Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 1 Samuel · Chapter 18
CHAP. XVIII.
Verſ. 1. ANd it came to paſſe when he had made an end of ſpeaking unto Saul, that the ſoul of Jonathan was knit with the ſoul of David, &c.] That is, his heart and affections were in an extraordinary manner ſet upon David; and the cauſes thereof are eaſily conceived; to wit, Firſt, Thoſe amiable graces which he diſcerned in David, his wiſdome, his courage and undaunted ſpirit; his zeal for Gods glory, and above all, his faith and confidence in Gods protection and aſſiſtance. Secondly, The likeneſſe and ſuitableneſſe of their qualities and diſpoſitions: Jonathan was a ſtout couragious Prince, pious and faithfull, and therefore when David had manifeſted himſelf to be eminently ſuch likewiſe, the ſoul of Jonathan was knit with the ſoul of David. Thirdly, The glory that God had done him in giving him the victory over that proud Gyant that had both defied and terrified the whole army of Iſrael; this ſhewed plainly that he was highly eſteemed of God, and pretious in his eyes, and ſo he loved him as one that was dearly beloved of God. Fourthly, The gratious ſpeeches that came from David upon every occaſion; for that ſeems to be ſpecially aimed at in thoſe words, when he had made an end of ſpeaking unto Saul, the ſoul of Jonathan was knit with the ſoul of David, And Fifthly, There was doubtleſſe a ſpeciall hand of God in inclining the affections of Jonathan thus unto David; for by this means God provided David a freind in Sauls court to plead for him, to reveal Sauls plots and intendments againſt him, and to be by his true love a comfort and ſupport to David in all his approching troubles and ſorrows.
Verſ. 3. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant.] That is, a covenant of entire friendſhip and brotherly love.
Verſ. 4. And Jonathan ſtript himſelf of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David.] To wit, that hereby he might teſtifie that he eſteemed him as his ſecond ſelf, and that whatever he had, all his authority, and power, and wealth he ſhould be alwayes ready to beſtow and imploy it for Davids welfare and ſervice.
Verſ. 5. And Saul ſet him over the men of warre.] That is, he made him a Captain over ſome of his troops, and imployed him as a commander in his warres; For this is not meant of that dignity which Saul had formerly conferred upon Abner, chap. 14.50. who was the Captain of his hoſt, that is, the chief Generall of his Armies: that place he ſtill retained as is evident in many places of the following ſtory.
Verſ. 6. The women came out of all the cities of Iſrael ſinging and dauncing to meet king Saul, &c.] It was it ſeems the uſuall cuſtome of theſe times amongſt the people of God, that when God had given them any great victory over their enemies, the women were wont with dances and ſongs of triumph to celebrate the praiſes of God: For ſo it was with the women of Iſrael when the Egyptians were drowned in the red ſea, Exod, 15.20. And with Jephthahs daughter and her company, when Jephthah had vanquiſhed the Ammonites, his daughter came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances, Judges 11.32. And therefore now from all the cities of Iſrael that Saul paſſed by with his army as he returned home from the valley of Elah, where he had vanquiſhed the Philiſtines, the women came out with ſongs and dances to congratulate his victory. As women have uſually the heavieſt ſhare in the calamities of a land that is overrun by an enemy, and that becauſe they are leaſt able to reſiſt, and ſo are frequently taken for ſlaves, raviſhed and abuſed in the moſt ſavage manner; ſo have they likewiſe therefore the greateſt cauſe to rejoyce when the enemy is vanquiſhed; and hence it may be was this cuſtome of womens triumphing at every great victory. But however, in this triumphing of Gods people for the fall of Goliath, and the vanquiſhing of the Philiſtines, there was a kind of figure and ſhadow, of the triumphant joy of Gods elect people for Chriſts conqueſt over Sathan, and their prevailing over their ſpirituall enemies through the merits and aſſiſtance of Chriſt, Rev. 12.10, 11. I heard a loud voice ſaying in heaven, now is come ſalvation and strength, and the kingdome of our God and the power of his Chriſt; for the accuſer of our brethren is caſt down, &c. and they overcame him by the bloud of the Lambe and by the word of their testimony: ſuch was the rejoycing of the virgin Mary and Zachary, Luke 1.46. My ſoul doth magnifie the Lord, ſaith Mary, and my ſpirit hath rejoyced in God my Saviour. And bleſſed be the Lord God of Iſrael, ſaith Zachary, for he hath viſited and redeemed his people, and hath raiſed up an horn of ſalvation for us in the houſe of his ſervant David, verſ. 68.69. Yea thus do all Gods redeemed ones triumph, becauſe Chriſt hath made them more then Conquerours over all their enemies, Rom. 8.33, 39.
Verſ. 7. Saul hath ſlain his thouſands, and David his ten thouſands,] To David they aſcribed ten times as much as to Saul, becauſe by his killing of Goliath he was the cauſe of the routing of the whole army. Now ſo ſolemn and glorious was the triumph of the Iſraelites, and ſuch generall notice was taken of this particular paſſage in the womens ſong, that it came to be reported and known to the Philiſtines, as we may ſee, chap. 21.11. And the ſervants of Achiſh ſaid unto him, Is not this David the king of the land? Did not they ſing one to another of him in dances, ſaying, Saul hath ſlain his thouſands, and David his ten thouſands? And chap. 29.5. Is not this David, of whom they ſang one to another in dances, ſaying, Saul hath ſlain his thouſands, and David his ten thouſands?
Verſ. 8. And he ſaid, They have aſcribed unto David ten thouſands, and to me they have aſcribed but thouſands: and what can he have more but the kingdome?] The meaning is, that from thenceforth he began to ſuſpect that David was the man of whom Samuel had told him, that ſhould be king in his room, chap. 13.14. The Lord hath ſought him out a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people.
Verſ. 9. And Saul eyed David from that day forward.] That is, he looked upon him with an envious and malitious eye, and watched for an opportunity to make him away.
Verſ. 10. The evil ſpirit from God came upon Saul, and he propheſied in the midſt of the houſe.] In his frantick fits it is ſaid that Saul propheſied, either becauſe he ſung ſongs, perhaps ſuch hymns and ſongs as were uſually ſung by the ſonnes of the Prophets, which is uſually called propheſying in the Scriptures, as we may ſee in a former note, chap. 10.5. And this he might do by the ſuggeſtion of Sathan: Or elſe, becauſe generally being beſides himſelf, and poſſeſſed with an evil ſpirit, both his behaviour and ſpeech in ſome regard, was outwardly ſuch as when the Prophets were ſtirred by the ſpirit of God, who in their extaſies and raptures had ſome uncompoſed kind of motions and actions, and were as men beſides themſelves for the time; and therefore often termed mad men, 2. Kings 9.11. Wherefore came this mad fellow to thee? ſo Jer. 29.26. Every man that is mad and maketh himſelf a prophet, &c. Men poſſeſſed do many times utter ſtrange languages and words, which they formerly never learned nor underſtood; yea, many times they will divine of ſecret things, as no doubt that damſel did, that was poſſeſſed with a ſpirit of divination, Acts 16.16. As therefore thoſe idolatrous ſeducers of the people that were never ſent of God, were yet uſually called prophets; ſo here Saul, becauſe his ſpeech and carriage was in ſome particulars like that of Gods prophets, is here ſaid to have propheſied.
Verſ. 11. And Saul cast the javelin, for he ſaid, I will ſmite David to the wall with it.] And this he did twice (perhaps in two ſeverall fits) as the folloing words imply: and David avoided out of his preſence twice. Whileſt David ſought to cure Saul of his phrenſie, Saul ſought to take away his life. And ſo likewiſe, whileſt our Saviour ſought the health of the Jews, and their recovery out of Sathans power, by preaching to them the glad tidings of the Goſpel, they often ſought to kill him, ſometimes openly, ſometimes ſecretly, that he was oft forced to withdraw himſelf from them; as there at Nazareth, Luke 4, 28, 29, 30. And they all in the Synagogue when they heard theſe things were filled with wrath, And they roſe up, and thruſt him out of the city, and lead him to the brow of the hill (whereon the city was built) that they might cast him down headlong. But he paſſing through the midst of them went his way.
Verſ, 13. Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his Captain over a thouſand, &c.] That is, a Colonel or a chief Commander in his army. Perceiving that David by his watchfulneſſe did ſtill decline the ſtroke of his javelin, and perhaps that he did forbear to come at him any more in his frantick fits, he removed him from him, that is, he reſolved to imploy him abroad, that he might not be vexed any more with the ſight of him, and ſo he made him one of his Collonels, hoping alſo, that he would ſome time or other be ſlain in the battel; and thence it is ſaid of David in the following words, that he went out and came in before the people, that is, he led them out to battel, and brought them back again.
Verſ. 17. And Saul ſaid to David, Behold my elder daughter Merab, her will I give thee to wife.] And thus under a pretence of performing that promiſe formerly made to him that ſhould kill Goliath, chap. 17.25. he ſought to expoſe David to the ſword of the Philiſtines: For this renued promiſe of his daughter he hoped, would make him the more eagerly proſecute his warres againſt them, and then one time or other he thought the Philiſtines might ſlay him; but now all this while he never ſeriouſly intended ſhe ſhould be his wife, or elſe he ſoon changed his mind; for within a while after he gave her to another man; of which ſee the note upon verſ. 19.
Verſ. 18. What is my life, or my fathers family in Iſrael, that I ſhould be ſonne in law to the king?] What is my parentage, education, condition of life, that I ſhould think my ſelf a fit husband for a kings daughter? And thus he modeſtly refuſed the honour that was tendered him, as knowing that as yet they underſtood nothing of his being anointed to ſucceed Saul.
Verſ. 19. But it came to paſſe at the time when Merab Sauls daughter ſhould have been given to David that ſhe was given to Adriel the Meholathite to wife.] This Adriel the Meholathite was the ſonne of Barzillai, as is expreſſely noted, 2. Sam. 21.8. Where alſo it is recorded, that all the ſonnes that he had by this daughter of Saul, (that we may ſee how the curſe of God followed this unlawfull match) were hanged up, in ſatisfaction to the Gibeonites; for they are certainly Adriels ſonnes by Merab that are mentioned there, onelyonly they were brought up by Michal; of which ſee the note there. It ſeems the promiſe of giving her to David to wife, carried on ſo farre, that the time was ſet for ſolemnizing the marriage, and yet then at the time when Merab ſhould have been given to David, ſhe was given to Adriel: which is very obſervable in many regards. For firſt, we ſee that God having appointed Michal not Merab to be Davids wife, the match propounded with Merab did not ſucceed: ſecondly, hereby the malice and wickedneſſe of Saul was notably diſcovered; it being evident, that either he never meant this marriage, though he ſuffered it to go on ſo farre: or elſe, that ſuddenly he changed his mind, hoping by this diſgrace to drive David to ſome diſcontent and violent courſe, that ſo he might take occaſion from thence to cut him off: and thirdly, the wonderfull wiſdome and patience of David was hereby manifeſted, who bare all this quietly, and ſtirred not. It was a matter of great reproch and deriſion to David, that he ſhould be thus led on with hopes of a wife, and then in an inſtant another ſhould get her from him, and yet all this could not ſtirre David to do any thing that was not lawfull or ſeemly for him.
Verſ. 20. And Michal Sauls daughter loved David: and they told Saul, and the thing pleaſed him well.] Not that he was pleaſed to ſee David beloved, (for we ſee how highly he was diſpleaſed with Jonathan, becauſe he loved David) but becauſe he hoped by that means to bring his purpoſe about, for the deſtroying of David: and the very hope of doing hurt to a party hated, yields great content to a malicious perſon.
Verſ. 21. And Saul ſaid, I will give him her that ſhe may be a ſnare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.] This was Sauls plot, but it proved contrary: for Michal proved a means to help him out of the ſnare which Saul had laid for him, chap. 19.11, 12. and Saul fell afterwards into the hands of the Philiſtines, but not David.
Wherefore Saul ſaid to David, Thou ſhalt this day be my ſonne in law, in one of the twain.] As if he ſhould have ſaid, Though I failed before, yet I will make thee amends now; I have but two daughters, and one of the twain thou ſhalt have; And ſo being by this means my ſonne in law, it will be no great wrong though thou hadſt not the eldeſt.
Verſ. 22. And Saul commanded his ſervants, ſaying, Commune with David ſecretly, and ſay, Behold, the king hath a delight in thee, &c.] That is, as if it came from your ſelves, and not from me. Becauſe he had before twice promiſed his daughter, and had not kept his word, he was fain to imploy his Courtiers now to perſwade David to accept his offer, and to engage their credit, that the king did really intend what he ſaid.
Verſ. 23. And David ſaid, Seemeth it to you a light thing to be a kings ſonne in law, ſeeing that I am a poore man, and lightly eſteemed?] That is, not able to give a dowry fit for Sauls daughter, and therefore was ſleighted about his other daughter.
Verſ. 25. Thus ſhall ye ſay to David, The king deſireth not any dowry, but an hundred fore-skinnes of the Philiſtines, &c.] Why are the fore-skinnes required, rather then the heads of the Philiſtines? Firſt, to imply the ground why Saul deſired this, to wit, becauſe they were enemies to God, and to his people. Secondly, to enrage the Philiſtines the more againſt David; for hatred to circumciſion would make them abhorre this act of David, of cutting off the fore-skinnes from the dead bodies of their brethren, more then any thing that could have been done to them.
Verſ. 26. It pleaſed David well to be the kings ſonne in law, and the dayes were not expired, &c.] It ſeems that Michal was promiſed David, upon condition that he ſhould bring Saul an hundred fore-skinnes of the Philiſtines, within a certain time prefixed: Or elſe there was a time ſet for the marriage, before which he was to bring theſe fore-skinnes of the Philiſtines. And therefore it is here noted, that before this time was expired, he did what was impoſed; yea, to make ſure that Saul ſhould not cavill, he brought two hundred, v. 27. in ſtead of an hundred.
Verſ. 29. And Saul was yet more afraid of David.] To wit, as conſidering now that this marriage with his daughter, was a fair ſtep to the crown and kingdom,
Verſ. 30. Then the Princes of the Philistines went forth.] To wit, to make warre with the Iſraelites: And it may well be, that beſides their deſire to be revenged on the Iſraelites for the late defeat of their armies when Goliah was ſlain, even the late ſlaughter which David had made amongſt the Philiſtines, when he brought an hundred of their fore-skinnes to Saul, had mightily enraged them; and this was the occaſion of their preſent invading the land of Iſrael.