Annotations Upon the Historical Books Part 2, 1 Samuel · Chapter 26
CHAP. XXVI.
Verſ. 1. ANd the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah, ſaying, Doth not David hide himſelf, &c.] Though David had been once before in great danger in theſe parts, the Ziphites diſcovering him to Saul, and ſeeking to intrap him; yet hither he was come again from the wilderneſſe of Paran, chap. 25.1. and good reaſon might be given for it: For it might be occaſioned by his marriage with Abigail, whoſe eſtate lay in theſe parts; and again, his hope that Saul would keep his covenant and oath, chap. 24. might encourage him, the rather, becauſe ſince that for a time he had now been quiet, but he found his enemies as violent as ever: Indeed if David ſhould come to the crown, the Ziphites might well fear the… former treachery would be remembred, and therefore it ſtood them upon, to ſeek Davids ruine, if by any means they could.
Verſ. 3. David abode in the wilderneſſe, and he ſaw that Saul came after him, &c.] But why is it ſaid in the very next words▪ verſ. 4. That he ſent forth ſpies, and ſo understood that Saul was come in very deed: I anſwer, that theſe firſt words are meant onelyonly of ſome notice that David had of Sauls coming: of the certainty whereof, he was not at firſt fully ſatisfied, and ſo ſending out ſcouts to ſee if it were true, was by them fully informed that it was ſo indeed.
Verſ. 6. Then anſwered David and ſaid to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abiſhai the ſonne of Zeruiah brother to Joab, ſaying, Who will go down with me, &c.] The two Captains whom he deſired to go with him to Sauls camp, were Ahimelech called the Hittite (either becauſe he was ſo by birth, though in Religion he was an Iſraelite, or elſe, becauſe though he was an Iſraelite by birth, yet he lived among the Hittites,) and Abiſhai the ſonne of Zeruiah Davids ſiſter, 1. Chron. 2.15.16. (and therefore it is, that ſhe the mother is ſtill mentioned, and not the father, who was perhaps of meaner deſcent, at leaſt not of ſo great a family.) David having before cloſely approached Sauls camp (alone by himſelf as is before noted, verſ. 5.) and finding them all faſt aſleep, being carried no doubt alſo, by a ſpeciall inſtinct of the ſpirit of God, he reſolved once more to manifeſt his fidelity to Saul, and therefore demanded of theſe his followers, which of them would venture to go with him into the camp to Saul, where he had found all the Army ſecurely ſleeping.
Verſ. 8. Then ſaid Abiſhai to David, God hath delivered thine … thine hand this day &c.] Davids ſparing Saul in the like caſe formerly, ha… done no good upon him; and beſides, the Lords proffering him the like opportunitie … ſecond time, ſeemed to Abiſhai a manifeſt declaration of Gods will, that he wou… have him cut off Saul; and therefore, though he rejected this motion before … Abiſhai hoped he would hearken to it now; and therefore again preſſed him … might be done.
Verſ. 10. The Lord ſhall ſmite him, or his day ſhall come, &c.] That … God ſhould ſtrike him with ſudden death, or he ſhould die his naturall … other men die by ſickneſſe, or old age; or he ſhould come to his end by ſome caſualty, as by being ſlain in battel, &c.
Verſ. 11. Take thou now the ſpear that is at his bolſter, and the cruſe of water, &c.] Which ſtood happely by him, for the quenching of his thirſt, or elſe to waſh with: for ſome conceive, that in thoſe hot countreys they uſed to waſh ſometimes in the night, eſpecially if any pollution had befallen them.
Verſ. 14. Then Abner anſwered, and ſaid, Who art thou that crieſt to the king?] That is, ſay ſome, to the diſturbance of the king in his reſt? But I rather think, that though it be onelyonly expreſſed in the foregoing words, that David cried to the people, and to Abner, yet he mentioned alſo the king, at leaſt, ſo farre as to ask, Who is there about the king? whereupon Abner anſwered thus, Who art thou that crieſt to the king?
Verſ. 19. If the Lord have ſtirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering.] Some underſtand this as if David had ſaid, that in caſe it were manifeſt that it were of the Lord onelyonly that Saul was ſtirred up againſt him, he for his part would moſt willingly yield himſelf to the triall of juſtice, that he might if he had offended undergo deſerved puniſhment, and ſo this might be accepted of the Lord as a ſacrifice well-pleaſing in his ſight. But there is another expoſition given by others, which is plainer, and ſeems more clearly to be gathered from the text, to wit, that David deſires that the Lord might be appeaſed by ſacrifices, if really it were of him that Saul was ſtirred up againſt David, and of no body elſe: David conſidered that perhaps no enemy urged Saul to theſe courſes, but that it was of God (to wit, by letting looſe the evil ſpirit upon him, 2. Sam. 24.1.) and that herein the Lord might have reſpect both to the ſinne of David, and Saul: why then ſaith David, if the caſe be ſo, let us both labour to make our peace with God, let us offer up ſacrifices that may be acceptable in his ſight, humbly acknowledging our offences, and calling to him for pardon; and that becauſe there is mercy with him, and power to withdraw theſe turmoils, if he be once appeaſed toward us.
They have driven me out this day from abiding in the inheritance of the Lord; ſaying, Go ſerve other gods.] That is, by cauſing me to be thus continually perſecuted, not giving me any reſting place in the land of Canaan, they have done what in them lay to drive me from amongſt the people of God, to go and live amongſt idolaters, that ſo I might be entangled by them, and corrupted in their idolatrous practiſes.
Verſ. 20. Now therefore let not my bloud fall to the earth, before the face of the Lord.] As if he had ſaid, Do not cauſe my bloud to be ſhed and ſpilt like water upon the ground cauſeleſſely, the Lord ſeeing and beholding it. For in thoſe laſt words before the face of the Lord, David implies a reaſon to move Saul to take heed of ſhe…ding innocent bloud, to wit, becauſe the Lord would ſee it, and not ſuffer it to go unpuniſhed.
For the king of Iſrael is come out to ſeek a flea, &c.] See the note chap. 24.14.
Verſ. 21. Behold, I have played the fool and erred exceedingly.] Thus Saul did not onelyonly confeſſe his fault, but did alſo with much deteſtation judge and condemne himſelf for his groſſe folly therein, and that alſo to his great ſhame openly, in the …aring of all his captains and ſouldiers that were about him.
Verſ. 23. The Lord render to every man his righteouſneſſe, &c,] For all Sauls fair promiſes, David having had frequent experience of his fickleneſſe this way, ſlyeth from him to Gods goodneſſe, and puts all his truſt and confidence in him, as is evident in theſe two verſes.