Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 3:18

And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It [is] the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.

18. every whit ] Heb. ‘all the words,’ = every thing. Whit is derived from A.-S. wiht, thing.

It is the Lord ] He is Jehovah. For the depth of meaning involved in this confession, see Exo 34:5-7. Eli, with all his faults, was still at heart faithful to God. He submits without a murmur to the divine sentence, leaving himself and his house in the hands of God. Compare the resignation of Aaron (Lev 10:3), Job (Job 1:21; Job 2:10), and Hezekiah (Isa 39:8). But it is the passive resignation of a weak character. Though he submits himself patiently to the will of God, he would not rouse himself to do it.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

It is the Lord … – Compare the devout submission of Aaron Lev 10:3, and of Hezekiah 2Ki 20:19. And, for the highest conceivable submission to the will of God, compare Luk 22:42.

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

1Sa 3:18

And Samuel told him every whit.

Speaking the truth in love

Samuel, so adjured, told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. How interesting it is to trace, at every stage of the history, the development of this holy childs character. He had been called to be a prophet, that is, an announcer of Gods word and will to His people. And what are the leading qualifications for the office of a prophet?

1. That he should speak the whole truth fully and without reserve.

2. He must speak the truth in love. He is not to speak harshly or bitterly, as if glorying in the prospect of sentence being executed, but tenderly, and in sympathy. What a good augury of his right discharge of the prophetical office–this fidelity combined with this sympathy! (Dean Goulburn.)

Samuels youthful virtues

1. His submission to Eli deserves particular notice. Early grace made him anxious to do well, and to obey those over him in the Lord.

2. Samuel showed great respect to Elis feelings. He had a regard for the feelings of the amiable old man, and had no desire to glory over him by being preferred as the channel of Divine communication, or to embitter his gray hairs by such mournful tidings. His conduct evinced great self-command and consideration for others–features of character of great worth and usefulness, and very beautiful in one so young. It is wrong even to tamper with the feelings of anyone, or to distress a heart unreasonably. There is a cruelty in annoying the aged by wantonly abusing them for the faults of other years, or reproaching them for the vices of their sons, or bearing to them the tales which irritate their souls, and make their lives unhappy, He was not forward to utter bad news, as young persons often are, but acted with becoming caution.

3. Samuels candour was remarkable. Samuels frank and candid statement is a model to every youth. (R. Steel.)

It is the Lord: let Him do what seemeth Him good.

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 glorious 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 Red Sea, that slew great and mighty kings (Psa 136:15; Psa 136:17-18) did deliver up His own people, did deliver up the ark to Dagon: for His justice, His wisdom, and His mercy did endure forever.

II. A well-grounded resolution. Let us learn with Eli to kiss the Son, lest He be angry (Psa 2:12), nay, to kiss Him, and bow before Him when He is angry; to offer Him up a peace offering, our wills, of more power than a hecatomb, than all our numerous 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.)

Peaceable fruit of righteousness

So long as things went well with Eli he had given no evidence of being one of Gods true children. But the sore pressure of Gods judgment upon him brings out the good in his character, which lay beneath the surface. The fragrant leaf must be crushed, before it will give out the perfume that is in it. The pebble must be cut and filed and rubbed by the jeweller, before the beautiful veining which runs through the heart of it can be brought to light. (Dean Goulburn.)

Archbishop Whitgift, when he was paralysed and his speech affected, could be heard to say nothing distinctly but this: Pro Ecclesia Dei, Pro Ecclesia Dei, (For the Church of God.) The Church of God was nearer to his heart than his own troubles and approaching death. (Dean Goulburn.)

Resignation in suffering

You are aware that in the Christian character there are what are called the active and the passive graces. It is not enough for us to ask what we do, but we must also ask how we suffer.

I. Let us attend to the nature of that submission to God of which we have an example in the memorable Eli.

1. Submission to God does not suppose insensibility to the afflictions under which we are called to cultivate it. We are allowed to mourn, though we are not allowed to murmur. Religion does not exact stoicism of its subjects.

2. This submission, in the second place, does not suppose that we are not to employ the means which are within our power, with a view to the prevention of evil. Our employment of means, with a view to prevent evil from falling upon us, is not at all inconsistent with a feeling of submission to the will of God.

3. Nor, in the third place, is prayer to God against evil, inconsistent with submission to Him under it, if He should see fit to visit us with it. We must not, indeed, open our mouth against God, but we may open our mouth to God.

But then, let us inquire what this submission actually implies.

1. Why, in the first place, it implies that we justify God in every thing that He does–that however much we may blame ourselves, we attach no blame to God. Now, this is something; and I am afraid it is more than all of us at all times experience.

2. But submission involves more than this: it involves in it, that we approve of all that God does.

3. Then, lastly, this submission supposes that we cleave to God in the midst of all.

II. Let us notice the grounds on which this submission to God rests. First, then, it rests on the sovereignty of God.

2. Then, secondly, on the ground of the righteousness and justice of God, we ought to submit to Him.

2. Then, again, the unchangeableness of God should also inspire us with a feeling of resignation and submission.

III. Some practical effects or fruits of this submission to God. Now, there are some evils which it will prevent, and there are some direct and absolute benefits which it will ensure. First, there are evils which it will prevent. It will prevent rash conclusions. Again, this submission to God will prevent immoderate sorrow. In the next place, this will prevent sinful staggerings. This is a scriptural phrase. It is said of Abraham that he staggered not. Sometimes a sudden affliction comes upon us; and, like a flash of lightning across our path, it surprises us. Then, as to the positive benefits which this feeling–this habit–this virtue of submission will insure to us, it will give us, in the first place, inward peace. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee. Therefore, this will also bring along with it enduring patience–a noble virtual Patience is one of the finest moral virtues! Lastly, another positive advantage is that it will excite praise and thanksgiving. The language, the spirit of the text, is not to be attained, perhaps, all at once. (J. E. Beaumont.)

Resignation to the Divine Will

Let us see what virtue Eli manifests in the text; then, how he displayed it; and, what lessons may be drawn from the subject.

I. The virtue.

1. It was conformity to the Will of God viewed in relation to God, this virtue is based upon the realisation of His goodness, and that therefore His will is always just and good and wise.

2. Further, that nothing happens unless it is designed or permitted by Him. Elis instinctive expression, It is the Lord, reveals the habit of his soul to discern Gods hand in all things.

3. But the words express the entire resignation of his own will to the will of God. In this lies the virtue. It was not a mere emotion, but an act of that within him must have been a habit. Difficult occasions do not create virtues, but call them into operation.

4. Holy Scripture supplies us with many instances of conformity of will to God, which is a law which holds good throughout the spiritual sphere, as that of gravitation does in the natural sphere: e.g. the answer of the Shunamite, when her child had died, It is well, or Peace (2Ki 4:26). Again, Jobs wonderful resignation, expressed by the words, The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord (Job 1:21).

II. How displayed.

1. Promptly. There was no hesitation or delay. We know how, when some great loss is broken to us, for a time we are apt to be overwhelmed, dazed, and bewildered with grief, and want a little pause before we can gather ourselves together again and attempt to cry, Not my will, but Thine, be done. But with the aged Eli, the accents of resignation followed immediately upon the announcement of the evils which would befall him and his house. He apparently sustained the shock without perturbation, though evidently a man of deep affections.

2. Humbly. Men often disdain to be corrected by their juniors, but Eli displayed no such sensitiveness. Though judge and priest, he heard with humbleness of mind the tale of woes and denunciation from the lips of the innocent child, and expressed the justice of what God was about to bring upon him. Most painful and humiliating, and, as far as this life was concerned, irretrievable; yet no word of murmuring or self-defence escaped from his mouth.

3. Absolutely. Let Him do what seemeth Him good. Not what seemeth good to me. This is true liberty of spirit. So the greatness of Elis prompt, humble, and absolute resignation is accentuated by the consideration of the time when he lived and the circumstances of the period.

III. Lessons.

1. We are warned, by the judgments upon Eli and his family, of the momentousness of the duty of rebuking sin, and especially on the part of parents, rulers, and priests.

2. The practice of conforming the will to God in all the events of life, and that with the same features of promptness, lowliness, and entirety as Eli manifested, is the chief lesson from the text.

3. Further, to remember that we can learn conformity from the self-surrender of Christ to His Fathers will, especially in His Passion and death, and that we are aided in the production of this grace by the presence of the Holy Ghost; so that to say, Not my will, but Thine, be done, is easier for us than it was for Eli.

4. The root of his conformity of will comes to view at the moment of his death. He bore up when he heard the tidings of the great slaughter of the people, and that his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were dead; but when he was told that the ark of God was taken he fell backward and died. Evidently God, and the things of God–notwithstanding his past great and culpable negligence–held the first place in his heart; hence this submission to His Will. (Canon Hutchings, M. A.)

Faith surviving sorrow

A few weeks ago, in a city of Nebraska, I was holding meetings. There came to that city my dear friend, Commander Booth-Tucker. It was the city of Omaha. I shall never forget my talk with him there. I said to him, Commander, the passing of your beloved wife was one of the things that I freely confess I cannot understand. He looked at me across the breakfast table, his eyes wet with tears, and yet his face radiant with that light which never shone on sea or land, and he said to me, Dear man, do you not know that the Cross can only be preached by tragedy? Then he told me this incident: When I and my wife were last in Chicago, I was trying to lead a sceptic to Christ in a meeting. At last the sceptic said, with a cold, glittering eye and a sarcastic voice, It is all very well. You mean well; but I lost my faith in God when my wife was taken out of my horns. It is all very well; but if that beautiful woman at your side lay dead and cold by you, how would you believe in God? Within one month she had been taken through the awful tragedy of a railway accident, and the Commander went back to Chicago, and, in the hearing of a vast multitude, said, Here in the midst of the crowd, standing by the side of my dead wife as I take her to burial, I want to say that I still believe in God, and love Him, and know Him. (Campbell Morgan, D. D.)

Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell

Verse 18. Samuel told him every whit] Our word whit, or wid, comes from the Anglo-Saxon [A.S.], which signifies person, thing, c. every whit is every thing. The Hebrew et col haddebarim, “all these words.”

It is the Lord] He is Sovereign, and will do what he pleases; he is righteous, and will do nothing but what is just.

Let him do what seemeth him good.] There is much of a godly submission, as well as a deep sense of his own unworthiness, found in these words. He also had sinned, so as to be punished with temporal death; but surely there is no evidence that the displeasure of the Lord against him was extended to a future state.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

This severe sentence is from the sovereign Lord of the world, who hath an absolute power and right to dispose of me and all his creatures as he pleaseth, to whose good pleasure I therefore freely submit: from Israels God, who was known by this name of Jehovah, who is in a special manner the ruler of the people of Israel, to whom it properly belongs to punish all mine offences, whose chastisement I therefore accept.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him,…. And so approved himself to be a faithful prophet of God, and man of God, as he is afterwards called; the whole counsel of God is to be declared by his servants the prophets, and the ministers of his word; nothing is to be concealed, which it is the will of God should be made known, whether it be pleasing or displeasing to man:

and he said, it is the Lord; that has said it, and there is nothing to be said against it, and that will do it; and there is no resisting him: or “the Lord is he” w; who has a sovereign right to all his creatures, and may dispose of them as he pleases; he is all wise, and does all things well; he is holy and righteous in all his ways and works, and there is no unrighteousness in him; he is faithful to his word, whether in a way of promise or threatening; and all he does to his people is in love, mercy, and kindness:

let him do what seemeth him good; not what seems good to men, or is so in their esteem, but what seems good to the Lord, who knows what is best for his people, and can do nothing but what is good; all is good he does; there is nothing but goodness in him, and nothing but goodness comes from him; he does good, and nothing else, and even when he afflicts his people; all he does is well done in creation, providence, and grace: and Eli’s desire is, that he would fulfil the good pleasure of his will; he appears to be in an excellent temper, not surly and morose, taking it ill that such a message should be sent him by a child; nor was he unaffected with the case of his family, but humbly submitted to the will of God, and acquiesces in it as good, and neither arraigns his justice, nor murmurs at his providences.

w , Sept. “Dominus ipse”, Montanus.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

(18) It is the Lord.Such a reply, and such a reception of the news of the terrible doom twice communicated to him by a direct message from the Eternal, indicates that Eli, in spite of his weakness and foolish partiality for his sons, was thoroughly devoted to the Lord in his heart. He saw how deeply he had failed in his high office, how he had allowed worldly considerations to influence his conduct, how he had been tried and found wanting; and now, without a murmur, he submits to the righteous judgment of his God, he leaves himself in Gods hands, and never tries to justify himself and his past conduct. Now it was probably too late to attempt any reformation in the priestly life. The influence and power of Hophni and Phinehas were too strong for his enfeebled will to set aside. Eli was probably in his last days little more than a puppet in their hands. He had sown the wind, and now must reap the whirlwind.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

DISCOURSE: 285
ELIS SUBMISSION TO THE DIVINE REBUKES

1Sa 3:18. And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It in the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good.

IT is of the nature of sin to harden the heart, and to prevent the declarations of God from having their due influence on the mind [Note: Heb 3:13.]. It operates in this manner, wherever it is found: the righteous, no less than the wicked, experience the same effects, in proportion as it gains an ascendant over them. Eli had neglected to exert that authority, which, as Gods high-priest, and as a parent, he ought to have exercised over his abandoned sons: and God sent a prophet to him, a man of God, to reprove him, and to warn him of the judgments which his sin would bring both on himself and his posterity [Note: 1Sa 2:27-35.]. But this message seems to have produced no good effect. God therefore used another method of awakening his conscience: he revealed himself to Samuel by an audible voice, and renewed to him the declarations, that had been before made in vain. The voice was new to Samuel; and, taking it for Elis voice, he repeatedly attended on the aged priest: but when, according to the direction of Eli, he had requested the further manifestation of Gods will, he received from God the communication he desired. It does not appear that he would of himself have imparted to Eli the information he had received: but when adjured to it by Eli himself, he could not refrain.

The points for our present consideration are,

I.

The fidelity of Samuel

[The tidings were of a most dreadful nature: and to deliver them must have been a distressing office to Samuel. But Samuel was not elated by the revelation that had been made to him; nor was he hasty to denounce the judgments which he was commissioned to declare [Note: Jer 17:16.]; yet on the other hand, when he was solemnly called upon to disclose the whole, he would not dissemble, nor conceal any thing; but related to Eli every minute particular.

In this we have an excellent model for Gods servants in every age. They should deliver only what they themselves have received from God: nor, in delivering that, should they delight to denounce the judgments of God, or exult over those whom they are constrained to condemn: yet they should, with becoming fidelity, declare the whole counsel of God: they should keep back nothing that can be profitable to those to whom they are sent; but should commend themselves to every mans conscience in the sight of God.
The consciousness of their own youth or weakness should not keep them from discharging their duty aright: they should declare the whole truth to all, whether old or young, professors or profane: Having received Gods word, they must speak his word faithfully [Note: Jer 23:28.].]

Whilst we approve of the fidelity of Samuel, we must also of necessity admire,

II.

The resignation of Eli

[If the tidings were painful to Samuel to deliver, much more must they be so to Eli to hear: even to persons far less interested than he, they were sufficient to make their ears to tingle. Yet Eli did not set himself against them, though delivered by a child: on the contrary, he submitted to the divine decree with humble resignation. He knew that God was too wise to err, and too good to inflict punishment without a cause. He knew also that he himself had sinned against the Lord, and well deserved the judgments that had been denounced against him. Hence the language of his heart was, I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him [Note: Mic 7:9.].

This shews how we should receive all the denunciations of Gods wrath against sin. We should not puff at them, or harden ourselves against them, or think unkindly of those who set them before us; we should not with Pharisaic pride exclaim, In so saying thou reproachest us: but whatever God says in his word, by whomsoever it may be delivered, we should receive it, not as the word of man, but as the word of God, precisely as much as if it had been spoken to us by an audible voice from heaven. Eternal judgments indeed we may deprecate, yea and ought to deprecate, with all our might: and even temporal calamities we may deprecate in submission to God: we may entreat him to remove the bitter cup, as fervently as we will, provided we add, Nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done: but we must acknowledge the justice of God even in his severest judgments, and be contented that our temporal happiness should be destroyed, if only our spirits may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus [Note: 1Co 5:5.].]

From this subject we may further learn,
1.

The importance of exerting our influence for God

[Eli had neglected to punish his sons for their great impieties: he had reproved them indeed; but when he found the inefficiency of lenient reproofs, he had neglected to adopt severer measures. This was the sin which excited Gods displeasure against him, and occasioned the utter ruin of his whole family. How strongly does this apply to every individual amongst us! and how urgently does it call upon us to exert our influence, whatever it may be, for God! Let us not say, Am I my brothers keeper? If others are bold in the service of the devil, we should be bold in the service of our God: we must in any wise reprove our brother, and not suffer sin upon him. Our influence is as much a talent as our time, or money, or any thing else; and we ought to use it for God. We should not be contented to go to heaven alone, but should endeavour to carry all we can along with us.]

2.

The comfort of being interested in the Gospel of Christ

[There were many sins for which the Mosaic dispensation provided no sacrifice: and God himself warned Eli, that the iniquity of his house should never be purged by sacrifice or offering, to the end of time. But no such declaration is made to us under the Gospel: there is not a word in all the Bible that even hints at the insufficiency of Christs sacrifice to atone for the greatest guilt, or the doubtfulness of any persons acceptance, provided he plead that sacrifice as the ground of his hopes. We are told indeed, that, if a man sin wilfully (in rejecting that sacrifice) after he has received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no other sacrifice, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation [Note: Heb 10:26-27.]: but to those who penitently trust in that sacrifice there is no ground of despondency. Whatever then our sins may have been, let us remember, that the death of Christ was a propitiation for the sins of the whole world; that his blood is able to cleanse us from all sin; and that though our sins be red as crimson, they shall through him be made white as snow. Let this comfort us under every desponding apprehension; and whilst, with Eli, we commit the entire disposal of all events into the hands of a righteous God, let us cast ourselves with confidence on his promised mercy, and hold fast the rejoicing of our hope firm unto the end.]

Fuente: Charles Simeon’s Horae Homileticae (Old and New Testaments)

1Sa 3:18 And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It [is] the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.

Ver. 18. 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.

It is the Lord. ] Jehovah the Essentiator and the Promise keeper.

Let him do, a &c.] His holy will be done. This he speaketh not out of pervicacy or hypocrisy, as some have censured, but in a humble submission to his heavenly Father: for if Eli had been an ill father to his sons, yet he was a good son to God.

a Faciat quod vult, non discedo: Et si perire me volet, ipse perdat me, dum ego serve illi. – Tertul.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)