Verse 18:[1] And Samuel told him every whit (Heb. all the things, or, words[2]), and hid nothing from him. And he said, (Job 1:21; 2:10; Ps. 39:9; Is. 39:8) It is the LORD: let him do what seemeth him good.
[It is the Lord; what is good in His eyes let Him do] Some take this in a negative way. That is to say, Let the Lord do what is good in His eyes; but I am not able to inflict grief upon my sons: thus Saint Ephrem,[3] Gregory, and Rupertus (Lapide). But many others more rightly take this in a positive way (thus Mendoza out of Theodoret and Procopius, Lapide, Sanchez). The response is worthy of a Priest and religious man; he submits himself and his own to God, and bears all things from Him patiently (Sanchez). In offering himself to punishment, he confesses fault. You will say, He did not emend his fault by chastising his sons (Mendoza). Response: He was not able, because he was old and debilitated (Lyra), and more fearful than worthy to be feared; and his sons were now unbridled; and the time to make corrections before death was slight. Eli attributed both goodness and power to God as avenger; and hence he professes his obedience (Mendoza). He expresses great patience, and great concord with the divine will (Mendoza’s Annotations 6 at the beginning). He did not expostulate with God, but humbly agreed (Mendoza’s Annotations 6:2). The aged man modestly bore to be reproved by a youth (Mendoza’s Annotations 6:3). The Fathers think that these words of the aged man pertain to true conversion and repentance. Indeed, this is probable, but not necessary. This is a clear confession of the divine power and righteousness. The impious are wont to excuse their sins, and, as often as they do, to accuse God (Martyr).
It is the LORD, etc.: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 Israel’s 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.
[1] Hebrew: וַיַּגֶּד־ל֤וֹ שְׁמוּאֵל֙ אֶת־כָּל־הַדְּבָרִ֔ים וְלֹ֥א כִחֵ֖ד מִמֶּ֑נּוּ וַיֹּאמַ֕ר יְהוָ֣ה ה֔וּא הַטּ֥וֹב בְּעֵינָ֖ו יַעֲשֶֽׂה׃ [2] Hebrew: אֶת־כָּל־הַדְּבָרִים. [3] Ephrem the Syrian (c. 306-373) was a deacon and teacher, and prolific author, composing hymns, and works of theology and exegesis, in the Syriac language. He was held in universal esteem in the Church, but he is reckoned by many as the most significant of the Syriac-speaking Fathers.
Henry Scudder's Christian's Daily Walk: 'Whatsoever the affliction be that may trouble you, you may be furnished with reasons why you should be patient....
Consider that it was God who did it. There is no evil, that is of punishment, in a city, which the Lord has not done, saith Amos, Amos 3:6; 2 Samuel 16:10.—It is the Lord, let him do what seems him good, saith Eli, 1 Samuel 3:18. I opened not my mouth, saith David, because thou, Lord, didst it, Psalm 39:9. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord, saith Job 1:21; Hosea 6:1; 1 Samuel 2:6-7.'
Octavius Winslow's Evening Thoughts: '"I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it."—Psalm 39:9
There are few lessons taught in God's school more difficult to learn, and yet, when really learned, more blessed and holy, than the lesson of humble submission to God's will. There are some beautiful examples of this in God's Word. "And Aaron held his peace." Since God was "sanctified and gloried," terrible as was the judgment, the holy priest did not mourn or complain about its severity, patient and resigned to the will of God. So was Eli, when passing under the heavy hand of God: "It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good" (1 Samuel 3:18). He bowed in…
Octavius Winslow's Evening Thoughts: 'This "living unto the Lord" is a life of self-denial, but do the self-denyings have no reward? Oh yes! Their reward is great. They are such as the King delights to honor. When John the Baptist declared, "He must increase, but I must decrease" (John 3:30), and on another occasion, "whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose" (John 1:27), Christ pronounced him "the greatest born of women." When the centurion sent to say, "Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof" (Matthew 8:8), our Lord places this crown upon his faith, "Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel" (Matthew 8:10). Whe…
Robert Bolton's Comfortable Walking: 'Now then ... for religious directions, and more immediately drawn from sacred learning, consider ... That all thy wrongs and unworthy usages, thy injuries and indignities, crosses and uncomfortable accidents, that shall ever any way befall thee, are foreappointed, ordered, and disposed by God's wise and merciful providence, and that for thy spiritual and everlasting good. This very one thought, that God is ever the principal agent, kept fresh and on foot in thy mind, will be of sovereign power to cool and beat back any intemperate heat which might either rise in thine heart or rage in thy tongue against his instruments, and cause thee many times when thou art chafing ripe and ready t…
Matthew Henry: 'Samuel's faithful delivery of his message at last (1 Samuel 3:18): He told him every whit. When he saw that he must tell him he never minced the matter, nor offered to make it better than it was, to blunt that which was sharp, or to gild the bitter pill, but delivered the message as plainly and fully as he received it, not shunning to declare the whole counsel of God. Christ's ministers must deal thus faithfully....
Eli's pious acquiescence in it. He did not question Samuel's integrity, was not cross with him, nor had he any thing to object against the equity of the sentence. He did not complain of the punishment, as Cain did, that it…