1 Samuele 3:10 Commento

In the foregoing chapter we had Samuel a young priest, though by birth a Levite only, for he ministered before the Lord in a linen ephod; in this chapter we have him a young prophet, which was more, God in an extraordinary manner revealing himself to him, and in him reviving, if not commencing, prophecy in Israel. Here is, I. God's first manifestation of himself in an extraordinary manner to Samuel (Sa1 3:1-10). II. The message he sent by him to Eli (Sa1 3:11-14). III. The faithful delivery of that message to Eli, and his submission to the righteousness of God in it (Sa1 3:15-18). IV. The establishment of Samuel to be a prophet in Israel (Sa1 3:19-21).

INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 3 This chapter gives an account of the Lord's calling to Samuel in the night season, which he first took for the voice of Eli, but being instructed by him, made answer to the voice, Sa1 3:1, and of a message sent from him by Samuel to Eli, foretelling the destruction of his family, Sa1 3:11 and of the delivery of it to him, which Samuel was first fearful of doing, but, encouraged by Eli, he delivered it to him, to which he patiently submitted, Sa1 3:15 and the chapter is closed with the establishment of Samuel as a prophet of the Lord, who continued to appear and reveal himself to him, Sa1 3:19.

And the Lord came, and stood,.... At the place where Samuel lay; either there was, as Kimchi, a form before his eyes in the vision of prophecy, some visible corporeal shape assumed; or a bright splendour an illustrious appearance of the glory of God; or it may be rather the voice, which before seemed to be at some distance whereabout Eli lay; it now seemed nearer, and was as the voice of one just by him, that sounded in his ears: and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel: repeating his name, in order the more to excite his attention: then Samuel answered, speak, for thy servant heareth; he leaves out the word Lord, which Eli bid him use; for he might be afraid as yet to make mention of the name of the Lord in the vision of prophecy, as Kimchi speaks; or lest it should be the voice of another, as Jarchi; as yet he might not be quite certain whether it was the voice of the Lord, or the voice of a man; for that he should have any mistrust of its being the voice of a demon or spectre, there is no reason to believe.

16. And it should be noted that the Lord rouses the boy while he is resting, without Eli knowing, yet once roused, He by no means reveals the reason for his calling unless that same Eli instructs him, because He raises chosen subjects through hidden inspiration toward the desire for the heavenly homeland, yet through their rest He does not permit them to be called to the homeland they love without the permission of their superiors. Since, therefore, as many times as the boy is called, so many times he is allowed to go to his master, what else does this mean except that the desires of subjects, divinely inspired, are submitted to the judgment of superiors? For the work of a subject that is divinely inspired is recognized as pleasing to God when it is carried out by the command or permission of a superior. The boy is therefore called four times by the Lord, and the quiet of sleep is commanded four times by the master, because we are kindled by divine inspiration toward the moderation of work, the silence of the mouth, the casting away of inner anxiety, and the cessation of ministry, for the love of a more secluded life, and yet we are forbidden to fulfill the desires of our love without the permission of our superiors. The Lord therefore calls and is silent about the reason for the calling, so that, with the master's permission, He may reveal Himself to the called subject. For He who, unbidden to listen, fell silent after He had called, once the human teacher gave the command, God who was calling made known the reason for the calling. For there follows: (Verses 9–11.) So Samuel went and slept in his place. And the Lord came and stood, and called as He had called the second time, Samuel. And Samuel said: Speak, Lord, for Your servant is listening. And the Lord said to him. 17. By these words indeed, because what is known to pertain to a body is said of the incorporeal and invisible divine substance, it is necessary that it be understood in a rational manner. For where does he come who is everywhere? In what way is he said to stand and speak who is not formed of bodily substance? But while that substance governs all things, the words of our poverty are employed, through which we may be able to rise to knowing the mysteries of his working. For the Lord's coming is to touch the hearts of the elect by the presence of his grace; his standing is, by the abiding gift of his grace, to retain the minds he touches with the unwavering gift of his grace. His calling, moreover, is to arouse the chosen mind to the increase of greater grace. For the Lord comes and does not stand when the hearts of the negligent are touched by grace, and yet they do not at all persevere in the affection and love of the grace that touches them. For he is as it were present when coming, and departing when not standing, when from the present touch of divine grace they suddenly resolve to do good, and immediately, being abandoned, they forsake the intention of that same good resolve. But if this is referred to the power of contemplation, the Lord comes and stands when he both suddenly touches the hearts of the elect by grace and does not suddenly abandon them once touched, so that by coming he may visit, by standing he may confirm, and he who is shown to the joy of the mind beloved to him may not himself depart before that mind is satisfied in its living experience. But because he is said to stand, it is indicated that he will at some point depart, because even if he sometimes satisfies chosen souls in his revelation through a brief lingering, he withdraws the sweetness of his presence, so that they may more ardently desire what has been withdrawn. The Lord therefore comes by visiting, stands by sweetly showing himself, and calls by arousing through most ardent desire toward the love of his revealed glory. Hence also the boy was aroused so many times by the repeated name. He is called because a calling by name designates the affection of great charity and intimacy. Hence he also speaks to Moses, saying: "I know you by name" (Exodus 33:12, 17). The name of the one called is therefore repeated when the mind of the one who sees is now received into great intimacy with the interior Majesty, and is elevated by its burning desires toward the love of the one who calls, so that nothing may please it beyond what it hears, and it may desire to dwell perpetually in the joy of what it has heard. Hence it is also openly added here: "Samuel therefore said: Speak, Lord, for your servant hears." He who therefore said "Speak" was compelled by necessity. For it is as if he were saying in plainer words: I answered "Speak," because I could not have answered otherwise. For what else can a mind desire that has been taken up into that joy of the speaking Majesty? For to say to God in the mind "Speak" is to desire always to hear that ineffably sweet speech. He therefore says "Speak" who would wish that he never be silent. Hence it is also added: "for your servant hears." As if to say: because that which I receive by the experience of interior affection, I desire to enjoy in eternal perception. He therefore asks that he speak, who desires that he never be silent in his interior affections, lest he who is lifted up by such sublime exultation when the Lord speaks be cast down, when he is silent, to endure the straits of condemned humanity. For if we are raised from the darkness of our corruption when he speaks, when he is silent to us through the withdrawal of grace, we are subjected to those same darknesses. Rightly therefore, having been raised to such a height, he says to the Lord "Speak," because he takes pleasure in that joy of interior hearing in which nothing in his outward circumstances pleases him; and he would desire all the more ardently to remain with the one conversing with him, the more gladly he would have wished never to be cast down to his own infirmities. 18. Indeed, when by God's authorship we say "Speak" to the Lord, we say it by His own gift; yet we cannot express with what affection the more perfect elect say this to Him, because what belongs to ineffable desire is not expressed by the utterance of reason. Peter indeed well suggests this affection, who, when he stood by the Lord transfigured on the mountain, and beheld His face shining like the sun, and had seen His garments gleaming white like snow, said: "It is good for us to be here; if You will, let us make here three tabernacles, one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah" (Matt. 17:4; Luke 9:33). For he who says, "It is good for us to be here," would never have wished to be taken away from that vision of such great glory, if he could have remained. For when Peter says, "Lord, it is good for us to be here," and Samuel says, "Speak, Lord, for Your servant hears," the words indeed are different, but the affections are equal. For Peter signifies on the mountain, with the Lord transfigured, what Samuel signifies when he is called by the Lord coming, standing, and standing a second time. But even though Peter is reproved by the Evangelist as one not knowing what he was saying, this does not seem contrary to this meaning. For the Evangelist reproves not Peter's affection but his reasoning, because, having been taken up with the Lord apart in glory, he desired to remain so always, and did not want Him to descend to the ignominy of the cross for the common redemption. He did not know, therefore, what he was saying, but he ardently loved what he saw, because indeed he beheld so great a good that it could in no way not be loved. Hence, even though Peter is justly reproved, he is nonetheless reasonably pardoned, because he was overcome by love of such great Majesty through its enjoyment. Nevertheless, when Peter is charged with ignorance of what he was saying, the cause of that same ignorance is mentioned. For the Evangelist adds: "For they were terrified with fear." For that ineffable beauty of the inner Majesty sometimes shakes with wondrous dread the chosen mind to which it delightfully reveals itself, lest it leap into pride from the greatness of the vision, if the spirit that advances it—whose gentle contemplation raises it to such heights—does not restrain it with the governance of fear. In one and the same vision of revealed glory, both the goodness of the Redeemer is beheld as ineffably gentle and His justice as ineffably terrifying, so that the more sweetly the soul of the beholder is nourished by the regard of God's goodness, the more, terrified by the consideration of His justice, it may take care not to be vainly satisfied. Hence also, when Samuel is raised to the intimacy of divine speech, not joyful things about the progress of the elect are announced to him, but terrible things about the downfall of the great. For it continues: (Verse 11) "And the Lord said to Samuel: Behold, I am doing a thing in Israel at which both ears of everyone who hears it shall tingle."

But to what degree he advances is shown, because it is suddenly added next: (Verse 10.) "The Lord therefore came and stood." 18. Because the Lord is said not to return but to come, the abandonment of Judea and the visitation of the holy Church is signified. Hence He is described not only as coming but also as standing. He indicates that He came to visit Judea, saying: "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matt. 15:24). But having come, He did not stand, because He abandoned her as she despised the good of her own salvation. Hence He also threatens the rulers of the Synagogue, saying: "Your house will be left to you desolate" (Matt. 23:38). Again, declaring this, He says: "Amen, I say to you that the kingdom will be taken from you and given to a nation producing its fruits." Therefore He came to Samuel and stood, because He once took up the preachers of the holy Church, from whom He no longer departs through the guardianship of His grace. For He had come to Samuel when, presenting new preachers to the world, He said: "Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature; whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; but whoever does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:15ff.). But let Him who came say whether the Lord ought to stand: "Behold, I am with you all days even to the consummation of the age" (Matt. 28:20). Therefore the Lord had come not to depart but to stand, because He chose new ministers of the faith, whom He protects even to the end of the world as they succeed one another through the patrimony of holy virtues devoted to Him. But let us hear what He adds—He who comes visiting through grace, who stands persevering through the unchangeableness of His election. (Verse 10.) "And He called, as He had called the second time, Samuel, Samuel." 19. For he called a second time, because he provided him with a twofold office in the ministry of preaching: namely, that by repelling the pride of the Synagogue he might crush it, and that by calling the humility of the Gentiles to the faith he might raise them up. Or indeed he is called a second time because he is roused both to the destruction of the old man and to the building up of the new. He was called once when he was being instructed through the Spirit as to how he might be able to blot out sins and vices in the hearts of sinners; he was called a second time when God instructed him by the teaching of the interior Master, so that, having destroyed the edifice of impiety in the minds of the converted, he ought to raise up a new structure of holy virtues. And indeed, because the order of holy preachers both gladly learned this teaching and devoutly offered themselves to obey, there follows: (Verse 10.) Samuel therefore said: Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening. 20. To hear God speaking is to fulfill His precepts by works. On the contrary, in the Gospel, Truth itself says to the reprobate: He that is of God heareth God's words; ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God (John 8:47). But to the one listening, He adds what He desires to make known.

Samuel ministers to the Lord before Eli, Sa1 3:1. He is thrice called by the Lord; who informs him of the evils which shall be brought on the house of Eli, Sa1 3:2-15. Eli inquires of Samuel what the Lord had said, Sa1 3:16, Sa1 3:17. He gives a faithful reunion of the whole, which Eli receives with great submission, Sa1 3:18. Samuel prospers; is established as a prophet in Israel; and the Lord reveals himself to him to Shiloh, Sa1 3:19-21.

The Lord came, and stood - He heard the voice as if it was approaching nearer and nearer; till at last, from the sameness of the tone, he could imagine that it ceased to approach: and this is what appears to be represented under the notion of God standing and calling.

THE LORD APPEARS TO SAMUEL IN A VISION. (Sa1 3:1-10) the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli--His ministry consisted, of course, of such duties in or about the sanctuary as were suited to his age, which is supposed now to have been about twelve years. Whether the office had been specially assigned him, or it arose from the interest inspired by the story of his birth, Eli kept him as his immediate attendant; and he resided not in the sanctuary, but in one of the tents or apartments around it, assigned for the accommodation of the priests and Levites, his being near to that of the high priest. the word of the Lord was precious in those days--It was very rarely known to the Israelites; and in point of fact only two prophets are mentioned as having appeared during the whole administration of the judges (Jdg 4:4; Jdg 6:8). there was no open vision--no publicly recognized prophet whom the people could consult, and from whom they might learn the will of God. There must have been certain indubitable evidences by which a communication from heaven could be distinguished. Eli knew them, for he may have received them, though not so frequently as is implied in the idea of an "open vision."

When Samuel had lain down again, "Jehovah came and stood," sc., before Samuel. These words show that the revelation of God was an objectively real affair, and not a mere dream of Samuel's. "And he called to him as at other times" (see Num 24:1; Jdg 16:20), etc.). When Samuel replied in accordance with Eli's instructions, the Lord announced to him that He would carry out the judgment that had been threatened against the house of Eli (Sa1 3:11-14). "Behold, I do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle," sc., with horror (see Kg2 21:12; Jer 19:3; Hab 1:5).