John Chrysostom — Commentary on Scripture

1 Kings 22:19

And he said, Hear thou therefore the word of the LORD: I saw the LORD sitting on his throne, and all the host of heaven standing by him on his right hand and on his left.

Tell me, John, what do you mean when you say, “No one has ever seen God”? What shall we think about the prophets who say that they saw God? Isaiah said, “I saw the Lord sitting on a high and exalted throne.” And, again, Daniel said, “I saw until the thrones were set, and the ancient of days sat.” And Micah said, “I saw the God of Israel sitting on his throne.” And, again, another prophet said, “I saw the Lord standing on the altar, and he said to me, ‘strike the mercy seat.’ ” And I can gather together many similar passages to show you as witnesses of what I say. How is it, then, that John says, “No one has ever seen God”? He says this so that you may know that he is speaking of a clear knowledge and perfect comprehension of God. All the cases cited were instances of God’s condescension and accommodation. That no one of those prophets saw God’s essence in its pure state is clear from the fact that each one saw him in a different way. God is a simple being; he is not composed of parts; he is without form or figure. But all these prophets saw different forms and figures.

1 Peter 1:7

That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

The righteous suffer so that they may be crowned with glory, but sinners suffer in order to bring judgment on their sins. But not all sinners pay the price of their sins in this life, but await the resurrection. And not all the righteous suffer now, lest you think that evil is to be praised and you come to hate the good.

1 Peter 1:19

But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

We are God’s creatures, but because of sin we have passed under the rule of the devil. Because of that, the Savior has bought us back with his own blood—“you are bought with a price.” Indeed, we have been bought with Christ’s precious blood. Think of a righteous and good householder who does not regard a wicked servant as worthy to serve in his house but hands him over to someone who will correct him. If he then sees his servant being punished by a wicked master and saying: “I will go back to my first master, for he was good to me then and he will be good to me now,” he will give him back his honor and redeem him, so that he might become a productive person. This is what God has done for us. How is it that we both belong to him and do not belong to him at the same time? As creatures we belong to him, but as sinners we have become alien to him and do not belong to him any more. Do not think that you belong to God if you are a sinner, for in that case the devil has got hold of you, and you are his creature. The man of sin, the son of destruction, it is he who has bought you, with blood…

We are God’s creatures, but because of sin we have passed under the rule of the devil. Because of that, the Savior has bought us back with his own blood—“you are bought with a price.” Indeed, we have been bought with Christ’s precious blood. Think of a righteous and good householder who does not regard a wicked servant as worthy to serve in his house but hands him over to someone who will correct him. If he then sees his servant being punished by a wicked master and saying: “I will go back to my first master, for he was good to me then and he will be good to me now,” he will give him back his honor and redeem him, so that he might become a productive person. This is what God has done for us. How is it that we both belong to him and do not belong to him at the same time? As creatures we belong to him, but as sinners we have become alien to him and do not belong to him any more. Do not think that you belong to God if you are a sinner, for in that case the devil has got hold of you, and you are his creature. The man of sin, the son of destruction, it is he who has bought you, with blood which is not precious but impure. Indeed, you have been bought by sin, you have been bought by harlotry, and you are impure.

1 Peter 2:7

Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner,

These words refer to Christ, who himself prophesied in the Gospels, saying: “Have you not read, ‘The stone which the builders rejected, the same has become the head of the corner?’ ”

1 Peter 3:10

For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile:

Guile elicits falsehood, deception, hypocrisy, and slanders which are untrue. It is the friend of the enemy of truth, that is, Satan, the father of lies. Believers are advised to avoid his influence and to prefer the things of God, who is truth.

1 Peter 3:11

Let him eschew evil, and do good; let him seek peace, and ensue it.

These things do not come naturally to us, for bad thoughts are always entering our minds. But if a man is wise, he will put them aside and in their place choose thoughts which will be advantageous and profitable for him. This, I believe, is what it means to turn away from evil.

1 Peter 3:14

But and if ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye: and be not afraid of their terror, neither be troubled;

No one can harm a person who does not do evil himself. Peter shows that trials which come from the Gentiles cannot harm those who live according to virtue. On the contrary, they turn those who endure them into blessed people.

1 Peter 4:9

Use hospitality one to another without grudging.

If you receive your neighbor as though he were Christ, you will not complain or feel embarrassed but rather rejoice in your service. But if you do not receive him as if he were Christ, you will not receive Christ either, because he said: “Whoever receives you, receives me.” If you do not show hospitality in this way, you will have no reward. Abraham received passers-by and travelers just as they were. He did not leave them to his servants. On the contrary, he ordered his wife to bring flour, even though he had domestic help. But he and his wife wanted to earn the blessing, not only of hospitality but of service also. This is how we ought to show hospitality, by doing all the work ourselves, so that we may be sanctified.

1 Peter 5:2

Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

Christ said: “He who would be first among you, let him serve, for he who humbles himself will be exalted above all.” What do you mean? If I humble myself, will I then be exalted? Yes, says Jesus. For such is my power that I can turn something into its exact opposite. I am skilled and capable, do not doubt it. The nature of things obeys my will, not the other way round.

1 Peter 5:6

Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:

Peter says that this will happen in due time, because he is teaching them that they will have to wait until the next life for this exaltation.

1 Peter 5:8

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

For indeed if virtue be absent, it is no advantage to be an angel by nature; and the Devil is a proof of this, who was an angel once: but if virtue be present, it is no loss to be a man by nature; and John is a proof of this, who was a man, and Elias who went up into heaven, and all those who are about to depart thither. For these indeed, though with bodies, were not prevented from dwelling in heaven: while those others, though without bodies, could not remain in heaven. Let no one then grieve or be vexed with his nature as if it were a hindrance to him, but with his will. He the Devil from being incorporeal became a lion: for lo! it saith, "Our adversary, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:" we from being corporeal, become angels.

1 Peter 5:14

Greet ye one another with a kiss of charity. Peace be with you all that are in Christ Jesus. Amen.

See how when he has finished what he has to say, Peter seals it all with a prayer. Peace is the seal of everything he has written.

1 Samuel 1:5

But unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah: but the LORD had shut up her womb.

Let us not take this with a grain of salt; instead let us learn also from this the highest values, and when we fall foul of some disaster, even if we are suffering grief and pain, even if the trouble seems insupportable to us, let us not be anxious or beside ourselves but wait on God’s providence. He is well aware, after all, when is the time for what is causing us depression to be removed—which is what happened in her case as well. It was not out of hatred, in fact, or of revulsion that he closed her womb, but to open to us the doors on the values the woman possessed and for us to espy the riches of her faith and realize that he rendered her more conspicuous on that account.… Extreme the pain, great the length of grief—not two or three days, not twenty or a hundred, not a thousand or twice as much; instead, “for a long time,” it says, for many years the woman was grieving and distressed, the meaning of “for a long time.” Yet she showed no impatience, nor did the length of time undermine her values, nor the reproaches and abuse of her rival; instead, she was unremitting in prayer and…

Let us not take this with a grain of salt; instead let us learn also from this the highest values, and when we fall foul of some disaster, even if we are suffering grief and pain, even if the trouble seems insupportable to us, let us not be anxious or beside ourselves but wait on God’s providence. He is well aware, after all, when is the time for what is causing us depression to be removed—which is what happened in her case as well. It was not out of hatred, in fact, or of revulsion that he closed her womb, but to open to us the doors on the values the woman possessed and for us to espy the riches of her faith and realize that he rendered her more conspicuous on that account.… Extreme the pain, great the length of grief—not two or three days, not twenty or a hundred, not a thousand or twice as much; instead, “for a long time,” it says, for many years the woman was grieving and distressed, the meaning of “for a long time.” Yet she showed no impatience, nor did the length of time undermine her values, nor the reproaches and abuse of her rival; instead, she was unremitting in prayer and supplication, and what was most remarkable of all, showing in particular her love for God, was the fact that she was not simply anxious to have this very child for herself but to dedicate the fruit of her womb to God, offer the first fruits of her own womb and receive the reward for this fine promise.

1 Samuel 1:7-8

And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.

Would you like to understand what watchfulness in prayer is? Go to Hannah, listen to her very words, “Adonai Eloi Sabaoth.” No, rather, hear what preceded those words; “they all rose up,” says the history, “from the table,” and she did not give herself right away to sleep or to repose. She appears to me even when she was sitting at the table to have partaken lightly and not to have been made heavy with food. Otherwise she could never have shed so many tears. When we are fasting and foodless, we hardly pray in such a manner, or rather never pray in this way. Much more Hannah would not ever have prayed in this fashion after a meal, unless even at the meal she had been like those that do not eat. Let men be ashamed at the example of this woman. Let those be ashamed who are suing and grasping for a kingdom, at her, praying and weeping for a little child.

1 Samuel 1:9

So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.

You see, just as a widow who is destitute and all alone, much abused and wronged, will often not be alarmed at the imminent triumphal procession of emperor, bodyguards, shield bearers, horses, and all the rest of his advance retinue, but without need of a patron will brush past them all and with great confidence accost the emperor, exaggerating her own situation under pressure of her sense of need, so too this woman was not embarrassed, was not ashamed, though the priest was sitting there, to make her request in person and with great confidence approach the king. Instead, under the impulse of desire and in her mind ascending to heaven as though she saw God himself, she addressed him this way with complete ardor.

1 Samuel 1:10-11 · 3 passages

And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

Take note of the woman’s reverence: she did not say, “If you give me three, I shall give you two;” or “if two, I shall give you one.” Instead, “If you give me one, I shall dedicate the offspring wholly to you.” “He will not drink wine or strong drink.” She had not yet received the child and was already forming a prophet, talking about his upbringing and making a deal with God. What wonderful confidence on a woman’s part! Since she could not make a deposit on account of not having anything, she pays the price from what is coming to her. Just as many farmers who are living in extreme poverty but have no money to buy a calf or sheep, get them on credit from their masters by pledging to pay the price from the crops that are due, just so did she do, too—or rather much more: she did not take her son from God on credit but on condition of returning him wholly to him once again and reaping the fruit of his upbringing. She regarded it as sufficient reward, you see, to devote her labors to God’s priest.

What did she say? Instead of saying anything at first, she began with wailing and shed warm floods of tears. And just as, when rain storms fall, even the harder ground is moistened and softened and easily bestirs itself to produce crops, so too did this happen in the case of this woman: as though softened by the flood of tears and warmed with the pangs, the womb began to stir in that wonderful fertility.

“And she stood,” it says, “before the Lord”; and what are her words? “Adonai, Lord, Eloi Sabaoth!” and this is, being interpreted, “O Lord, the God of Hosts.” Her tears went before her speech. By these she hoped to prevail with God to bend to her request. Where tears are, there is always affliction also; where affliction is, there is great wisdom and attentiveness. She continues, “If you will indeed look on the affliction of your handmaid and will give to your handmaid a male child, then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life.” She said not “for one year” or “for two” as we do; nor did she say, “If you will give me a child, I will give you money”; but, “I give back to you the very gift itself entirely, my firstborn, the son of my prayer.” Truly here was a daughter of Abraham. He gave when it was demanded of him. She offers even before it is demanded.

1 Samuel 1:13-14 · 2 passages

Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

For I seek those tears which are shed not for display but in compunction; those which trickle down secretly and in closets and in sight of no person, softly and noiselessly; those which arise from a certain depth of mind, those shed in anguish and in sorrow, those which are for God alone. Such were Hannah’s, for “her lips moved,” it is said, “but her voice was not heard.” Her tears alone uttered a cry more clear than any trumpet. And because of this, God also opened her womb and made the hard rock a fruitful field.

At home her rival mocked her. She went into the temple, and the priest’s boy abused her and the priest upbraided her. She fled the storm at home, entered port and still ran into turbulence. She went to get a remedy, and not only did not get it but received an additional burden of taunts, and the wound instead was opened up again. You are aware, of course, how distressed souls are susceptible to abuse and insult: just as bad wounds cannot stand the slightest contact with the hand but become worse, so too the soul that is disturbed and upset has problems with everything and is stung by a chance remark. The woman, on the contrary, was not like that, even in this case with the boy abusing her. Had the priest been intoxicated, the insults would not have been so surprising; his high rank and heavy responsibility convinced her against her will to keep her composure. But in fact she was not even upset with the priest’s boy, and hence she won God’s favor even further. Should we too be abused and suffer countless misadventures, let us put up nobly with those who insult us, and we shall thus wi…

At home her rival mocked her. She went into the temple, and the priest’s boy abused her and the priest upbraided her. She fled the storm at home, entered port and still ran into turbulence. She went to get a remedy, and not only did not get it but received an additional burden of taunts, and the wound instead was opened up again. You are aware, of course, how distressed souls are susceptible to abuse and insult: just as bad wounds cannot stand the slightest contact with the hand but become worse, so too the soul that is disturbed and upset has problems with everything and is stung by a chance remark. The woman, on the contrary, was not like that, even in this case with the boy abusing her. Had the priest been intoxicated, the insults would not have been so surprising; his high rank and heavy responsibility convinced her against her will to keep her composure. But in fact she was not even upset with the priest’s boy, and hence she won God’s favor even further. Should we too be abused and suffer countless misadventures, let us put up nobly with those who insult us, and we shall thus win greater favor from God.