God at that very hour was working in secret, and was dealing a heavy blow at the idolatry of the Philistines. II. Even miraculous evidence does not always suffice to bring men to acknowledge God. Experience of the fallacy of the advice of a quack is the surest way, we think, to lead men to put faith in the advice of a skilful physician ; and when men have had the powerlessuess of the gods whom they worship proved to them by unmistakable evidence, we should expect them to be ready to embrace a religion based upon supernatural evidence if history and experience did not testify to the contrary. Dagon testified by his first fall that ■' an idol is nothing in the world" (1 Cor. viii. 4). But it brought no conviction into the minds of the Philistine priests. They " set him in his place again." His second fall upon the threshold seemed to tell them that he was only fit to be trodden under foot, yet they venerated the spot upon which he fell. But the Philistines were not more unwilling to receive evidence of the truth than the majority of mankind. Israel was formed into a nation by miraculous power, and sustained miraculously for forty years, and over and over again were delivered from their distresses by miraculous interposition, yet God's testimony concerning them is, '' Ephraim is joined unto idols" (Hosea iv. 17). The Son of God Himself proved that He came from the Father by His " mighty works," but they made no impression upon the mass of the Jewish people. A delusion proved is not a delusion abandoned. And Our Lord Himself tells us the reason why. It is because " men love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil" (John iii. 19). OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Vers. 1-5. Dagon before the ark, or before the power of God, manifesting heathenism conquered at the feet of Himself as present in His Word (the the living God. 1. In the domain of law and testimony in the ark). 2. Its its power — its own abode (verses 1, 2). power hrohen and destroyed through 2. Through the secret demonstration the secretl}^ working power of the of the power of the Lord (verses 3, 4). Spirit of God. 3. Ever a more and 3. Amid the destruction of its power more glorious revelation of the power and glory — the face, as a sign of its of God, which casts down heathenism worthless glory and vain beauty, struck in the light of the day of salvation. — down to the earth ; the head also, as Lange's Commentary. the seat of the Avisdom which is Where God comes with His ark and alienated from God, and opposed to with His testimony, there He smites God ; the hands, as a symbol of the the idols to the ground ; idolatry must powers of darkness which work therein, fall where His gospel finds a place. — cut off (verses 3-5). The fall of Berlenherger Bible, heathenism. 1. It is throivn doivii If men did not mistake God, they 80 CHAP, V. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. could not arise to such heights of im- piety ; the acts of His just judgments are imputed to impotence. Dagon had never so great a day, so many sacrifices, as now that he seems to take the God of Israel prisoner. Where should the captive be bestowed, but in custody of the victor ? It is not love, but insulta- tion, that lodges the ark close beside Dagon. What a spectacle was this, to see uncircumcised Philistines laying their profane hands on the testimony of God's presence ! to see the glorious mercy-seat under the roof of an idol ! to see the two cherubims spreading their wings under a false god ! the deep and holy wisdom of the Almighty, which over-reaches all the finite conceits of His creatures, who, wdiile He seems most to neglect Himself, fetches about most glory to His own name ! He winks and sits still on purpose to see what men would do, and is content to suffer indignity from His creature for a time, that He may be everlastingly magnified in His justice and power : that honour pleaseth God and men best, which is raised out of contempt. .... If the Israelites put confidence in the ark, can we marvel that the Philistines did put confidence in that power, Avhich, as they thought, had conquered the ark ? The less is ever subject unto the greater ; what could they now think, but that heaven and earth were theirs ? Security and pre- sumption attend ever at the threshold of ruin. God will let them sleep in this confidence ; in the morning they shall find how vainly they have dreamed ! Now they begin to find they have but gloried in their own plague, and over- thrown nothing but their own peace. .... Dagon hath a house, when God hath but a tabernacle ; it is no measur- ing of religion by outward glory. — Bishop Hall. The foolish Philistines thought that the same house could hold both the ark and Dagon, as if an insensible statue were a fit companion for the living God. In the morning they come to thank Dagon for the victory, and to fall down before him before whom they thought the God of Israel was fallen ; G and lo ! now they find the keeper flat on his face before the prisoner. Had they formerly, of their own accord, with awful reverence, laid him in this posture of a humble prostration, yet God would not have brooked the in- dignity of such an entertainment. But seeing they durst set up their idol cheek by cheek with their Maker, let them go read their folly in the temple floor, and confess that He who did cast their god so low, could cast them lower. Such a shame doth the Lord owe all them which will be making matches betwixt Him and Belial. Yet they consider not. How should this god raise us who is not able to stand or rise himself ? Strange they must con- fess it, that whereas Dagon was wont to stand, and themselves to fall down ; now Dagon was fallen down, and them- selves stood, and must help up with their own god. Yea, their god seems to worship them on his face, and to crave that succour from them which he was never able to give them. Yet in his place they set him again, and now lift up those hands to him which helped to lift him up and prostrate those faces to him before whom he lay prostrate. So can idolatry turn men into the stocks and stones which they worship : " They that make them are like unto them." But will the Lord put it up thus ? No, the next fall shall burst it to pieces ; that they may sensibly perceive how God scorns a competitor, and that there is no agreement betwixt Him and idols. Now, what is the difference between the Philistines and the Papists ? The Philistines would set God in the temple of idols ; the Papists would set idols in the temple of God. Both agree in this, that they would make God and idols agree together. — T. Adams. Ver. 3. Because you have broken your purpose, do not allow it to go unmended. Even the heathen, with so base a conception of divinity as Dagon was, when Dagon fell to the ground, lifted him up again and put him in his place. When, not your idol, but your bright ideal, falls to the ground, though 81 EOMILETIO COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. book i; its head and its feet be broken, lift it the remnant of indwelling sin. And up and put it in its place again. Be- while we miglit unfeignedly desire that cause you have broken faith and fealty even the stump of sin and self were to that which you meant to be, and gone, we may well be thankful if no meant to do, it is no reason why you more be left. . . , We know not whe- should not swear again, and again go ther the priests of Dagon erected forward. — Beecher. another idol upon the stump of the broken one ; but this we know, that Ver. 4. The prevalence of idolatry many idols are contending for the in tJie heart of man. Dagon has still throne of man's heart, and when one his temple there. The great idolatry Dagon is deposed, he leaves his stump of mankind is self. . . . Christ is the upon which another is quickly raised, true ark of the covenant, and when But the same Almighty grace which He takes possession of the temple of cast down one shall triumph over all. man's heart, then the Dagon of the The covenant ensures the death of sin, place is dethroned ; it loses its head the life of grace, and the crown of glory, and hands, its carnal wisdom and carnal and when grace lias brought you to works, at the very threshold of the glory you will rejoice to all eternity, sanctuary, but still the stump is left ; that " only the stump of Dagon was however powerful the principle of in- left." — Fe72n. dwelling grace may be, there is still MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 6—12. TtiE Judgments upon the Philistines. I. When judgment begins with the people of God it is certain to extend to the ungodly. If a human king is just he will visit his own family with punish- ment if they break the laws of his kingdom. But the very fact that he does so is a pledge that he will not spare the rest of his subjects if they are found guilty. Judgment will begin where transgression ought, least of all, to appear, and where, if it appear, it ought to be least tolerated ; but should the same sins be committed by others, it may be regarded as certain that it will extend to them also. God deals with men as a good king and father deals with his children. He will certainly inflict chastisement upon those who are most nearly related to Him by moral character, but He will not spare those who are utterly ungodly. God's ancient people, at this period in their history, needed chastisement, and they had it. He avenged the dishonour which had been done to His name by those whom He " had nourished and brought up " as His children (Isa. i. 2) by a heavy visitation. But He did not spare the more guilty Canaanites. When judgment " begins at the house of God," the question forces itself upon the mind, "Where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?" (1 Pet. iv. 17, 18). II. When the ungodly have been used as instruments of Divine chastise- ment, they are chastened themselves to teach them that they were not chosen for their moral excellence. Sometimes delay takes place in the execu- tion of a criminal, not because there is any reason to show him favour, but that he may be used to bring others to justice. When he has been used for this purpose he finds that the same law which convicts them punishes him also. It is often so in the righteous government of God. He selected Nebuchadnezzar to be His battle-axe when Israel needed chastisement, but he was but a reprieved criminal, and when he had fulfilled the Divine purpose he was made to feel that it was so. Here the Philistines were made the instruments of God's judgment upon His people, but they soon found that they had not been selected for this work because they were held in favour by Jehovah, The hand of God upon 82 HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. them soon taught them that they also were under His displeasure — that God had, in the language of the prophet, taken " the cup of trembling, even the drega of the cup of Bis fury, and put it into the hand of them that afflicted Israel" (Isa. li. 22, 23). III. There may be an admission that God has smitten without true repentance. The Philistines confessed that the hand of Jehovah was sore upon them, and upon their god, but it led to no investigation into His claims to their liomage — to no change in their disposition towards Him. Pharaoh acknowledged that " the Lord was righteous, and that he and his people were wicked " (Exod. ix. 27), but his admission had no effect upon his conduct. Saul admitted that God had forsaken him, and was visiting him for his sin, but he turned not to Him who had smitten him, but, in direct opposition to the Divine command, sought counsel of a witch. Many men in every age are compelled to acknowledge that God is visiting them, yet they will not turn to Him in repentance. They may cry to God in their despair, but they give evidence that it is not sin that troubles them, but the punishment of sin. Like the Philistines, they would be rid of their suffering, but they are not willing to give up their Dagons, and to give glory and render obedience to the Lord of hosts. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 6. The hand of the Almighty, which moved them not in falling on their god, falls now nearer on their persons, and strikes them in their bodies which would not feel themselves stricken in their idol. Pain shall humble them, when shame cannot. — Bp. Hall Ver. 7. They should have rather parted with their sins than with the ark, and have said unto their sins " Get thee hence," as Isa. xxx. 22. What have we to do any more with Dagon who cannot save himself, much less us, from the Divine vengeance ? Wicked men are glad upon all occasions to be rid of God and His ark. His or- dinances, which they, Philistine-like, have rather as prisoners than as privi- leges. — Trapp. The emerods were not a disease be- yond the compass of natural causes ; neither was it hard for the wiser sort to give a reason of their complaint ; yet they ascribe it to the hand of God : the knowledge and operation of secon- dary causes should be no prejudice to the first. They are worse than the Philistines who, when they see the means, do not acknowledge their first Mover, whose active just power is no less seen in employing ordinary means than in raising up extraordinary ; neither doth He less smite by a common fever, than by an avenging angel. — Bp. Hall. Ver. 10. The struggles of the Philis- tines against Jehovah tended only to bring the ark nearer to its own home, and to bring more evils on its enemies. The sufferings of Ekron were worse than those of Ashdod, and the suffer- ings of Gath were more grievous than those of Ekron. So all the assaults of the enemies of the faith against the ark of Christ's church will serve only to bring her nearer to her heavenly and eternal home. — Wordsworth. Thus they send the plague of God up and down to their neighbours. Wicked men use to draw others into partnership of their condemnation. — Trapp. Ver. 11. When man's heart ivill not give up its worthless idols, though God's hand draw it to Himself by affliction and suffering, then the dis- tance between him and the God that offers to be with him becomes greater in proportion to the severity and pain- fulness of the suffering felt by the soul alienated from God and devoted to idolatry. We shall at last desire to 83 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. BOOK I. be entirely away from God, as the Philistines at last resolved to carry the ark over the border, that they might have nothing more to do with the God of Israel, while, on the contrary, the ark should have warned them to give glory to the God of Israel, who had so unmistakably and gloriously revealed Himself to them. — Langes Commen- tary. God knows how to bring the stub- bornest enemy on his knees, and make him do that out of fear which His best child would do out of love or duty. . . It is happy that God hath such store of plagues and thunderbolts for the wicked : if He had not a fire of judgment, wherewith iron hearts might be made flexible. He would want obe- dience, and the world peace. — Bp. Hall. Ver. 12. The cry that ascends to heaven over sufferings and afflictions that are the consequences of wicked- ness, is by no means a sign that need teaches prayer ; it may be made wholly from a heathen point of view. The cry that penetrates into heaven is " Against thee ha\e I sinned," and is the expression of an upright, earnest penitence, which is awakened in the heart by the chastisement of God's hand. — Lange's Commentary. CHAPTER VL • Country," literally the field. It probably Critical and Expository Notes. — Ver. 1. signifies the cultivated i'>lain. Ver. 2. "Diviners." "That is, the organs of the Deity, who reveal His counsel and will through the mantic art, and whose decision is final. After it had been determined in the council of the princes (chap. v. 11) to send back the ark to the Israelites, \h.e priests and soothsayers are to tell Jioiv it shall be sent back." (Erdmann). Ver. 3. "Trespass-offering." AsTiam, "^tevs^Y guilt, then a gift presented as compensation for a fault. The gifts appointed by the Philistines as an asham were to serve as compensation and satisfaction to be rendered to the God of Isi-ael for the robbery committed upon Him by the removal of the ark, and were therefore called asham, though in their nature they were only expiatory offerings " (Keil). Ver. 4. " Five golden mice," etc. " It was a prevalent custom in heathen antiquity to make offerings to the gods expressive of the particular mercy received. Those saved from shipwreck offered pictures of the shipwreck in the temple of Isis ; slaves and captives, in gratitude for the recovery of their liberty, offered chains to the Lares ; retired gladiators, their arms to Hercules ; and in the fifth century a custom prevailed among Christians of offering in their churches gold or silver hands, feet, etc., in return for cures effected in those members A similar custom still prevails among the heathen in India " (Biblical Commentary ). The offering of the Philistines was not, however, a thank -offering, it was rather a talisman or charm. " From the ancient writers of Arabia we learn how a talisman, or charm of this kind, was composed. They lield that all earthly things are but shadows of heavenly things, and that the celestial forms Iiave an overruling influence on all earthly forms of life. Thus, for instance, if they wished to give a man a talisman that would make him safe against the bite of serpents, they got the exact moment of his birth. Their books told them what planet " ruled his birth," what planet was then in full lustre. They waited for the moment when this planet was " out of combustion," i.e., was not shining at its strength — the moment in which, thus shorn of its strength, it entered into the constellation which they called the Serpent. The favoiu-able moment having arrived, they made a tiny stone or metal image of a serpent, engraved certain mystic letters upon it, and here was the talisman. So long as the man carried that about with him, no serpent could hurt him. Ancient literature is full of marvellous stories of the power of these talismans It is this talismanic method that is alluded to in this passage, for, instead of reading "Ye shall make images," etc., we ought to read, "Ye .shall make talismans of your emrods, and talismans of your mice." (S. Cox.) " The Philistine astrologers could not but have heard that God had shown His Divine complacency with the brazen serpent, set upon a pole in the wilderness. This they, with their notions, would regard as a tclesme (talisman), and as that image of a serpent 84 CHAP. vr. EOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. was effectual against the plague of serpents, they might not unreasonably infer that similar images of their own inflictions might be equally effectual ; indeed, there have not been wanting persons to suggest that the whole of this set of ideas regarding telesmes may have originated in a distorted view of this transaction." ( Kitto.) Ver. 6. " As the Egyptians." " Another testimony from the heathen to the truth of the Pentateuch, and a proof that God's judgments on Egypt were not without salutary effects on idolaters," ( Wordsworth.) Ver. 7. " Make a new cart," etc. " The new cart and the young cows, which had never worn a yoke, corresponded to the holiness of the ark of God. To place it upon an old cart, which had already been used for all kinds of earthly purposes, would have been an offence against the holy thing ; and it would have been just the same to yoke to the cart animals that had already been used for drawing, and had had their strength impaired by the yoke. The reason for selecting cows, however, instead of male oxen, was no doubt to be found in the further object which they hoped to attain." (Keil.) Ver. 9. " Bethshemesh." "House of the sun," an Israelitish priestly city on the border of Judah and Dan (Josh. xxi. 16.) about twelve miles from Ekron. Ver. 13. "Though it was a priestly city the inhabitants of Bethshemesh are expressly distinguished from the Lievites." (Erdniann.) "Wheat harvest." Therefore about May or June. Ver. 14. "Field of Joshua." "One who bore the same name as he who had brought Israel and the ark into Canaan." (V\ ordsivortk.) "A burnt offering." "It was lawful to offer the sacrifice here, because wherever the ark was offering might be made." {^Erdmann.) Ver. 18. " The Pliihstines offered as many golden mice as there were towns and villages in their five states ; no doubt because the plague of mice had spread over the whole land, whereas the plague of boils had only fallen upon those towns to which the ark had come." {Keil.) " Great stone of Abel." Great stone is not in the original. Abel means mourning, and some commentators think the stone was so named because of the lamentation mentioned in verse 19. Keil, Erdmann, and others, however, for Abel read Eben or Aben — a stone, as in verses 14 and 15. Ver. 19. " Fifty thousand," etc. In some Hebrew manuscripts the statement reads seventy men, fifty thousand men. Some do not contain the words fifty thousand, and Josephus speaks of only three score and ten. These considerations, added to the unlikelihood that Bethshemesh had so many inhabitants lead commentatui's to reject the v/ovds fifty thousand as an interpolation, or to read (as Patrick and others) seventy men ; fifty out of a thousand. Ver. 21. "Kirjath-jearim," i.e., city of woods or forests (Ps. cxxxii. 6), in the territory of Judah (Josh. ix. 17, xviii. 25, 26), generally identified with the present Kuryet-el-Enab. " It was the nearest large city to Bethshemesh, on the way to Shiloh, to which, perhaps, they supposed that the ark ought to return." [Wordsicorth.) "The inhabitants belonging to the Jtiivite tetrapoUs were the sacred servants of the sanctuary, and, therefore, the proper parties to whom, in the emergency, the custody of the ark should be committed. Bethshemesh, being in a low plain, and Kirjath-jearim on a hill, explains the message, ' Come ye down, and fetch it up to you.' " (Jamieson.) Note. — " After the transaction recorded in this chapter, we hear no more of any attempts among the Gentile nations to join the Jewish worship with their own. They considered the God of Israel as a tutelary deity, absolutely unsociable, who would have nothing to do with any but his own people, or with such particularly as would worship him alone, and, therefore, in this respect, different from all other tutelary gods, each of which was willing to live in community with the rest." ( Warburton.) MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE CHAPTER. The Return of the Ark. I. No change is needed in God to effect a change in His dealings with sinful men. 'Jlie physician is as good when he is intiicting pain as when he is giving pleasure. It does not need a change of disposition in him to cause him to cease from giving pain to his patient ; the change must be in the sick man himself. When a sinner feels that matters are not right between him and his God, he thinks that he should be in a better position if he could only change 85 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. book I. God's disposition towards him ; but no change is needed on the part of God. It is in the character and disposition of the sinner that the change must be made, if he is to have rest and hope in his relation to God. When the Philistines felt that the hand of the Lord was heavy upon them, they changed the place of the ark, thinking thereby to pacify God's displeasure, and change His disposition towards them. But what was needed was not change on the part of the Eternal God, but change in their relations towards Him. II. Divine blessings may be turned into curses if men get into wrong relationship to them. Sunlight is intended by God to be a blessing to men. But the light of the sun brings pain to a man whose eyes are diseased. The suffering comes from his eyes and the sun not standing in that relation to each other which God intended they should do. Fire is a great blessing to man while it is kept in its right relation, while it is used as God intended it sliould be used, to minister to his bodily comfort. But if fire lays hold of his raiment, or his dwelling, a good gift of God becomes a curse, by getting into a wrong- relation. And as it is with the mateiial gifts of God, so it is with His spiritual gifts. All the Divine ordinances are intended as means of blessing and sancti- fication to the heart of men. Yet to some that which was ordained to bless becomes a curse — that which ought to be a savour of life becomes a savour of death. Men through ignorance or indifference do not put the Divine ordinances to a right use — get into a wrong relationship to them, and thus that which was designed to bless becomes a curse. The ark of God was designed by Him to be a means of grace and blessing to Israel by helping them to realise the presence and favour of the unseen God. It would also have become a blessing to the Philistines if they had considered the lessons which the fall of Dagon before it was designed to teach them. But the heathen disregarded the voice of God which spoke to tliem, and thus the presence of His ark became the means of judgment, because they stood in a wrong relation to it. And its return to Israel, which ought to have been an occasion of unmixed joy, was marked by a judgment upon the men of Bethshemesh, because of the thoughtless irreverence of their conduct — because they lacked a right conception of the holiness of the God whose presence the ark symbolised. III. The human conscience testifies to the need of an atonement for sin. The heathen, ignorant as they are of the revelation of God, offer gifts and sacrifices to their deities. The Philistines here thought it expedient to try and make some expiation of their trespass against the God of Israel, and such a feeling of the need of atonement is found in almost every people in the world. And this feeling does not grow weaker in proportion as men possess the revelation of God. The conviction of the great distance between the holy God and sinful man increases as men grow in their knowledge of Him — the nearer view men have of His purity and greatness, the more are they disposed to exclaim with the men of Bethshemesh, " Who is able to stand before this Holy Lord GodV It is when the artist places his most finished work beside the real landscape that he realises how very far short he has come — the more closely they are compared the more clearly does he see the perfection of the one, and the imperfections of the other. And the more men know of God — the more they become acquainted with Him by the manifestations of His power and moral attributes, the more deeply convinced do they become of their own imperfections, and the more do they cry out for some atonement. When the Bethshemites, on the return of the ark, " offered burnt offerings and sacrificed sacrifices the same day unto the Lord," they were not only obeying the Levitical law, but they were acting in conformity to a law written in their hearts, and written with more or less distinctness in the hearts of all men. The offering of the Lord Jesus Christ 86 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. is not only said to be " offered to God," but also to the conscience of man (Heb. ix. 14, Rom. V. 11). The return of the ark also reminds us — IV. That the enemies of God's Israel are not always to retain the portion of His children. A battle was fought in Eden, and the great enemy of God and man took from man his God-given inheritance. And from that day until now the "kingdoms of the world and the glory of them" have been held by Satan (Luke iv. 5, 6). This earth is still, to a great extent, in the hands of the enemies of its rightful possessor. But it is being won back. Each generation sees drawing nearer the day when there will be ''great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ" (Rev. xi. 15). And this earth will be given back to men who have themselves been redeemed from the bondage of Satan. As Israel lost their ark so the world has been lost to man by his own sin; but it will not be always in the hands of his enemies — those who have returned to their allegiance to their rightful sovereign will one day inherit a redeemed earth. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 1. This was a long while for God's people to be without that visible pawn of His presence and glory ; so that they might seem to be as forlorn and forsaken of Him. Such a misery may befall any people, to be bereft of God's ordinances ; or any soul, to be for a time without the sense of His gracious presence and light of His countenance. But God hath promised to His, to be a " little sanctuary unto them" (Ezek. xi. 16), and " not to leave them," or if He do so, yet "not to forsake them," (Heb. xiii, 5), provided that they look on all other comforts as so many Ichabods, till He return unto them in mercy and loving-kind- ness. — Trapi). It had wont to be a sure rule, where- soever God is among men, there is the Church ; here only it failed. The tes- timony of God's presence was many months among the Philistines, for a punishment of His own people whom He left ; for a curse to those foreigners who entertained it. Israel was seven months without God. How do we think faithful Samuel took this absence ? How desolate and forlorn did the tabernacle of God look with- out the ark ! There were still the altars of God ; His priests, Levites, tables, vails, censers, with all their legal accoutrements; these, without the ark, were as the sun without light, in the midst of an echpse. If all these had been taken away, and only the ark remaining, the loss had been no- thing to this, that the ark should be gone and they left ; for what are all these without God, and how all-suffi- cient is God without these ! — Bp. Hall. Greater dishonour is done to God by those who call themselves His people, yet continue to slight and abuse the singular advantages with which they have been long favoured, than by the attacks of his avow^ed enemies. Hence He may often seem as it were to desert His own cause, and suffer the declared enemies of His name to triumph for a time, rather than take part with hypocritical pre- tenders, who with their lips profess that they know and serve Him, but in works deny Him. Thus He permitted the sacred symbol of His own presence to fall into the hands of Philistine idolaters, rather than to remain dis- honoured by idolatrous Israelites. — Lindsay. Ver. 2. They say not, " What shall we do with it," for they were most of them resolved to send it home ; but " What shall we do to it ? How shall we send it home as it ought to be sent ? " For they know that it is the manner that maketh or marreth an action. Sure it is that in divine matters men must look that not only the body of their service be sound, but that the clothes be fit. — Trapp. 87 HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. Ver. 5. These sorcerers, like Balaam and Caiaphas, ignorautly spake the truth, and promoted God's glory and honour. Feradventure. — Idolaters are always at uncertainty, and walking in darkness, know not whither they go. — Irapp. Ver. 6. Samuel himself could not have spoken more divinely than these priests of Dagon All religions have afforded them that speak well ; these good words left them still Philis- tines and superstitious. How should men be hypocrites if they had not good tongues. . . . Who would think that wisdom and folly could lodge so near together tliat the same men should have care both for the glory of the true God, and the preservation of the false 'i.—Bp. Hall. The exact knowledge that the Philis- tine priests and soothsayers had of the punitive revelations of God against the Egyptians, and of the cause of them in the fact that the people hardened themselves against Him, is an eminent example of His government of the world, which was closely interwoven with the history of revelation in His kingdom, and in which he penetrated with the beams of His revealed light the darkness of heathenism which surrounded His people, and made pre- paration for the revelation of the New Covenant, which was to embrace the whole world. They were in such light to seek the Lord in their ways, if haply they might feel after Him and find Him. — Langes Commentary. Ver. 12. And the lords of the Philis- tines went after them. And so, as servants and pages, they attend upon the ark, which erst as conquerors they carried captive. — Trapp. Ver. 19. As it is hard not to over- joy in a sudden prosperity, and to use happiness is no less difficult than to forbear it, these glad Israelites cannot see, but they must gaze ; they cannot gaze on the glorious outside, but they must be, whether out of rude jollity, or curiosity, or suspicion of the pur- loining of those sacred implements, prying into the secrets of God's ark. Nature is too subject to extremities, and is ever either too dull in want, or wanton in fruition ; it is no easy matter to keep a mean, whether in good or evil There was no malice in this curious inquisition : the same eyes that looked into the ark looked also up to heaven in their offerings ; and the same hands that touched it offered sacrifice to the God that brought it. Who could expect anything now but acceptation ? Who could suspect any danger ? It is not a following act of devotion that can make amends for a former sin. — Bishop Hall. God had just vindicated His own honour against the Philistines ; it must now be seen that He would be sanctified in them that come nigh Him (Lev. x. 3). It is obvious to observe how the doc- trine of atonement, and its necessity in the case of sinners, is taught in this and similar lessons as to the awful holi- ness of God. — Biblical Commentary. Ver. 20, 21. Many appear joyful at the revival of religion, and numbers unite in external observances, who have no inward reverence for the Divine majesty .... Instead of this reve- rence, the carnal heart substitutes a slavish fear ; and when rebuked for presumption or contempt, or alarmed with discoveries of the justice and holi- ness of God, it will, with the Gadarenes, or with these Bethshemites, request the Saviour to depart, and vainly seek to escape the Lord's displeasure, by an entire forgetfulness of Him. — Bcott. When God, so to speak, only passes by us, through some temporary taste of His presence, it is a favour which He may also impart to sinners. But that He may make His abode in us, as He promises in so many passages of Holy Scripture, that He may be willing to remain with us and in us, for that there is demanded great purity in every respect. — Berlenherger Bible. The attribute of holiness is, to our own apprehension, so essential to the mere idea of God — is in itself so obvious and self-evident, that we may HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. at times be inclined to wonder at the frequency with which it is stated and enforced in the Scriptures. But the view of the Divine character out of which this feeling arises, is itself the creation of those scriptuial declara- tions on the subject ; and the formation of this high conception of God was the use they were designed to serve, and which we thus find that they have served. It may also be remembered, that to the Hebrews the enforcement of this doctrine was of an importance which it is scarcely in our power to understand or appreciate fully. The surrounding heathen — indeed all the heathen, had very different and inferior notions of the gods they served. Holi- ness was not their attribute. They were very capable of sin ; and the choice of good in preference to evil was not essential to their nature. These were above men in their essence and in their sovereign powers ; but in character they were men, and not always good men. There was no one attribute by which Jehovah was so pointedly distinguished from the gods of the nations as by this. Its main- tenance, its constant assertion, was therefore of the utmost importance among a people whose tendencies so often were to merge the worship of their own Lord in that of the neighbouring idols. This attribute set a great gulf between them which could not be overpassed so long as its presence was constantly kept before the mind of the people. . . There was another and more general use in it, in which we share the benefit with them. It is a check to sin, and an incitement to righteousness. It seems impossible for anyone to realise a clear and distinct idea of the holiness of God — that sin, that whatever defiles, is abhorrent to His pure and holy nature, without hearing His voice crying unto us — " 0, do not that abominable thing which I hate." .... Instead of imita- ting the ignorant Bethshemites, in putting away the ark of God from us, because we cannot stand before His holiness, let us rather strive after assimilation to Him, that we may be enabled to keep the ark among us. — Kitto. CHAPTER VII. Critical and Expository Notes. — Ver. 1. "The bouse of Abinadab," etc. ''Wliy the ark was not carried back to Shiloh is uncertain. The reason may be that the Philistines had conquered Shiloh, and now held it, as Eicald supposes ; or it may be that, without a special revelation of the Divine will, they were unwilling to carry the ark back to the place whence it had been removed by a judgment of God, in consequence of the profanation of the Sanctuary by the sons of Eli ( Keil) ; or simply that the purpose was first and provisionally to carry it safely to a large city as far off as possible, inasmuch as, in view of the sentence which had been passed on Shiloh, they did not dare to select on their own authority a new place for the Sanctuary " (Erdmann). " It is probable that Abinadab and his sons were of the house of Levi. 1. For the catastrophe at Bethshemesh must inevitably have made. the Israelites very careful to pay due honour to the ark in accordance with the law. 2. The fact of there being a high place at Kirjath-jearim makes it highly probable that there were priests there. 3. The names Eleazar, Uzzah, and Ahio are all names in Levitical families, and Abinadab is nearly allied to Nadab and Amminadab, both Levitical names. 4. It is inconceivable that the bi-eaches of the law in looking into the ark, and in Uzzah laying hold of it, should have been so severely punished, but the neglect to employ the sons of Levi according to the law should not be even adverted to." (Biblical Commentary. J " To keep the ark." " Not to minister before it ; but only to defend it ifrom such profane intrusions as had caused so much suffering to the Bethshemites." (Wordsworth. J Ver. 2. " Twenty years," i.e., twenty years before the events occurred which are recorded in this chapter. It was a much longer time before David brought the ark again to the tabernacle (2 Sam. vi. 1-17), although it is not certain whether it remained in Kirjath-jearim until that time. During these twenty years it is obvious (from ver. 3) that the Philistine domination 89 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. continued. " All the house of Israel lamented," etc. " The image is that of a child that goes weeping after its father or mother, that it may be relieved of what hiu-ts it. ... , As, beside the constant pressure of the Philistine rule, no special calamity is mentioned, we must siippose a gradual preparation for this penitential temper of the people, which now, after the lapse of twenty years from the return of the ark, was become universal. The preparation came from within. By what means? By the prophetic labours of Samuel, from the summary description of which, according to their intensive power, their extensive manifestation, and their results in the whole nation (iii. 19-21), we may clearly see that Samuel, without ceasing, proclaimed to the people the Word of God. And as in chap. iii. 19 it is said that " none of his words fell to the trround," we shall have occasion to recognise this penitential temper, and this following after God with sighing and lamentation, as the fruit of Samuel's prophetic labours, which were directed to the relation of the innermost life of the people to theii- God." (Erdmann.) Ver. 3. " If ye do return," etc. " These words prove that a profession of repentance on the part of Israel had preceded them. . . The profession, therefore, must be looked for in the preceding words. All the house of Israel lamented," etc. — (Biblical Commentary). Ver. 4. " Baalim and Ashtaroth." The plurals of Baal and Ashtoreth. " Baal was the supreme male divinity of the Phoenician and Canaanitish nations, as Ashtoreth was their supreme female divinity. Both names have the peculiarity of being used in the plural, and it seems certain that these plurals designate not statues of the divinities, but different moditications of the divinities themselves. . . There can be no doubt of the very high antiquity of the worship of Baal. . . We need not hesitate to regard the Babylonian Bel (Isa. xlvi. 1), or Belus (Herod i. 181), as essentially identical with Baal, though perhaps under some modified form. . . . The great number of adjuncts with which the name is found is a sufficient proof of the diversity of characters in which he was regarded, and there must no doiibt have existed a corresponding diversity in the worship. ... If we separate the name Baal from idolatry, we seem, according to its meaning, to obtain simply the notion of Lord and Proprietor of all. . . . The worship of Ashtaroth or Astarte was also very ancient and widely spread. There is no doubt that the Assyrian goddess Ishtar is the Ashtaroth of the Old Testament and the Astarte of the Greeks and Komans. . . It is certain that the worship of Astarte became identical with that of Venup. ... If now we seek to ascertain the character of this goddess, we find ourselves involved in perplexity. There can be no doiibt that the general notion symbolised is that of productive power, as Baal symbolises that of generative power, and it would be natural to conclude that as the sun is the great symbol of the latter, and therefore to be identified with Baal, so the moon is the symbol of the former, and must be identified with Astarte " (Smith's Biblical Dictionary). •' Mizpeh, or Mizpah. The word signifies a, ivatch-to^ver, sjid was given to more than one place in the land of Israel. The place here mentioned has been generally identified with the present Nehy-Samwil, an elevation near Eamah and Geba (see 1 Kings xv. 22 ; 2 Chron. xvi. 6), and 2480 feet above the level of the sea, and five miles from Jerusalem. Dean Stanley and Mr. Grove iSmitfi's Bib. Dictionary) consider that Neby-Samwil is too far from Jerusalem to answer to the description given of its position in 1 Mac. iii. 46, and identify it with the Scopus mentioned by Josephus (B. I. 2, 19, 4), as on the north quarter of the city, seven stadia there- from, and now generally held to be the " broad ridge which forms the continuation of the Mount of Olives to the norih and east, from which the traveller gains his first view of the holy city" (Grove). " I will pray for you." That deliverance from the hand of the Philistines was not at least immediately the object of the intercession is clear, not only from the phrase " for you," since otherwise Samuel must have used an expression to include himself, but also from the following words." — (Erdmann). Ver. 6. " Drew water, and poured it out before the Lord," etc. " It is remarkable that two rites are brought together here which belong respectively to the Feast of Tabernacles and the Day of Atonement. The first is not, indeed, prescribed by the law, but it was the custom for the High Priest to fill a golden vessel with water drawn from the fountain of Siloam, and to pour it over the sacrifices on the Feast of Tabernacles. Allusions to this, which was a joyful act, are supposed to be made in Isa. xii. 3, and John vii. 37, 38. . . . The only fast enjoined by the law of Moses was on the Day of Atonement, upon the 10th Tisri. ... It is likely, as in Ezra iii. 4, 6, and in Neh. vii. 73 ; viii. 1-17, that Samuel also chose the Feast of Tabernacles, and the fast which preceded it, as the occasion for assembling the people. The drawing water being mentioned before the fasting is, it is true, rather against this view, though not conclusively, as the mention of the fasting may be supplemental ; the real order being that they first fasted and confessed their sins on the Day of Atonement, and then joyfully kept the Feast of Tabernacles. If the fast here mentioned is not that of the loth Tisri, it may be compared with that of Ezra x. 6, and those alluded to in Zech. vii. 5, and perhaps the pouring out of water (which is variously explained), may be taken in connection with the fasting (as Ezra did eat no iDread, and drink no water). . . . Other explanations of the act are (with the Tiu-gum), "they poured out their hearts in penitence as it were water," or that it was a symbolical act of expressing their ruin 90 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. and helplessness, according to the saying in 2 Sam, xiv. 14, or that the water typified their desire that their sins might be forgotten "as waters that pass away " (Job xi. 16). — {Biblical Com- mentary.) <' And Samnel judged Israel." "With respect to the position of the judges, it is generally estimated falsely when they are looked upon as proper judicial personages in our sense This error has been occasioned by the assumption that the Hebrew word is perfectly synonymous with our judging, while in reality it has a much wider signification. In the Book of Judges it generally denotes the exercise of authority and superiority. . . . Only of Deborah do we read, in Judges iv, 5, that the Israelites went up to her for judgment. But she cannot be placed upon a level with the judges throughout. She pronounced judgment as a projahetess in matters where no confidence was jjlaced in the ordinary judicial jurisdiction, and a judgment of God in the proper sense was desired, just as, according to Exod. xviii., the nation leaving their natural judges, thronged to Moses, to draw justice immediately from its source. Samuel's position was exactly similar to that of Deborah, he was judge in another sense than the judges of the Book of Judges . — (Ilengstcnbcrg.) (See also on Ver. 15). Ver. 7. " When the Philistines heard," etc. " Apprehending that such a gathering under one so well known as Samuel boded no good to their dominions, and might be intended to organise the assertion of the nation's own independence." — (Kitto.) Ver. 9. "Samuel, though only a Levite, offered a burnt offering to the Lord at Mizpeli, because the regular ministries of the tabernacle which was separated from the ark were in abeyance, and trod had not yet chosen any fixed place to set His name there, after the destruction of Shiloh ; and Samuel was raised up with a special commission from God to sujjply the deficiency of the transitory and provisional state of things." — ( Wordsworth.) (See also comments of this verse.) Ver. 12. " Shen," literally a tooth, doubtless a rocky eminence in the neighbourhood. It has not been identified. " Ebenezer," or Eben-ha-ezer, i.e., stone of help. Ver. 13. "They came no more." "They no more invaded the territory of Israel with lasting success as they had done before." The words which immediately follow — " the hand of Jehovah Avas against the Philistines," etc., show that they made attemjits to recover their lost supremacy, but that so long as Samuel lived they were unable to effect anything against Israel" {Keil). The forty years domination, mentioned in Judges xiii. 1, now terminated, Ver. 14. "From Ekron even unto Gath." "This definition is probably to be understood as exclusi^'e, i.e., as signifying that the Israelites received back their cities up to the very borders of the Philistines, measuring these borders from Ekron to Gath. For although these cliief cities of the Philistines had been allotted to the tribes of Judah and Dan, in the time of Joshua (Josh. xiii. 3, 4; xv. 45, 46), yet, notwithstanding the fact that Judah and Simeon conquered Ekron, together with Gaza and Askelon, after the death of Joshua (Judges i. 18\ the Israelites did not obtain any permanent possession." — (Keil). "And there was peace," etc. " These words suggest what is in itself very probable, that in this war the Amorites, finding the Philistines worse masters than the Israelites, made common cause with Samuel, and assisted the Israelites in their wars against the Philistines," — {Biblical Commentary.) Ver. 15. "And Samuel judged Israel." "We must regard Samuel's judging as a directing and ordering, in accordance with the above act of repentance, of the inner affairs of the people, who were by that religious act inwardly again purified. It consisted both in the administration of right and justice according to the law of the Lord, and in government i^roper, in the wise carrying out of measures that looked to the good of the people. During Saul's life he kept unchanged the position of a prophet, who employed the authority of the Divine will for the direction of the national life — the mediating priestly position between God and the i^eojale ; but he also, as last judge, held in his hands the highest control of the theocracy and the kingdom." (Erdmann). Ver. 16. "Bethel." " A well-known city and holy jDlace of central Palestine, twelve miles from Jerusalem, on the road to Sichem, where its ruins still lie vmder the scarcely altered name of Beitln." (Smith's Bib. Dictionary.) " Gilgal." At least two places in ancient Palestine were so named, one in the Jordan valley, between that river and Jericho (Josh. iv. 19), and one south-west of Shiloh, now called Jiljilia (1 Kings ii. 1). It is impossible to decide which is the place here mentioned. Dr. Erdmann says, " The question must be decided in favour of the former, for the reason that Samuel would certainly choose for such assemblies the place that was consecrated by its historical association and religious importance." Keil rather leans to the opinion that it was the modern Jiljilia. Ver. 17. "Ramah," See note on chap. i. 1. "There he builded an altar." Another instance of Samuel's deviation from the Levitical law. See note on verse 9. 91 HOMTLETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 1 and 2. Care for the Ark of God, I. The judgments of God for contempt of His ordinances often make men more careful in the treatment of them. If the subject of a well-ordered state sets at nought its ordinances he finds himself visited with a penalty which generally leads him to be more careful of his future conduct. He must render honour where honour is due, whether it be to a person or to a law, or he will be visited with punishment which, if he do not profit by himself, will prove a salutary lesson to others. When a child has played with the fire until he has been burnt, he is not only more careful for the rest of his life how he trifles with it, but others learn a lesson from his suff"erings and his scars. And when God punishes men for lightly esteeming that which He has commanded them to reverence, it is that those who suffer, and those who see them suffer, may fear to fall into the same sin. A fear which brings reverence is a motive power in the dispensation of the Gospel, as well as in that which preceded it. In the New Testament cases of judgment are recorded which were as swift and terrible as any found in Old Testament history. Men have needed, even in Gospel times, to be taught reverence for holy beings and holy ordinances by punishment which has worked fear. Ananias and Sapphira thought it a light matter to " lie to the Holy Ghost," and their sudden death wrought " great fear upon all the Church" (Acts v. 11) which led to an increased reverence for the spirit of God. Elymas poured contempt upon the message of salvation as preached by Paul, and was struck with blindness by the man whose heart's desire and prayer to God for all his countrymen was that they should be saved. But the judgment which fell upon the Jew led to the salvation of the Gentile, and taught all who beheld it that God will not hold them guiltless who scoff at the name of His Son (Acts xiii. 6-12). In the case of the " seven sons of Sceva" (Acts xix. 13-17) men learnt that they must not lightly use the name of the Lord Jesus, and the efiect of the punishment of those who did so was that when it "was hioivn to all the Jews and Greeks dwelling at Ephesus that fear fell on them all, and the name of the Lord Jesus ivas magnified. Men of every age have needed to be taught not only that " God is love," but that He is " a consuming fire " (Heb. xii. 29), that it is indeed His love which leads Him to risit men with judgment for contempt of His holy name and ordinances, in order that others may see it and fear, as the visitation upon the men of Bethshemesh led those of Kirjath-jeariin to be more reverent in their treatment of the ark of God. In all the after history of Israel we never hear of their being guilty of a similar act. The death of the Bethshemites w^as an effectual preventive of any more attempts of this kind. II. Those who minister in holy things are especially bound to live holy lives. The men of Kirjath-jearim set apart a man for the special service of the ark. " They sanctitieth Eleazar his son to keep the ark of the Lord." For every service in the world some qualification is needed, and men are not made custodians of men's lives, or even of their property, unless they are believed to possess the qualifications indispensable to the fulfilment of the duties of the ofiice. The setting apart of men in the Old Testament dispensation to the service of the tabernacle sets forth the truth that those who minister in holy things under the Gospel dispensation are especially bound to " come out from the world and be separate," in a spiritual sense, that whatever else they lack, a high moral character is indispensable. It also suggests the need that such men should remember the apostolic exhortation, and give themselves "wholly "to the special work, and not " entangle themselves with the affairs of this life" (1 Tim. iv. 15 ; 2 Tim. ii. 4). 92 CHAP.vir. HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. III. Men learn the value of Divine ordinances when they are deprived of them. When men have abundance of bread and water they have very little sense of the value of these necessaries of life. But if they are wholly or even partially deprived of them they realise how precious they really are. Want makes us sensible of the blessing of abundance. Sickness teaches us to appre- ciate the blessing of health, and days of gloom make us sensible how good a gift of God is sunshine. And we never know the true value of religious ordinances until we are deprived of them. Those whom sickness has long kept from the house of God, or those who have sojourned in aland where there were no stated Divine ordinances, testify to the truth of this. When the soul of a godly man is shut away from God's house, and has no opportunity of meeting Him in His sanctuary, then the sigh goes up to Heaven " Hoiv amiable are Thy tabernacles, Lord of Hosts ! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord ; my heart and my flesh cry out for the Living God. . . . Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house : they will be still jjraising Thee. . . . For a day in Thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeejjer in the house oj my God, than to dwell in the tents of ivicJcedness" (Psalm Ixxxiv. 1-10). This was David's experience, and thousands since he penned these words have used them to express their own feelings. Israel had for many years before this time had special religious privileges — compared with the rest of the nations they had had a plentiful supply of spiritual bread. But they had treated it as they had treated the manna in the wilderness — familiarity had bred contempt, and they had despised the means of grace, because they had been always in their midst. But the absence of the ark from Shiloh had suspended all the usual tabernacle-service, and the long famine of Divine ordinances caused them to "lament after the Lord." OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 1. Shiloh was wont to be the Jeremiah's (Chap. xiii. 27), "Woe place which was honoured with the unto thee, Jerusalem ! wilt thou presence of the ark. Ever since the not be made clean? When shall it wickedness of Eli's sons, that was for- once be ? They refused to return lorn and desolate, and now Kirjath- until God stopped them with the cross, jearim succeeds_ to this privilege. It suffered the Philistines grievously to did not stand with the royal liberty of oppress them, and then " all the house God, no, not under the law, to tie of Israel lamented after the laiv." — himself unto places and persons. Un- Trapp. worthiness was ever a sufficient cause There is no mention of their lament- of exchange. It was not yet His time ing after the Lord while He was gone, to stir from the Jew^s, yet He removed but when He was returned and settlod from one province to another. Less in Kirjath-jearim. The mercies of God reason have we to think that so God will draw more tears from His children reside among us, that none of our pro- than his judgments do from His vocations can drive Him from us. — enemies. There is no better sign of Bp. Hall good nature or grace than to be won to repentance with kindness ; not to Ver. 2. The time was long ere think of God except we be beaten into Samuel could _ bring them to this it, is servile. Because God was come solemn conversion related in the verses again to Israel, thereforu Israel is following: so tough is the old Adam, returned to (^od ; if God had not and so difficult a thing it is to work come first they had never come • if upon such as are habituated and He, that came to them, had not made hardened in sinful practices. Samuel's them come to Him, they had been ever song had been, as was afterwards parted; they were cloyed with God; 93 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. while He was perpetually resident with them ; now that His absence had made Him dainty, they cleave to Him fervently and penitently in His return. This was it that God meant in His departure, a better welcome at His coming back. — Bp. Hall. I. The persons lamenting. God's peculiar people. These only love, and mind God's presence ; when the lords and cities of the Philistines are weary of Him, and send Him away, yea, and the inhabitants of Bethshemesh, though a city of Levites belonging to the Church of God, through their ill management of matters send to get a release, yet God's Israel will look after their God. II. The object they lament after — not peace, plenty, or victory over their enemies, but after the Lord. Jehovah is the olaject of their affec- tions ; it is He whom they love, and with whom they long for communion. III. The universality of the number- — all Israel. The whole house of Israel come ; they that had woefully degenerated and had gone after their idols ; what a wonderful act of God's power and sovereignty was this upon their spirits. By this He manifests that He is the true God, and that Samuel was His servant. . . Christians should lament after the God of ordi- nances, or God in ordinances. — I. Because God is infinitely more worth than all ordinances; His presence is prizable for itself. This is the marrow of heaven, the want of this is hell, and this the child of God knows. II. God purposely withdraivs that men may lament after Him. As when a mother steps out of a child's sight, and when she seems to be gone, the child raises a cry after her (Hos. v. 15). " I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence, and seek my face ; in their affliction they will seek me early." III. Because sincere lamenting after the Lord may occasion His return. He purposely hovers, waits, and expects, that His people may call Him back by their prayers, entreaties, humiliation ; not as though God were moved, or changed by men's mournful complaints and out- cries, but that such an earnest lament- ing qualifies the subject, capacitates for mercy, and puts souls into the con- dition of the promise (Jer. xxix. 12). — Oliver Hey wood. The blessing of national mourning in a time of universal distress. (1) Penitent recognition of the national sin which has occasioned it. (2) Pain- ful experience of the mighty hand which has iniiicted it. (3) Sorrowful, peni- tent seeking after the Lord's consola- tion and help, which ends in finding. — Langes Commentary. MAIN EOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verm 3 and 4. Repentance. I. Repentance is the lessening of a moral distance between God and man by a moral turning of man to God. " If ye do return unto the Lord," etc. When a man turns and w^alks in an op]iosite direction he changes his course, and lessens the distance between himself and the point to which his back has been hitherto turned, and from which he has been every moment getting farther away. His face is now directed to an entirely opposite goal, and the distance between him and that goal grows less at every step. Repentance is not a bodily act — it is a turning of the heart. " If ye do return unto the Lord with all your hearts." Directly the heart turns to God in penitence and trust the moral distance between that heart and God is lessened. That turning is the beginning of a new course of life, which daily decreases the distance between tiie man and liis former way of life, and brings him nearer to God in his sympathies, and in his character. And this goes on until there is entire conformity of the character of God, — until the just man becomes the perfect man, and all the moral distance which once separated him from God is annihilated. Locally, God is as near to 91 CHAP. VII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. the sinner as He is to the saint. He was locally as near to the Israelites in general as He was to Samuel in particular. " God is not far from ever?/ one of us," said Paul to the Athenians (Acts xvii. 27). Yet God was morally much nearer to Paul than He was to any other man on Mars Hill, because Paul was much more like God in character than they were. And there was also a great gulf of moral difference between Samuel and his hearers, because there was a wide gulf between them and Jehovah in character and disposition. Paul had once been far from the God whom He now served, and the Saviour for whom he was now ready to die, but he had diminished that distance by repentance — by an entire change in his feelings concerning Jesus of Nazareth, and by a corresponding change of life. The people whom Samuel here exhorts were at such a moral distance from God that they had become partakers of the debasing idolatry of the Canaanites, and the worship of Baal had increased the natural badness of the national character. As the road of iniquity is downhill, every step in the road had not only brought them farther from God, but liad increased the speed at which they had departed farther and farther from Him. Samuel here teaches that a turning of heart to God would be the beginning of a moral transformation — it would at once begin to lessen the moral distance between them and Jehovah, and begin to make a separation between them and the sinful habits in which they had been living. He tells them in effect, what another prophet afterwards told their descendants, that " The Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save: neither is His ear heavy, that it cannot hear ; but your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you" (Isa. lix. 1, 2). II. Repentance is born of a sense of need. A local change of place is often brought about by a sense of need. The man feels dissatisfied with what he meets with in the road in which he is travelling, and his dissatisfaction leads him to turn round and take another course. And so it is in a change of soul- direction. The prodigal's sense of need led him to set his face towards his father's house, and Israel had now begun to feel that they wanted something as a nation which Baal and Ashtaroth could not give them. They " lamented after the Lord." Such a feeling of want is a sign of a re-awakening conscience — it is like the outcry of the man who was thought to be dead before the surgeon's knife touched him — it is a sign of returning consciousness. The very fact that he can feel leads to the hope that he may recover. He who feels a sense of spiritual need is not morally dead — his conscience may have been lying dormant for a long time, but its outcry is a sure sign that it is not dead, and is often the first step to a true repentance. III. Human exhortation is often helpful to repentance. If a man is awakening to a sense of the moral separation which sin has made between him and God, the words of a godly man will often deepen the feeling and determine him to turn to God. The words of Peter on the day of Pentecost helped his hearers to repentance. His words first pricked their hearts and then helped them to accept Him whom they had crucified. Samuel's words of exhortation meeting the feeling of need in the hearts of Israel, encouraged and stimulated their desire to return to God IV. Repentance is the result of a preparation of heart, and shows its reality in the life. Samuel here speaks of two things as necessary to a turning unto God. "Prepare your hearts," and "put away Balaam and Ashtaroth." No thoughtful man makes any great change in his life without first making it the subject of consideration, without counting the cost of what he is about to do. He who thinks about leaving his native land, never to return, does not set out upon his journey without well weighing the consequences of such a step. 95 HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. Changes in our modes and habits of life, if made without thought, are not likely to be either satisfactory or beneficial. And when a man begins to think of return- ing to God by repentance it is especially necessary that he should ponder deeply what repentance is — what is involved in forsaking sin and becoming a servant of God — in turning his back upon his old life, and beginning au entirely opposite course. It was when the prodigal "came to himself" that he said, "I will arise and go to my father." That expression implies that there had been much thinking on his part about his past, his present, and his future. Such thinking- deepens and strengthens moral resolution, and leads to prayer, and no change of feeling is likely to end in that lasting change of heart and life in which true repentance consists, unless it has its birth in such a preparation. Samuel here insists n^i such a thoughtfulness and prayerfulness on the part of Israel as indispensable to a true and lasting return to God. And repentance of heart must be proved by a change of life. Israel could not return to God and continue to worship the gods of the Philistines. " No man can serve two masters" (Matt. vi. 24), and he who professes to desire the favour of God must show the reality of his profession by putting off the service of Satan and the " works of darkness " (Rom. xiii. 12), by putting away everything in his life that is contrary to the mind and will of God. V. After repentance comes liberty. " If ye do return," etc., . . . . " the Lord will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines." Every unrepentant man is a slave to sin. "Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin" (John viii. 34) — he is tied and bound by evil habits and passions. But the formation of new and holy desires and habits frees him from the dominion of the old ones, as the formation of the new leaf-buds on the tree pushes off the old and withering leaves. In proportion as the former increase in size and strength, the latter lose their hold ; and in proportion as new habits, springing from a new soul-relation, gain strength, the old habits lose their power, and give the man true liberty. The political freedom which Israel gained by turning from Baal to God is a type of the moral freedom which comes to every man who truly repents. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Samuel doth not presently cheer them up, but pressetli them to a thorough reformation : and giveth them to know that their sorrow must bear some proportion to their sin. See the like done by Peter in A.cts ii. 37, SS.—Trapjy. Revivals of religion have been the blessed experience of the Church in every era of its living history. Whether we trace its course in the Old or New Testament, or in subse- quent times, evidences of occasional awakenings, with all their happy re- sults, abound At Bochim, in the early days of the Judges, a great revival took place. In the days of Samuel the Church of God was glad- dened by another. Hezekiah's reign was greatly signalised by the general 96 revival of religion ; so was Josiah's. The nation of Judah was preserved from idolatry by means of these great awakenings. In the time of the build- ing of the second Temple there was a revival of religion, which Avrought most influentially. Pentecost stands prominent in the history of revivals, and throughout the last eighteen cen- turies revivals have been occasional, and form the most interesting portions of the Church's history Two features have generally marked these periods of spiritual awakening, — the power of prater, and the power of preaching The revival under Samuel was brought about by prayer and preaching. To this man it is in- strumentally to be traced. He wrestled in secret and exhorted in public. . . . HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. I. Samuel preached repentance. This has ever been the theme in times of attempted revival. It was the theme of Noah's alarm-cry to the gigantic sinners of the old world. It was the burden of Elijah's prophetic message. It was the voice in the wilderness from the lips of John the Baptist. It was the summons which the apostles served in the name of Christ upon a godless world. It rang through Ger- many by Luther's lips of music, and echoed among the Alpine valleys from Luther's patriotic soul. It was the subject of Latimer's blunt home-thrusts at the practical heart of England, and it thundered throughout Scotland from the stern and fearless Knox. The doctrine of repentance is the aj^pendix to every re-publication of the ten commandments, and the preface to every offer of the Gospel. So when Samuel taught, this was bis awakening theme. ... II. Samuel sought fruits for repentance. He did not rest satis- fied with the expressed emotion. He demanded instant reproof of expressed sincerity. To give up evil ways is one of the earliest signs of a penitent soul. .... This is the trial of conviction. You may profess anxiety to be saved, and mourn over your sins; but so long as you do not give up what comes between your soul and God, you have not sincerely repented. . . . III. Samuel urged a believing return to the Lord. .... Repentance does not constitute reformation. It is only the outer court. By faith we enter into the holy place Faith is the re- union of the soul to the Lord. So when the Israelites gave up the false, they returned to the true God. They forsook the many and returned to the One The heart must have an object. No person is without a god, to whom all his efforts are devoted, and on whom his affections are j)laced. It may be the world, or the creature, or self, or some superstition, or else the true God. . . . But the awakened conscience finds no satisfaction in any- thing less than the Lord. — Steel. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 5, 6, 15—17. The Gathering at Mizpeh. I. If a nation is to have strength and liberty it must have unity. " Gather all Israel to Mizpeh." If a human body is to be strong, and consequently free to act, there must be a united action of all its members. Every limb and organ must work harmoniously together. So with the human soul. All its powers must gather themselves together — there must be a concentration of all its forces — if there is to be any result of worth. Hence the Psalmist's prayer — " Unite my heart to fear Thy ?iame" (Psalm Ixxxvi. 11), and the Apostle's declaration, "This one thing I do" (Phil. iii. 13). And the same thing is true of any corporate body, whether it be large or small. It will not have power unless its action is united, and if a nation is not strong by unity it will not long be free. Samuel here aims at the united action of the whole nation. This unity — 1. Is often brought about by a common calamity. Common afflictions and dangers have a wonderful power to bring men together. If the reputation of a family is attacked from without, all its members will forget little differences, and unite to attack a common foe. The Church of God needs nothing but a return of the days of persecution to bring all its members into such a unity of spirit as would astonish all her foes. It would then be seen how strong is the unseen bond which unites them all to a common head. When a nation arrives at a great crisis in its history — especially when it is threatened by a common foe — all minor differences of opinion are forgotten for the time — all party distinctions are laid aside and the nation acts as one man. It was the Philistine oppression which brought the Israelites at this time to such unanimous action. They felt H 97 nOMlLETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. that this was not the time for " Ephraim to envy Judah, nor Judah to vex Ephraim " (Isa. xi. 13). 2. Such unity can only he real and lasting by being founded on right relations to God. The fear of God is the ouly solid ground of national unity. When each man is governed by a desire to serve God, a oneness of aim and purpose in the nation must be the result, and in proportion as such feelings sway a people, in such proportion will there be concord in their assemblies, and unanimity in their actions. The unity of Israel at this time was based upon a common conviction of transgression against God, and a desire to return to Him ; and in proportion as these feelings were deei) and heartfelt, there was ground upon which to build a real and permanent union of the people. 3. It is good for such a national unity to find exjyression in a national assembly. Such a gathering increases the feeling of unity, and encourages the spirit of the nation by giving it an opportunity of feeling its strength. It likewise intimidates its foes. The national gathering at Mizpeh was helpful to the Israelites themselves, and was a just ground of apprehension to their oppressors. II. It is a great blessing to a nation to have a head who is both intellectually and morally great. Men must have leaders, and it matters little by what name a national leader is called — whether king, president, or prime minister, provided he exercises his power with intellectual ability and for moral ends. Such a man should, like Samuel, combine in himself something of the prophet, the judge, and the priest. He teaches by his life, and by his words, he is a judge inasmuch as he is a stern reprover of all wrong, and fails not to enforce penalty for transgression of national law, and he is also a priest, for such a man will not fail to bear on his heart before God in prayer those who look up to him for guidance. Such a man is a true king of his nation, whether he wears a crown or not. Samuel was such an uncrowned king — a true father of Israel, a true shepherd of his people. As a prophet, he made known to them the will of Jehovah ; as judge, he kept pure the fountains of justice ; and as at Mizpeh he " cried unto the Lord for Israel" (ver. 9), we may be sure that upon the altar at Ramah he offered sacrifices, not only for his own sins, but also for those of the people. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 5. Intercession to the Lord for wicked one, salvation.— Zaw^g'5 Com' the salvation of others. I. Its exercise mentary. unlimited, the individual as well as the whole people being its subject (comp. Ver. 16, 17. Simply the vice-regent 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2). 2. Its ansiver con- of God, and no king, Samuel had no ditioned by the need of salvation, and palace in Israel. No armed guards the capacity for salvation of those for protected the person, nor gorgeous whom it is made. retinue attended the ste})s of Samuel. No pomp of royalty disturbed the Ver. 6. The penitent confession— simple manner of his life, or distin- " We have sinned against the Lord." guished him from other men; yet 1. Who has to onake it, the individual, there rose by his house in Ramah that family, congregation, church, the whole which proclaimed to all the land the people. _ 2. How is it to be made, with personal character of its ruler, and the attestation of its truth and uprightness principles upon which he was to con- by deeds of repentance. 3. What are duct his government. In a way not its _ consequences, forgiveness of sin, to be mistaken, Samuel associated the deliverance from the power of the throne with the altar, earthly power 98 CHAP. VII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. with piety, the good of the country painted tabards and sounding trumiiets, with the glory of God, That altar had it proclaimed to the tribes of Israel a voice no man could mistake. In a that piety was to be the character, manner more expressive than pro- and the will of God the rule, of his clamation made by royal heralds with government. — Guthrie. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 7—12. The Defeat of the Philistines. I. Opposition to the covenant-people of God furnishes occasion for the fulfilment of the Divine promises. God had promised Abraham that He would bring out His descendants from the land of their captivity with " great substaiice," and "judge the nation whom they should serve" (Gen. xv. 14), and the opposition of Pharaoh furnished an occasion for the fulfilment of that promise. The Lord had answered Samuel's prayer for Israel's freedom, and even "while he was offering the burnt offering" the Philistines furnished an occasion for the fulfilment of the promise by "drawing near to battle against Israel." In the history of a man's individual life the opposition from Satanic and human enemies often furnishes occasion to show that "lie is faithful that promised" (Heb. V. 23). II. The covenant-promises of God are fulfilled also in answer to prayer. When the time drew near for the redemption of Israel from Egypt, " their cry went up to God by reason of the bondage" (Exod. ii. 23), and the prayer and faith of Moses came in to help forward the fulfilment of the promise of deliverance. When the seventy years' captivity was nearly accomplished, the supplication of Daniel was one instrument of bringing the fulfilment of God's purpose of mercy (Dan. ix.). When Our Lord was about to leave the world He promised to His disciples the gift of the Holy Ghost, but they understood well that they must "continue in prayer and supplication" for that Divine gift (Acts i. 4, 14). And the promises given to the individual Christian are all fulfilled in answer to prayer. He is to "he careful for nothing ; hut in every- thing hy prayer and supplication to let his requests be made hioivn unto God" (Phil. iv. 6). The promise had been made to Israel that if they put away their strange gods and returned unto the Lord, He would deliver them out of the hand of the Philistines ; but they were right in interpreting this promise as to be fulfilled in answer to prayer, and, therefore, in beseeching Samuel to cease not to cry unto the Lord for them. III. Character has a mighty influence in bringina^ answers to prayer. Why did Israel say to Samuel, " Cry unto the Lord our God for us ? " It was because they felt that " the effectual fervent 2yr ay er of a righteous man availeth much " (James v. 16). Much of the availing power of prayer is in the character that is linked to it. The cry of Moses for his people was often more effectual than the cry of the thousands of Israel. So mighty was his power with the Eternal that, in answer to his intercession, " the Lord repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people" (Ex. xxxii. 14). If this be so in relation to sinful men, how mighty must be the efficacy of the intercession of the sinless Son of God on behalf of His disciples ! If the prayers of men of like passions with ourselves have an influence with God, how mighty must be the prayers of the sinless and Divine man ! IV. Answers to prayer in the present should bring thanksgiving for like blessings in the past. An act of kindness from a friend who has befriended us many times before, brings back to our remembrance all his kind deeds in the past, all the benefits that he has conferred in days that are gone pass ao-ain 99 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. before iis every time we are recipients of his bounty. This is, or ought to be, especially the case with gifts received from the hand of God, and especially with good things given in answer to prayer. Thankfulness for the mercy of to-day ought to be deepened by recalling the mercies of past days. When Samuel looked back at the past history of his people, he recalled many instances of God's loving kindness to a people who had, notwithstanding, often rebelled against Him, And the thought of the many Divine interpositions in the past deepened his gratitude for the present deliverance. His "hitherto," speaks his thanksgiving for all the help of God to Israel from the day in which they left Egypt until the day which had just passed, and when any man bows before God in gratitude for a present answer to prayer, he should connect it by a hitherto with all that have gone before. V. It is good for our gratitude to God to show itself in an external form. We like to express our gratitude to a human friend in some practical form as we thereby give a body, as it were, to that which is itself unseen. And it is good to testify our thankfulness to God by some external manifestation, as we thereby perpetuate a remembrance of His goodness and make it known to others. Samuel desired that God's deliverance at this time should live in the memory of the present generation, and be handed down to their descendants, therefore he embodies his feeling in a pillar of remembrance — " he took a stone, and set it between Mizpeh and Slien, and called the name of it ' Ehenezer! " OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 7. The Philistines come up, and the Israelites fear, they that had not the wit to fear, whilst they were not friends to God, have not now the grace of fearlessness, when they were reconciled to God. Boldness and fear are commonly misplaced in the best hearts ; when we should tremble, we are confident ; and when we should be assured, we tremble. Why should Israel have feared, since they had made their peace with the Lord of Hosts ? Nothing should affright those which are upright with God : the peace which Israel had made with God was true, but tender. — Bishop Rail. 1. How evil sometimes seems to come out of good. The religious meeting of the Israelites brought trouble upon them from the Philistines. 2. Hoiv good is at length brought out of that evil. Israel could never be threatened more seasonably than at this time, when they were repenting and praying. .... Bad policy for the Philistines to mahe war upon Israel when they were making their peace with God. — Henri/. Ver, 8. An evidence of Samuel's 100 habitual resort to God in prayer for help. (See chap, xii, 19-23.) In Psa. xcix. 6, Samuel is specially men- tioned as given to prayer, and as prevailing by prayer. " Bloses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that call ujjon His name : these called upon the Lord, and He heard them;" and in Jer. xv. 1, God says, " Though 3Ioses and Samuel stood before Me, yet My mind could not be towards this people." Samuel had been given by God in answer to His mother's prayers, and his whole life seems to have been governed by a sense of the power of prayer, to which his birth was due . . , . The forty year's domination of the Philistines over Israel could not be overthrown by the supernatural strength of Samson, but it was terminated by the prayers of Samuel : so much more powerful are the weapons of prayer in the hands of righteous men than any arm of flesh, — Wordsworth. Ver, 9, It is difiicult to reconcile the severe judgments denounced and inflicted for irregularities in the ritual service, with the direct sanction and CHAP, VII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. approval which attended the irregular actions of Samuel and other prophets with regard to the ritual observances. The point is of importance, for it is the action of the prophets from this time forward upon public affairs which gives to the history of the Jews their peculiar character It would appear then that the prophets, as men divinely authorised and inspired, were regarded as having a right to dispense with the strict requirements of the law on special and extraordinary occasions, and that, as prompted by the Spirit, it was lawful for them to do that which would be most criminal in persons not so authorised. And this authorised departure, when occasion demanded, from the strict requirements of the law could not but operate beneficially on the public mind. The rigid enforce- ment of every jot and tittle of the law, on ordinary occasions, might eventually — without the presence of a corrective and counteracting influence — have created a sort of idolatry for the mere letter of the law, and of every ritual detail, as in itself a divine thing. But the permitted departures therefrom by the prophets corrected this tendency, by directing attention more to the spiritual essence of these observances — teaching, as Samuel himself expressly declared on one occasion, that "obe- dience was better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." The diligent reader of the Scripture is aware that this upholding of the spirit above the mere letter of the ritual service was a peculiar function of the prophets, appearing with more and more dis- tinctness as the time advances, until at last the prophets declare with great plainness of speech that the mere ritual service in all its parts, and the most sacred solemnities prescribed by the law, were, in the nakedness of their literal truth — apart from the spiritual influences which should be connected with them — not only unacceptable to the Lord, but abomination in His sight. — Kitto. Samuel's intercession was — I. The most powerful means of aid. " Prayer moves the arm that moves the uni- verse." It is the Divinely-appointed means of assistance. It has the promises which are "exceeding great and precious " attached to it. II. It was a prayer in which they all had a believing interest. . . . Many hearts united in one exercise. This gives public prayer a wondrous power. III. It was prayer to their covenant God. They had just renewed their covenant with God, and accepted Him as theirs. " Cry unto our God for us." They knew to whom they addressed their cry. It was to no unknown God or imaginary Deity. IV. It was prayer for a definite object. They specified their want — "that He will save us out of the hand of the Philis- tines " (ver. 8). Too many pray m a way so general as to exhibit little interest in what they ask. But Israel had a particular danger, hence they had a particular request. Their prayer arose from a felt necessity Prayer should have a fixed, definite object. You should know what you want, and let your felt want urge your earnest cry. V. It was offered by a sacrifice The sinful can have no claim upon the Holy, nor can they approach without mediation. Hence a system of mediation was established when mercy w^as revealed. A media- tion and an atonement were prefigured in the old economy. — Steel. Ver. 12. What a contrast between the event now recorded at Ebenezer and that recorded as having occurred a few years before at the same place. At that time Israel had the ark with them, the visible sign of God's presence^, but the Lord Himself had _ forsaken them on account of their sins ; and Hophni and Phinehas were with the ark, and they were discomfited with a great slaughter, and the priests were slain with the sword, and the ark of God was taken. Now they have not the ark, but they have repented of their sins, and Samuel is with them ; and the Lord hearkens to his prayers, and the Philistines are smitten so that they return no more into the coasts of Israel during the days of Samuel, and 101 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. book i. Samuel sets up the great stone at lasting and grateful memorials of Ebenezer. Hence it appears that the God's goodness to us, and of our outward ordinances of a visible Church solemn engagements to him. What are of no avail without holiness in the God has done is too great to be for- worshippers, and that in the most dis- gotten, and too gracious to be over- tressed condition of the visible Church looked. I. Look upward, and see God God can raise up Samuels, and endue in your history. We should always them with extraordinary graces, and trace our mercies direct to the hand of enable them to do great acts, and give God, since, whatever be the agency, comfort and victory to the Church of He is the source. II. Look backward, God by their means. — Wordsivorth. and remember past help. The text The stone Ebenezer is a monument supposes that help was needed, and of those revelations of the might and every Christian knows that his depen- the grace of a living God, occasioned dence is constant. Mark the long by sin and penitence, wandering and continuance of your mercies. Hitherto return, which are the impelling power may be for forty, fifty, or even sixty in the whole political history of the years. III. Look forward. Thou slialt old covenant. — Langes Commentary. see greater things than these.- 27ioc?^y, It is of great consequence to cherish MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 13 and 14. Victory, Rest, and Eestoration. I. One decisive victory trings a long season of rest. This victory at Ebenezer brought peace to Israel for many years, and so the human soul, by a decisive victory over one strong temptation, gains often a long season of rest from the tempter's snares. He gives by such a victory such a proof to the powers of evil of his moral courage that it is deemed hopeless to renew the conflict while the soul remains so strong and watchful. It is written concerning the Son of God, after His decisive victory over the devil in the wilderness, that the tempter " departed from Him for a season " (Luke iv. 13). The total defeat he had experienced told him how vain it would be to renew the assault while the being whom he desired to overthrow remained in His present frame of soul. In all warfare it is best to decide at once who is to be the master of the field by a decisive blow, and if a Christian desires any rest of soul there must be no parleying wdth his spiritual enemies, he must — with the help of the same God by whom Israel routed the Philistines at Ebenezer — let them know without delay who is to be the conqueror. Even then the devil will " depart for a smsow " only, but these seasons of repose will enable him to gather strength for the next attack. II. Victory brings restoration of that which has been lost by subjection; When Israel had conquered her oppressors she regained the cities which had been taken from her in the day of her subjection. The human race does not now possess all that belonged to it when God created the first man, and bade him " replenish the earth and subdue it" (Gen. i. 28). God at first " jout all things under his feet " (Psalm viii. 6). But now it is plain that man is not the absolute lord, either of the earth and the phenomena of nature, or of the animal creation. He has lost his rule by sin. " We see not yet all things put tinder him " (Heb. ii. 8). But when man is restored to his original position in the universe by victory over sin, he will recover his lost rule over material things. There is to be a " time of restitution" (Acts iii. 21), when the powers which now hold man in subjection will be finally defeated, and he will recover his former dominion, not only over himself, but over the world and over all the creatures below him in the scale of creation. 102 CHAP. viT. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. The revival of religion has ever had of despotism, and they possess the a most important bearing on social greatest amount of domestic quiet. It and moral improvement. The return was the revival of religion which of man to God restores him to his secured the Protestant succession to brother. Restoration to the earnest England, and many of the liberties we and hearty performance of religious now enjoy. It was the revival of reli- duties towards God, leads to a corres- gion that gave such a martyr-roll to ponding reformation in relative and the Scottish Covenanters, and led to political duties. Those countries in the revolution settlement of 1688. In Europe which have had the greatest Israel every revival of religion was religious reforms, have advanced most succeeded by national prosperity and in liberty, civilisation, and commerce, political independence. — Steel. They are not trodden by the iron heel CHAPTER VIII. Ckitical and Expository Notes. — Ver. 1. " When Samuel was old." Many expositors consider that he was now about sixty years of age, others that he was not more than fifty-four. It is plain that he lived for sorae time after this, and continued to exercise his judgeship. " He made his sons judges," etc. " The reason assigned for the appointment of Samuel's sons as judges is his own advanced age. The inference which we might draw from this alone, namely, that they were simply to support their father in the administration of justice, and that Samuel had no intention of laying down his oifice, and still less of making the supreme office of judge hereditary in his family, is still more apparent from the fact that they were stationed as judges of the nation in Beersheba, which was on the southern border of Canaan" (Keil). Ver. 2. "The name of his firstborn was Joel," etc. ''These names may be taken as indications of the father's pious feeling. The fii'st, Joel, ' Jehovah is God,' was, not improbably, a protest against the idolatry of the Israelites. The name of the second son, Abiah, ' Jehovah is father,' expresses trust in the fatherhood of God, an idea which hardly appears in the Old Testament except in proper names " {Translator of Lange's Commentary ). " Ahiah records doubtless the fervent aspiration of him who devised it as a name, and, we may hope, of many who subsequently adopted it after that endearing and intimate relationship between God and the soul of man, which is truly expressed by the words father and child. It may be accej)ted as a proof that believers in ancient days, though they had not possession of the perfect knowledge of ' the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ,' or of the doctrine of the Holy Ghost, nevertheless ' received the spirit of adoption,' that God ' sent forth the Spirit of His Son into their hearts, whereby they cried Abba, Father ' " (Wilkinson's Personal Names in the Bible), Ver. 3. " His sons walked not in his ways." " The question may arise, why Samuel was not punished, as Eli, for the misconduct of his sons ? But the answer is obvious. Not only was the offence of Samuel's sons of a far less heinous criminality, but Samuel might not know, owing to this distance of Beersheba, anything of their delinquency " (JamiesonJ. Ver 5. " Make us a king to judge us like all the nations." " This request resembles so completely the law of the king in Deut. xvii. 14, that the distinct allusion to it is unmistakable. The custom of expressly quoting the book of the law is met with for the first time in the books of the captivity. The elders simply desired what Jehovah had foretold through His servant Moses, as a thing that would take place in the future and for which He had made provision" (Kiel). See also comments on this verse. Ver. 6. "The thing displeased Samuel," etc. "He did not, therefore, take it amiss that they blamed the wrong-doing of his sons, or that they referred to his age, and thus intimated that he was no longer able to bear the whole burden of ci^ce" {Erdmann). "Personal and family feelings might affect his views of this public movement. But his dissatisfaction arose principally from the proposed change being revolutionary in its character. Though it would not entirely subvert their theocratic government, the appointment of a visible monarch would necessarily tend to throw out of view their un&een King and 'E.q&^" (Jamicson). (See also comments on the verse.) 103 EOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. Ver. 11. "This will be the manner of the king," i.e., "the right or prerogative which the king would claim, namely, such a king as was possessed by all the other nations, and such an one as Israel desired in the place of its own God-king, i.e., a king who would rule over his people with arbitrary and absolute power " (Keil). " The following is a very just and graphic picture of the despotic governments which anciently were and still are found in the East, and into conformity with which the Hebrew monarchy, notwithstanding the restrictions prescribed by the law, gradually slid. Oriental sovereigns claim a right to the services of any of their subjects at pleasure. The royal equipages throughout the East were generally, as in Persia they still are, preceded and accompanied by a number of attendants on foot Cookery, baking, and the kindred works are, in Eastern countries, female employments, and numbers of young women are occupied with these offices in the palaces even of petty princes " (Jamieson). Ver. 20. " The first part of this energetic answer implies that they were well aware of the peculiarity of their civil government, by which their governors were only God's vicegerents — officers chosen and appointed by an unseen power — and they desired a visible head. The second part of it expressed a strong preference for a permanent rather than an occasional or temporary magistrate to consult their interests by his domestic administration, and, with regard to their foreign relations, to keep a standing army, ready at all times, under his command, to repel the encroachments or insults of neighbouring states. Perhaps, too, the corruptions that had prevailed to so great an extent under the judges had originated a secret but strong desire to be freed from the government of the priesthood, and they probably expected that, if released from the authority of sacerdotal judges, they would find a regal government less austere and rigid than the old regime " {Jamieson). Ver. 22. " Go ye every man," etc. " We must here read between the lines that Samuel communicated the Divine decision to the peojjle, and, dismissing the elders, took into considera- tion, in accordance with the Lord's command, the necessary steps for the election of a king " (Erdmann). " He gave them time to reconsider their request, as well knowing that God's permission was a punishment " i' Tro?Y?S!(;orast finding out " (Rom. xi. 33). The verses teach us — I. That time is no respecter of character. Samuel grew infirm although he was so good. Character is by far the most important thing on earth as well as in heaven, yet the greatest saint as much as tlie greatest sinner realises in his own experience that " the creature is made subject to vanity " (Rom. viii. 20). 104 CHAP. VIII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. In this respect Samuel, the elect servant of God, was no more highly favoured than the most ungodly man in the kingdom of Israel. The " outer man " of one as well as of the other was "perishing day by day " (2 Cor. iv. 16). II. But the fact that it is so shows the necessity for the full adoption of the body. (Rom. viii. 23). It must be shown that God is a respecter of per- sons. That the same destiny should await the body of a saint, which has been an instrument of righteousness, and that of a sinner, which has been altogether devoted to the service of sin, does not accord with our conception of the justice of God. There is that within us which demands that, at some time or other, there should be some difference made, and God in His revealed word tells us that there will be. The body of the saint will have an adoption-day — it will be redeemed from the curse of sin (Rom. viii. 23), and will be ''fashioned like unto the glorious body " of the Son of God (Phil. iii. 21). III. Family life is consistent with the highest spiritual attainments and the most devoted spiritual service. Samuel the prophet of God was a husband and father. The highest ideal of man is not that of a solitary creature bound by no human ties, and fulfilling none of the social duties of life. But the most perfect manhood is that which is developed first of all in the head of a house- hold as the father of a family. When God first created man He did not con- sider him complete until he became a social head, and it is as true now as it was then that a man is not developed on all sides of his character until he takes the position for which God evidently intended him, and fulfils the duties which belong to that position. And this being so, it is obvious that such a life is no hindrance to a man's spiritual growth and to his most entire devotion to the service of God. No man in Hebrew history stands before Samuel in purity of life or singleness of aim ; no man, excepting perhaps Moses, was more honoured by God as an intercessor on behalf of others, or was more entirely devoted to the highest welfare of his people, yet he was the head of a household, he was a husband and a father. And if we look back upon the history of the Church of God, we shall find that the greater number of her most devoted servants have not been monks and nuns, but husbands and wives, fathers aud mothers. IV. The most godly men cannot transmit their godliness to their children. Samuel's sons "walked not in his ways." There were several reasons which we should have supposed would lead them to do so. From their earliest days they had been witnesses of their father's godly life, aud nothing is more powerful than a good example. Yet in this case it had no _ influence ; all Samuel's integrity was unable to win his sons to the practice of justice. Then there was the position of responsibility in which they were placed. That they held a position in the nation which was only second to that of their father was favourable to the transmission of the virtues which he had displayed as judge of Israel. But this was not the case. We cannot doubt that they also enjoyed the blessing of a father's prayers and instruction. If Samuel was in the habit of bringing all Israel before God in prayer, it is certain that he did not omit to make special intercession for his own children ; if he ceased not to instruct and warn the entire nation, it is most unlikely that he failed to acquaint his children with the law of God — with His dealings with the nation in the past--with the judgment that he had been called to foretell concerning the sons of Eli, and with the great promises which had been made to Israel if they were faithful to their pri\dleges. But he finds himself confronted with the fact that a holy seed is born, not of the blood of prophets, nor of the will of man, but of God. Great as are the moral advantages of being born into a godly family, more than the mere fact of being so born, and of being surrounded by every holy influence, is needed to subdue the will of fallen man, and make him a servant of God. 105 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. BOOK r. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 1. Samuel began his acquain- tance with God early, and continued it long ; he began it in his long coats, and continued to his grey hairs : he judged Israel all the days of his life. God doth not use to put off His old servants, their age endeareth them to Him the more ; if we,be not unfaithful to Him, He cannot be unconstant to us. — Bishop Hall. Ver. 3. It is amazing how this sin of covetousness perverts the moral faculties. Gold, unlawfully got, sears the conscience. Some of the loftiest minds have been degraded by this sin. Perhaps there was not a greater man in his own age, or in any age, than Lord Bacon. He is the father of modern philosophy, and revolutionised the in- quiries of the schools. . . . His works must ever be read with profit, and they contain a vast store of wisdom expressed in the most felicitous language. Yet, strange to relate, Lord Bacon was one of the most unscrupulous lawyers, and one of the most disreputable judges that ever sat upon the English bench. , . . This philosopher, who had written so much in praise of virtue, was impeached by the House of Commons, and found guilty of receiving bribes to the amount of £100,100 ! " This glimpse of the rise and fall of a great man," says Dr. Tweedie, " proclaims aloud the insuf- ficiency of all but the grace and truth of God to keep a man morally erect. — Steel. Perhaps Israel had never thought of a king, if Samuel's sons had not been unlike their father. Who can promise himself holy children, when the loins of a Samuel and the education in the temple yielded monsters ? It is not likely that good Samuel was faulty in that indulgence for which his own mouth had denounced God's judg- ments against Eli ; yet this holy man succeeds Eli in his cross, as well as in his place, though not in his sin ; and is afflicted with a wicked succession. God Avill let us find that grace is by gift, not by inheritance, I fear Samuel 106 was too partial to nature in the sur- rogation of his sons. I do not hear of God's allowance to this act ; if this had been God's choice as well as his, it had been like to have received more blessing. . . . Even the best heart may be blinded by affection. — Bp. Hall. I. The children of good men do not always walk in their parents' ways. It was not the peculiar affliction of Samuel. ... It was early seen that grace was not hereditary. In the family of Adam, there was a Cain, a murderer ; in that of Noah, a Ham, who mocked his father ; in that of Abraham, an Ishmael, a scoffer at religion ; in that of Isaac, a profane Esau. An incestuous Keuben, and a bloody Simeon and Levi, distressed the heart of good old Jacob ; two drunkards, Nadab and Abihu, were found in the family of Aaron, " the saint of God ; " and Hophni and Phi- nehas brought disgrace and ruin upon the house of Eli II. The frequent recurrence of this fact need excite no surprise in those who believe in the corruptions of human nature and the sovereignty of Divine Grace. .... The children of the godly are " by nature the children of wrath, even as others." . . . Something more is necessary than parents can confer, a change of heart, which God alone can accomplish III. Causes why the children of godly parents do not often walk in their parents' ways. Although this is to be ac- counted for by the corruption of human nature, there are certain subordinate causes .... 1. The untender and uncircumspect conversation of parents. .... They will more readily copy what is bad in your example, than what is good and praiseworthy .... the bad example will be followed, the good advice neglected. 2. Faults in their education. Such as unjust par- tiality, as in that of Isaac for Esau, and of Rebekah for Jacob. ... Or undue indulgence, which seems to have been the error of David, and the ruin of his son Adonijah. . . . Excessive severity CHAP. VIII. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. is an error not less fatal, and perhaps even as exemplified in their desire for as common. 3. The influence of had a king, was a result of Samuel's activity. company and had example in others. His former activity was an excellent The ruin of multitudes has proceeded preparation for royalty. The conscious- from want of caution in this matter. — ness of religious and civil union was Peddle. powerfully re-awakened by his means. An able king had only to reap what Ver. 4. The unanimity of the people, he had sown. — Ilengstenherg. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAQ RAPE.— Verses 4—22. A King Desired and Granted, I. The generality of mankind prefer the visible to the invisible. There have been men in all ages of the world who have chosen as their portion that which is unseen in preference to what is seen, and they have done so on the most reasonable and substantial grounds. The Invisible King had more power to influence the actions — to control the choice — of Moses than the visible and mighty monarch of Egypt. He was so ruled by a desire to serve Him whom he had never seen that he counted the wrath of Pharaoh as nothing in comparison. In the day of battle his eye was not fixed upon the visible enemy, but it was raised to that unseen friend whose help he sought for the people whom he led. His whole life was an " enduring as seeing Him who is invisible " (Heb. xi. 27). Samuel also was ruled by an abiding sense of the presence of the Unseen King. To Him he cried in the day of his people's danger, and with reference to Him he regulated his whole life. And in the present day, as in all past days, there are those who are ruled, not by the things which are seen and temporal, but by those which are unseen and eternal, who " endure as seeing Him who is invisihle." But these have always been in the minority — most men, like Israel of old, prefer the visible and the seeming to the invisible and the real. Those who have this preference justify it because it mahes them like the majority. "iV«?/,"said Israel, "but we will have a king to reign over us, that ive also may he like all the nations" (vers. 19, 20). The influence of numbers has always had great weight with mankind. They do not like to be singular, and they find a reason for doing what they do, and for having what they desire, iu the fact that the generality of men have and do it. The great majority of the Hebrew nation were unwilling to be diff"erent from the nations around them ; those nations had a visible king, and although he was but a man like them- selves, Israel desired to have such a king rather than render allegiance to God only as their King. II. Even when a desired thing is shown to be injurious, men will often persist in desiring it. Sometimes a physician finds a patient who is so self- willed that he will persist in desiring food which has been proved to be injurious to him. And so a godless soul has sometimes the injurious consequences of a certain course plainly set before him, and yet persists in his determination to continue in it. Samuel, like a wise moral physician, laid before Israel the con- sequences of persisting in their desire to have a king like the nations. But, although he plainly pointed out to them the bondage to which they would subject themselves by gratifying such a desire, they refused to relinquish it. In the face of the remonstrances of one whom they knew desired their real welfare, they held to their determination simply because it was theirs. III. God, rather than force the human will, will grant petitions which displease Him. God wiU not force any man to take His yoke. If men persist 107 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. book I. in desiring a heavier one, He will often grant their desire. This was more than once the case with the Hebrew nation. He once wrought a miracle to meet their wishes, when they incurred His deep displeasure by desiring their own way in preference to His. Is was an act of Divine judgment when He " gave them quails to the full" (Numb. xi. 33), and in the instance before us God granted their desire, but " He gave them a king in His anger" (Hosea xiii. 11), and Israel soon found that the gratification of their self-will brought its own punish- ment, and that their self-imposed yoke was a very different one from that which their Divine King had laid upon them. But God leaves men free to choose or to reject His guidance. He will have none but voluntary subjects. IV. In the time of displeasure and perplexity we should take the cause of both to God. Samuel, in this day of disappointment and uncertainty, " cried unto the Lord ; " and every child of God should do the same. He is prompted to this act by a spiritual instinct, and encouraged in it by the Divine promises. It is an instinct in human nature to turn to the strong in seasons of weakness, and to those who are wiser than we are in the season of perplexity. The child runs to the parent for help, and the inexperienced turn to those who have more wisdom than they have when they feel that their own wisdom is insufficient to guide them. In times of great extremity almost every human creature instinc- tively cries out for supernatural help, but when a man has a closer relation to God than that which is common to every human creature — when he can look up to Him and cry, Abba, Father — he not only turns his eye upward as naturally as a flower opens its petals to the sun, but he is encouraged and emboldened to do so by the Divine promises of succour. God has commanded His children to " call upon Him in the day of trouble," and has promised them deliverance (Psa. 1. 15). ''Because he hath set his love upon Me, therefore lo ill 1 deliver him : . . . . He shall call upon Me, and I ivill answer him : I ivill be ivith him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him" (Psa. xci. 14, 15). Samuel's experience at this time is an illustration of the truth of these Divine promises. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 5. The request of Israel brings over again, but with greater intensity, before us — I. A melancholy view of in the persons of the children. This the progress of degeneracy in a com- view of the case is, in a high degree, munity. Looking at their history from admonitory. None of us perhaps think the time of their entrance into Canaan, enough of the connexion between our- on the whole the scene presented is selves and the future, and yet, when that of successive generations rising up we do, there is much that may well to depart farther and farther from fill our minds with awe. . . . Each God, and now we have the dismal age exerts a very considerable influence consummation in their effort to destroy, on that which succeeds it, and the as far as they were concerned, that men of any particular age are respon- peculiar and interesting link between sible in a very large and affecting themselves and God which existed in measure for the characteristics of the the fact that besides being to them, as period which may come after them. He is to all creatures, their Supreme .... In looking at the clamorous Euler, He condescended to act as such assembly which the narrative brings in a direct and immediate form, stand- before us, we cannot recognise in that ing actually, and to all intents and crowd the immediate descendants of a purposes, in the same relation to them race of God-fearing fathers and of as that which an earthly sovereign God-honouring mothers. II. It teaches sustains towards his subjects us the perilousness of allowing our It was the sin of the fathers living thoughts to run in an improper direc- 108 CHAP. viir. EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. tion, and our wishes to centre upon a wrong object. And this because of the ahsorhing effect of one wrong tliouglit, and its consequent power to throw into oblivion all those counter- acting thoughts and objects which from any other source might be sug- gested. . . . Trace the progress of this one wrong desire in Israel. Was there nothing to be said on the other side? Is it not exceedingly easy to conceive of the counteracting effect which might have been presented to such a wish by a recollection of their actual privileges at the moment ? There is a matchless sublimity about the very idea of a theocracy. But if its sublimity did not appeal to their moral sense, its peculiar advantageous- ness might have appealed to their self- regard. No other form of government could be compared with it for beneficial results to its subjects. For consider what it involved — the equal accessible- ness of the Sovereign to all His sub- jects — the certainty of having the best counsel under all circumstances — the largest resources, both of power and skill, at their command — the impossi- bility of wrong motives affecting the Sovereign's acts — the freedom from the ordinary burdens of government when He was king who could say, "Every beast in the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills." . . Nor did they admit another recollection which might well have offered the strongest contradiction to their one wrong desire, even that of the faithful- ness and the loving-kindness with ivhich God, as their King, had ever treated them. . . . Beware of the first mis- direction of thought. Be sure you are right at first in your plans and pur- poses, because afterwards, by reason of the very force by which wrong thoughts indulged exclude all suggestions to the contrary, it may be too late to alter. — Miller. Ver. 6. A beautiful example of prayer to obtain the composure of ruffled feelings and to have the judg- ment directed aright by God's Holy Spirit, when it is in danger of being overswayed by personal motives. — Biblical Commentary. In this there was a twofold ungodly element. (1). They desired a king instead of the God-established and nobly-attested judge Samuel. . . The scheme is characterised as an in- justice against Samuel, and therefore a sin against the Lord who sent him (vers. 7, 8). (2). At the bottom of the people's desire for a king lay the delusion that God was powerless to help them, that the reason of their subjection was not their sin, but a fault in the constitution, that the kingdom would be an aid in addition to God. _ This point of view appears oftener in the narrative than the first (Isa. X. 18, 19 ; xii.). — Hengsten- herg. Ver. 7. It was not, then, the mere desire for reform in civil polity. It was the outburst in a new form of an ancient sin ; it was a new disguise for a well-known delinquency ; it was of a piece with their frequent backsliding. Ungodliness was at the root of their discontent God, who judgeth the heart, recognised the former dis- obedience in this new request. How different it seemed, yet how radically the same ! Man would have judged otherwise and inqrated the desire to other motives ; God, who is infallible, attributed it to the same. It is well to consider our motives for conduct, this would enable us to detect an old sin in a new form. — Steel. The condescension of this answer is very remarkable. Samuel's Avounded feelings are soothed by being reminded of the continual ingratitude of the people to God Himself, upon whom, in fact, a greater slight was put by this request for a king " like the na- tions," than upon Samuel. It is in the spirit of our Lord's saying to the apostles, " The disciple is not above his Master, nor the servant above hi,, lord" (Matt. x. 24, comp. Jolm xv. 18, 20). — Biblical Commentary. Such an answer sounds at first most strange, most perplexing ! Hearken unto them, for they have rejected me. 109 EOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. BOOK i; Yield to them, because they are doing a worse thing than you supposed they were doing No contradiction can seem greater. And yet no Jewish statesman or prophet could do the work that was given him to do, could be God's faithful witness, if he did not enter into the very heart of this contra- diction, if he did not mould his own conduct according to the deep truth that was implied in it. His impulse was to maintain the order of things which he found established in his day. He believed that order was God's order; he dared not refer it to any lower source. He administered that order in this faith ; if it forsook him, he became careless and corrupt. Could God's order then be changed? Was He not, by His very nature, the Un- changable? Was it not the highest duty to make the people feel that this was His character ? Was it not thus that their own frivolity and passion for change would be corrected? When the impulse passes into reasoning you cannot easily detect a flaw in it ; and yet it was stronger still while it was still an impulse and did not pass into reasoning. Nothing but prayer to the unchangable God could show wherein both were false and might lead to falsehood. The unchangableness of God is not to be confounded with the rigidness of a rule or a system. If it is so confounded, the purpose and nature of His government are forgotten. He — the Perfect and Absolute Will — has created beings with wills, beings made in His own image. He educates them ; He desires that they should know His Will, that is to say, Himself. They are to learn what they themselves are, what they would make of them- selves, what He would make of them, partly by an experience of their own wilfulness, partly by results which He brings to pass in spite of that wilful- ness, yea, by means of it. This is the explanation of the paradox ..." Let them know what the general of armies, whom they crave for as a deliverer, will do to bring them into deeper bondage, but do not resist a desire which has in it a deeper meaning than 110 you know, which will produce im- mediate sorrows, but in which is hidden a Divine purpose for the good and not for the destruction of your people." In a very remarkable sense, then, the vox popidi was the vox Del, even when the two voices seemed most utterly out of harmony. The prophet was not merely to notice the outward and obvious discord between them ; he was to listen with purged ears till he found where one became really the echo of the other. — Maurice. The sin of Israel did not consist simply in wishing to have a king. God had promised to Abraham that kings should come out of him (Gen. xvii. 6), and also to Jacob (Gen. xxxv. 11). The Holy Spirit had prophesied by Jacob that "the sceptre should not depart from Judali until Shiloh come " (Gen. xlix. 10) ; and Balaam, that a "sceptre should arise out of Israel" (Numb. xxiv. 17) ; and God had pro- vided certain laws for the kingdom which should arise in Israel (Deut. xvii. 15-20). But their sin consisted in not waiting patiently for God's time, when He might think fit to give them a king. It consisted in not leaving the season of the kingdom and the choice of a king in His hands. It con- sisted in not asking Samuel to inquire of God whether the time had arrived when they might have a king ; and in presuming that they were themselves the best judges of what conduced to their own welfare, and needed not to ask counsel of God. St. Paul notices this in his historical address to the synagogue of Antioch in Pisidia. " God gave unto them judges about the space of four hundred and fifty years, and afterwards tliey desired a king " (Acts xiii. 20, 21). It consisted in the un- thankfulness and discontent of the people, dissatisfied with their present condition, when " God was their King." It consisted in an eager desire to be "like all other nations," who had earthly kings ; whereas they ought to have deemed it a high privilege to be unlike other nations, in that they had been separated from all other people (Lev. XX. 26) and chosen from out of CHAP. VIII. EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. other nations to be a peculiar treasure to God above all people, a holy nation, a kingdom of priests (Exod. xix. 5, 6), " a special people unto the Lord their God, above all people that are upon the face of the earth " (Deut. vii. 6). They thought lightly of this preroga- tive, and, like a national Esau, they profanely bartered their birthright for what they deemed a temporal benefit. — Wordsworth. Ver. 8. Old sins are not forgotten with God, if they are all the time kept up and not repented of (Exod. xxxii. 34). — Wuertemb. Bible. Ver. 18. Cries that will not be heard. 1. Self-will often brings us unto dis- tress. 2. This distress makes us cry to the Lord. 3. Such cries the Lord does not promise to hear. — Tr. of Langes Commentary. These words should make us tremble. For they teach us that after having for some time followed with delight the wanderings of our own heart against the advice of our counsellors, we shall some day find ourselves in- volved in many evils. This often happens to men. One binds himself in one way, and one in another — each walks according to the desires of his heart, and in the way which he has marked out for himself, and is followed by sorrows which compel him to cry to heaven for help. But God will not hear these cries, unless they are the fruit of a true repentance, and then the ills that are suffered in the path which has been chosen are the just punishment for our wilfulness in having entered it. — De Sacy. Ver. 19. Like little children, the passions of a people are blind to the future. . . . Thus the sinner will have his desire, though it imperil his soul for ever. The avaricious ivill have gold, though it become his idol, and his immortal spirit worship the golden calf. The inebriate will have his drink, though he degrade his being, blast his character, beggar his family, and damn his soul. — Steel. We will have a king. Why then, you shall, saith God, for a miscliief to you (Hosea xiii. 11). You shall have your will, and then I will have mine another while. (See the like, Hosea xiii. 11.) — Trapp. Ver. 21. Samuel can go back to God with the same upriglitness as he had come from that sacred place. The tides of popular feeling did not bear him away. He could stand alone in his devotedness to God, if the people should all reject the word of the Most High. . . . He was willing to abide by the Divine decision. His will Avas according to God's. High attainment for a sinful man ! — Steel. Ver. 22. The history of the world cannot produce another instance in which a public determination was formed to appoint a king, and yet no one proposed either himself or any other person to be king, but referred the determination entirely to God. Ambition of royal authority certainly was not the motive in the leading men who supported this measure. The whole of their proceedings, even in this highly improper determination, shows how fully convinced they were that the law of Moses was from God, and that, even in appointing a king. His directions must be observed, or rather, that the decision must be referred implicitly to God Himself. — Scott. Few who rebuke so sharply and are not followed, escape the animosity of the people, but this man of God con- ducted himself with such rectitude and godliness as to come forth from the ordeal with the confidence and respect of all the people. . . . There are times when such consistent piety would have made him a martyr ; nevertheless, it insures respect, and is most likely to invest its possessor with an invulner- able character in the esteem of the very people who often refused his counsel, but had been often benefited by his prayers. — Steel. Samuel sorrowfully dismissed them to their homes, that he might have 111 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. BOOK I, time to take the necessary measures for effecting this great change. . . It was not the wish of the prophet to leave them to all the consequences of their infatuation. With wise and noble patriotism it was henceforth his solici- tude, while accomplishing their wishes, to save them, as far as possible, from the consequences they declared them- selves willing to incur. And if, in the result, we find the Hebrew monarchy less absolute than generally among eastern nations — if the people retained possession of more of their national and social rights than in other eastern kingdoms — and if the strong exertion of kingly power was, in after ages, resented by them as a wrong instead of being recognised as a just prero- gative, it is entirely owing to the sagacious care and forethought of Samuel, acting under Divine direction, in securing from utter destruction at the outset the liberties which the people so wilfully cast into the fire. In fact, the more we contemplate the character of Samuel, the more its greatness grows upon us, and the more distinctly we recognise the most truly illustrious character in Hebrew history since Moses. — Kitto. This history exhibits the relation of the Divine will to the humamwill, when the latter stands sinfully opposed to the former. God never destroys the freedom of the human will. He leaves it to its free self-determination, but when it has turned away from His will, seeks to bring it back by the revelation of His word. If this does not succeed, human perversity must nevertheless minister to the realisation of the plans of His kingdom and salvation, and also, in its evil consequences, bring punish- ment, according to His righteous law, on the sin which man thus freely commits. — Lange's Commentary. CHAPTER IX. Critical and Expository Notes. — Ver. 1. "Now, there was a man of Benjamin." " The elaborate genealogy of the Benjamite Klish, and the minute description of the figure of his son Saul, are intended to indicate at the very outset the importance to which Saul attained in relation to the peoijle of Israel. Kislivf&s, the son of Ahiel : this is in harmony with chap, xiv. 51. But when, on the other hand, it is stated in 1 Chron. viii, 33, ix. 39, that Ner begat Kisli, the difference may be reconciled in the simplest manner, on the assumption that the Ner mentioned there is not the father, but the grandfather, or a still more remote ancestor of Kish, as the intervening members are frequently passed over in the genealogies (Kiel). "A migMy man of power," rather, "a ricli ivdl-to-do man" (Erdmann). Ver. 2. "Saul." "Heb. Sh'dul ; i.e., desired, asked for : his name was an omen of his history" (Wordsu-orthJ. "From his shoulders and upward." "It is evident that he must have been only a little under seven feet liigh " (JamiesonJ. See also note on chap. x. 23. Ver. 3. " The asses of Kish," etc. The probability is that the family of Kish, according to the immemorial usage of Oriental shepherds in the purely pastoral regions, had let the animals roam at large during the grazing season, at the close of which messengers were disi^atched in search of them. Such travelling searches are common ; and as each owner has his stamp marked on his cattle, the mention of it to the shepherds he meets gradually leads to the discovery of the strayed animals. This ramble of Saul's had nothing extraordinary in it, except its superior directions and issue, which turned its uncertainty into certainty " (JamiesonJ. " The superintendence of the cattle was anciently an occupation held in much esteem. It was regarded as the proper office of a son, and by no means implies the smallness of Kish's possessions or his want of servants Among cattle in the East at all times, and especially ere horses were used for riding, asses were esteemed of much importance If such an incident now happened in Palestine, it would be at once concluded that the animals had been stolen, and it speaks well for the state of society in the times of Samuel, that this suspicion never crossed the mind of Saul or his father" (Kitto J. 112 OHAP. IX. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. Ver. 4. " And as he passed through Mount Ephraim," etc. " As Saul .started in any case from Gibeah of Benjamin, liis own home (chap. x. 10-26, etc.), i.e.. the present TuUel el Phid, which was an hour or an hour and a half to the north of Jerusalem, and went thence into the mountains of Ephraim, he no doubt took a north-westerly direction, so that he crossed the boundary of Benjamin somewhei-e between Bireh and Atarah, and passing throuo-h the crest of the mountains of Ephraim, came out into the land of Shalisha. Shalisha is unquestionably the country round Baal-shalisha (2 Kings iv. 42), which was situated, accordino- to Eusebius fifteen Roman miles to the north of Lydda, and was therefore probably the country to the west of Jiljilia, where three different wadys run into one large wady, called Kurawa ; and accordin"- to the probable conjecture of Thenius, it was from this fact that the district received the name of Shalisha, or Three-land. . . . Since they went on from Shaalim into the land of Benjamin, and then still further into the land of Zuph, on the south-west of Benjamin, they probably turned eastwards from Shalishah into the country where we find Beni 31ussak and Beni Salem marked upon Robinson's and V. de Velde's maps, and where we must therefore look for the land of Shaallin, that they might proceed thence to explore the land of Benjamin from the north-east to the south-west." ( Keil). Ver. 5. " Land of Zuph." Nothing is certainly known of the land of Zuph, but " we may infer with certainty that it was on the south-west of the tribe-territory of Benjamin, from the fact that, according to chap. x. 2, Saul and liis companion passed Rachel's tomb on their return thence to their own home, and then came to the border of Benjamin." (Keil). Ver. 6. " This city." Some commentators suppose that this city was Raraah, Samuel's residence ; but Keil, Jamiesou, Wordsworth, and others, consider that several circumstances are against this supposition, especially the mention of Rachel's sepulchre in chap. x. 2. "Per- adventure he can show us our way," etc. " We may fancy tliat the man and his master either entertained a very high sense of the importance of their asses, or a very low one of the prophetic office ; but the man would scarcely have reached this conclusion unless it were notorious that Samuel had often been consulted respecting things lost or stolen. We may therefore infer that, at the commencement of the prophetic office in the person of Samuel, it was usual, in order to encourage confidence in their higher vaticinations, and to prevent that dangerous resort to heathen divinations, for the prophets to afford counsel when required in matters of private concernment." ( Kitto). Ver. 7. " What shall we taring the man?" " Then, as now in the East, it would have been the height of rudeness and indecorum for anyone to present himself before a superior or even an equal, without some present, more or less, according to his degree, not by any means as a fee or a bribe, but in testimony of his homage, respect, or compliments" (Kitto). "This does not exclude the supposition that the prophets depended for support on these voluntary gifts." (Erdmann). Ver. 8. " Fourth part of shekel of silver." " Rather more than sixpence. Contrary to our western notions, money is in the East the most acceptable form in which a present can be made to a man of rank." (Jamicson). Ver. 9. " These words are manifestly a gloss inserted in the older narrative to explain the use of the term Seer. One among many instances which prove how the very letter of the contemporary narrative was preserved by those who in later times compiled the histories." (Biblical Commentary). "Prophet." "Seer." "There has been much discussion as to the distinction between these two words ; and it is not easy to decide the question, for in some passages, as here, they appear to be used synonymously, or as applied to the same indivitluals, whereas in others they are contrasted (1 Chr. xxix. 29, Isa. xxix. 10, xxx. 10). The first, from the verb to see, sufficiently shows that the power of the person arose from mental vision. The second, from a verb to bubble up, as a spring or fountain, signifies that the messao-e which the Nabi (prophet) delivered was derived from God ; and hence it is always rendered^a "prophet." Accordingly Havernich (Introduction to the Old Testament) considers the first term as marldng the recejitive act of revelation, and the second as describing the office of the prophets— that of communicating the word of God. Hence, after the institution of the schools by Samuel, it became the official title of the prophets ; and the two functions were united in, or performed by the same person." [Jamieson). " This statement has special interest in connection with the history of the prophetic work in Israel The change of name from Roeh (seer) to Nabi (prophet) and Chozeh (gazer) had its ground probably in the development of the religious constitution. Up to some time before the author of " Samuel " ^vrote, the non-sacerdotal, non- Levitical religious teacher was one distinguished by seeing visions, or by seeing into the will of God. This is God's definition of the prophet in Numb. xii. 6 ; it is involved in 1 Samuel iii. 1. 15, and in the visions of the patriarchs. The Law of Moses was the complete and sufficient guide for life and worshiij, and it was only in special individual matters that the divine direction was given, and then it was through the medium of a vision. He who saw the vision was a Roeh, and it was natural enough that he should be consulted by the people about I 113 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. many matters. But in process of time the mechanicalness and deadness to which the legal ritual constantly tended called forth an order of men who expounded and enforced the spirituality of the law, speaking as God bade them, speaking for God, entering as a prominent element into the religious life of the nation. He who thus spake was a Nahi, and as he, too, might have visions, he was sometimes called Cliozeli the gazer As this speaker for God gradually took the place of the old seer of visions, the word Nahi replaced Roeh in popular usage. It seems that the change began in or about Samuel's time, and was completed about three centuries later, Koeh stiil maintaining itself in the language, though rarely used. On the other hand, Nabi may have been used infrequently in early times in reference to Abraham and Moses, and have become afterwards the common term, or the occurrence of the word in the Pentateuch may be the transference of a late word to earlier times." (Transr. of Lange's Commmtarij ). Ver. 12. "High place." Of such " Bamoth," or holy places on heights, where the people assembled for sacrifice and prayer, there were several during the unquiet times of the judges, especially after the central Sanctuary at Shiloh ceased to exist, till the building of the Temple (comp. vii. 9 ; x. 8 ; xiii. 8 ; xvi. 2, etc.), as, indeed, the patriarchs sacrificed on high places (Gen. xii. 8). It was not till after the building of the Temple that the high-place worship, which easily degenerated into idolatry, was completely done away with" (2 Kings xxiii. 4-23) (Erdmann). Ver. 13. " To eat." This was a sacrificial feast following a peace offering. Ver. 15. "Told Samuel in his ear," lit., had uncovered his ear. See on chap. iii. 7. Vers. 16, 17. "The reason here assigned for the establishment of a monarchy is by no means at variance with the displeasure which God had expressed to Samuel at the desire of the people for a king ; since this displeasure had reference to the state of heart from which the desire had sprung." (Keil) Ver. 17. "This same shall reign," literally shall restrain. "This characteristises his government as a sharp and strict one." (Erdmann). Ver. 19. "Go up before me." "Letting a person go in front was a sign of high esteem ." {Keil). Ver. 20. *' On whom is all the desire of Israel," not all that Israel desires, but all that Israel possesses of what is precious or worth desiring. See Hag. ii. 7 (Keil). Ver. 21. " The smallest of the tribes," etc. " The tribe of Benjamin, originally the smallest of all the tribes (Numb, i.), if Ephraini and Manasseh are recki)ned as one tribe, had been nearly annihilated by the civil war recorded in Judges xx. It had, of course, not recovered from that calamity in the time of Samuel." (Biblical Commentary). Ver. 22. " He brought them into the parlour," i.e., the apartment set apart for the most distinguished guests, the rest of the people no doubt encamped in the open air. Ver. 24. " The shoulder." " If it was the right shoulder, then Samuel, to whose share it fell, as performing the functions of priest (Lev. vii. 32), gave Saiil of his own portion ; or, if i^ were the left shoulder, then he admitted Saul to the next share after his own." (Wordsworth). Ver. 25. "Upon the top of the house." "Xot surely for privacy, as some expound it, for the house-top was the proverbial expression for piiblicity (Isa. xv. 3 ; Luke xii. 3), but in order to let all the people of the city see the honour done to the stranger by the great i^rophet." (Biblical Commentary). Ver. 2fi. " Samuel called Saul from the top of the house," rather to the top of the house. Saul was most likely sleeping on the roof, a common sleeping place in summer in the East, and Samuel called to him from below witliin the house. MAIN EOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 1-14. Saul's Search for the Lost Asses. I. This narrative reveals the action of the natural and the supernatural in the Divine Providence. There is no part of the globe on wliich we live that is not under the influence of the sun — the centre of the solar system. If there are caves and valleys where no sunshine can enter, the daylight finds its way into them, or if they are closed against the light, they are still influenced by 114 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. the sun's gravitating power, for there is no particle of the globe that is hid from this hold of the sun upon it. And as surely as there is an all-pervading influence from the sun upon the entire material globe, so there is a providence from which no creature of God is shut out — there is no thing nor person upon whom His providence has not a hold. Each blade of grass is fed with its drop of dew under the supervision of its Creator — the lilies are each clothed by His hand, and He notes each sparrow that falls to the ground as well as the downfall of the mightiest monarch. When we read the narrative before us we can but be impressed with the fact that there is a providence ruling in the earth. But the Providence of God embraces both natural and supernatural agencies. There are incidents in human life which appear to us to be the natural outcome of ordinary circumstances, and some such incidents are related in this narrative. No farmer would think it a marvel if his cattle strayed beyond the boundaries of home nor would a fisherman be surprised if his boat now and then slipped its cable and drifted a little way from its anchorage. If the child of some fond parent is l(3st in the great city no one thinks that it is a supernatural occurrence. Although the cattle do not stray without God's knowledge, and no boat that slipsfrom its anchorage, or child that wanders from its home, is outside His providence, yet these are all events which happen within the circle of His ordinary and e very-day working and permission. And so it was an occurrence inside God's ordinary providence that the father of Israel's king-elect should lose his asses. _ Although they were not lost without the Divine knowledge, and there was an intention that their loss should be the first link in a chain which included supernatural elements, the event itself was a common occurrence. But God intended that a great finding should come out of a comparatively insignificant loss. The straying of the asses was linked with the revelation to Sanmel, and this last event was of a supernatural character. The first link of a chain-cable is a long way from the last, but they are intimately connected, and form parts of one whole. The one may be above the water, and in sight, and the other next to the anchor in the bed of the river, but they are both parts of the same chain. So the supernatural revelation to Samuel was the link out of sight, and in the region of the higher law of God's working, and the loss of the alses was the visible link in the lower law, but the one was as much a part of the chain which brought Saul to his kingdom as the other was. Thus the natural and supernatural are interlaced in the Providence of God to bring to pass His purposes, as the soul and body of a man are linked together in order to enable him to live his life upon the earth. 11. The narrative reveals to us some of the characteristics of the first kin^ of Israel. 1. His personal appearance tvas a reflection of the nations desire. When we see a man's ideal we know what it is that he considers of most value, his ideal is a mirror which tells us what he regards as of highest worth. If a' nation is free to elect its own representatives, we can learn what qualities or gifts in men it esteems most highly by becoming acquainted with those whom it has chosen. Although Israel did not choose their own king, God gave them one who was a mirror of their minds — one who revealed what they held in highest esteem. They did not want a man like Samuel — a man of moral and spiritual force whose prayer was more invincible than Saul's sword. They desired a king unlike God, one whom they could see when they went forth to battle, and who would at least impress their enemies by a commandino- bodily presence. And God gave them their hearts' desire in this "goodly young man, who, so far as stature went, was " higher than any of the people." 2. Saul had also some good points in his character. He was a man who honoured his father. ^ Kish said to Saul his son, " Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses," and he appears to have obeyed 11.') HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. witlioiit demur. Obedience to human parents, when they do not require anything wrong, is pleasing to God and an indication of some moral excellence under any circumstances. But the obedience is more praiseworthy when the child has arrived at manhood, and still more so if the man is qualified for higher employment, and yet sinks his own will in that of his parent, and performs some lowly duty in obedience to his desire. Saul, though a grown man, and evidently fitted for a more dignified employment, goes willingly to seek lost asses in obedience to his fixther's desire, and thus shows that he pos- sesses a truly filial spirit. He was "faithful in that which was least" (Luke xvi. 10). He was also evidently desirous to spare no pains to carry out his father's wishes. He pursued his journey from place to place over many weary miles, until all the provisions and nearly all the money with which he and his servant had set out were exhausted (vers. 7, 8). He did not content himself with such a search as might have contented many men and have fulfilled the letter of his father's injunction, he was intent upon obeying the spirit of it also, and only thought of giving up the search when he knew his lengthened absence would cause anxiety at home. In this, too, he showed himself as mindful of his father's feelings, and as unwilling to give him trouble, as he was ready to obey him. Many a young man, when he had once set out upon such a journey, would have consulted his own fancy and his own ease in his return, but Saul was of a better sort. His willingness to be advised by his servant is also an indication that he was not a haughty, proud young man — that he did not look upon those who were beneath him in station as necessarily inferior to him in wisdom. All that we read of Saul in this chapter is indicative of a good natural disposition. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Vers. 1-14. The first test to which advance in the history from the patri- God subjects His servant. It embraces arch and nomadic state, which concerns two main points. (1). Wliether with us mainly by its contrast with our own, certain natural talents and advantages to that fixed and settled state which which God has given us he will in has more or less pervaded the whole humility and quiet obedience do the condition of the Church ever since. work enjoined upon him. (2). Whe- But, although in outward form Saul ther when his work proves useless he belonged to the new epoch, although will seek help from the seer of God. even in spirit he from time to time The Most High God appoints a testing threw himself into it, yet on the whole for His servant Saul, and so whoever he is a product of the earlier condition, is summoned to_ the service of God Whilst Samuel's existence comprehends knows that for him also there must be and overlaps both periods in the calm- a testing. — Disselhoff. ness of a higher elevation, the career of Saul derives its peculiar interest Vers. 1, 2. Samuel is the chief figure from the fact that it is the eddy in of the transitional period which opens in which both streams converge. In the history of the monarchy. But that vortex he struggles — the centre there is another upon whom the char- of events and persons greater than acter of the epoch is impressed still himself; and in that struggle he is more strongly — who belongs to this borne down and lost. ... He is, we period especially, and could belong to may say, the first character of Jewish no other. Saul is the first king of history which we are able to trace out Israel. In him that new and strange in any minuteness of detail. He is idea became impersonated. In him the first with regard to whom we can we feel that we have made a marked make out that whole connection of a 116 CHAP. IX. HO MI LET 10 COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. large family — father, uncle, cousins, sons, grandsons — which, as a modern historian (Palgrave) well observes, is so important in making us feel that we have acquired a real acquaintance Avith any personage of past times. — Stanley. Ver. 2. Saul was mighty in person, overlooking the rest of the people in stature, no less than he should do in dignity. The senses of the Israelites could not but be well pleased for the time, howsoever their hearts w'ere after- ward : when men are carried with outward shows, it is a sign that God means them a delusion. — Bishop Hall. Vers. 3, 4. Since, from God's conceal- ment of the future, we cannot tell what He may intend to do Avith us and by us, it is our duty to hold ourselves in readiness to undertake any service which He may require us to render, to enter upon any position He may call upon us to till. When we see Saul taken from tlie quiet discharge of the common duties of life, and placed upon the throne of Israel, Ave see the truth set forth — in an extreme case Ave admit, but therefore only the more impressively — that it is utterly im- possible for us to predict what God may have in store for us. Of all the possible or probable events Avhich might have liappened to Saul, that of becoming king would most certainly have been set doAvn by himself as least likely to occur. .... And it Avould not be difficult for us to fix on positions and duties, respecting Avhich, if a fellow-creature were to intimate even the most distant prospect of their ever forming part of our personal history, Ave should have our reply ready at once, that it was as little likely as that Ave should be called to fill the tln'one of these realms. Yet these may be actually in store for us. .... But there are certain qualifi- cations which are requisite alike for all positions, and Avhich render us, in a good measure, ready for any service. Such, for instance, are diligence and fidelity in meeting the claims of our present condition, A\'hatever it may be. — Miller. Ver. 6. Most people would rather be told their fortune than told their duty ; lioAv to be rich than hoAV to be saved. If it Avere the business of men of God to direct for the recovery of lost asses, they would be consulted much more than they are, noAv that it is their business to direct for the recovery of lost souls. — Blatt. Ilenrij. Great is the benefit of a wise and religious attendant ; such a one puts us into those duties and actions Avliich are most expedient and least thought of. If Saul had not had a discreet servant he had returned but as Avise as he came ; noAV he is drawn in to con- sult Avitli the man of God, and hears more than he hoped for. Saul Avas now a sufficient journey from his father's house ; yet his religious servant, in this remoteness, takes knoAvledge of the place where the prophet dAvells, and how honourably doth he mention him to his master. Vers. 12, 13. This meeting Avas not more a sacrifice than it was a feast ; these tAvo agree Avell ; we have never so much cause to rejoice in feasting as Avhen we have duly served our God. The sacrifice was a feast to God, the other to men ; the body may eat and drink with contentment Avhen the soul hath been first fed. . . . The sacri- fice was before consecrated when it Avas offered to God, but it Avas not conse- crated to them till Samuel blessed it; his blessing made that meat holy to the guests Avhich was formerly hallowed to God. ... It is an un- mannerly godlessness to take God's creatures without the leave of their Maker, and Avell may God Avithhold his blessing from them Avhich have not the grace to ask it Every Christian may sanctify his OAvn meat ; but Avhere those are present that are peculiarly sanctified to God, this ser- vice is fittest for them. — Bp. Hall 117 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 15—27. The Announcement to Saul of the Destiny that Awaited Hbi. I. God has respect to the freedom of the human will. Although God had decided that Saul should be king of Israel, He would not do violence to his will, and oblige him to take the office against his inclination. All the dealings of Samuel with Saul on the occasion of this their first meeting were designed to impress him with the fact that great honour and responsibility were in store for him, and to lead him to acquiesce in the will of God concerning him. He was led gradually to accept as true the startling announcement with which Samuel greeted him, that upon him and upon his father's house was all the desire of Israel. Little by little the reality must have dawned upon him, and little by little, we may suppose, he was made willing to fall in with the Divine plan concerning him. We can well understand how far from his thoughts it was that, in seeking his father's asses, he should find a crown, and how inclined he would be to think that the prophet was mistaken when he intimated that some great promotion was in store for him. But when he found himself in the place of honour at the table of the chief magistrate of Israel, he must have begun to think that some great change awaited him, and it is probable that any lingering doubts were banished, and all his future made plain to him in the private com- munion which Samuel held with him on the following morning. In all these dealings with Saul we see how God has regard to the human will, which He has made free. II. In the reception which Samuel gave to Saul we have an instance of true humility. Hitherto Samuel had been the first man in Israel ; to him had belonged, and to him had been accorded the place of highest honour, and the choicest viands on the occasions of public assembly, but now he, although an aged man, not only willingly gives way to the young man who is in some things to take his place, but is the person who informs him of his call to the throne, and is the first to do him honour. No man could have acquitted himself with such grace and dignity under such circumstances, if he had not been possessed by the spirit of true humility. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Vers. 15, 27, The history of Saul's entertain and invite Saul ! Yet it was call brings before our eyes three he only that should receive wrong by points : (1) What an abundant bles- the future royalty of Saul, , . Wise sing there is for obedience — the call to and holy men, as they are not ambi- the service of God. (2) What a great tious of their own burden, so they are danger lies hid in this blessing — idle not unwilling to be eased, when God self-exaltation because of this call. (3) pleaseth to discharge them ; neither To what a blessed stillness the danger can they envy those whom God lifteth leads when overcome — to preparation above their heads. They make an for the calling. — Disselhoff. idol of honour that are troubled at their own freedom, or grudge at the Ver. 17. What an intimate commu- promotion of others. — B}). Hall. nion Samuel must have held with his The heads of the tribes accompanied God ! A constant familiarity seems Samuel to the altar, and then sat to have existed between them. — A. around his board. The chief of the Clarke. government was godly in both alike, and he could hold the sweetest fellow- Ver. 22. How kindly doth Samuel ship with those who were officially his 118 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. inferiors in the land. He lost not the of concealment and make it manifest respect of the people for his piety by who he was. So should we also, if his conduct at table, nor did the God has lent us gifts and wishes them majesty of law provoke contempt by to remain concealed with us, not be the familiarity of judge with people. — displeased at the fact that they are Steel. not recognised, but quietly wait until the Lord Himself, as it seemeth Him Vers. 26, 27. Saul must wait pa- good, carries further the matter that tiently until God shall bring him out He has begun. — Berlenberger Bible. CHAPTER X. Critical and Expository Notes.— Ver. 1. "Then Samuel took a vial of oil," etc. " The vial is a narrow-necked vessel, from which the oil flowed in drops. _ The oil, we must suppose, was not of the ordinary sort, but the holy anointing oil (Exod. xxix. 7 ; xxx. 23-33 ; xxvii. 29), which, according to the law, was used in the consecration of the sacred vessels and the priests On account of the significance of the oil in priestly consecration, Samuel would have used no other in the consecration of the sacred person of the theocratic king. Anointing as a solemn usage in the consecration of a king is referred to as early as Judges ix. 8-15, and (besides Saul here) is expressly mentioned as performed on David, Absalom, Solomon, Joash, Jehoahaz, and Jehu. In case of regular succession the anointing was supposed to continue its effect, whence is explained the fact that only the above kings are mentioned as having been anointed. . . . The anointed was consecrated, sanctified to God ; ... it signifies, further, the equipment with the powers and gifts of the Spirit of God." (Erdmann). " And kissed him." " Subjects of rank were wont to kiss a new king in token of homage and subjec- tion — just as among us the hand of a sovereign is kissed now. There was, no doubt, something of this in the kiss of Samuel ; but, under the peculiar circumstances, there must have been something more. It was also the kiss of congratulation upon the dignity to which he had been raised; and while it indicated the dignified respect of Samuel to the man apjiointed to reign over the house of Israel, it also testified his cheerful acquiescence in the appointment." (KittoJ. Ver. 2. "Rachel's sepulchre" near Bethlehem (Gen. xxxv. 16). "After the allotment of the country to the several tribes, the territory of the Benjamites was extended by a long strip far into the south, to include the sepulchre of their beloved ancestress." (Stanley). Ver. 3, " The plain of Tabor," rather, the oalc, or terebinth of Tabor. The eite is unknown. " Three men going up to Bethel." Evidently to make an offering to God. _ " Bethel had been a consecrated place for the worship of God since the days of the patriarchs, in consequence of the revelations He had made to Abraham and Jacob (see Gen. xii, 8 ; xiii. 3, 4 ; xxviii. 18, etc.). In Bethel, therefore, there was an altar ; it was one of the places where the people sacrificed to the Lord, and where Samuel at this time held court." (Erdmann). Ver. 4. " And give the two loaves." " That this surprising prelude to all future royal gifts is taken from bread of offering points to the fact, that in future some of the wealth of the land, which has hitherto gone undivided to the sanctuary, will go to the king." ( Evxdd). " An omen that God Himself would feed and sustain him, if he would only obey Him." (Wordsivorth). Ver. 5. " Hill of God," rather, Gibeah of God, Saul's home. " Two things are clear ; one, that Saul had got home when he got to Gibeah of God, for no further journeying is so much as hinted at, and the same word describes his home at ver. 26 : the other, that there was a high place at Gibeah just above the city." (Biblical Commentary). "A company of prophets." " Here is the first mention of an influential institution which owes its origin to this period, viz., the schools of the prophets Even if the schools of the prophets had begun to form them- selves before the time of Samuel, which we have the less reason to doubt, since the book of Judges bears adequate testimony to the existence of prophets, and since it lay in the nature of the thing that individuals bound themselves together as closely as possible and joined in a common activity against the spirit of the time, yet we cannot suppose^ that there / was any great extension and formal organisation of the institution previous to Samuel, from what is said in 1 Sam. iii. 1. Add to this the sporadic character of the activity of the prophets, which we learn from the Book of Judges. Finally, in favour of Samuel having virtually 119 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. established the schools of the prophets, we have the fact that we no longer meet with them except in the kingdom of Israel. This circumstance cannot be attributed to lack of information. The fact of our not meeting with them in the kingdom of Judah leads us to infer that they did not exist, and if this were the case, it is impossible to suppose that the schools of the prophets had taken deep root before Samuel. They appear as an institution established by him for a temporary object, and only continued, where necessity demanded it, in the kingdom of Israel, whose relations were, in many respects, similar to those in Samuel's time, where the prophethood occupied quite another position than in the kingdom of Judah, not being a mere supplement to the activity of the Levitical priesthood, but possessing the entire respon- sibility of maintaining the Kingdom of God in Israel. The principal passages referring to the schools of the prophets, besides this one, are 1 Kings xix. 20, 21 ; 2 Kings ii. 5, iv. 38, vi. 1. The designation is an awkward one, liable to cause misunderstanding. No instruction was given in the schools of the prophets, they were regular and organised societies. Taking all these passages together it becomes evident that they were in many respects a kind of monkish institution. Those who were educated there had a kind of common dwelling and a common table ; the most distinguished of the prophets standing at its head as spiritual fathers. Music was employed as a principal means of edification, and of awakening prophetic inspiration. But what distinguishes the schools of the prophets from the cloisters, or at least from a great number of them, is their thorough practical tendency. They were hearths of spiritual life to Israel. j'Their aim was not to encourage a contemplative life, but to rouse the nation to activity ; every '^ prophetic disciple was a missionary." (Hengstenbcrg) . "With a psaltery," etc. The psaltery was a kind of lyre with ten or twelve strings, triangular in form. The tabret, or tabourine, or timbrel (Exod. xv. 21) was a species of hand drum. The ^5;j;e was a kind of flute, and the harp another stringed instrument resembling the iDsaltery. "They shall prophesy," The emphasis rests on the words " and they were prophesying," they were in a condition of ecstatic inspiration in which, singing or speaking, with accompaniment of music, they gave expression to the overflowing feeling with which their hearts were filled from above by the controlling SiDirit." {Erdmann). / Ver. 6. " The spirit of the Lord will come upon thee," lit., rush upon thee. " This phrase is used of those who, under the influence of Divine in.spiration, uttered truths supernaturally revealed to them, in a lofty, poetic style, or who celebrated in exalted strains of praise the glorious deeds of Jehovah to His church. In this latter sense it is applied to Miriam (Exod. XV. 20, 21), to the seventy elders (Numb. xi. 29), and to the choir of young prophets, to which Saul joined himself, and in whose sacred employment he participated" (cf. Luke i. 65, end). (Jamieson). " Shalt be turned into another man." " This expression is a remarkable one, and occurs nowhere else. Doubtless it describes the change in point of mental power and energy which would result from the influx of the Spirit of the Lord. In the case of Samson it was a supernatural bodily strength, in the case of Saul a capacity for ruling and leading the people, of which before he was destitute, which the Spirit %vrought in him. The change in the mental power of the apostles, as described in Acts i, S, is analogous. The change is described in verse 9, by saying that " God gave him another heart." The heart in the Hebrew acceptation points more to intellect and courage than to the affections and conscience." (Biblical Commentary). " Ecstatic states,"saysTholuck, "have somethinginfectious about them. The excitement spreads involuntarily, as in the American revivals and the preaching mania in Sweden, even to persons in whose state of mind there is no affinity to anything of the kind. But in the instance before us there was something more than psychical infection. The Spirit of Jehovah, which manifested itself in the prophesying of the prophets, was to pass over to Saul, so that he would prophesy along with them, and was entirely to transform him. This transformation is not, indeed, to be regarded as regeneration in the Christian sense, but as a change resembling regeneration, which affected the entire disposition of mind, and by which Saul was lifted out of his former modes of thought and feeling, which were confined within a narrow earthly sphere, into the far higher sphere of his new royal calling, was tilled with kingly thoughts in relation to the service of God, and received another heart." ( Kielj. Ver. 7. "Do as occasion serve thee." " For God is with thee, and I will not intrude upon thee with imperious dictations on each several occasion, but I will leave thee to the free exercise of thy royal authority." ( Wordsioorth). Ver. 8. " Thou shalt go down before me to Gilgal," etc. " This, according to Josephus, was to be a standing rule for the observance of Saul while the prophet and he lived — that in every great crisis, as a hostile incursion into the country, he should repair to Gilgal, where he was to remain seven days, to afford time for the tribes on both sides of Jordan to assemble, and Samuel to reach it." (Jamieson). " Considering that at least two years elapsed between this time and that referred to in chap. xiii. 8-13 ; considering that Saul and Samuel had met at Gilgal, and offered peace-offerings to the Lord on one occasion between the times referred to in the two passages, it seems quite impossible that this verse can refer to the meeting spoken of in chap. xiii. 8-10." (Biblical Commentary ). Vers. 9 and 10. See on verse 6. 120 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. Ver. 11. "Is Saul also among the prophets?" "According to its origin, here given, this proverb does not merely express surprise at the sudden unexpected calling of a man to another calling in life, or to a high and honourable position. The personal and moral qualities of Saul, perhaps the religious-moral character of his family, or, at least, the mean opinion that was entertained of Saul's qualities and capacities, intellectually, religiously, and morally, formed the ground of surprise at his sudden assumption of the prophetic character." (Erdmann). Ver. 12. "Who is their father?" A somewhat obscure phrase. The Septuagint and some other versions read, ' Who is his father ? ' i.e., Who would have expected the son of Kish to be found among the prophets ? Other readings, as the authorised version, understand father to refer to the head of the prophets, and the question to reflect blame upon him for admitting such a person as Saul into the company of the prophets. Wordsworth paraphrases, ' Who is the father of the prophets ? Not man, but God. And God can make even Saul, whom ye despise, to be a prophet also.' Kiel—' Is their father a prophet, then ? ' i.e., have they the prophetic spirit by virtue of their birth ? ' The speaker declares,' says Bunsen, ' against the con- temptuous remark about the son of Kish, that the prophets, too, owed their gift to no peculiarly lofty lineage. Saul also might, therefore, receive this gift as a gift from God, not as a patrimony." Ver. 13. " When he had made an end of prophesying." " The gift, therefore, in his case, was transitory, not permanent, as in Samuel's : compare the case of Eldad and Medad, and the other elders, as contrasted with that of Moses" (Numb. xi. 25). (Wordsicorth). " The high place," whence the prophets had just descended. " Saul went iqj thither to pray and sacrifice in the holy place after his great experiences of the Divine favour and goodness, and so after his return home first to give God the glory before he returned to his family-life. He joined the descending company of the prophets in their solemn procession ; but when his participation in the utterances of the prophetic inspiration were over, his look rested on the sacred height whence the men had descended, and the impulse of the spirit of the Lord forced him vip thither, that, after the extraordinary offering he had made with the prophet.?, he might make the ordinary offering, and engage in worship." (Erdmann). Ver. 16. "Of the matter of the kingdom he told him not." "This is to be referred, not to Saul's unassuming modesty, humility, or modesty (Keil and Ewald), or prudence (Themius), or apprehension of his uncle's incredulity and envj^, but to the fact that Samuel, by his manner of imparting the divine revelation, had clearly and expressly given him to understand (ix. 25, 27) that it was meant in the first instance for him alone, and that it was not the Divine •will that he should share it with others." (Erdmann). Ver. 17. " Mizpeh." See on chap. vii. 9. " Unto the Lord." " Implying the presence of the ark, or the tabernacle, or the High Priest's ephod." Comp. ver. 19." (Biblical Commentary ). Ver. 20 "The family of Matri .... and Saul the son of Kish was taken." "When the heads of the households in this family came, and after the difi'erent individuals in the households were taken, the lot fell upon Saul the son of Kish. The historian proceeds at once to the final result of the casting of the lots, without describing the intermediate steps any further As the result of the lot was regarded as a divine decision, not only was Saul to be accredited by this act as the king appointed by the Lord, but he himself was also to be the more fully assured of his own election on the part of God." (Keil). "How the lots were cast is not said ; commonly it was by throwing tablets (Josh, xviii. 6, 8, etc), but sometimes by drawing from a vessel." (Numb, xxxiii. 54). The latter seems to have been the method here employed." {Erdmann). Ver. 22. " They inquired of the Lord .... and the Lord answered." " The inquiry was made through the high priest, by means of the Urim and Thummim. There can be no doubt that in a gathering of the people for so important a purpose, the high priest would also be present, even though this is not expressly stated." (Keil). " The high-priest's ofiice was vacant, some other, not Samuel, who presided over the assembly and the election, but a priest, in the high priestly robes, conducted the solemn inquiry, which was exclusively the privilege of the priests." (Erdmann), "If the man should yet come hither; " rather, has any one else come hither ? i.e., besides those here present among whom Saul was not to be found." (Erdmann). " Among the stuff." " Rather, the baggage. The assembly was like a camp, and the baggage of the whole congregation was probably collected in one place, where the waggons were arranged for protection," (Biblical Commentary). " The ground was his diffidence and sh}Ties3 in respect to appearing publicly before the whole people. Nagelsbach rightly remarks that his hiding behind the baggage during the election is not in conflict with the account of his change of mind. At 30 decisive a moment, which turns the eyes of all on one with the most diverse feelings, the heart of the most courageous man may well beat." (Erdmann). Ver. 23. " He was higher than any of the people," etc. " When in battle much less depended on military skill than upon the bodily prowess of the chief in single combats, or in 121 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. book i. the partial actions with which most battles commenced, it was natural that the people should take pride in the gigantic proportions of their leader, as calculated to strike terror into the enemy, and confidence into his followers ; besides, it was no mean advantage that the crest of the leader should, from his tallness, be seen from afar by his peoi:)le. The prevalence of this feeling of regard for personal bulk and stature is seen in the sculptures of ancient Egj-pt, Assyria, and Persia, and even in the modern paintings of the last-named nation, in which the sovereign is invested with gigantic proportions in comparison with the persons around him." {Kitto). Ver. 24. " God save the king." Eather, let the king live. The Hebrew is equivalent to the French Vive le Roi. Ver. 25. "Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom." On the first establishment of the kingdom it was possible to make conditions and to impose restrictions, to which any future king, royal by birth, and on whom the cro\\'n devolved by hereditary right, would not very willingly submit. There can be no doubt that the people, under the infatuation which now possessed them, would have put themselves under the monarchy without any condi- tions whatever, and it is entirely owing to the wise forethought of Samuel, acting under the Divine direction, that this evil was averted, and the kings of Israel did not become absolute and irresponsible masters of the lives and properties of their subjects." (^A'j'ito^ " This Zaw of the kingdom is not identical with the manner of the king described by Samuel in chap. viii. 11-18. The Hebrew word rendered manner in both places is misJipat, which properly means jiidgmeiit, rigid, law, that which is strictly dc jure ; but it also signifies usage, manner, custcm, that which is (Zc/ar^o, and the mishpat oi fhe kingdom here expresses the former, but the mishpat of the king in chap. viii. comprehends also the latter." ( Wordsicorth). " In content it was no doubt essentially the same with the law of the king in Deut. xvii. 14-20, especially verses 19, 20, and therefore related to the divinely-established rights and duties of the theocratic king, the fulfilment of which the people were authorised to demand from him." ( Erdmann). "Wrote it in a book." " We find here the first trace, after the written records of Moses, of writing among the prophets, long before the literary activity to which we owe what we have now." (Erdmann). "Laid it up before the Lord." " It was, no doubt, placed in the tabernacle, where the law of Moses was also deposited." (Keil). Ver. 26. "A band of men," etc. ; rather, the host ; but " here it does not signify a large military force, but a crowd of brave men whose hearts God had touched to give him a royal escort, and show their readiness to serve him."i(A'ei/). Ver. 27. " Children of Belial " (see on chap. ii. 12). " Presents," Minchah. " The token of homage and acknowledgment from the suliject to the sovereign, and from the tributary nation to their suzerain " (see 2 Sam'j viii. 2, 6; Judges iii. 17, 18; 1 Kings iv. 21, etc.). (Biblical Commentary). "But he held his peace." Literally, "He ^vas as being deaf," i.e., he acted as if he had not heard. MAIN EOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH— Verses 1-10. The Private Consecration of Saul, and the Miraculous Attestation TO ms Call. I. The most eventful forces of human life often begin in secret. The great forces in nature begin in secret. The mightiest cedar of Lebanon put forth its first tiny germ beneath the earth, and while men slept showed itself above ground, and received its first anointing of the dew when no human eye was there to look on. And the great men who have become mighty forces in the world have had their characters moulded and the direction of their lives determined by incidents unnoticed by the world. They became kings among their fellows, but their anointing took place in secret. They began their career buried in obscurity, and their first coming to the light was a circumstance unnoticed by any. It was not till God publicly called them to His service by the voice of His providence that men recognised who and what they were. So the anointing of the first king of Israel y was witnessed by no one except those engaged in the transaction. The conse- cration of this man, whose name has ever since had a place in human history, was performed in the most private manner. The first act in the establishment 122 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. of this kingdom, like that of many others, came not with observation. Our Lord teaches that this is an especial characteristic of the gospel kingdom, both in the world and in the heart. He, its king, made His first appearance upon the earth in a stable in the presence of one or two humble peasants, and received His first adoration from shepherds as He lay in a manger. " The kingdom of heaven is liJce to a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and sowed in his field ; ivhich, indeed, is the least of all seeds ; hut when it is groum, it is the greatest among herbs" (Matt. xiii. 31, 32). And the beginning of Christ's kingdom in the individual heart is marked by the same characteristic. The anointing of the Spirit which seals a human soul to God takes place unobserved by others — the ordination to be a king unto God (Rev. i. 6) is a private transaction between the soul and Him who has called it out of darkness to light — it is like the hiding of the leaven — an unnoticed act — only known to others by its effects (Matt, xiii. 33). Ananias the disciple at Damascus was the only human being who was made cognisant of the fact that Saul of Tarsus had uttered his first prayer to Jesus of Nazareth ; but what an eventful force was then set in motion — how mighty have been the influences which have ever since been flowing from that act of consecration to God — from the anointing of that mighty king in the Church of Christ. II. Epochs in the history of the Church, and in the history of individual souls, are generally preceded and followed by signs. The exodus of Israel from Egypt was preceded by supernatural events, and signs and wonders followed that epoch in their history. The manifestation of God in the burning bush, and the miracles done in Egypt, ushered in their national birth, which was followed by the Divine manifestation in the pillar of cloud and by the giving of bread from heaven, water from the rock, etc. At the epoch in the world's history created by the bringing into the world the first-begotten Son of God (Heb. i. 6), there were signs preceding and following in gifts of the Holy Ghost and angelic visits to lowly men and women (Luke i. 11, 20, 24, 28, 41, 67 ; ii. 9, 27, 38), and before his entrance on His public ministry, which was marked by miracles from beginning to end, there was the supernatural manifestations connected with His baptism. The entrance of the apostles upon their great work was an epoch in the history of the world and of the Church, and signs preceded it on the day of Pentecost and followed it in the conversion of three thousand souls, as well as in the miracles of healing, and of resurrection, and of judgment connected with their ministry and with that of others associated with them (Acts iii. 7; v. 1-11; v. 8; viii. 13; ix. 40; xiii. 11; xv. 3; xix. 11, etc.). " 77w ivord which at the first began to he spoken by the Lord, tvas confirnied unto us by them that heard Him, God also hearing them witness, both ivith signs and wonders, and u'ith divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to His oicn will " (Heb. ii. 4). The anointing of Saul marked a great epoch in the history of the Hebrew nation, and it was in accordance with the general rule of God's government that it should be preceded and followed by signs, some of a more private nature, and others, especially that of Saul's endowment with the spirit of prophecy, of a pubhc character. And the same truth holds good as to epochs in the individual soul. When that soul enters into entirely new con- ditions by entering into new relations to God, signs follow and precede the entrance. Like those before mentioned, some are known only to_ the man himself, but some are evident to onlookers. Pricking of conscience — an awakening to the sense of the burden of unpardoned sin, is a sign from lieaven. This sign evidently preceded and accompanied the conversion of the great Apostle of the Gentiles (Acts ix. 5, 11), and it is found in a greater or less degree whenever a soul is turned " from the power of Satan unto God." But more public signs follow in the new life of those who believe — signs which are not only 123 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. for the confirmation of their own faith, but for evidence to those who believe not. In connection with the new life to which Saul was now called, the signs w^hich went before and followed his consecration not only confirmed his own faith in the reall}'- Divine nature of his call, but some of them were so evident to others also as to make them conscious that a great change had passed over him. In many- respects he Avas another man. And the new life which follows the new birth is the most convincing testimony to the truth that there is a Spirit of God w^orking in the w^orld. " The words of Christ," says Neander, " assure us that the com- munication of the life of God to men was the greatest of all miracles, the essence and aim of all ; and further, that it was to be the standing miracle of all after ages." III. Signs accompanying a message from God are intended to lead to a practical result. They are to confirm faith and to lead to the exercise of the gifts entrusted. " And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou shalt do as occasion serve thee " (ver. 7). This was the intention of the sign given to Moses in the buruing bush. He was to go to Pharaoh in the certainty that God was with him, and he was to demand the deliverance of his people, and become their leader and lawgiver. The signs here vouchsafed to Saul were to lead him to the exercise of his newly-acquired gifts — they were an encouragement and a call to him to use the powers which God now implanted within him. So the signs given to the apostles on the day of Pentecost were not simply events to be marvelled at, but the newly-gotten gifts which they signified were to be used for the joy of the receivers, the glory of the Giver, and the blessing of others. The remarkable signs which accompanied the conversion of the New Testament Saul were a call to him to " bear the name " of Him who had appeared to him "bejore the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel" even when the bearing of it involved the suffering of "great things" hr the sake of his Lord (Acts ix. 15, 16). And so it is with every man who is called out of darkness into marvellous light — by life and word he is expected to show forth the praises of Him who has called him (1 Pet. ii. 9). OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 1. The natural basis for this of His kingdom, and then as chief Pro- symbolism of oil is its power to dis- phet and Priest. Samuel's word, " The pense light and life, joy and healing, Lord' hath anointed thee," signifies that by which it sets forth the Spirit's dis- God Himself, of His free grace, dispenses pensation of light and life and the the powers and gifts of His Spirit, when therein contained gifts and powers. He calls to an office in His kingdom And in the historical development of and service. — Langes Commentary. the theocracy and of the Divine reve- lations which point to the perfecting Ver. 1-9, How the Lord fits Bis and fulfilment of the theocracy in the chosen ones for the kingly calling in new covenant, the symbolic anointing His kingdom. 1. ^y quiet instruction of theocratic kings, priests, and pro- by means of His word He brings them phets, as sign of the impartation of the into a right knowledge of the tasks He spirit of God and its powers, is the type, assigns, 2. By the anointing of His that is, the historical foretokening and Sinrit He imparts to them the needful prefiguring of the anointing of the Spirit power and strength therefore. 3. By without measure (John iii. 34), and with the production of injallible signs He the Spirit of might (Acts x. 38) by gives them a just certainty and joyous which Jesus was "the Christ," the confidence. The signs of Divine guid- anointed of God for the New Testa- ance along the paths of human life on mental kingdom of God, first as King earth, how they — 1. Poi?iting back- 124 CHAP. X. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. wards, remind us of grace in past times (the holy places) ; 2. Pointing upwards, admonish us to lift up the heart from worthless, earthly things to higher good ; 3. Pointing forwards, demand a new life in the Spirit ; and 4. Call on us to look into our own heart, while for the work of renewal of the whole man they promise the gifts and powers of the Spirit from above. 21ie appearance of special Divine signs in human life — 1. Whence coming '? Or- dered in time by God's wise Providence, not springing from chance, not aimless ; decreed in His eternal purpose, not accidental, not groundless ; sent as messengers of His holy and gracious will, not meaningless. 2. To ivhom applying ? To him who lets himself be guided by God ; to him who holds still when God is guiding him, and to him who lets God sjyeaJc to him by His word. 3. What signifying?' Reminding of the saving and gracious presence of God (partly in the past, partly in the present : God is with thee). Pointing to our tasks, which under the guidance of the Lord are to be fulfilled (vers. 7, 8). Exhorting to a renewal of the whole inner life through the power of the Holy Ghost (vers. 6-9). — Lange's Commentary. Ver. 6. The Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee. 1. A great icord of 2yromise, which applies to everyone that is called to the kingdom of God. 2. A wonderful event of the inner life which occurs and is experienced only under definite conditions. 3. The beginning of a new life which takes place by the change of the heart. — Langes Commentary. Ver. 7. The great word, "God is with thee." 1. The infallible signs, which assure us of it. 2. The consoling strength which the heart thereby re- ceives. 3. The mighty imjndse to do according to God's good pleasure, which lies therein. 4. The earnest exhor- tation which is thereby given in all the occurrences of human life to mark the will of the Lord therein made known. — Langes Commentary. Vers. 6-8. What the royal anointing gives, and what it demands. 1. It makes the anointed one fit for all that his office may lay upon him. 2. It demands that the anointed one should now do nothing more according to his own choice, but everything according to the direction and will of God. — Disselhoff. Ver. 9. He has no longer the heart of a husbandman, concerned only about his corn and cattle, but the heart of a statesman, a general, and a prince, whom God calls to any service He will make fit for it. — Henri). Saul had another heart, but he had not a new heart. He gave evidence of possessing the gifts of kingship, but none of the grace of holy living. While he could henceforth command armies and practise diplomacy, he cared not for keeping a conscience void of offence toward God and man It is not enough to have natural endowments, or learned attainments of skill or wisdom. These may be possessed in the highest degree, while the soul is unrenewed and unreconciled to God. — ^teel. Before Saul's election he occupied a / very low standpoint, intellectually and spiritually. He scarcely knew any- thing of Samuel, the centre of all higher Israelitish life. Nothing moves him to make acquaintance with the celebrated prophet but anxiety respect- ing the lost asses But we see that ^ there was a decisive change in Saul's life — that in the parable of tlie sower he belonged not to the first class, but to the third. — Ilengstenberg. Ver, 10. Sa,ul, by conversing with prophets, prophesied : see the power and profit of holy company. Those that live within the sunsliine of religion cannot but be somewhat coloured of their beams. — Trapp. The Spirit bloweth where it listeth (John iii. 8), and the power of the Holy Ghost manifested itself by sudden effusions before the day of Pentecost ; but on the day of Pentecost the Holy Spirit was sent from heaven by Christ 125 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. / to His church, to abide with her for even of the whole world. For when ever (John xiv. 16). — Wordsivortk. the breath of the Holy Ghost came As of Saul it is written when the upon it, it was cast into a new mould Spirit came upon him, " he was changed presently, and became a new world. — into a new man;" this holds true Bishop Andrewes. MAIN EOMILETWS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 11-12 and 27. Saul among the Prophets. I. God often accomplishes his purposes by agencies both unlocked for and despised. That a Hebrew slave should be taken from a dungeon and made lord of Egypt was no doubt an event as undesired as it was unexpected by the nobles of Pharaoh's court, and that this despised younger brother should be the instrument of saving all his house from starvation was as equally far from the desire and expectation of Jacob's elder sons. That another Hebrew youth should be educated and fitted in Pharaoh's court to become the axe which should be laid at the root of the tyranny of Egypt, was another event which men little expected to come to pass, and which crossed the wishes and desires of many. And it as little accorded with the expectation and wish of the majority of the Israelites who knew Saul the son of Kish that he should be found first among the prophets and then upon the throne. Those who had known the young man from his youth never expected to see him in any other position than that in which he had grown to manhood, and a larger number were as surprised as they were disappointed when they found that a member of the smallest tribe of Israel, and one who had given no proof of his power to rule, was to be elevated to the throne of the nation. But this has been the general method of the Divine working in the world. Not only in the establishment of the Gospel kingdom but in the accomplishment of most of His purposes, which are indeed all subservient to that one great Divine purpose — " God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the loise ; and God hath chosen the iveak things of the icorld to confound the things which are mighty ; and base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are ; that no flesh should glory in His 2)resence" (1 Cor. i. 27-29). Men look in the high places of the earth for those who are to do the great things of the world, but God puts His hand upon some obscure and despised and unlikely instrument and uses him for the work that " they may see, and knoiv, and consider, that the hand of the Lord hath done this, and the Holy One of Israel hath created it" (Isa. xli. 20). II. The way in which men ought to regard this method of the Divine working. There are many men among the teachers of the Church of God who have been raised from a much more lowly position. Yet when another from a similar position reveals that God has bestowed gifts and graces upon him also, those who can boast no higher origin exclaim with astonishment and scorn, " Is Saul also among the prophets ? " It behoves all who ask such a question to consider the origin of all intellectual and spiritual endowments — to remember that they are all bestowed by the common Father, who is not accountable to them for the distribution of them. But the spirit which would exclude some from a participation in them manifested itself very early in the Church of God. "When "the Lord took of the Spirit that ivas upon Moses, and gave it unto the seventy elder's:" and ^^ they prophesied and did not cease" and " Eldad and Medad prophesied in the camp, there ran a young man and told Moses, and said, Eldad and Medad do prophesy in the camp. And Joshua the son of N'un, the servant of Moses, one of his young men, answered and said, My lord, Moses, 126 CHAP. X. EOMILETIO COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. forbid them " (Numb. xi. 25-28). But Moses remembered and acknowledged " ivho hath made man's mouth, and ivho malceth the dumb, or the seeing, or the blind" (Exod. iv. 11) — he knew whose was the Spirit which had rested so abundantly upon him, and that all the servants of God had one common Father, and he therefore answered, " Enviest thou for mij sake ? Would God that all the Lord's i^eople were prophets, and that the Lord ivould put his Spirit upon them" (Numb. xi. 29). This is the attitude which becomes all God's servants to take when they behold a Saul among the prophets — it behoves them all to ask the question asked by one in the days of Saul, ''But who is their father V It was as great a surprise to the disciples at Jerusalem to hear of the New Testament Saul among the preachers as it was for the inhabitants of Gibeah to see the Old Testament Saul among the prophets. But the surprise in both cases arose from forgetfulness of the truth contained in the heart-searching question afterwards put by that great apostle to the Corinthian church — " For who malceth thee to differ from one another'! and what hast thou that thou didst not receive ? now if thou didst receive it, why dost thou glory, as if thou hadst not received it .? " (1 Cor. iv. 7). OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Vers. 11, 12. Let not the worst be for the present, be too much relied on • despaired of, yet let not an external for Saul among the prophets was Saul show of devotion, and a sudden change still. — Henry. MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 17-20. Saul's Public Recognition. I.— It is a mark of the greatest folly and ingratitude to forsake old and tried friends for those who are new and untried. This was what Israel was now doing. They were setting aside an old and faithful human friend in the person of Samuel for the young man of whom they knew nothing except that he was endowed with a fine physical frame. But they were guilty of far greater sin and folly. Although God had elected their king, yet we have seen (see on chap, viii. 6-22) He had only done so because He would not compel them to acquiesce in His plans for their welfare ; and in insisting upon having " a king like the nations," they had forsaken him Avho " Himself had saved them out of all their adversities and tribulation," who had " delivered them out of the hand of the l^gyptians, and out of the hand of all kingdoms, and of them that oppressed them " (vers. 18, 19). God had indeed been a friend whose faithfulness had been tried and found unfailing, and in desiring a human king Israel gave proof of how ungrateful men can be, and how an apparent advantage and a wrono- desire indulged in can blind men to their own interest. II. Those who are thus foolish and ungrateful often find that those whom they have rejected are still indispensable to their welfare. Israel had still to look to Samuel to guard them against some of the evil fruits which would sprino- from their own self-will. To him they owed the preservation of some natioufd liberty — he alone it w^as who was able to tell them the " manner of the kingdom," and who " wrote it in a book" and laid it up for the use of future generations. And they had to look to the King whom they had forsaken to preserve the life and to give success to the king whom they had chosen in His place. It is vain for men to try and free themselves from obligations even to good men — they must either directly or indirectly be indebted to them. But 127 BOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. BOOK I. it is far more useless and foolish for men to try and do without God, while every good gift which they enjoy comes from Him in whom they " live and move and have their being." On the first day when Israel set out to do without God, they are found appealing to Him for guidance and help. III. Those prove themselves to be true friends who are willing still to help those who have thus rejected them. Tliat God was still careful for the interests of the children whom He had " nourished and brought up," but who " had rebelled against Him" (Isa. i. 2) — that He was still kind to these "unthankful and evil" (Luke vi, 35) Israelites — shows how infinitely good and gracious He is, and how unfailing is His friendship, and that Samuel should have borne himself as he did under the circumstances shows that he was a true and real patriot and friend. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 22. I cannot blame Saul for hiding himself from a kingdom, espe- cially of Israel. Honour is heavy when it comes on the best terms ; how should it be otherwise, when all men's cares are cast on one ; but most of all in a troubled estate? No man can put to sea without danger, but he that lauucheth forth in a tempest expecteth the hardest event. Such was the con- dition of Israel Well did Saul know the difference between a peaceful o-overnment and the perilous and wearisome tumults of war. The quietest throne is full of cares, the perplexed of dangers. Cares and dangers drove Saul into this corner, to hide his head from a crown : these made him choose rather to lie obscurely among the baggage of his tent than to sit o-loriously in the throne of state. — BixHall. Whether this act of Saul arose from a culpable distrust of God, or an ex- cessive diffidence in himself, we cannot determine, but it forms a singular con- trast with the spirit that marks his after life; his eager and extreme jealousy of a rival, both in his power and popularity. This should convince us how little we know of ourselves till placed in circumstances that may call forth our peculiar tempers or passions ; for often we are as different persons at different periods of our lives, as Saul at this juncture from Saul after the lapse of some years, when with un- governable violence he sought the life 128 of David, dreading him as a competitor , for the throne. — Lindsay. Ver. 25. In the Word of God there is a clear definition of the rights of the ruled as well as of the rights of the ruler. No man is at liberty to tyran- nize over another It is a solemn thought that all our engage- ments are laid up before the Lord. They are held in all their integrity by him, and he never fails to fulfil his part. — Steel. Ver. 26. This verbal declaration of God was not enough. There must also be an actual one. God's election is not vain and feeble ; if it be real, it must prove itself in the gifts and deeds of him who is chosen. The people felt this, even those who acknowledged the election with all their heart. Saul himself also felt it. Both waited for the future actual ratification (chap, xi.). Until then everything remained as it had been. — Hengstenberg. Ver. 27. If Saul had attached an overweening importance to himself we should have seen a very different course of conduct. But it was the absence of this which saved him. The utterances of the men of Belial pro- ceeded on the presumption that at the moment self-importance was the pro- minent principle at work in Saul's/ heart ; it was a shaft aimed at this, as they imagined that it would not only HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. be there, but uppermost. Mistaken, however, as to the mark, they failed in hitting and wounding. . . . Many- are the blessings attendant on humility, and among them this is not the least, that it denies opportunity to those who would seek to wound us through pride. — Miller. Notwithstanding that they (1) ques- tioned his capacity, (2) despised his power, (3) refused him homage and help, he was as though he were deaf, thereby showing (1) self-control, (2) prudence, (3) humility. Apply this to (1) public officers, (2) employers of servants and other subordinates, (3) persons in society, (4) church officials. There is a high sense in which God acts thus, and bad men imagine that He is really deaf. (Psalm Ixxiii. ; xciv. 7 ; Job xxii. 13). — Translator of Lange' s Com- mentary. Ver. 26. Saul was to have one other proof that without hesitation he might in all the future of his life seek and find his all in God. What is a man without friends, especially if he have great responsibilities pressing around him, and great cares devolving on him ? And who are our best friends ? Not those who talk about us the most — not those who trumpet our praises and advertise our talents ; but those who think of us in our homes, and who come, knowing we are careworn, to ask if they can help us, and who stand ready to do us a service which only God's eye can see, a kindness the knowledge of which is confined to our house, and to the chambers of the heart made glad by this persional attention. If ever man wanted such attentions it must have been Saul, when he found himself all at once king over Israel. . . . The election is over, the excitement is past, its bustle sub- sided. He must go home as well as the rest of the people ; but, ah ! in how different a state of mind from theirs. Men can often bear up in public under circumstances beneath which they break down immediately when alone. . . . Real friends know this, and hence they will not say, because they see a man keep up in public, " Ah, he is quite equal to his duties ; he will do very well now, we may leave him," but rather they will, because he has kept up before others, expect it is all the more probable that he will not do so in private, and they ■will think of him at home, and they will follow him thither with their prayers at least; but if the opportunity serves, with their presence too. They will show that they have hearts — hearts in the worthiest sense of the term — and that their hearts have been indeed touched. All this comes before us in the history. Saul is not allowed to go home alone. No ; he must be sus- tained by sympathy and friendship ; he shall not feel solitary, he shall not go unattended. But mark that word — God. Even these emotions of sym- pathy — these proofs of attachment — these manifestations of heart — are not, by the historian, allowed to pass before us as just the natural working of men's own minds under the peculiar circum- stances of the case. God was in them. God excited them, and in the fact that God touched their hearts and disposed them favourably, Saul was to gain a new encouragement, a new assurance of being in the path of duty. This power, too, which God possesses of touching the hearts of men, is one which it were well if we more distinctly recognised and completely confided in. .... It is much better, easier, safer, more dignified to get at men's hearts through God's poiver over them, than to seek their good opinion by any lower effort. — Miller. 129 EOMILETIG COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. CHAPTER XL Critical AND Expository Notes. — Ver. 1. "Nahash." He was king of the children of Ammon, as appears from chap. xii. 12 ; 2 Sam. x. 1, 2, xvii. 27. He seems to have been con- nected with the family of David, since Abigail, David's sister, was the daughter (perhaps meaning grand-daurjhter), of Nahash (2 Sam. xvii. 25 ; 1 Chron. ii. 16, 17), and perhaps, in consequence of this connection, was very friendly to David. Even after the destructive war with his son Harun, in which Uriah fell, and when David was in flight and banishment, we find another son of Nahash, Shobi, showing him marked kindness. {Biblical Dictionary.) "According to chap. xii. 12, the threatening war with the Ammonites was the immediate occasion of the demand for a king. Naturally therefore, Nahash, having before made his preparations, entered the Israelitish territory soon after the king was chosen and confirmed." (Erdmann.) "Jabesh- Gilead." According to Joscphtts, this city was the capital of Gilead, and was probably on the site of the present ruins of El-Deir, on the south side of the Wady Jabis, not far to the north of Helaweh, near the ancient road that leads to Beisan. The Ammonites had long claimed the right to the possession of Gilead, and had been subdued by Jephthah. Ver. 2. "On this condition," etc. "The left eye would be covered with the shield in battle: the right eye was needed for aiming the spear ; they would therefore be no better than blind if they lost their right eye." ( Wo7-clsworth. J "Lay it for a reproach,." etc " He sought to avenge upon the people of Israel the shame of the defeat which Jephthah had inflicted on the Ammonites." (Kiel.) Ver. 3. " If there is no one who saves us," " The assumption of this as possible, and the fact that they sent to every region of Israel, shows that in this transition-period from the Judges to the King-dom, in spite of what Samuel had done to inspire unity of action, the old division of powers in tribal isolation and the consequent weakness against enemies still coutin\ied.(Erdmann.) Ver. 4. "Told the tidings in the ears of the people." Either they were not aware of the election of Saul, as Keil supposes, or they did not approve of his appointment, or he was not in Gibeah and did not return from his ordinary occupation until the message had been delivered, Ver. 5. "What aileth the people?" Even the men of Gibeah did not ajij^ly to Saul, which seems to show that he was not held in much esteem in his native city. Ver. 6. "And the Spirit of God." This time the Spirit of God came upon him, as upon the Judges before him, as a Spirit of supernatural energy and power — compare Judges iii. 10, v. 34, xi. 29, etc. — (Biblical Dictionary). Ver. 7. "And he took a yoke of oxen," etc. " This was a symbolical action, which struck the mind more than words could have done " (Clericus), and " was suited to the character and habits of an agricultural and pastoral jyeople." ( Jamieson. ) "After Samuel." "The introduction of Samuel's name is a proof that Saul, even as king, still recognised the authority which Samuel possessed in Israel as prophet of Jehovah." (Kiel.) "And the fear of the Lord fell," etc. " Jehovah is not equivalent to Elohim, nor is the fear of Jehovah in the sense of fear of His punishment, but a fear inspired by Jehovah." (Kiel.) "The Spirit of the Lord, which impelled Saul to this noble and vigorous action, so strangely contrasted with his former quiet life behind the plough, laid hold at the same time on the whole nation, so that it was suddenly lifted up, as it were involuntarily, in the uniting and strengthening power of this Spirit from above, to a new life before God (in His fear) and within itself (in unity and union) against the enemies of the theocracy." (Erdmann.) Ver. 8. " Bezek." " In the tribe of Issachar, in the plain of Jezreel, not far from Bethshean, at about as great an elevation as Jabesh, according to Eusebius (Onomasticon) seventeen Roman miles north of Nablous, on the road to Scythopolis." {Erdmann.) "The children of Israel," etc. " This separate mention of Israel and Judah smacks of the times that followed the division of the Israelites into two kingdoms." {Clericus.) " The numbers will not appear too large if we bear in mind that the allusion is not to a regular army, but that Saul had summoned all the people to a general levy." {Keil.) " That the large and powerful tribe of Judah has the relatively small number (30,000) of warriors over against the 300,000 of Israel, is due to the fact that a large part of its territory was in the possession of the Philistines, as to whose further advance more care had to be taken, now that the north-eastern frontier of the country was threatened by the Ammonites." {Erdmann.) Ver. 11. "On the morrow," etc. "Crossing the Jordan — probably by the upper ford opposite Wady Jabis, which comes down from the cast into the Jordan opposite Beisan — in the evening, Saul marched his army, all night according to Joscphus, thirty furlongs." {Jamieson.) "Into the midst of the host." " Of the Ammonites who had gone forth to meet the sally of the men of Jabesh, and found themselves between them and Saul's companies." {Wordaworth.) 130 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. "They which remained were scattered." Josephus adds that they made a great slaughter — Nahash being amongst the number of the slain — and pursued the fugitives in a complete rout across the desert." (Jamieson.) Ver. 12. "And the people said unto Samuel." " To whom they still looked as their ruler, and whose presence is mentioned to show Saul's moderation and clemency at this time ; for it was not Samuel but Saul who interfered to rescue those who had despised him." ( Wordsworth.) Ver. 13. "And Saul said." "An evidence that Saul was beginning to gain confidence under the influence of the Spirit of God." (Biblical Commentary.) Ver. 14. " Gilgal." Doubtless the Gilgal mentioned in chapter x. 1. !Most commentators think it was the one in the Jordan valley. See notes on chapter vii. 16. " A very appropriate place, formerly the camp of Joshua (Josh. v. 9 and vi. 10), and connected with those glorious victories which God had wrought by his hand when He first settled Israel in Canaan." (Wordsivorth.) Ver. 15. "And there they made Saul king before the Lord." " These words mean nothing more than the solemn announcement and presentation of Saul before the nation as divinely appointed king in consequence of the divine legitimation given by his brilliant exploit against the Ammonites. The ' before the Lord ' indicates the essential difference between this act, and the proclamation and homage at Mizpah, marking the religious act of installation sealed with a solemn offering, by which Saul was formerly and solemnly consecrated to his office by the invisible God-king." (Erdmann.) " The late period at which the regal form of government was established in Israel is an evidence of the Divine origin of the law, which in a certain degree provides for it, and restrains it. It was not unproductive of advantage to the permanent interests of religion that this great change was delayed by Providence until the Mosaic law had subsisted long enough to prove that its first establishment had not originated in any human policy, and that its subsequent support was independent of any human power." [Graves.) MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 1-3. The Ammonite Invasion of Jabesh-Gilead. I. Times of weakness are times of undesired visitation, When a man is commercially weak, and when he has least desire to see the face of those who will add to his embarrassments, then is the time when they are most certain to visit him. A visit from his creditors wonld not affriglit him if he had where- with to meet their demands, but the very fact that his resources are inadequate makes them more likely to visit him. Especially if he has a creditor who is unkindly disposed towards him, that creditor's visit will be most undesired ; but a visit from him may be most certainly looked for. So there are times when the soul is depressed — when many things seem to combine to make a man morally weak, and that is the time when he may most certainly expect a visit from his great spiritual adversary. The tempter, by bringing up all his forces to assault the soul at such a time, reveals his watchful subtlety and his power to measure the resources of the human soul. In times of mental weakness from weakness of body, or from especially harassing circumstances, we feel least of all to desire to have to do battle with a strong temptation ; yet then is the time when it is almost certain to assault us. The devil came to Christ when He was physically weak from forty days' fasting, and when, without doubt, His human soul was depressed in consequence (Matt. iv. 2). And again, when He hung upon the cross in great pain of body and sorrow of soul, he tempted Him through his emissaries with the taunt, " He saved others, Himself He cannot save ; if Thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross " (Mark xv. 30). The geographical position of Jabesh-Gilead made its inhabitants at all times less able to defend themselves from the common national enemies than the people on the other side of Jordan. Being so far from the centre of govern- ment, they were at all times peculiarly exposed to danger. They do not appear at this time to have taken part in the national movement towards unity which 131 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. had drawn together and strengthened the great mass of the Israelitish nation* and they were consequently much less ahle to defend themselves than most of their fellow-countrymen. As a natural consequence, their enemies chose this time to invade them and to insult them. At a time when, by reason of their tribal isolation as well as their defenceless geographical position, they had most to dread from a visit of the Ammonites, at this time the visit was made. II. Times of weakness subject men to the insolence of their enemies. A con- sciousness that we are strong, either physically or in our circumstances, has a wonderful tendency to make men treat us civilly. A consciousness that we are spiritually strong will tend to make our spiritual and invisible enemies less daring in their assaults. A pugilist, in the presence of one who is his equal in strength and stature, restrains his natural insolence. If he meets a man who is bigger and stronger than himself, he becomes quite deferential. But bring him face to face with a man of half his own size and strength, and he will probably insult him. And so it is with the strength and weakness of social position. The wise man says that "the rich man's wealth is his strong city" (Prov. x. 15), and in this he often shelters himself as in a fortress, and shoots forth arrows of scornful contempt and insolence upon those who are socially dependent upon him, and who are consequently too weak to retaliate. And what is true in relation to individuals is true also of nations. The strong nations of the earth are, alas ! often found insolently regardless of the rights of those Avho are too weak to defend their own liberties. Nahash would not have confronted the men of Jabesh-Gilead with so insolent an air, and proposed to them terms so humiliating, if they had not been in his eyes in so defenceless a condition. III. Times of visitation from insolent enemies should drive us to the strong for help. It was wise of the men of Gilead not to attempt to meet their enemies in their own strength. It is most unwise of men to be too proud to acknowledge their own weakness. While it is unmanly to be always depending upon others for hel]) — while a man is bound to exert himself to the utmost to free himself from difficulties — a refusal to seek help from a stronger fellow-creature is some- times sinful. God has ordained that the strength of some should supplement the weakness of others, and the inequality of men in this respect is intended to bind them to each other. When, therefore, a man in distress from which he cannot extricate himself, chooses ruin rather than the aid of a stronger arm than his own, he refuses to fall in with a Divine ordination. And this truth can be extended to the help which can come only from an arm which is stronger than the arm of flesh. Times of especial trial and temptation should make men feel their dependence upon Omnipotent strength, and if they do not drive them to seek help from the strong God, they fail to fulfil the design of Him who either sent them for that purpose, or permitted them to happen that He might be glorified in delivering those who call upon Him in distress. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Verse 2. In spiritual things this is to their Master, Christ) as the price of precisely what is done by the Bishop communion with himself If we are of Rome. He is a "Nahash the willing to allow him to "thrust out Ammonite " in the Catholic Church of our right eyes," then he will allow us Christ. He requires of all Christians to communicate with himself, but not to make a surrender of their reason, otherwise. — Wordsivorth. conscience, and their will (which belong 132 CHAP. XI. EOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. MAIN HOMILETICS OP THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 4-15. Saul's First Victory. I. Men need an occasion to reveal their qualifications for special and important service. Much power lies hidden iu the world, because it has never met with an occasion to call it out — because it has never been brouglit into contact with the combination of circumstances needed to make it manifest. The power by which men send their thoughts round the world by the telegraph wire, or make their words audible at a distance by means of the telephone, has been in the world ever since its creation, but it has only been made manifest in modern times, because men have only lately learned how to give it an occasion to reveal its mighty and wonderful capabilities. If one saw an acorn or a corn- seed for the first time, and was ignorant of the process of germination, he would not dream of the wondrous capabilities which lay hidden witliin them. And if they were always kept above the ground or planted in an unsuitable soil, or if the rain and sun never reached them, the hidden power witliin them would remain hidden for ever. And so it is with the mental and spiritual capabilities of men. They may be there, but they need an occasion to call them forth. A soldier may be possessed of courage enough to head a forlorn hope, or of en- durance enough to sustain a long-continued siege, but if his lot is cast in a time of peace, his capabilities in this direction will never be known even to himself. There are to-day many members of the Church militant who are as courageous and faithful as the martyrs of the fifteenth century — many good soldiers of Jesus Christ who would prove themselves as valiant for the truth as those who have sealed it with their blood in bygone ages. But the spiritual power within them is hidden even from themselves, because the occasion to reveal it is wanting. It is evident that at this period of Saul's history the people of Israel were ignorant of his mental ability — they did not think he possessed the courage and the tact necessary to lead them to battle and to victory, but the attack of the Ammonite host furnished the needed occasion for the revelation of what was in him. II- When God has called a man to any special work, he need not seek the occasion, because the occasion will seek him. When a vessel has been built for the ocean it will be certain to find an occasion to show what it is made of — the elements will seek it out and test the strength of its timbers and its power to weather the storm. Every wave that lasties its sides will furnish an occasion for it to prove what it can do. So when God has destined a man to any special service in the world, there is no need for that man to go out of his way to find an occasion to reveal what is iu him. He who called him to the work will likewise give him the opportunity to reveal what he is fit for. Saul had been anointed to the kingship of Israel by the prophet of God, and his appointment had been ratified by lot, which was also an expression of the Divine will. He could, therefore, have felt no doubt in the matter. But he did not seek an occasion of displaying his fitness for the post of honour and responsibility to which he had been called, but returned to the occupation of his early life apparently in the belief that the occasion would not be wanting in which he might prove his ability to fulfil the duties of his new position. And the occasion sought him when the men of Gibeali told him the tidings brought by the messengers of Jabesh. So if any man feels that God has called him to any special work in the world, he need not seek an occasion to prove his fitness for it, for if there has been the call. He who called him will not let the occasion be wanting. If he gives himself up to Divine guidance, and faithfully discharges the duty which comes next to hand, God will take care of the rest. Paul 133 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. doubtless knew that God had chosen him to bear his name " before kings" (Acts ix. 15), but he did not go out of his way to find an occasion to do it. He who had destined him to the service provided the opportunity for him (Acts xxvi. 2, 2 Tim. iv. 16). Ill- The action of one man is needed to make many men one in action- Men must have leaders — they must have some one around whom they can rally as a centre of unity if they are to band together to do anything in the world. And when one man of energy and ability concentrates all his own powers to a certain end, other men of less energy and ability will concentrate around him, and their united efforts will become a mighty power. The people of Israel at this time do not appear to have been unwilling to help their brethren of Gilead, but they did nothing but weep until Saul took the initiative and called upon them to follow him. When Saul's spirit was stirred within him by the Spirit of God to summon all Israel into the field, the fear of the Lord fell upon the people, and they came out " as one man" (see marginal rendering). Granted that there was a supernatural influence at work here, is not the Spirit of God behind all such great movements when their aim is the freedom of the human race or of any part of it ? And does not God always move the mass to united action by first moving the heart of one man to take bold and decisive action ? The decisive action of Luther at Worms was the fruit of the movement of the Spirit of God upon his soul, and it was the means of inciting the Protestant princes of Germany to united action in the defence of religious liberty. IV. A conquest of personal enemies by forgiveness is more honourable to a man than a conquest of national enemies by the sword. One of Saul's successors has left it upon record that " he who ruleth his spirit is better than he that taketh a city" (Prov. xvi. 32) ; and it is so because the first victory is more difficult to win, and is far more complete and lasting than the second. There are many men who are physically courageous with a kind of animal courage, who would not miss an opportunity to avenge a personal insult if the occasion offered — it is harder to overcome malice in the heart than an enemy on the field. But he who can do the first overcomes his enemy far more completely, for in the latter case it is only the body of the enemy which is overpowered by superior physical strength, and he will be ever on the watch to renew the attack. But to overcome a man by forgiveness takes the man's heart captive, and, by turning him into a friend, makes it certain that the conquest is a lasting one. Saul showed his fitness to be a king by his brilliantvictory over the Ammonites, but he showed it more by his victory over himself when he said, concerning his former personal enemies, " There shall not a man be put to death this day." OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 6. Withoutthis zeal no anointed excitability, from a momentary ebulli- one may be found. For this word will tion of natural compassion, orfrom being always hold good : " Cursed be he that overcome by human displeasure and doeth the work of the Lord slothfully," anger. Not the strange fire which the (or negligently) (Jer. xlviii. 10). But sons of Aaron took, but the fire from in trutli zeal alone is not the right or- the holy altar, the Spirit of God — nament of the warriors of Christ, let us learn it from Saul ! — must Prove thy zeal, whether it is not per- overmaster, inflame, inspire us. — haps mixed with flesh and blood, or Disselhoff. even proceeds altogether from this fountain, and know that zeal for the Ver. 7. There are two sorts of fear. Lord's cause should not flow from mere One is a selfish, reward-seeking fear. 134 CHAP. XI. HOMILETIO COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. In this we are caring for ourselves, and that is properly human fear. But there is also a fear of the Lord, the fear that one has for His sake alone, when one fears lest the Lord has been grieved through our own sins, or those of others, or lest we or others should not have sufficiently glorified Him in ourselves. — Berlenberger Bible. Ver. 9. Bold assurance of faith, which in a great undertaking, anticipates its success as an accomplished fact. — Langes Commentary. Ver. 13. The victory over the foe is to Saul nothing but a saving act of God Himself. He regards himself as simply the instrument of God. This is the ground for the rejection of the demand ; none should die that day. Thereby he gained a victory (1) over himself — he restrains himself in the exercise of a right ; (2) over the anger of those who demanded that justice should be executed ; (3) over his former opponents ; (4) over the whole people, who must have been carried along by him in the path of noble moral con- duct, and lifted above themselves to the height on which he stood. — Lange's Commentary. As in God, so in His deputies, mercy and justice should be insepara- ble; wheresoever these two go asunder, government follows them into distrac- tion and ends in ruin. If it had been a wrong offered to Samuel, the for- bearance of the revenge had not been so commendable, although on the day of so happy a deliverance perhaps it had not been unseasonable; a man hath reason to be most bold with him- self; it is no praise of mercy, since it is a fault of justice to remit another man's satisfaction; his own he may. — Bp. Hall. Ver. 15. How many instructive memorials of God's power and love to His people might suggest themselves to Saul at Gilgal (see Critical Notes). How many pledges and earnests to himself if he imitated Joshua in faith and obedience to God, especially at Gilgal ! — Wordsworth. How absurdly are our judgments led away by merely outward circumstances. Saul was not less the King of Israel, when following his herds at Gibeah, than when returning from the conquest of the Ammonites. His title rested on the Divine appointment, and was not more sacred because surrounded by the lustre of a victory ; yet it appeared so in the eyes of the Israelites. — Lindsay. CHAPTER XII. Critical and Expositokt Notes. — Ver. 1. "And Samuel said," etc. "The time and place of the following address are not given, but it is evident frona the connection with the preceding chapter, and still more from the introduction and the entire contents of the address, that it was delivered on the renewal of the monarchy at QilgaX." ( Keil. ) *' I have hearkened." etc. These words correspond exactly to the words in chap. viii. 7, 21. Samuel at the same time testifies indirectly to the fact that he had therein obeyed the command of God : " Hearken to the voice of the people." (Erdmann.) "By appointing a great part of this chapter (viz. to ver. 22) to be read in the synagogues as a Haphtarah to Numbers xvi., xvii. and xviii., the ancient Hebrew Church suggests the parallel between this speech of Samuel and the address of Moses in reply to Korah and his rebellious associates." (Wordsworth.) Ver. 2. " My sons are with you." " They are reduced to the condition of private persons, and are subjects of the king, as ye are." ( Wordsworth. J "Perhaps only an amplification of the words ' / am old and grey-headed.' His grown-up sons were evidences of his age. Possibly, however, a tinge of mortified feeling at the rejection of himself and his family, mixed with a desire to recommend his sons to the good-will of the nation, is at the bottom of this mention of them." (Biblical Covimentary.) 135 HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. book i. Ver. 3. "Witness against me." "The venerable judge, in resigning his magisterial authority, challenged the most minute inquiry into every act of his administration . . . History scarcely anywhere presents a more striking example of the moral sublime. Grotius compares Samuel to Aristides." (Jamieson.) " What Samuel here affirms of his official career stands in direct con- trast with what is said in chap. viii. 3, of the blameworthy conduct of his sons ; since it is inconceivable that he did not know, and had not now in mind the covetousness and perversion of judgment and the resulting discontent of the people, which was a co-factor in their desire for a royal government. The mode, as well as the fact and contents of the following justification, naturally suggest the statement in chap. viii. 3, and lead to the conclusion that this was the occasion of this (otherwise surprising) justification of his official career, on which in the eyes of the people a shadow had fallen in consequence of the oijposite conduct of his sons." (Erdmann.) "His anointed:" " i.e., of course, king Saul. The title Messiah, or anointed, had been given to the High Priests (Lev. iv. 3-5, etc.), and in Hannah's prophetic song and in the prophecy of the man of God sent to Eli, iDrophetic mention had been made of God's anointed ; but this must be noted as the earliest instance of an actual king of Israel bearing the title of God's Christ, and thus typifying the true Messiah or Christ of God. The application of the term anointed to Saul, makes it i)robable that he had been publicly anointed by Samuel at Gilgal. The secret anointing, mentioned at chap. x. i., would not be notorious enough to explain the phrase to the whole jieople oilsra,el."(BiblicalCommcntari/.J "To blind mine eyes therewith," rather "that I should hide mine eyes at him." "The thought is not that the judge covers his eyes from the copher (or ransom) that he may not see the bribe, but that he covers his eyes loith it, so as not to see and not to punish the crime committed." (Kcil.J " I will restore." Compare Zaccheus's saying, Luke xix. 8. (Biblical Commentary.) Ver. 6. "It is the Lord that advanced, etc." Literally made, i.e., appointed them to their office. " The word make is to be understood of those excellent gifts which God had bestowed on Moses and his brother Aaron, that He might use their ministry in leading the people out of Egypt." fCttfo'm.^ " Observe the constant reference to the Exodus as the well-known turning point of their national life." (Biblical Commentary. ) Ver. 7. "Stand still, that I may reason with you." "Both verbs have a forensic sense. They would be better rendered stand up (as if in a court of justice) that I may contend vjith you before the Lord. Samuel is, as it were, the advocate of Jehovah, vindicating the righteousness of His dealings with Israel, and throwing all the blame of their calamities on themselves (compare Stephen's speech, Acts vii.)." (Biblical Commentary.) Ver. 9. " Samuel here introduces individual facts from the times of the Judges, but only IDrominent events as they occurred to him, neglecting their order, which was in itself unessential." (Erdmann.) Ver. 11. "Bedan." This name does not occur in the book of Judges, and only in one other place in the Bible (1 Chron. vii. 17). As Samuel here places it between the names of two well- known Hebrew deliverers, many commentators agree with Kiel in believing that it is a copyist's error for Barak, the Hebrew letters in both words being nearly identical in form. Samuel. Some commentators here substitute Samson, thinking it more natural than that the prophet should mention himself, and omit the greatest of the judges. But Erdmann remarks that " Samuel could mention himself without exciting surjirise, because he was conscious of his high mission as judge and deliverer, and the profound significance of his office for the history of Israel was universally recognised. By this mention of himself he honours not himself but the Lord, who had made him (like Moses and Aaron before) what he was (comp. vers. 6-9). Besides, it was under him that the yoke of the forty years dominion of the Philistines was broken, which work of deliverance Samuel was only able to begin." Ver. 12. "And when ye saw that Nahash." "It hence appears not improbable thatXahash had made incursions into the Hebrew territory before the Israelites had demanded a king, and after his election had returned, and begun the siege of Jabesh." (Clericus). Ver. 14. "Translate If ye will fear the Lord, and serve ITim, and obey His voice, so as not to rebel against the mouth of the Lord, and ivill be (both you and your king that reigns over you) folloivers after the Lord your God" (Biblical Commentary.) Ver. 17. "Is it not wheat-harvest to-day ?" The wheat-harvest occurs in Palestine between the middle of May and the middle of June. " In ordinary seasons, from the cessation of the showers in spring until their commencement in October and November, rain never falls, and the sky is usually serene." (Robinson.) " Thunderings, as 'the voices of God' (Exod, ix. 28), are the harbingers of judgment." (Keil.) Ver. 18. "Feared the Lord and Samuel." " Comjjare the very similar phrase (Exod. xiv.31)." (Biblical Commentary. J "Samuel is added because he — as before by his word, so by his intro- duction of this nianifestation, wonderful and contrary to the ordinary course of nature, of God's wrath — had displayed himself as instrument of the judicial power and glory of the God-king." (Erdmann.) 136 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. Ver. 21. "Vain things," i.e., the idols, "because they are vain ;" Kterally emptiness, i.e., toorthless beings. Ver. 22. " For His great name's sake," " i.e., for the great name which He had acquired in the sight of all the nations by the marvellous guidance of Israel thus far to preserve it against misapprehension and blasphemy." ( Keil.) Ver. 24. "How great things," etc. Some refer this to the miracle mentioned in verse 18, but the immediate connection seems to refer it to the mighty deliverances of which Samuel has just been reminding them. MAIN HOMILETICS OP THE CHAPTER. Samuel's Public Resignation of his Office. I. A change of relationship or position naturally suggests a review of the past. When, on ca journey, we have for some time been travelling in one direc- tion, and we suddenly come to a turn in the road, we very naturally stand for a moment and look at the path which we have trodden, and which we are now about to quit. If we are journeying in a country with which we are unac- quainted, such a review will probably be useful to us— it Avill help us to a more definite conception of our whereabouts. So when a man is_ about to enter into new relationships, whether of a private or public character, it is natural that he should look back upon the path which he has trodden up to the present moment, and if he do this in a right spirit it will be helpful to him in the future. It is good for a man to do this when he is about to undertake a position of responsibility, whether public or private ; and it is good for him to do it also when lie is about to resign any office of trust, whether to a single master or to his country. Happy will he be if at such a time he can, with Samuel, callGod to witness that he has performed his duties faithfully. Samuel had, during a long life, been God's vicegerent in Israel ; his public work was now about to cease, and consequently his relationship to the nation would be changed. It is not in egotism or boastfulness that he recalls the manner in which he has dis- charged his trust, or reminds them that by him (ver. 11) God had delivered thein out of the hand of their enemies— such a review of the past was natural and right. But Samuel not only looks back upon the road by which he has arrived at the present turning-point in his Hfe, he also bids the people whom he is addressing recall the steps by which they, as a nation, had arrived at the position in which they now stood. His relationship to them was about to undergo a change, which was in some respects the natural result of his advancing years, although it was partly due to the late national movement. But they had by their own choice taken an entirely new position, and assumed entirely new responsibilities ; and although their sinful self-willed action _ in the past could not be recalled, yet many sins and much misery might be avoided in the future if they now gratefully and humbly remembered all the way by which the Lord their God had led them. II. Whenever a nation rejects God, such rejection will be followed by signs of God's displeasure- The miracle which followed Samuel's words was a confirma- tion of their truth. It was a token that he was expressing the feelings of the Divine mind regarding Israel's conduct. The conception which Israel now had of a king was not God's conception, and their desire^ to have a king like the nations was a rejection of their Divine and invisible King. Hence this_ token of His displeasure. In later days this same nation rejected this Divine King when He came to them in human flesh, and they themselves then became what they have ever since remained — a sign to the entire human race of the danger of not 137 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. BOOK I, improving national privileges. Nations who do not find a God and King after their own heart in Him who is their rightful sovereign will make one after their own likeness (Psa. 1. 21) ; but signs will not be wanting of His displeasure. Ill- The servants of God sin against Him when they neglect to pray for their fellow countrymen, 1. They ought to pray for them because they are their fellow creatures. Paul, speaking by inspiration, desires that "supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men . . . for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour ; ivho will have cdl men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. ii. 1, 3. 4.) 2. Because national love ought to be an element in the character of every godly man. The best men are ever deeply interested in the welfare of the nation to which they belong. Paul's love to "his brethren, his kinsmen according to the flesh" notwithstanding all that he had suffered at their hands, w^as intense (Rom. ix. 1-3). And he who is a true patriot cannot serve his country so effectually in any other way as by praying for the godliness of the people, for a nation's gTeatness depends upon the relation of its individual members to the Living God. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. 2. I have hearkened to your voice, which was so violent and impe- tuous. Now you must hearken to my voice, and be told that after your peace-offerings God hath still a quarrel with you. — Trayp. God will not let his people run away with the arrearages of their sins, but, when they least think of it, calls them to account. All this while was God angry with their rejection of Samuel ; yet, as if there had been nothing but peace, He gives them a victory over their enemies. He gives way to their joy in their election God may be angry enough with us, while we out- wardly prosper : it is the wisdom of God to take His best advantages ; Pie suffers us to go on till we should come to enjoy the fruit of our sin, till we seem past the danger either of con- science or of punishment ; then, even when we begin to be past the feeling of our sin, we shall begin to feel His displeasure for our sins. This is only where He loves, where He would both forgive and reclaim : He hath now to do with His Israel ; but where He means utter vengeance. He lets men harden themselves to a reprobate senselessness, and make up their own measure without contradiction as pur- posing to reckon with them but once for ever. — By. Hall. 138 Vers. 2, 3. Samuel's life is both an example and a rebuke. \. An example. To stand forth and make so successful an appeal must have presented to Saul an illustrious example of personal ex- cellence and of public probity. He thus saw that it was possible to live in high places and be a righteous man ; to administer the state, and retain in- tegrity ; to direct the concerns of mil- lions, and receive their spontaneous and unanimous approval — truths which few governors have ever found He was also an example to the whole people ; for the same goodness that made him faithful, with his many talents and his many trusts, could supply them with ability to use theirs with fidelity. 2. A rebuke. The un- impeachable life of Samuel was a great rebuke to Israel. They had not im- proved his ministry, and had grown weary of so godly a regime as his. . . . Every good man's life condemns the world that refuses to follow his way. — Steel. Ver. 9. When God's people abandon Him, He, by virtue of the same right- eousness which blesses them if they are faithful, abandons them to their enemies, who enslave and oppress them. The "selling" refers to the right of the father to sell his children HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. as slaves, here exercised by God as the extremest paternal right, as it were. (Judges ii. 14; iii. 8; iv. 2, 9. Deut. xxxii. 10. Isa. 1. 1 ; Iii. 3. Ezek. xxx. 12.) — Lange's Commentary. Ver. 13. In this declaration is set forth the origin of Saul's kingly posi- tion — (1) on its human side, by the words : Whom ye have chosen ; (2) on its divine side, by the words : Behold, the Lord hath set a king over you — your demand sprang from an evil root, yet hath the Lord granted it ; this king, though chosen and de- manded by you, is yet alone the work of God. By these words is confirmed the truth, that the Lord is and re- mains king. — Erdmann. Vers. 14,15. With ivhom or against whom is the hand of the Lord ? The answer to this question depends on the following considerations: — 1. whether one has, or has not, given himself to be the Lord's with his whole heart — (a) in true fear of God, (b) in true service of God. 2. Whether one is, or is not, in his will thoroughly obedient to the will of the Lord — (a) hearkening uncon- ditionally to His word, (b) not resisting His commandments. 3. Whether one is, or is not, in his whole walk ready to follow the Lord in His guidance — (a) keeping in the way pointed out by Him, (b) keeping in view the goal set up by Him. — Lange's Commentary. Here is a precedent for preachers, who must one while chide their people, another while comfort them, and always pray for them. They must turn them- selves into all shapes and fashions of speech and of spirit to bring men home to God. This is an excellent way of preaching, to mingle promises with threatenings. Sour and sweet makes the best sauce. — Irapp. Verses 16 — 19. I- Unseasonable weather is one of God's punishments. We suffer sometimes from lack of rain to moisten the earth and prevent the miseries of drought. Such a calamity was inflicted upon Israel on account of sin in the days of Elijah (1 Kings xvii. 1). At other times rain is un- seasonable and injurious, as was the case in the present instance. It comes at the call of the prophet, to mar the fruits of the earth, and to injure the harvest, that the people " might perceive their wickedness to be great." II- We must ask for fair and sea- sonable weather upon no other con- dition than that of repentance- We must bring forth fruits meet for repentance, if we expect that the earth should bring forth fruits meet for our sustenance ; for God sometimes sees fit to withhold these blessings, to make us know their worth by the want of them. He is sometimes pleased to send us an abundance of good things to see how we will use them, and whether we will grow better by them. But if we consume them upon our lusts, as Israel did here, instead of having more, that which we have shall be taken away. — Matthew Hole. Men have so many ways of shifting off their own guilt that unless they be taken in the act they will hardly confess it, and when convicted of the fact they will deny the fault or the mea- sure. To cut off all excuses, therefore, Samuel appeals to God, the highest judge, for His sentence, and dares trust to a miraculous conviction. Had not Samuel before consulted with his Maker, and received warrant for this act, that would have been presumption which was now a noble improvement of faith Rather than Israel shall go clear away with a sin, God will accuse and arraign them from heaven. No sooner hath Samuel's voice ceased than God's voice begins. Every crack of thunder spake ven- geance against the rebellious Israelites, and every drop of rain was a witness of their sin. Now they found that they had displeased Him who rules in heaven by rejecting the man who ruled for Him on earth. — Bishop Hall. The elements are exclusively under the control of the Creator, and He alone can say what shall be in relation to the clouds ; yet for special ends — generally moral ends — they have occa- 139 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. sionally been placed for a season at the service of men. This instance is a parallel to that which occurred in Egypt (Exod. IX. 23). The revelation of the Lord's power through Samuel has for its aim — I. To glorify the name of God, and to exhibit the people's high calling as chosen people and God's property. II. To show more strikingly the peo- ple's sin and thereby induce sincere repentance. III. To show the peni- tent people the source of consolation and help, and fix in their hearts the ground of hope for future salvation. — Langes Commentary. Vers. 20, 21. A threefold tvord oj exhortation to penitent sinners. 1. A word reminding of past sin. " Ye have done all this wickedness." 2. A word consolingly pointing to Divine . grace. " Fear not." 3. A word exhorting to fidelity. " Turn not aside from the Lord." — Lange's Commentary. Ver. 23. In this Samuel sets a glorious example to all rulers, showing them that they should not be led astray by the ingratitude of their sub- ordinates or subjects, and give up on that account all interest in their wel- fare, but should rather persevere all the more in their anxiety for them. — Berlenberqer Bible. Moses and Samuel are specified by God as having extraordinary power with Him (Jer. xv. 1) ; and why ? Because they prayed for their enemies. — Wordsivorth. Ver. 24. I. Fear and service go together. Serve the Lord in fear, saith David (Psa. ii. 11) ; Fear the Lord and serve Ilim, saith Joshua (Josh. xxiv. 14) ; and, fear ever before service ; for that, unless our service proceed from fear, it is hollow and Avorthless Behold the same tongue that bade them not fear (ver. 20), now bids them fear; and the same Spirit that tells us they feared exceedingly (ver. 18), now enjoins them to fear more. What shall we make of this ? Their other fear was 140 at the best initial ; for now they began to repent : and, as one says of this kind of fear, that it hath two eyes fixed upon two divers objects, so had this of theirs : one eye looked upon the rain and thunder, the other looked up to the God that sent it. The one of these is borrowed of the slavish or hostile fear, as Basil calls it, the other of the filial ; for the slavish fear casts both eyes upon the punish- ment ; the filial looks with both eyes upon the party offended. Samuel would rectify and perfect this affec- tion, and would bring them from the fear of slaves, through the fear of peni- tents, to the fear of sons : and indeed one of these makes way for another. It is true that perfect love thrusts out fear; but it is as true that fear brings in that perfect love which is joined with the reverence of sons : like the needle or bristle, as one compares it, draws in the thread after it. The compunction of fear, saith Gregory, fits the mind for the compunction of love. We shall never rejoice truly in God except it be with trembling ; except we have quaked at His thunder, we shall never joy in His sunshine. .... II. As our service must be grounded on fear, so our fear must be reduced to service. Indeed, the worst kind of fear is that we call servile ; but the best fear is the fear of servants ; for there is no servant of God but fears filially. And God hath no son but he serves We all know what ser- vice means ; for we all are, or were, I imagine, either servants or masters, or servants of the public, or masters of servants, or all these. We cannot, therefore, be ignorant either of what we require of ours, or what our supe- riors require of us. If service con- sisted only in wearing of liveries, in taking of wages, in making of courte- sies, and kissing of hands, there were nothing more easy or more common. .... But be not deceived : the life of service is work : the work of a Christian is obedience to the law of Go&.—Bp. Hall. Ver, 25. I. If there be a moral CHAP. xni. HOMILETIC COMMENTARY : SAMUEL. governor of the universe, sin must nature of sin to injure and ruin a provoke him. II. If sin provoke God, country. It violates all the duties of He is able to punish it. III. Bodies relative life ; it destroys subordina- of men are punishable in this world tion ; it relaxes the ties which bind only ; in eternity there are no fami- mankind together, and makes them lies, churches, nations. If, therefore, a selfish and mean ; it renders men ene- country is to be destroyed, it is tried, mies to each other. Social welfare and condemned, and executed here, cannot survive the death of morals IV. There is a tendency in the very and virtue. — Jay. CHAPTER XIII. Ver. 1. A litercal rendering of the Hebrew text in this verse would stand thus — Saul loas years old when he began to reign, and he reigned , and two years over Israel. The Hebrew numerals have evidently fallen out, and nearly all commentators agree that this verse, according to the custom in the history of the kings (2 Sam. ii. 10, v. 4 ; 1 Kings xiv. 21, xxii. 42 ; 2 Kings viii. 26) originally gave the age at which Saul began to reign and the number of years that his reign lasted. Some, however, understand that Saul had been publicly made king by Samuel one year before the events recorded in the preceding chapter, and that when he had reigned two years, he did what is recorded in this chapter. Bishop Hervey, who agrees with Keil and Erdmann in adopting the first-named view, says, in the Biblical Commentary, " There is no certain clue to the exact numbers to be supplied ; but Saul may have been about thirty at his accession, as a scholion to the Sept. has it, and have reigned some thirty-two years, since we know that his grandson Mephibosheth was five years old at Saul's death (2 Sam. iv. 4) : and thirty-two added to the seven and a half years between the death of Saul and that of Ishbosheth, makes up the forty years assigned to Saul's dynasty in Acts xiii. 21. Neither is there any clue to the interval of time between the events recorded in the preceding chapter and those which follow in this and succeeding chapters. But the appearance of Jonathan as a warrior (ver. 2) compared with the mention of Saul as a young man at chap. ix. 2 implies an interval of not less than ten or fifteen years, perhaps more." Keil and Erdmann, however, agree in placing the acts of Saul recorded in verse 2 immediately after the events narrated in the last chapter. As no other summoning of the people is mentioned before except that for the Ammonite war, and as a gathering of all the fighting population is implied in the last clause of verse 2, they assume as probable that it was at Gilgal, immediately after a renewal of the monarchy, that Saul resolved at once to make war upon the Philistines. Ver. 2. " Michmash." " This town has been identified with great probability with a village which still bears the name of Muhkmas, about seven miles north of Jerusalem, on the northern edge of the great Wady Smoeinii, which forms the main pass of communication between the central highlands on which the village stands, and the Jordan valley at Jericho." (Biblical Dictionary.) " mount Bethel." The ancient town of Bethel was situated on very high ground, about 10 miles west of Jerusalem, in the same direction as Michmash. Mount Bethel was probably the mountain range upon which the city was situated." *' Jonathan." Here mentioned for the first time. " A name which means, gift of Jehovah. In name and character he is the Nathaniel of this history." {Wordsworth.) " Giheah of Benjamin." The residence of Saul, probably the present Tuliel-el-Ful, " a conspicuous eminence just four miles north of Jerusalem to the right of the road." [Biblical Dictionary.) Ver. 3. " Geba." '■' Identified by most writers with the modern Jcha, standing on the south side of the Wady-Suweinit, exactly opposite to Michmash. " Let the Hebrews hear," etc. " Not only as a joyful message, but also as an indirect summons to the whole nation to rise." {Keil.) Ver. 5. "Thirty thousand chariots." The immense disproportion which this number bears to the people, and the fact that the Syriac and Arabic versions read three thousand, has led most critics to suppose that there is here an error in the Hebrew manuscripts. "Solomon had only fourteen hundred chariots, which are mentioned as a large number (2 Chron. i. 14). Some suppose the baggage waggons are included in the numlDer. Probably the Philistines may have engaged other nations, the enemies of Israel, to fight with them, and this supposition is confirmed by the mention of the number of the people 'as the sand,' etc., and also by the confusion of the ai-my, which is mentioned in chap. xiv. 20, and which was due in part to the fact that it was composed of various nations." {Wordsivorth.) 141 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. book i. Ver. 6. " When the men of Israel saw that they were in a strait," etc. " The position of matters seems to have been this : The Philistines were in possession of the village of Geba, on the south side of the Wady Suweinit. In their front across the Wady, which is here about a mile mde, and divided by several swells lower than the side eminences, was Saul in the town of Michmash, and holding also Mount Bethel — the heijfhts on the north of the great Wady — as far as Beitin (Bethel) itself. South of the Philistine camp, and about three miles in its rear, was Jonathan, in Gibeah-of -Benjamin, with a thousand chosen warriors. The first step was taken by Jonathan, who drove out the Philistines from Geba by a feat of arms which at once procured for him immense reputation. But in the meantime it increased the difficulties of Israel, for the Philistines hearing of their reverse, and advancing with an enormous armament, pushed Saul's little force before them out of Bethel and Michmash and down the eastern passes to Gilgal, near Jericho, in the Jordan valley. They then established themselves at Michmash, formerly the head-qtiarters of Saul, and from thence sent out their bands of plunderers north, west, and east (verses 17, 18). But nothing could dislodge Jonathan from his main stronghold in the south. As far as we can disentangle the complexities of the story, he soon relinquished Geba and consoli- dated his little force in Gibeah, where he was joinnd by his father, with Samuel the prophet and Ahiah the priest, who, perhaps, remembering the former fate of the ark, had brought down the sacred ephod from Shiloh (chap. xiv. 3). These three had made their way up from Gilgal with a force sorely diminished from desertion to the Philistine camp and flight (ver. 7 and chap. xiv. 21) — a mere remnant of the people following in the rear of the little band (ver. 15). Then occurred the feat of the hero and his armour-bearer (chap, xiv.) (Biblical Dictionary ). "The people did hide themselves," etc. "The broken ridges of the neighbourhood would aflford abundant hiding-places. The rocks are perforated in every direction with crevices and fissures, sunk deep in the rocky soil, subterranean granaries or dry wells in the adjoining fields." (Jamieson.) Ver. 8. "And he tarried seven days," etc. See note on chap. x. 8. "This appointment seems to have been for a trial of faith and obedience." (Biblical Commentary.) Samuel came on the seventh day, but not until towards its close. "And he oflered," etc. The words do not necessarily imply that Saul did this with his own hand ; it is quite possible that he merely com- manded the priest to do it. If so, his sin was simply that of disobedience to the command of God, as given by Samuel. Dean Stanley, Dr. Kitto, and others, think that he was guilty of the double offence of usurping the office of the priest and of disobedience to the Divine word. Wordsworth observes that "Samuel does not animadvert to any such intrusion on Saul's part." Ver. 14. "The Lord hath sought him a man." "It is natural to infer from this that David, who of course is indicated, was already grown to man's estate, as we know his friend Jonathan was. But as David was only thirty years old when he began to reign, the incident here related must have occurred during the last ten or fifteen years of Saul's reign." (Biblical Commentary.) Ver. 15. "Six hundred men." "Saul had therefore, by his hasty, disobedient conduct, not attained his purpose of holding the people together. The declaration, ' Thou hast done foolishly,' is thus confirmed." [Erdmann.) Vers. 16-23. "The following account is no doubt connected vdth the foregoing, so far as facts are concerned, inasmuch as Jonathan's brave, heroic deed terminated the war for which Savil had entreated the help of God by his sacrifice at Gilgal ; but it is not formally connected with it so as to form a compact and comjDlete account of the successive stages of the war." {Keil.) ' Ver. 17. "The spoilers came out," etc. The places here mentioned, so far as they can be identified, lay respectively on the north, west, and east — that is to say, the predatory bands sallying from Michmash ravaged through the valleys which radiate from it in those directions. Ver. 19. "There was no smith," etc. This policy of disarming the natives has often been followed. " So Porsenna allowed the Romans iron implements for agriculture only." {Erdmann. ) Ver. 20. "Share, coulter," etc. " In Isaiah ii. 4, and Joel iii. 10, the word here rendered coulter is rendered ploughshare, and the word here rendered share, from its etymology, must have that meaning ; we must therefore siippose there was some difference in the two implements which cannot now be ascertained. The worn signifying mattock, or some such cutting instrument, is nearly identical with that rendered share." {Biblical Dictionary.) Ver. 21. The meaning of this verse is obscure, and the renderings of it very diverse. Gesenius and many Hebrew scholars read " And so there was dulness or notching of the edge." " The parenthesis indicates that the result of the burdensome necessity of going to the Philis- tines was that many tools became useless by dulness, so that even this poorer sort of arms did the Israelites not much service at the breaking out of the war." {Bunsen.) 142 CHAP. XIII. HOMILETIO COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. Ver. 22. " So . . . there was neither sword nor spear found" " They had no weapons of defence but their rude implements of husbandry. But by means of these a bold energetic militia could do great execution ; and in the well-known instances of the royalist peasantry of La Vendee or the Hays of Cramond, in Scotland, we have examples of the alert and effective manner in which a pastoral or agricultural people can arm themselves at a moment's notice," (Jamieson.) Ver. 23 "The passage of Michmash." The open valley between Geba and Michmash (see note on verse^6). " It is about a mile broad at this 'point, but contracts in its_ descent eastward to the Jordan into a narrow, precipitous defile." {Jamieson.) MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE CHAPTER. Saul's First Act of Disobedience. I. Humiliation of a nation following distrust of God. Saul "clioee him three thousand men," etc. This band of men seems to have been intended to act as a body-guard to Saul and his son, and to form a kind of standing army for the defence of the nation. In this act Saul was only following the general custom of human monarchs, who need the arms and strength of their subjects to protect themselves and to help them to defend their country. But this was quite a new thing in Israel, and it was a humiliation for the nation. It had hitherto been their glory that their king needed no arm of flesh to protect his person, nor any standing army to defend them from their enemies. He who had legions of angels to do His bidding could well dispense with the service of a human body- guard, and so long as they continued obedient to His word there was no need of a standing army in their midst to defend them from their enemies. Even when they had through disobedience been given over for a season into the hands of the heathen, their mighty and invisible King had always raised up deliverers so soon as they had by confession and promises of amendment returned to Him. This act of Saul must have forcibly reminded the Hebrew nation that they had now indeed got what they desired — a "king like all the nations" (chap, viii 4), and if they had reflected they would have felt humiliated in contrasting the comparative weakness of even the brave and warlike Saul with the omnipotent strength which they had rejected. But an act of distrust in Divine power is always followed by humiliation. II. Humiliation of a monarch following^ disobedience to God. God is a ruler who demands and deserves unconditional obedience. An absolute monarch ought to be so wise that all the wisdom of all his subjects put together is not equal to that which he possesses. And His goodness ought so to exceed the goodness of the best and most benevolent subjects of his realm that all his plans and purposes, and hence all his commands, will be more adapted to the welfare of every citizen than any plans which their united wisdom and benevo- lence could form. Unless a ruler can establish beyond doubt that he is thus immeasurably superior to all whom he desires to obey him, he has no right to demand from them unconditional obedience. But if such an one can be found, it is surely to the interest of all whom he commands to render it. God is such a King — the " King who can do no wrong," — and as such He demands and deserves obedience to all His commands although his subjects may not always see why He so commands them. This absolute obedience was the condition upon which alone He had promised to continue to be Avith Israel and with Israel's king (chap. xii. 14, 15). His past dealings with the nation, as Samuel had reminded them at Gilgal, fully justified this demand upon their loyalty, and Saul's individual experience ought to have made him deeply sensible that nothing less would be accepted by that Absolute Ruler who had placed him on the throne. That the command came to Saul through the word of Samuel 143 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. made uo difference — the command of a king is none the less binding because it is delivered through the mouth of a subject, and Saul knew full well that God spoke through the mouth of His prophet. Consider — 1. The root of this act of disohedience. It was distrust. It is quite evident that Saul had been commanded to remain at Gilgal until Samuel should arrive, and to postpone the sacrifices which were to precede any action against the Philistines until the prophet's arrival. There is no doubt that Saul would then have received Divine direction as to his future movements, and that the expedition against the national enemieswould have been followed by signs of the Divine approval. But Samuel's arrival was delayed until the last day of the appointed time without doubt to test Saul's faith in the Divine Avord. Help on all occasions and in all extremities had been most certainly promised him on condition that he, the king, as well as his people, followed after the Lord (chap. xii. 14) ; and an opportunity was now afforded him of proving whether he believed the promise. By his own confession he doubted it. " Thou earnest not within the days appointed, and the Philistines gathered themselves together to Michmash, therefore said I, the Philistines will come down upon me at'^Gilcal." This -was saying, in effect, that he doubted whether God and God's prophet would be as good as their word. The dishonour offered to Samuel was in reality a dishonour offered to God, inasmuch as he was doubtless acting under Divine direction — a fact of which it was impossible that Saul could be ignorant. The step from distrust to disobedience is easily taken — indeed the one is almost certain to lead to the other. While there is an unshaken confidence in the character of another there will be a loyal adherence to his commands, for confi- dence in his character and wisdom will beget an assurance that he will only command what is just and right. And this is especially true of man in his attitude towards God; hence it is the great aim of the tempter of men to beoet in them distrust of God, in order to lead them to disobedience to God. He did this with our first parents. All the questions which he put to Eve evidently had for their object the infusion into her mind_ of a suspicion whether, after all, God was the benevolent Being she had hitherto believed Him to be. If Saul's confidence in God had been firm, we should have never had this record upon the page of Bible history. 2. The punishment tchlch it hroufjht upon Said. At first sight it may appear a very severe one. That Saul should be rejected by God from being the founder of a kinoly dynasty for a single act of disobedience may seem upon the surface to be a^'sentence out of proportion to the gravity of the act. But it must be remembered that disobedience to a plain command is a very great sin. Saul could not plead as an excuse that he had misunderstood what he was required to do, or that the will of God had been implied rather than expressed ; he does, in fact, put in neither of these excuses. He admits that he knew what his directions were, and that he had knowingly and deliberately acted in opposition to them. As in the disobedience of the first man, the plainness of the command, " Thou shalt not eat of it" (Gen. ii. 17), made the eating an act of open defiance of the sovereignty of Jehovah, so it was in this case. The man who had been raised from herding cattle to be God's vicegerent in Israel, here lifts the standard of open rebelhon against his Sovereign. Then, again, an act of disobedienceis aggravated by the high position of the offender. A common soldier who dis- obeys martial law is punished for his crime ; but if the commander of the army violates it, he meets with a much more severe sentence. Men recognise the fact that the transgression of such a man deserves a heavier penalty, because his high and representative position makes his observance of law doubly obligatory. Such a man ought to be a living embodiment of obedience; he ought to show to those who are socially beneath him a life in perfect accordance with every jot and tittle of the law by which his very position implies that he is governed. Saul as king 144 CHAP. XIII. EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. of Israel was bound by obligations above all his subjects to observe every Divine command with the strictest fidelity. Upon his acts depended to a very great extent the moral tone of the entire nation — if iie treated the word of the Lord as a word to be regarded or set aside as his humour dictated, many of his subjects would surely do the same. The welfare of the Hebrew commonwealth demanded therefore that so open and glaring act of defiance should be visited with a public and severe penalty. The spirit in whicli Saul met Samuel's question, " What hast thou done?" shows also that there was no repentance after the deed. The words of the prophet seem framed to beget some acknowledgment of guilt — the very sight of the man who had been the channel by which all the favours of Jehovah had come to him, and from whose mouth he had received so many messages from the Most High God was calculated to beget in him some sense of his guilt. But there is no parallel to David's — " I have sinned against the Lord" (2. Sam. xii. 13)— he meets Samuel's question with words which have no ring of repentance about them — which show no sense of the greatness of the sin he had committed. When we consider all the circumstances which surround this act we can see that the sentence was not heavier than the sin. 3. Its woeful miscarriage in the immediate future. Saul's excuse for the act was the urgency of the situation — the danger which threatened the people at the hand of the Philistines. He pleads that he had disobeyed God in order to obtain from Him a fulfilment of His promises — that he hoped by breaking- His law to bring that success to his arms which had been promised only on condition of obedience. "Well might Samuel say, "Thou hast done foolishly," and the foolishness of sin was soon afterwards the bitter experience of both 'kino- and people. In nature God has certain laws, or established methods of working, by which good things come into the hand of men. But men must work in harmony with them and not in opposition to them if they would be partakers of the good. If a man expected to obtain the same results by acts which were in direct opposition to the known and established laws of the universe, he would be accounted nothing less than a madman. And there are physical laws the defiance of which all men know will not only be followed by no gain but with physical loss. No rational man thinks that he can throw himself over a precipice, for instance, and escape bodily injury and pain. Disobedience to the laws which govern matter can never bring the same results as obedience, and men never expect that it will do so. They know that if they " break " this 'hedge " a serpent will bite them " (Eccles. x. 8). But many a man, besides the first king of Israel, has acted as if he expected that observance and non-observance of moral law would be followed by the same results. Saul desired to defeat the Philistines and God had promised to stand by him and his army so long as they clave to' Him. But Saul here acts as though he expected to obtain the same blessing by forsaking God as by following Him ! He offers a burnt offering to the Bein^ whom he is defying, and looks for the same results as if he were walkino- in obedience to His word. But God's moral laws, like his pliysical ones, go as straight forward as the mighty wlieels in Ezekiel's vision (Ezek. i. 17).' Yea they are far more fixed and unalterable, and the penalty of breaA:ing them far more certain. God has suspended the laws of His physical universe, but never one of the laws of His moral kingdom. It is a law as firm as tlie throne of God that "whatsoever a man soweth," in moral acts, "that he shall also reap" (Gal. yi. 7), and men only make manifest their exceeding foolishness ' by expecting otherwise. When Saul found his two thousand men diminish to six hundred, and when the whole land was devastated by incursions of the heathen spoilers, both king and people knew from bitter experience that he does wisely who keeps the commandments of the Lord, and that there is no folly to com- pare with the foolishness of sin. I- 145 nOMILETIG COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Vers. 8, 13. The first test of faitli, wliich Saul had to submit to, was a theocratic necessity ; for Saul must first prove to the Lord by deeds that he wished to be unconditionally subject to the Lord's will, to yield obedience to His word which was to be revealed to him by prophets, and to trust alone to His help. Such tests as Saul had to stand, are, in the life of princes and peoples, and of individuals, in the church as in every member of God's people, a divine significance ; failure to stand them leads many from the Lord, brings to naught God's purposes, results in misfortune and destruction. The individual elements of Saul's pro- bation, the typical significance of which elements for all times and cir- cumstances of the kingdom of God is obvious, are found partly in his out- ward position, partly in his inner life. The external position of Saul, as to time and place, was one of extreme distress This distressing and dangerous position gave occasion in his heart to the temptation to act contrary to God's ivill and command. In the first place fear of the threatening danger seized on his heart ; to fear joined itself impatience, which pre- vented him from waiting out the time appointed by Samuel ; this produced unquiet in liis mind, wliich drove him to take self-Avilled measures to help himself, and dissipated more and more his trust in God ; then came sophistical calculation by his carnally obscured understanding; his heart frame to- wards God of immovable t}-ust and unconditional obedience was given up. It was the root of unbelief from which all this sprang. — Lange's Commentary. 1. Sin is not estimated by God according to its outward form, but according to the amount and extent of the principle of evil embodied in that form. There may be as much of downright rebellion against God in what men would call a little sin, as in a series of what men would call flagrant offences. And when we say of a re- quirement of God that it was so small 146 a matter as to render it marvellous that God should visit its violation with a penalty, we should remember that the smaller it was the more readily ought obedience to have been rendered, and the greater the proof of a wrong disposition, when obedience was re- fused, even in a little thing. H. The first wrong step is always marked by a peculiarity of evil which does not attach to any subsequent offences. Men are accustomed to palliate the first offence, because it is the first ; a more accurate estimate would show that this habit of judging is thoroughly erroneous and fallacious. There is more to keep a man from committing a first offence, than there is to keep him from committing a second or any other criminal act. The impression of the command is at least one degree deeper than it can possibly be after it has been trifled with. The first sin involves the taking up of a new position, and this is harder work than to maintain it. It is assuming a character of disobedience, and this requires more hardihood than to wear it when it has once been put on. It is breaking through consistency, which is a strong barrier so long as it remans unbroken ; but if once broken through sin becomes easy. All these things call on us, in fairness, to reverse our judgments on first offences; they suggest that these have an aggravation about them which belong not to other sins ; and we thus are the less surprised that God, whose every judgment is right, should have visited Saul's first offence with peculiar displeasure. — Miller. Our faith is most commendable in the last act; it is no praise to hold out until we be hard driven; then, when we are forsaken of means, to live by faith in our God is worthy of a crown. — Bp. Hall. I. This portion of Scripture history teaches us the danger of infringing or trifling with the Divine commandments on the plea of necessity There are many who would hesitate at the employment of dishonest, or even CHAP. XIII. EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. questio?iablemetiiis for the advancement of their interests generally, who would nevertheless occasionally, and under difficult and trying circumstances, dispense with the Divine law, and plead the peculiar necessity of the case for their justification. They are too apt to suppose that such a deviation from their known duty is rendered necessary, and excusable, from the urgency of their peculiar situation Could there be any case of greater urgency than Saul's ? Who can pretend to show a greater or more plausible neces- sity for deviating from a command of God? Yet his plea was utterly vain. II. The infatuation of supposing that, while disregarding the essentials of religion, faith and obedience, he could satisfy God with its forms All external rites and forms are only valuable as means conducive to in- ternal and practical piety; and, con- sequently, are so far from compensating for the want of this, that, without it, they become an unmeaning and un- availing service. — Liiidsa//. Ver. 13. It' may probably strike many readers that foolishness is not exactly the term they would have em- ployed in characterising the conduct of the Idng. They would have thought of " presumption," of " self-will,"' of " distrust," and other like terms, but scarcely of foolishness. But the pro- phet's word is the right one after all. It goes to the root of the matter. . . . . In his view and in that of all sacred writers, the lowest depths of human foolishness — its most astonish- ing and incredible manifestation — was in disobedience to the Lord's com- mandment. There are two kinds of fools prominently noticed in Scrip- ture — the fool who denies that tliere is any God — and the fool who does not obey God, though he does not deny His existence. .... And yet, if we probe the matter closely, we shall find that there is scarcely more than an impalpable film of real dif- ference between them. . . . One may as well believe there is no God as not obey Him. — Kitto. Ver. 14. The phrase "a man after God's own heart," has no reference to the piety or virtues of private and personal character ; for no mere man in that respect has come up to the standard of the Divine law. It is used solely with regard to official fidelity in the service of Jehovali in Israel (chap, ii.35); and David was certainly entitled to be characterised as "aman after God's own heart," from his ardent zeal and undeviating exertions for the interests of the true religion, in opposition to idolatry.— Jamieso?i. 1. A man devout, not merely by fits and starts, but profoundly and habitually. 2. A man not self-willed, who would rule according to the com- mand of God through the prophets. 3. A man who, when he had done wrong, would penitently submit to God's chastenings, invincibly trust in God's goodness, and faithfully strive to live more according to God's wall. (In these and similar points Saul and David might be contrasted) Irans- lator of Langes Commmtary. Ver. 15. Saul's sinful act in offering sacrifice lest the people should be scattered from him, failed of its pur- pose. _ Wordly policy does not attain even its own temporal ends (See John xi. 48). " If we let this man thus alone, the Romans will come and take away both our place and nation." They did not let Jesus alone ; and therefore the Romans did come, and destroyed them. — Wordsworth. 147 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. CHAPTER XIV. Critical AND Expositor!' Notes. Ver. 1. " Garrison of the Philistines." The advanced post mentioned in chaj^. xiii. 23. For the situation of the armies see note on chap. xiii. 6. Ver. 2. "A pomegranate tree," etc., rather the pomegranate, a well-known tree. "Accord- ing to Judges XX. 45, a rock near Gibeah bore the name ' Rock of the pomegranate ' (Rimmon), and was well adapted for a fortified position. It is a natural supposition that the same rock is meant here, named after the well-known pomegranate." {Erdmann.) This is the more probable because a pomegranate tree is not sufficiently high to admit of the erection of a tent beneath its branches. " Migron." A place of this name is mentioned in Isa. x. 28. Its exact site is not known, but it lay in this neighbourhood. It may be, however, that this spot is another of the same name, as the word signifies a precipice, and the entire district is rocky and precipitous, " Six hundred men." " His forces, then, had not increased since he came to Gibeah, as might have been expected." {Wordsworth.) Ver. 3, " Ahiah, the son of Ahitub." This man was therefore a great-grandson of Eli. He is generally snpposed to be the same person as .i4&/meZec/t, mentioned in chap. xxii. 9, 11. The signification of Abijah (as it ought to be written) is "Friend of Jehovah," and that of Abimelech is Friend of the King, viz., of Jehovah. It is quite possible, however, that Ahiah may have died without sons, and been succeeded by a brother named Abimelech. "The Lord's priest in Shiloh." "As Eli was so emphatically known and described as God's priest in Shiloh, and as there is every reason to believe that Shiloh was no longer the seat of the ark (see chap xxii.; 1 Chron. xiii. 3-5), it is far better to refer these woi'ds to Eli. . . . This fragment of genealogy is a very valuable help to the chronology. The grandson of Phinehas, the son of Eli, was now High Priest ; and Samuel, who was probably a few years older than Ahitub, was now an old man. All this indicates a period of about fifty yeai's or upward from the taking of the ark by the Philistines." (Bihlkal Commentary.) Ver. 4. ''Between the passages," etc. The ground is thus described by Robinson in his Bihlicul Researches — " In the gorge or valley are two hills of a conical or rather spherical form, having steep rocky sides, with small wadies running up behind each, so as almost to isolate them. One is on the side towards Geba, and the other on the side towards Michmash. These would seem to be the two rocks mentioned in Jonathan's adventure. They are not indeed so sharp as the language of Scripture would seem to imply, but they are the only rocks of the kind in the vicinitj'." In his Later Tlesearclies he says, " The ridges on either side of the valley exhibit two elevated points wliich project into the great wady ; and the easternmost of these bluffs on each side were probably the outposts of the two garrisons of the Philistines and the Israelites. The road passes around the eastern side of the southern hill, the post of Israel, and then strikes over the western part of the northern one, the post of the Philistines and the scene of Jonathan's adventure. These hills struck us now, more than formerly, as of sharp ascent, and as appropriate to the circumstances of the narr.ative. They are isolated cliffs in the valley, except so far as the low ridge, at the end of which they are found, connected them back with the higher ground on each side." Ver. 6. These uncircumcised. "It is remarkable that this epithet, used as a term of reproach, is confined almost exclusively to the Philistines. This is probably an indication of the long continued oppression of the Israelites by the Pliilistines, and tlieir frequent wars." {Biblical Comihcritary.') " May he." " This indicates not a doubt but the humility which was coupled with Jonathan's heroic si^irit." {Erdmann.) Ver. 10. " This shall be a sign," etc. " All .attempts to bring Jonathan's conduct within the rules of ordinary human action are vain. Though it is not expressly said, as in the case of Gideon (Judges vi. 34), Othniel (iii. 10), and others, that the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, yet the whole course of the narrative, especially verses 13-16, indicates an extraordinary Divine interposition and tends to place Jonathan on the same platform as the judges and saviours of Israel." {Biblical Commentary.) Ver. 11. "Behold the Hebrews come forth." "As it could not occur to the sentries that two men had come with hostile designs, it was a natural conclusion that they were Israelite deserters ; and hence no attempt was made to liinder their ascent, or stone them, as they were scrambling up the ridge." {Jamieson.) " Come up to us," etc. " They hoped to have sport with them, not supposing that they coidd there climb the rock." {Clericus.) Ver. 1 4. " Twenty men within, as it were, an half acre of land." Rather a half furrow of a yoke of land. " This indicates the position of the f.allen, after Jonathan, pressing impetuously on. had struck them down one after another, and his armour-bearer after him, had killed those that were not dead. This occurred in tlie space of about h.alf a furrow in a piece of land which one with a yoke of oxen could plough in a day." (Erdmann.) " Their terror and flight 148 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. are perfectly conceivable, if we consider that the outposts of the Philistines were so stationed upon the top of the ridge of the steep mountain wall that they could not see how many were following, and the Philistines could not imagine it possible that two Hebrews would _ have ventured to climb the rock alone and make an attack upon them. Sallust relates a similar occurrence in connection with the scaling of a castle in the Numidian war. Bell. Jugurtha. c. 89, 90." {Keil.) Ver. 15. " The earth quaked." Keil and others think that it merely trembled " with the noise and tumult of the frightened foe," but there can be no reason why it should not be under- Btood to describe a real earthquake — a supernatural intei-position of Uod. " Just as a strong east wind " divided the waters of the Red Sea ; just as the great hailstones smote the Canaanites to death "at the going down of Bethhoron" (Josh. x. 11), as " the stars in their courses fought against Sisera ;" " as the Lord thundered with a great thunder . . . and discomfited the Philistines at Ebenezer (chap. viii. 10), ... so now the earth quaked at the presence of the Lord who fought for Jonathan." (Btblical Commentary.) " A very great trembling"— «' a trembling of God," i.e., '• a supernatural terror infused by God into the Philistines." {Kiel.) Ver. 16. " The watchmen of Saul looked." This shows that the distance between the two encampments was not great. " The multitude melted away." The Hebrew text is here very obscure. Multitude may be rendered tumult. Many read "the multitude," or " the tumult, dispersed hither and thither." Ver. 18. " Bring hither the ark of God." "Many expositors, thinking it extremely im- probable that the ark had been removed from Kirjath-jearim, where it was afterwards found by David (2 Sam. vi. 2, 3), regard the Hebrew text as here incorrect, and follow the Septuagint reading of ephod. It must, however, be remembered that the Chaldee, the Syriac, the Arabic, and the Vulgate support the authorised version. It has been remarked that if Saul had spoken of the ark he would not have said ' bring hither,' but ' carry forward,' nor would he afterwards have commanded the high priest to 'withdraw his hand.'" {Tr. of Lange's Commentary.) Dr. Erdmann, Wordsworth, and others, see no reason to doubt the correctness of the Hebrew MSS. Ver. 19. "Withdraw thine hand." Saul, seeing the battle was growing hotter, resolved to go forward without delay. Ver. 21. "The Hebrews." These might have been prisoners held by the Philistines. " They are called Hebrews, according to the name which was current among foreigners." (Ked.) Ver. 23. "Bethaven." On the mountains of Benjamin, lying east of Bethel, and between ifc and Michmash, " According to ver. 31 the Philistines fled westward from Michmash to Ajalon. But if we bear in mind that the camp of the Philistines was on the eastern side of Michmash, before Bethaven, according to chap. xiii. 5, and that the Israelites forced their way into it from the south, we shall see that the battle might easily have spread out beyond Bethaven, and that eventually the main body of the enemy might have fled out as far as Ajalon, and have been pursued to that point by the victorious Israelites." {Keil.) Ver. 24. " Adjured the people." He made them take an oath. Ver. 25. "Honey upon the ground." Eastern countries abound with wild bees, who deposit their combs in the hollows of the trees. " Large combs may be seen hanging on the trees, as you pass along, full of honey." {Roberts.) The same thing may be seen in some parts of Europe, especially in Spain. Ver. 27. " Jonathan heard not," and therefore was not bound by his father's oath ; could not be said to have transgressed it. " In the eagerness of pursuit he would not stop to do more than ' put forth the end of the rod.' " ( Wordsworth.) Ver. 31. "Aijalon, or Ajalon." "There is no doubt that the town has been discovered by Dr. Robinson in the modern Yalo, a little to the north of the Jaffa road, and about fourteen miles out of Jerusalem. It stands on the side of a long hill which forms the southern boundary of a fine valley of cornfields which there seems no reason for doubting was the valley which witnessed the defeat of the Canaanites." {Smith's Biblical Dictionary.) See also Keil's note on verse 23. "Aijalon would be from fifteen to twenty miles from Michmash." {Bib. Commentary.) Ver. 32. "With the blood," " blood being on the bodies because they were on the ground." (Erdmann). Ver. 33. "Sin against the Lord." A breach of the law. Lev. iii. 17, vii. 26, xix. 26, etc. " The prohibition was still older than the law of Moses," Genesis ix. 4. {Biblical Commentary.) " They were painfully conscientious in keeping the king's order, for fear of the curse, but had no scruple in transgressing God's command." {Jamieson). " Roll a great stone." " By laying the animal's head upon the stone, the blood oozed out on the ground, and sufficient evidence was afforded that the ox or sheep was dead before it was attempted to eat it," {Ja7nieson.) ^ 149 EOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. Ver. 34. "As everywhere before, so here, the people display unconditional obedience to Saul." (Erdmanii.) Ver. 35. "And Saul built an altar." " He herjan to build it," i.e., he built this altar at the beginning, or as the first altar. [Keil.) " It seems to be implied that though he had reiiTued tliree years, and had been enabled by God to gain many victories, yet he had not made any such acknowledgement of gratitude to God for his successes, and that he had ascribed the credit of them to himself." ( Wordsworth.) " He began to build an altar to the Lord, but did not finish it, in his haste to pursue the Philistines that night, as it follows in verse 36." {Biblical Commentary.) Ver. 36. " Let us go down." " Saul rushes on in his wild desire of revenge, perhaps incited by the consciousness of having committed a gross folly, and thereby hindered the victory. . . . According to Jonathan's statement (verse 30) the defeat was not total." (Erdrnann.) "Then said the priest." "Ahiah seems to have been in doubt that Saul's hasty impetiiosity was not 'working the righteousness of God,' and with equal courage and faithfulness, worthy of his office as the priest, when every one else yielded to Saul's humour, proposed that they should draw near to God to inquire of Him." {Biblical Commentary-) Ver. 37. "Asked counsel." By the Urim and Thummim attached to the ephod of the High Priest. (See Judges xviii. 5, 1 Chrou. x. 13, Hosea iv. 12, 1 Sam. x. 22.) Ver. 38. "Know and see wherein this sin." Which Saul infers from God's silence. Ver. 39. "For, as the Lord liveth." "Saul's rashness becomes more and more apparent." (Biblical Commentary.) "Not a man answered him." "The silence of the people is a sign of their conviction that Jonathan had done nothing wrong." (Erdrnann.) Ver . 40. " Do what seemeth good. " Another evidence of the people's submission. (See verses 34 and 36.) Ver. 41. " A perfect lot." Lot is not in the original. It should be rendered " Give perfect- ness, or trutli," i.e., reveal Thy will. But it is clear from the sequel that Saul did not now inquire of the Lord by the Urim and Thummim, but appealed to the lot. Ver. 42. "Jonathan was taken." "What Jonathan had done was not wrong in itself, but became so simply on account of the oath with which Saul had forbidden it. But Jonathan did not hear the oath, and therefore had not even consciously transgressed. Nevertheless a curse lay upon Israel, which was to be brought to light as a warning to the culprit. Therefore Jehovah had given no reply to Saul. But when the lot, which had the force of a Divine verdict, fell upon Jonathan, sentence of death was not thereby pronounced on him by God, but it was simply made manifest that through his transgression of his father's oath, with which he was not acquainted, guilt had been brought upon Israel. The breach of a command issued with a solemn oath, even when it took place unconsciously, excited the wrath of God, as being a profanation of the Divine name. But such a sin could only rest as guilt upon the man who had committed, or the man who had occasioned it. Now, where the command in question was one of God Himself, there could be no question that, even in the case of unconscious transgression, the sin fell upon the transgressor, and it was necessary that it should either be expiated by him, or forgiven him. But where the command of a man had been unconsciously transgressed, the guilt might also fall upon the man who issued the command, that is to say, if he did it without being authorised or empowered by God. In the present instance Saul had issued the prohibition without Divine authority, and had made it obligatory upon the people by a solemn oath. The peojjle had conscientiously obeyed the command, but Jonathan had transgressed it without being aware of it. For this Saul was about to punish him with death, but the people opposed it. They not only pronounced Jonathan innocent, but they also exclaimed that he had gained the victory for Israel loith Ood (ver. 45). In this fact (Jonathan's victory) there was a Divine verdict. And Saul could not fail to recognise now that it was not Jonatlian, but he himself who had sinned, and through his arbitrary and despotic command had brought guilt upon Israel, on account of which God had given him no reply." ( Kcil.) Ver. 45. "So the people rescued Jonathan." "Observe the humiliation to which Saul is reduced by his disobedience and by the" consequent withdrawal of Divine grace, and by his rashness and infatuation. The son is raised above the father, and the people above the king." (Wordsiuorth.) Ver. 46. " Then Saul went up." " Saul desisted from further pursuit of the Philistines, with whose overthrow, so far as it coidd be effected under the harmful consequences of his blind zeal, he liad to be contented. The Pliilistines went back to their own land. In spite of this serious defeat their strength was not broken (comp. ver. 52). The fact that Saul desisted from pursuit shows that he understood the Lord's silence as a denial, and was obliged to recognise as the cause of it, not Jonathan's conduct, but his own arbitrary and rash procedure." (Erdinann.) 150 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. Ver. 47. " So Saul took the kingdom." " As Saul had first of all secured a recognition of himself as king on the part of all the tribes of Israel by his victories over the Ammonites at Jabesli (chap. xi. 12), so it was through the victory which he had gained over the Philistines, and by which these obstinate foes of Israel were driven back into their own land, that he first acquired the kingship over Israel, i.e., first really secured the regal authority over the Israelites .... The war against the Ammonites is described in chap. xi. ; but with the Philistines Saul had to wage war all the days of his life (ver. 52). The other wars are none of tliem more fully described, simply because they were of no importance to the kingdom of God." (Keil.) Dr. Erdmann takes a different view of these words. He says : " The words do not stand in pragmatical connection with the preceding narrative of the battle against the Philistines, as if the intention was to state that thus Saul gained royal authority. His accession to the throne is mentioned merely as starting-point for the historical-statistical statement of the various wars which he carried on from the beginning of his government .... Wliat is said of them before and after this is determined by the theocratic point of view, and is designed to show how Saul, in fulfilling his royal calling (essentially a warlike one), came into principal conflict with the theocratic task and significance of the kingdom, and therefore incurred of necessity the judgment of God." " There seems to be something of disapprobation in this expression, as if Saul took it as his own, rather than received it from God." (Wordsivorth.) " Zobah." "This was one of the petty Aramaean kingdoms flourishing at this time (Psa. Ix., title). It seems to have been situated between Damascus and the Euphrates. The details given in 2 Sam. viii. 3-8, 12 : x. 6-8 ; 2 Chron. viii. 3, show it to have been a wealthy and powerful tribe, and to have asserted its independence in Solomon's reign." {Biblical Commentary.) Ver. 49. " Ishni." Abinadab stands for this name in chap. xxxi. 2 ; 1 Chron. viii. 33 : ix. 39. In the passages in Chronicles there is a fourth son mentioned, named Esh-baal, who is doubtless the one called Ish-bosheth in 2 Sam. ii. 8. It is impossible to say why he is not mentioned here. Ver. 51. This verse should be read : " And Kish the father of Said, and JVer the father of Abner, were the sons of Abiel." Ver. 52. " When Saul saw any strong man," etc, " This remark is probably made in anticipation of David's being taken into Saul's service, xvi. 18, 19 ; xviii. 2, where the expressions are the same as here." {Biblical Commentary.) MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— Verses 1-16. Jonathan's Victoey over the Philistines. This victory — I. Reveals the character of Jonathan. His words and his deeds proclaim him to have been a man of physical courage, and of humble piety. These two elements united in the character of one man make him as perfect a specimen of manhood as it is possible to find. The possession of either characteristic — and especially of the latter — gives to its possessor a claim on our respect. Courage — an absence of fear in the presence of bodily danger — a willingness to expose one's body to risk for the sake of gaining a certain end — is a quality which is not met with in every person, and it deserves to be acknowledged and honoured wherever it is found. But there are many physically brave men who have no godliness : God, in whom they live and move and have their being, is never acknowledged by them, and their deeds of daring are undertaken and accomplished without any thought of seeking His help or rendering to Him thanksgiving for deliverance. And it cannot be denied that there are godly men who are naturally timid in the presence of bodily danger — that, although godliness has a tendency to make a man brave in every sense of the word, it does not so change his natural disposition as to make one who is constitutionally fearful bold and daring in a remarkable degree. But when a courageous man is a man of God — when his deeds of daring are undertaken in dependence upon God, and when he acknowledges Him in all his ways, he is a man in the highest sense of the word, and a consciousness of God's favour increases his natural coiarage and makes him willing to do and to dare anything in the path of duty. That Saul was a physically brave man we have abundant proof. But he had now been for some time in the field, and had evidently 151 HOMILETIC COMMENTARY: SAMUEL. done notliiujf. So far as can be gathered from tlie Scripture record, he had remained inactive since his interview with Samuel We can but contrast his present hesitation with his decision in rehation to the Ammonite invasion, and see in the change which had come over him how departure from God may make a naturally courageous man timid and hesitating. But Jonathan evidently added to his father's natural bravery a spirit of humble dependence upon God, and reminds us of Israel's first warlike leader Joshua, in whom were also united these two noble characteristics. " Let us go over to the Philistines' garrison" speaks for the courage of the warrior-prince, while " It may be that the Lord will work for us" tells of his godly character. II. Reveals God's approval of His servant's undertaking. This vic- tory of Jonathan's is one among the many instances upon record in the history of God's Church of the special seal of Divine approval which is always set upon eminent faith. Old Testament history gives many illustrations of the truth of the Saviour's words, "All tJdngs are 2^ossible to Him that helieveth" (Mark ix. 23), and the success which crowned this undertaking makes it a striking one. It is instructive to notice the increasingly evident marks of Divine approval which were vouchsafed to Jonathan on this occasion. God first condescends to give His servant just enough encouragement to lead him to persevere in his project by accepting the sign which he had proposed. Here was just enough token of God's approval to lead him to go on, but not enough to do away with the exercise of faith. A man of less confidence in God might have faltered here, and have been tempted to regard the Philistines' invitation as only a remarkable coincidence. But Jonathan's faith was strong enough to see in it a token that "the Lord had delivered the enemy into the hand of Israel," and the faith which could discern the Divine approval in an incident apparently so trivial was soon to receive an abundant reward in an unmistakable manifestation of Jehovah's presence in the terror-stricken host, and in the quaking earth. This is the method of Divine working generally. God always looks with approval upon undertakings which are born of confidence in His power and goodness, but although He may, during their progress, vouchsafe sufficient tokens of His power and presence to encourage the hearts of His servants, He may withhold His most decisive and unmistakable manifestations until their courage and faith have been abundantly tested. OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS. Ver. G. Divine power of faith. It may be a matter of hope that He which makes a man more than men ! will work for us. (People often say : The question is not what Jonathan "I have faith that we shall succeed can do, but what God can do, in this enterprise." That is not pro- whose power is not in the means, perly a matter of faith, but only of but in Himself admirable faith hope. We believe that God can give in Jonathan, whom neither the steep- success when it is His will ; we are ness of rocks nor the multitude ^^g/-s?