I
S A M U E L
CHAP. XXII.
David,
being driven from Achish, returns into the land of Israel to be hunted by
Saul. I. David sets up his standard in the cave of Adullam, entertains his
relations (ver. 1), enlists soldiers (ver. 2), but removes his aged parents to
a more quiet settlement (ver. 3, 4), and has the prophet Gad for his
counsellor, ver. 5. Saul resolves to pursue him and find him out, complains of
his servants and Jonathan (ver. 6-8), and, finding by Doeg's information that
Ahimelech had been kind to David, he ordered him and all the priests that were
with him, eighty-five in all, to be put to death, and all that belonged to
them destroyed (ver. 9-19) from the barbarous execution of which sentence
Abiathar escaped to David, ver. 20-23.
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David in the Cave of Adullam.
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B. C. 1057.
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1
David therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave Adullam: and when his
brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to
him. 2 And every one that was in distress, and every one
that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered
themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them: and there were with
him about four hundred men. 3 And David went thence to Mizpeh of
Moab: and he said unto the king of Moab, Let my father and my mother, I pray
thee, come forth, and be with you, till I know what God will do for
me. 4 And he brought them before the king of Moab: and they dwelt
with him all the while that David was in the hold. 5 And the
prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into
the land of Judah. Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.
Here, I. David shelters himself in the cave of Adullam, v. 1. Whether
it was a natural or artificial fastness does not appear; it is probable that
the access to it was so difficult that David thought himself able, with
Goliath's sword, to keep it against all the forces of Saul, and therefore
buried himself alive in it, while he was waiting to see (and he says here, v.
3) what God would do with him. The promise of the kingdom implied a promise of
preservation to it, and yet David used proper means for his own safety,
otherwise he would have tempted God. He did not do any thing that aimed to
destroy Saul, but only to secure himself. He that might have done great
service to his country as a judge or general is here shut up in a cave, and
thrown by as a vessel in which there was no pleasure. We must not think it
strange if sometimes shining lights be thus eclipsed and hidden under a
bushel. Perhaps the apostle refers to this instance of David, among others,
when he speaks of some of the Old-Testament worthies that wandered in
deserts, in dens and caves of the earth, Heb. xi. 38. It was at this time
that David penned Psalm cxlii., which is entitled, A prayer when David was
in the cave; and there he complains that no man would know him and
that refuge failed him, but hopes that shortly the righteous would compass
him about.
II. Thither his relations flocked to him, his brethren and all his father's
house, to be protected by him, to give assistance to him, and to take
their lot with him. A brother is born for adversity. Now, Joab, and
Abishai, and the rest of his relations, came to him, to suffer and venture
with him, in hopes shortly to be advanced with him; and they were so. The
first three of his worthies were those that first owed him when he was in the
cave, 1 Chron. xi. 15, &c.
III. Here he began to raise forces in his own defence, v. 2. He found
by the late experiments he had made that he could not save himself by flight,
and therefore was necessitated to do it by force, wherein he never acted
offensively, never offered any violence to his prince nor gave any disturbance
to the peace of the kingdom, but only used his forces as a guard to his own
person. But, whatever defence his soldiers were to him, they did him no great
credit, for the regiment he had was made up not of great men, nor rich men,
nor stout men, no, nor good men, but men in distress, in debt, and
discontented, men of broken fortunes and restless spirits, that were put
to their shifts, and knew not well what to do with themselves. When David had
fixed his headquarters in the cave of Adullam, they came and enlisted
themselves under him to the number of about 400. See what weak instruments God
sometimes makes use of, by which to bring about his own purposes. The Son of
David is ready to receive distressed souls, that will appoint him their
captain and be commanded by him.
IV. He took care to settle his parents in a place of safety. No such place
could he find in all the land of Israel while Saul was so bitterly enraged
against him and all that belonged to him for his sake; he therefore goes with
them to the king of Moab, and puts them under his protection, v. 3, 4.
Observe here, 1. With what a tender concern he provided for his aged parents.
It was not fit they should be exposed either to the frights or to the fatigues
which he must expect during his struggle with Saul (their age would by no
means bear such exposure); therefore the first thing he does is to find them a
quiet habitation, whatever became of himself. Let children learn from this to show
pity at home and requite their parents (1 Tim. v. 4), in every thing
consulting their ease and satisfaction. Though ever so highly preferred, and
ever so much employed, let them not forget their aged parents. 2. With what a
humble faith he expects the issue of his present distresses: Till I know
what God will do for me. He expresses his hopes very modestly, as one that
had entirely cast himself upon God and committed his way to him, expecting a
good issue, not from his own arts, or arms, or merits, but from what the
wisdom, power, and goodness of God would do for him. Now David's father and
mother forsook him, but God did not, Ps. xxvii. 10.
V. He had the advice and assistance of the prophet Gad, who probably was one
of the sons of the prophets that were brought up under Samuel, and was by him
recommended to David for his chaplain or spiritual guide. Being a prophet, he
would pray for him and instruct him in the mind of God; and David, though he
was himself a prophet, was glad of his assistance. He advised him to go into
the land of Judah (v. 5), as one that was confident of his own
innocency, and was well assured of the divine protection, and was desirous,
even in his present hard circumstances, to do some service to his tribe and
country. Let him not be ashamed to own his own cause nor decline the succours
that would be offered him. Animated by this word, there he determined to
appear publicly. Thus are the steps of a good man ordered by the Lord.
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Saul Destroys the Lord's Priests; the City of Nob Destroyed.
B. C. 1057.
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6
When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that were with
him, (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his
hand, and all his servants were standing about him;) 7 Then
Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Benjamites;
will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, and
make you all captains of thousands, and captains of hundreds; 8
That all of you have conspired against me, and there is none that
sheweth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and there
is none of you that is sorry for me, or sheweth unto me that my son hath
stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day?
9 Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and
said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub.
10 And he enquired of the LORD
for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the
Philistine. 11 Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest,
the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that were in
Nob: and they came all of them to the king. 12 And Saul said, Hear
now, thou son of Ahitub. And he answered, Here I am, my lord.
13 And Saul said unto him, Why have ye conspired against me, thou and the son
of Jesse, in that thou hast given him bread, and a sword, and hast enquired of
God for him, that he should rise against me, to lie in wait, as at this
day? 14 Then Ahimelech answered the king, and said, And who is
so faithful among all thy servants as David, which is the king's son in
law, and goeth at thy bidding, and is honourable in thine house?
15 Did I then begin to enquire of God for him? be it far from me: let not the
king impute any thing unto his servant, nor to all the house of
my father: for thy servant knew nothing of all this, less or more.
16 And the king said, Thou shalt surely die, Ahimelech, thou, and all thy
father's house. 17 And the king said unto the footmen that stood
about him, Turn, and slay the priests of the LORD; because their hand also is with David, and because they
knew when he fled, and did not shew it to me. But the servants of the king
would not put forth their hand to fall upon the priests of the LORD. 18 And the king said to Doeg, Turn thou, and fall
upon the priests. And Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the priests,
and slew on that day fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen
ephod. 19 And Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge
of the sword, both men and women, children and sucklings, and oxen, and asses,
and sheep, with the edge of the sword.
We have seen the progress of David's troubles; now here we have the progress
of Saul's wickedness. He seems to have laid aside the thoughts of all other
business and to have devoted himself wholly to the pursuit of David. He heard
at length, by the common fame of the country, that David was discovered
(that is, that he appeared publicly and enlisted men into his service); and
hereupon he called all his servants about him, and sat down under a tree, or
grove, in the high place at Gibeah, with his spear in his hand for a sceptre,
intimating the force by which he designed to rule, and the present temper of
his spirit, or its distemper rather, which was to kill all that stood in his
way. In this bloody court of inquisition,
I. Saul seeks for information against David and Jonathan, v. 7, 8. Two
things he was willing to suspect and desirous to see proved, that he might
wreak his malice upon two of the best and most excellent men he had about
him:-- 1. That his servant David did lie in wait for him and seek his
life, which was utterly false. He really sought David's life, and therefore
pretended that David sought his life, though he could not charge him with any
overt act that gave the least shadow of suspicion. 2. That his son Jonathan
stirred him up to do so, and was confederate with him in compassing and
imagining the death of the king. This also was notoriously false. A league of
friendship there was between David and Jonathan, but no conspiracy in any evil
thing; none of the articles of their covenant carried any mischief to Saul. If
Jonathan had agreed, after the death of Saul, to resign to David, in
compliance with the revealed will of God, what harm would that do to Saul? Yet
thus the best friends to their prince and country have often been odiously
represented as enemies to both; even Christ himself was so. Saul took it for
granted that Jonathan and David were in a plot against him, his crown and
dignity, and was displeased with his servants that they did not give him
information of it, supposing that they could not but know it; whereas really
there was no such thing. See the nature of a jealous malice, and its pitiful
arts to extort discoveries of things that are not. He looked upon all about
him as his enemies because they did not say just as he said; and told them,
(1.) That they were very unwise, and acted against the interest both of their
tribe (for they were Benjamites, and David, if he were advanced, would bring
the honour into Judah which was now in Benjamin) and of their families; for
David would never be able to give them such rewards as he had for them, of fields
and vineyards, and such preferments, to be colonels and captains. (2.)
That they were unfaithful: You have conspired against me. What a
continual agitation and torment are those in that give way to a spirit of
jealousy! If a ruler hearken to lies, all his servants are wicked
(Prov. xxix. 12), that is, they seem to be so in his eyes. (3.) That they were
very unkind. He thought to work upon their good nature with that word: There
is none of you that is so much as sorry for me, or solicitous
for me, as some read it. By these reasonings he stirred them up to act
vigorously, as the instruments of his malice, that they might take away his
suspicions of them.
II. Though he could not learn any thing from his servants against David or
Jonathan, yet he got information from Doeg against Ahimelech the priest.
1. An indictment is brought against Ahimelech by Doeg, and he himself is
evidence against him, v. 9, 10. Perhaps Doeg, as bad as he was, would
not have given this information if Saul had not extorted it, for had he been
very forward to it he would have done it sooner: but now he thinks they must
be all deemed traitors if none of them be accusers, and therefore tells Saul
what kindness Ahimelech had shown to David, which he himself happened to be an
eye-witness of. He had enquired of God for him (which the priest used
not to do but for public persons and about public affairs) and he had
furnished him with bread and a sword. All this was true; but it was not
the whole truth. He ought to have told Saul further that David had made
Ahimelech believe he was then going upon the king's business; so that what
service he did to David, however it proved, was designed in honour to Saul,
and this would have cleared Ahimelech, whom Saul had in his power, and would
have thrown all the blame upon David, who was out of his reach.
2. Ahimelech is seized, or summoned rather to appear before the king, and upon
this indictment he is arraigned. The king sent for him and all the priests who
then attended the sanctuary, whom he supposed to be aiding and abetting; and
they, not being conscious of any guilt, and therefore not apprehensive of any
danger, came all of them to the king (v. 11), and none of them
attempted to make an escape, or to flee to David for shelter, as they would
have done now that he had set up his standard if they had been as much in his
interests as Saul suspected they were. Saul arraigns Ahimelech himself with
the utmost disdain and indignation (v. 12): Hear now, thou son of
Ahitub; not so much as calling him by his name, much less giving him his
title of distinction. By this it appears that he had cast off the fear of God,
that he showed no respect at all to his priests, but took a pleasure in
affronting them and insulting them. Ahimelech holds up his hand at the bar in
those words: "Here I am, my lord, ready to hear my charge, knowing
I have done no wrong." He does not object to the jurisdiction of Saul's
court, nor insist upon an exemption as a priest, no, not though he is a high
priest, to which office that of the judge, or chief magistrate, had not long
since been annexed; but Saul having now the sovereignty vested in him, in
things pertaining to the king, even the high priest sets himself on a level
with common Israelites. Let every soul be subject (even clergymen) to
the higher powers.
3. His indictment is read to him (v. 13), that he, as a false traitor,
had joined himself with the son of Jesse in a plot to depose and murder the
king. "His design" (says Saul) "was to rise up against me,
and thou didst assist him with victuals and arms." See what bad
constructions the most innocent actions are liable to, how unsafe those are
that live under a tyrannical government, and what reason we have to be
thankful for the happy constitution and administration of the government we
are under.
4. To this indictment he pleads, Not guilty, v. 14, 15. He owns the
fact, but denies that he did it traitorously or maliciously, or with any
design against the king. He pleads that he was so far from knowing of any
quarrel between Saul and David that he really took David to have been then as
much in favour at court as ever he had been. Observe, He does not plead that
David had told him an untruth, and with that had imposed upon him, though
really it was so, because he would not proclaim the weakness of so good a man,
no, not for his own vindication, especially to Saul, who sought all occasions
against him; but he insists upon the settled reputation David had as the most
faithful of all the servants of Saul, the honour the king had put upon him in
marrying his daughter to him, the use the king had often made of him, and the
trust he had reposed on him: "He goes at thy bidding, and is
honourable in thy house, and therefore any one would think it a
meritorious piece of service to the crown to show him respect, so far from
apprehending it to be a crime." He pleads that he had been wont to enquire
of God for him when he was sent by Saul upon any expedition, and did it
now as innocently as ever he had done it. He protests his abhorrence of the
thought of being in a plot against the king: "Be it far from me. I
mind my own business, and meddle not with state matters." He begs the
king's favour: "Let him not impute any crime to us;" and
concludes with a declaration of his innocency: Thy servant knew nothing of
all this. Could any man plead with more evidences of sincerity? Had he
been tried by a jury of honest Israelites, he would certainly have been
acquitted, for who can find any fault in him? But,
5. Saul himself gives judgment against him (v. 16): Thou shalt
surely die, Ahimelech, as a rebel, thou and all thy father's house.
What could be more unjust? I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that
wickedness was there, Eccl. iii. 16. (1.) It was unjust that Saul should
himself, himself alone, give judgment in his own cause, without any appeal to
judge or prophet, to his privy council, or to a council of war. (2.) That so
fair a plea should be overruled and rejected without any reason given, or any
attempt to disprove the allegations of it, but purely with a high hand. (3.)
That sentence should be passed so hastily and with so much precipitation, the
judge taking no time himself to consider of it, nor allowing the prisoner any
time to move in arrest of judgment. (4.) That the sentence should be passed
not only on Ahimelech, himself, who was the only person accused by Doeg, but
on all his father's house, against whom nothing was alleged: must the
children be put to death for the fathers? (5.) That the sentence should be
pronounced in passion, not for the support of justice, but for the
gratification of his brutish rage.
6. He issues out a warrant (a verbal warrant only) for the immediate execution
of this bloody sentence.
(1.) He ordered his footmen to be the executioners of this sentence, but they
refused, v. 17. Hereby he intended to put a further disgrace upon the
priests; they may not die by the hands of the men of war (as 1 Kings ii. 29)
or his usual ministers of justice, but his footmen must triumph over them, and
wash their hands in their blood. [1.] Never was the command of a prince more
barbarously given: Turn and slay the priests of the Lord. This is
spoken with such an air of impiety as can scarcely be paralleled. Had he
seemed to forget their sacred office or relation to God, and taken no notice
of that, he would thereby have intimated some regret that men of that
character should fall under his displeasure; but to call them the priests
of the Lord, when he ordered his footmen to cut their throats, looked as
if, upon that very account, he hated them. God having rejected him, and
ordered another to be anointed in his room, he seems well pleased with this
opportunity of being revenged on the priests of the Lord, since God himself
was out of his reach. What wickedness will not the evil spirit hurry men to,
when he gets the dominion! He alleged, in his order that which was utterly
false and unproved to him, that they knew when David fled; whereas they knew
nothing of the matter. But malice and murder are commonly supported with lies.
[2.] Never was the command of a prince more honourably disobeyed. The footmen
had more sense and grace than their master. Though they might expect to be
turned out of their places, if not punished and put to death for their
refusal, yet, come on them what would, they would not offer to fall upon the
priests of the Lord, such a reverence had they for their office, and such a
conviction of their innocence.
(2.) He ordered Doeg (the accuser) to be the executioner, and he obeyed. One
would have thought that the footmen's refusal would awaken Saul's conscience,
and that he would not insist upon the doing of a thing so barbarous as that
his footmen startled at the thought of it. But his mind was blinded and his
heart hardened, and, if they will not do it, the hands of the witness shall be
upon the victims, Deut. xvii. 7. The most bloody tyrants have found out
instruments of their cruelty as barbarous as themselves. Doeg is no sooner
commanded to fall upon the priests than he does it willingly enough, and,
meeting with no resistance, slays with his own hand (for aught that appears)
on that same day eighty-five priests that were of the age of ministration,
between twenty and fifty, for they wore a linen ephod (v. 18),
and perhaps appeared at this time before Saul in their habits, and were slain
in them. This (one would think) was enough to satiate the most blood-thirsty;
but the horseleech of persecution still cries, "Give, give." Doeg,
by Saul's order no doubt, having murdered the priests, went to their city Nob,
and put all to the sword there (v. 19), men, women, and children,
and the cattle too. Barbarous cruelty, and such as one cannot think of without
horror! Strange that ever it should enter into the heart of man to be so
impious, so inhuman! We may see in this, [1.] The desperate wickedness of Saul
when the Spirit of the Lord had departed from him. Nothing so vile but those
may be hurried to it who have provoked God to give them up to their hearts'
lusts. He that was so compassionate as to spare Agag and the cattle of the
Amalekites, in disobedience to the command of God, could now, with unrelenting
bowels, see the priests of the Lord murdered, and nothing spared of all that
belonged to them. For that sin God left him to this. [2.] The accomplishment
of the threatenings long since pronounced against the house of Eli; for
Ahimelech and his family were descendants from him. Though Saul was
unrighteous in doing this, yet God was righteous in permitting it. Now God
performed against Eli that at which the ears of those that heard it must needs
tingle, as he had told him that he would judge his house for ever ch.
iii. 11-13. No word of God shall fall to the ground. [3.] This may be
considered as a great judgment upon Israel, and the just punishment of their
desiring a king before the time God intended them one. How deplorable was the
state of religion at this time in Israel! Though the ark had long been in
obscurity, yet it was some comfort to them that they had the altar, and
priests to serve at it; but now to see their priests weltering in their own
blood, and the heirs of the priesthood too, and the city of the priests made a
desolation, so that the altar of God must needs be neglected for want of
attendants, and this by the unjust and cruel order of their own king to
satisfy his brutish rage--this could not but go to the heart of all pious
Israelites, and make them wish a thousand times they had been satisfied with
the government of Samuel and his sons. The worst enemies of their nation could
not have done them a greater mischief.
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Abiathar's
Escape.
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B. C. 1057.
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20
And one of the sons of Ahimelech the son of Ahitub, named Abiathar, escaped,
and fled after David. 21 And Abiathar shewed David that Saul had
slain the LORD's priests. 22 And David said unto Abiathar, I knew it
that day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, that he would surely tell
Saul: I have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's
house. 23 Abide thou with me, fear not: for he that seeketh my
life seeketh thy life: but with me thou shalt be in safeguard.
Here is, 1. The escape of Abiathar, the son of Ahimelech, out of the
desolations of the priests' city. Probably when his father went to appear,
upon Saul's summons, he was left at home to attend the altar, by which means
he escaped the first execution, and, before Doeg and his bloodhounds came to
Nob, he had intelligence of the danger, and had time to shift for his own
safety. And whither should he go but to David? v. 20. Let those that
suffer for the Son of David commit the keeping of their souls to him, 1
Pet. iv. 19. 2. David's resentment of the melancholy tidings he brought. He
gave David an account of the bloody work Saul had made among the priests of
the Lord (v. 21), as the disciples of John, when their master was
beheaded, went and told Jesus, Matt. xiv. 12. And David greatly
lamented the calamity itself, but especially his being accessory to it: I
have occasioned the death of all the persons of thy father's house, v.
22. Note, It is a great trouble to a good man to find himself in any way an
occasion of the calamities of the church and ministry. David knew Doeg's
character so well that he feared he would do some such mischief as this when
he saw him at the sanctuary: I knew he would tell Saul. He calls him Doeg
the Edomite, because he retained the heart of an Edomite, though, by
embracing the profession of the Jewish religion, he had put on the mask of an
Israelite. 3. The protection he granted to Abiathar. He perceived him to be
terrified, as he had reason to be, and therefore bade him not to fear, he
would be as careful for him as for himself: With me thou shalt be in
safeguard, v. 23. David, having now time to recollect himself,
speaks with assurance of his own safety, and promises that Abiathar shall have
the full benefit of his protection. It is promised to the Son of David that
God will hide him in the shadow of his hand (Isa. xlix. 2), and, with
him, all that are his may be sure that they shall be in safeguard, Ps. xci. 1.
David had now not only a prophet, but a priest, a high-priest, with him, to
whom he was a blessing and they to him, and both a happy omen of his success.
Yet it appears (by ch. xxviii. 6) that Saul had a high priest too, for
he had a urim to consult: it is supposed that he preferred Ahitub the father
of Zadok, of the family of Eleazar (1 Chron. vi. 8), for even those that hate
the power of godliness yet will not be without the form. It must not be
forgotten here that David at this time penned Psalm lii., as appears by the
title of that psalm, wherein he represents Doeg not only as malicious and
spiteful, but as false and deceitful, because though what he said was, for the
substance of it, true, yet he put false colours upon it, with a design to do
mischief. Yet even then, when the priesthood had become as a withered branch,
he looks upon himself as a green olive-tree in the house of God, Ps.
lii. 8. In this great hurry and distraction that David was continually in, yet
he found both time and a heart for communion with God, and found comfort in
it.
Contents
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