I
S A M U E L
CHAP. XXVI.
David's
troubles from Saul here begin again; and the clouds return after the rain,
when one would have hoped the storm had blown over, and the sky had cleared
upon that side; but after Saul had owned his fault in persecuting David, and
acknowledged David's title to the crown, yet here he revives the persecution,
so perfectly lost was he to all sense of honour and virtue. I. The Ziphites
informed him where David was (ver. 1), and thereupon he marched out with a
considerable force in quest of him, ver. 2, 3. II. David gained intelligence
of his motions (ver. 4), and took a view of his camp, ver. 5. III. He and one
of his men ventured into his camp in the night and found him and all his
guards fast asleep, ver. 6, 7. IV. David, though much urged to it by his
companions, would not take away Saul's life, but only carried off his spear
and his cruse of water, ver. 8-12. V. He produced these as a further witness
for him that he did not design any ill to Saul, and reasoned with him upon his
conduct, ver. 13-20. VI. Saul was hereby convinced of his error, and once more
desisted from persecuting David, ver. 21-25. The story is much like that which
we had (ch. xxiv.). In both David is delivered out of Saul's hand, and
Saul out of David's.
|
Saul Again Pursues David.
|
B. C. 1056.
|
|
|
1
And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself
in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon? 2 Then
Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three thousand
chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph.
3 And Saul pitched in the hill of Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon,
by the way. But David abode in the wilderness, and he saw that Saul came after
him into the wilderness. 4 David therefore sent out spies, and
understood that Saul was come in very deed. 5 And David arose, and
came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where
Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in
the trench, and the people pitched round about him.
Here, 1. Saul gets information of David's movements and acts offensively. The
Ziphites came to him and told him where David now was, in the same place where
he was when they formerly betrayed him, ch. xxiii. 19. Perhaps (though
it is not mentioned) Saul had given them intimation, under-hand, that he
continued his design against David, and would be glad of their assistance. If
not, they were very officious to Saul, aware of what would please him, and
very malicious against David, to whom they despaired of ever reconciling
themselves, and therefore they stirred up Saul (who needed no such spur)
against him, v. 1. For aught we know, Saul would have continued in the
same good mind that he was in (ch. xxiv. 17), and would not have given
David this fresh trouble, if the Ziphites had not put him on. See what need we
have to pray to God that, since we have so much of the tinder of corruption in
our own hearts, the sparks of temptation may be kept far from us, lest, if
they come together, we be set on fire of hell. Saul readily caught at the
information, and went down with an army of 3000 men to the place where David
hid himself, v. 2. How soon do unsanctified hearts lose the good
impressions which their convictions have made upon them and return with the
dog to their vomit!
2. David gets information of Saul's movements and acts defensively. He did not
march out to meet and fight him; he sought only his own safety, not Saul's
ruin; therefore he abode in the wilderness (v. 3), putting
thereby a great force upon himself, and curbing the bravery of his own spirit
by a silent retirement, showing more true valour than he could have done by an
irregular resistance. (1.) He had spies who informed him of Saul's descent, that
he had come in very deed (v. 4); for he would not believe that Saul
would deal so basely with him till he had the utmost evidence of it. (2.) He
observed with his own eyes how Saul was encamped, v. 5. He came towards
the place where Saul and his men had pitched their tents, so near as to be
able, undiscovered, to take a view of their entrenchments, probably in the
dusk of the evening.
|
David
Spares Saul's Life.
|
B. C. 1056.
|
|
|
6
Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai the son
of Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying, Who will go down with me to Saul to the
camp? And Abishai said, I will go down with thee. 7 So David and
Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the
trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster: but Abner and the
people lay round about him. 8 Then said Abishai to David, God hath
delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite
him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once, and I will not smite
him the second time. 9 And David said to Abishai, Destroy him not:
for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's
anointed, and be guiltless? 10 David said furthermore, As
the LORD liveth,
the LORD
shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into
battle, and perish. 11 The LORD forbid that I should stretch forth mine hand against the LORD's anointed: but, I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is
at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go. 12 So David
took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's bolster; and they gat them
away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither awaked: for they were
all asleep; because a deep sleep from the LORD
was fallen upon them.
Here is, I. David's bold adventure into Saul's camp in the night, accompanied
only by his kinsman Abishai, the son of Zeruiah. He proposed it to him and to
another of his confidants (v. 6), but the other either declined it as
too dangerous an enterprise, or at least was content that Abishai, who was
forward to it, should run the risk of it rather than himself. Whether David
was prompted to do this by his own courage, or by an extraordinary impression
upon his spirits, or by the oracle, does not appear; but, like Gideon, he
ventured through the guards, with a special assurance of the divine
protection.
II. The posture he found the camp in Saul lay sleeping in the trench,
or, as some read it, in his chariot, and in the midst of his carriages,
with his spear stuck in the ground by him, to be ready if his quarters
should by beaten up (v. 7); and all the soldiers, even those that were
appointed to stand sentinel, were fast asleep, v. 12. Thus were
their eyes closed and their hands bound, for a deep sleep from the Lord had
fallen upon them; something extraordinary there was in it that they should
all be asleep together, and so fast asleep that David and Abishai walked and
talked among them, and yet none of them stirred. Sleep, when God gives it to
his beloved, is their rest and refreshment; but he can, when he pleases, make
it to his enemies their imprisonment. Thus are the stout-hearted spoiled;
they have slept their sleep, and none of the men of might have found their
hands, at thy rebuke, O God of Jacob! Ps. lxxvi. 5, 6. It was a deep
sleep from the Lord, who has the command of the powers of nature, and
makes them to serve his purposes as he pleases. Whom God will disable, or
destroy, he binds up with a spirit of slumber, Rom. xi. 8. How helpless
do Saul and all his forces lie, all, in effect, disarmed and chained! and yet
nothing is done to them; they are only rocked asleep. How easily can God
weaken the strongest, befool the wisest, and baffle the most watchful! Let all
his friends therefore trust him and all his enemies fear him.
III. Abishai's request to David for a commission to dispatch Saul with the
spear that stuck at his bolster, which (now that he lay so fair) he undertook
to do at one blow, v. 8. He would not urge David to kill him himself,
because he had declined doing this before when he had a similar opportunity;
but he begged earnestly that David would give him leave to do it, pleading
that he was his enemy, not only cruel and implacable, but false and
perfidious, whom no reason would rule nor kindness work upon, and that God
had now delivered him into his hand, and did in effect bid him strike. The
last advantage he had of this kind was indeed but accidental, when Saul
happened to be in the cave with him at the same time. But in this there was
something extraordinary; the deep sleep that had fallen on Saul and all his
guards was manifestly from the Lord, so that it was a special providence which
gave him this opportunity; he ought not therefore to let it slip.
IV. David's generous refusal to suffer any harm to be done to Saul, and in it
a resolute adherence to his principles of loyalty, v. 9. David charged
Abishai not to destroy him, would not only not do it himself, but not permit
another to do it. And he gave two reasons for it:-- 1. It would be a sinful
affront to God's ordinance. Saul was the Lord's anointed, king of Israel by
the special appointment and nomination of the God of Israel, the power that
was, and to resist him was to resist the ordinance of God, Rom. xiii.
2. No man could do it and be guiltless. The thing he feared was guilt and his
concern respected his innocence more than his safety. 2. It would be a sinful
anticipation of God's providence. God had sufficiently shown him, in Nabal's
case, that, if he left it to him to avenge him, he would do it in due time.
Encouraged therefore by his experience in that instance, he resolves to wait
till God shall think fit to avenge him on Saul, and he will by no means avenge
himself (v. 10): "The Lord shall smite him, as he did
Nabal, with some sudden stroke, or he shall die in battle (as it proved
he did soon after), or, if not, his day shall come to die a natural
death, and I will contentedly wait till then, rather than force my way to the
promised crown by any indirect methods." The temptation indeed was very
strong; but, if he should yield, he would sin against God, and therefore he
will resist the temptation with the utmost resolution (v. 11): "The
Lord forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against the Lord's anointed;
no, I will never do it, nor suffer it to be done." Thus bravely does he
prefer his conscience to his interest and trusts God with the issue.
V. The improvement he made of this opportunity for the further evidence of his
own integrity. He and Abishai carried away the spear and cruse of water which
Saul had by his bed-side (v. 12), and, which was very strange, none of
all the guards were aware of it. If a physician had given them the strongest
opiate or stupifying dose, they could not have been faster locked up with
sleep. Saul's spear which he had by him for defence, and his cup of water
which he had for his refreshment, were both stolen from him while he slept.
Thus do we lose our strength and our comfort when we are careless, and secure,
and off our watch.
|
David Expostulates with Saul.
|
B. C. 1056.
|
|
|
13
Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of a hill afar
off; a great space being between them: 14 And David cried
to the people, and to Abner the son of Ner, saying, Answerest thou not, Abner?
Then Abner answered and said, Who art thou that criest to the
king? 15 And David said to Abner, Art not thou a valiant
man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not
kept thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the
king thy lord. 16 This thing is not good that thou hast
done. As the LORD liveth,
ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the
cruse of water that was at his bolster. 17 And Saul knew
David's voice, and said, Is this thy voice, my son David? And David
said, It is my voice, my lord, O king. 18 And he said,
Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or
what evil is in mine hand? 19 Now therefore, I pray thee,
let my lord the king hear the words of his servant. If the LORD have
stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if they be
the children of men, cursed be they before the LORD; for they have driven me out this day from abiding in the
inheritance of the LORD,
saying, Go, serve other gods. 20 Now therefore, let not my blood
fall to the earth before the face of the LORD: for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one
doth hunt a partridge in the mountains.
David having got safely from Saul's camp himself, and having brought with him
proofs sufficient that he had been there, posts himself conveniently, so that
they might hear him and yet not reach him (v. 13), and then begins to
reason with them upon what had passed.
I. He reasons ironically with Abner, and keenly banters him. David knew well
that it was from the mighty power of God that Abner and the rest of the guards
were cast into so deep a sleep, and that God's immediate hand was in it; but
he reproaches Abner as unworthy to be captain of the lifeguards, since he
could sleep when the king his master lay so much exposed. By this it appears
that the hand of God locked them up in this deep sleep that, as soon as ever
David had got out of danger, a very little thing awakened them, even David's
voice at a great distance roused them, v. 14. Abner got up (we may
suppose it early in a summer's morning) and enquired who called, and disturbed
the king's repose. "It is I," says David, and then he upbraids him
with his sleeping when he should have been upon his guard. Perhaps Abner,
looking upon David as a despicable enemy and one that there was no danger
from, had neglected to set a watch; however, he himself ought to have been
more wakeful. David, to put him into confusion, told him, 1. That he had lost
his honour (v. 15): "Art not thou a man? (so the word is),
a man in office, that art bound, by the duty of thy place, to inspect the
soldiery? Art not thou in reputation for a valiant man? So thou wouldst be
esteemed, a man of such courage and conduct that there is none like thee; but
now thou art shamed for ever. Thou a general! Thou, a sluggard!" 2. That
he deserved to lose his head (v. 16): "You are all worthy to
die, by martial law, for being off your guard, when you had the king
himself asleep in the midst of you. Ecce signum--Behold this token. See
where the king's spear is, in the hand of him whom the king himself is pleased
to count his enemy. Those that took away this might as easily and safely have
taken away his life. Now see who are the king's best friends, you that
neglected him and left him exposed or I that protected him when he was
exposed. You pursue me as worthy to die, and irritate Saul against me; but who
is worthy to die now?" Note, Sometimes those that unjustly condemn others
are justly left to fall into condemnation themselves.
II. He reasons seriously and affectionately with Saul. By this time he was so
well awake as to hear what was said, and to discern who said it (v.
17): Is this thy voice, my son David? In the same manner he had
expressed his relentings, ch. xxiv. 16. He had given his wife to
another and yet calls him son, thirsted after his blood and yet is glad
to hear his voice. Those are bad indeed that have never any convictions of
good, nor ever sincerely utter good expressions. And now David has as fair an
opportunity of reaching Saul's conscience as he had just now of taking away
his life. This he lays hold on, though not of that, and enters into a close
argument with him, concerning the trouble he still continued to give him,
endeavouring to persuade him to let fall the prosecution and be reconciled.
1. He complains of the very melancholy condition he was brought into by the
enmity of Saul against him. Two things he laments:-- (1.) That he was driven
from his master and from his business: "My lord pursues after his
servant, v. 18. How gladly would I serve thee as formerly if my
service might be accepted! but, instead of being owned as a servant, I am
pursued as a rebel, and my lord is my enemy, and he whom I would follow with
respect compels me to flee from him." (2.) That he was driven from his
God and from his religion; and this was a much greater grievance than the
former (v. 19): "They have driven me out from the inheritance
of the Lord, have made Canaan too hot for me, at least the inhabited parts
of it, have forced me into the deserts and mountains, and will, ere long,
oblige me entirely to quit the country." And that which troubled him was
not so much that he was driven out from his own inheritance as that he was
driven out from the inheritance of the Lord, the holy land. It should
be more comfortable to us to think of God's title to our estates and his
interest in them then of our own, and that with them we may honour him then
that with them we may maintain ourselves. Nor was it so much his trouble that
he was constrained to live among strangers as that he was constrained to live
among the worshippers of strange gods and was thereby thrust into temptation
to join with them in their idolatrous worship. His enemies did, in effect,
send him to go and serve other gods, and perhaps he had heard that some
of them had spoken to that purport of him. Those that forbid our attendance on
God's ordinances do what in them lies to estrange us from God and to make us
heathens. If David had not been a man of extraordinary grace, and firmness to
his religion, the ill usage he met with from his own prince and people, who
were Israelites and worshippers of the true God, would have prejudiced him
against the religion they professed and have driven him to communicate with
idolaters. "If these be Israelites," he might have said, "let
me live and die with Philistines;" and no thanks to them that their
conduct had not that effect. We are to reckon that the greatest injury that
can be done us which exposes us to sin. Of those who thus led David into
temptation he here says, Cursed be they before the Lord. Those fall
under a curse that thrust out those whom God receives, and send those to the
devil who are dear to God.
2. He insists upon his own innocency: What have I done or what evil is in
my hand? v. 18. He had the testimony of his conscience for him that
he had never done nor ever designed any mischief to the person, honour, or
government, of his prince, nor to any of the interests of his country. He had
lately had Saul's own testimony concerning him (ch. xxiv. 17): Thou
art more righteous than I. It was very unreasonable and wicked for Saul to
pursue him as a criminal, when he could not charge him with any crime.
3. He endeavours to convince Saul that his pursuit of him is not only wrong,
but mean, and much below him: "The king of Israel, whose dignity
is great, and who has so much other work to do, has come out to seek a
flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains," v.
20--a poor game for the king of Israel to pursue. He compares himself to a
partridge, a very innocent harmless bird, which, when attempts are made upon
its life, flies if it can, but makes no resistance. And would Saul bring the
flower of his army into the field only to hunt one poor partridge? What a
disparagement was this to his honour! What a stain would it be on his memory
to trample upon so weak and patient as well as so innocent an enemy! James v.
6, You have killed the just, and he doth not resist you.
4. He desires that the core of the controversy may be searched into and some
proper method taken to bring it to an end, v. 19. Saul himself could
not say that justice put him on thus to persecute David, or that he was
obliged to do it for the public safety. David was not willing to say (though
it was very true) that Saul's own envy and malice put him on to do it; and
therefore he concludes it must be attributed either to the righteous judgment
of God or to the unrighteous designs of evil men. Now, (1.) "If the
Lord have stirred thee up against me, either in displeasure to me (taking
this way to punish me for my sins against him, though, as to thee, I am
guiltless) or in displeasure to thee, if it be the effect of that evil spirit
from the Lord which troubles thee, let him accept an offering from us
both--let us join in making our peace with God, reconciling ourselves to him,
which may be done, by sacrifice; and then I hope the sin will be pardoned,
whatever it is, and the trouble, which is so great a vexation both to thee and
me, will come to an end." See the right method of peace-making; let us
first make God our friend by Christ the great Sacrifice, and then all other
enmities shall be slain, Eph. ii. 16; Prov. xvi. 7. But, (2.) "If thou
art incited to it by wicked men, that incense thee against me, cursed be
they before the Lord," that is, they are very wicked people, and it
is fit that they should be abandoned as such, and excluded from the king's
court and councils. He decently lays the blame upon the evil counsellors who
advised the king to that which was dishonourable and dishonest, and insists
upon it that they be removed from about him and forbidden his presence, as men
cursed before the Lord, and then he hoped he should gain his petition, which
is (v. 20), "Let not my blood fall to the earth, as thou
threatenest, for it is before the face of the Lord, who will take
cognizance of the wrong and avenge it." Thus pathetically does David
plead with Saul for his life, and, in order to that, for his favourable
opinion of him.
|
Saul Relents.
|
B. C. 1056.
|
|
|
21
Then said Saul, I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do
thee harm, because my soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have
played the fool, and have erred exceedingly. 22 And David answered
and said, Behold the king's spear! and let one of the young men come over and
fetch it. 23 The LORD render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: for
the LORD
delivered thee into my hand to day, but I would not stretch forth mine
hand against the LORD's anointed. 24 And, behold, as thy life was much set
by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the LORD, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation. 25
Then Saul said to David, Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both
do great things, and also shalt still prevail. So David went on his
way, and Saul returned to his place.
Here is, I. Saul's penitent confession of his fault and folly in persecuting
David and his promise to do so no more. This second instance of David's
respect to him wrought more upon him than the former, and extorted from him
better acknowledgements, v. 21. 1. He owns himself melted and quite
overcome by David's kindness to him: "My soul was precious in thy eyes
this day, which, I thought, had been odious!" 2. He acknowledges he
has done very wrong to persecute him, that he has therein acted against God's
law (I have sinned), and against his own interest (I have played the
fool), in pursuing him as an enemy who would have been one of his best
friends, if he could but have thought so. "Herein (says he) I have erred
exceedingly, and wronged both thee and myself." Note, Those that sin
play the fool and err exceedingly, those especially that hate and persecute
God's people, Job xix. 28. 3. He invites him to court again: Return, my son
David. Those that have understanding will see it to be their interest to
have those about them that behave themselves wisely, as David did, and
have God with them. 4. He promises him that he will not persecute him as he
has done, but protect him: I will no more do thee harm. We have reason
to think, according to the mind he was now in, that he meant as he said, and
yet neither his confession nor his promise of amendment came from a principle
of true repentance.
II. David's improvement of Saul's convictions and confessions and the evidence
he had to produce of his own sincerity. He desired that one of the footmen
might fetch the spear (v. 22), and then (v. 23), 1. He appeals
to God as judge of the controversy: The Lord render to every man his
righteousness. David, by faith, is sure that he will do it because he
infallibly knows the true characters of all persons and actions and is
inflexibly just to render to every man according to his work, and, by prayer,
he desires he would do it. Herein he does, in effect, pray against Saul, who
had dealt unrighteously and unfaithfully with him (Give them according to
their deeds, Ps. xxviii. 4); but he principally intends it as a prayer for
himself, that God would protect him in his righteousness and faithfulness, and
also reward him, since Saul so ill requited him. 2. He reminds Saul again of
the proof he had now given of his respect to him from a principle of loyalty: I
would not stretch forth my hand against the Lord's anointed, intimating to
Saul that the anointing oil was his protection, for which he was indebted to
the Lord and ought to express his gratitude to him (had he been a common
person David would not have been so tender of him), perhaps with this further
implication, that Saul knew, or had reason to think, David was the Lord's
anointed too, and therefore, by the same rule, Saul ought to be as tender of
David's life as David had been of his. 3. Not relying much upon Saul's
promises, he puts himself under God's protection and begs his favour (v.
24): "Let my life be much set by in the eyes of the Lord, how
light soever thou makest of it." Thus, for his kindness to Saul, he takes
God to be his paymaster, which those may with a holy confidence do that do
well and suffer for it.
III. Saul's prediction of David's advancement. He commends him (v. 25):
Blessed be thou, my son David. So strong was the conviction Saul was
now under of David's honesty that he was not ashamed to condemn himself and
applaud David, even in the hearing of his own soldiers, who could not but
blush to think that they had come out so furiously against a man whom their
master, when he meets him, caresses thus. He foretels his victories, and his
elevation at last: Thou shalt do great things. Note, Those who make
conscience of doing that which is truly good may come, by the divine
assistance, to do that which is truly great. He adds, "Thou shalt also
still prevail, more and more," he means against himself, but is loth
to speak that out. The princely qualities which appeared in David--his
generosity in sparing Saul, his military authority in reprimanding Abner for
sleeping, his care of the public good, and the signal tokens of God's presence
with him--convinced Saul that he would certainly be advanced to the throne at
last, according to the prophecies concerning him.
Lastly, A palliative cure being thus made of the wound, they parted
friends. Saul returned to Gibeah re infecta--without accomplishing his
design, and ashamed of the expedition he had made; but David could not
take his word so far as to return with him. Those that have once been false
are not easily trusted another time. Therefore David went on his way.
And, after this parting, it does not appear that ever Saul and David saw one
another again.
Contents
|
Next
Section
