Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 1 · 1 Samuel · Chapter 31
CHAP. XXXI.
THE Philistims fight against the Israelites, and they flee before them and are V. 1.slaine, the three sons of Saul, and all his servants, v. 6. and Saul being wounded and in danger killed himselfe, and after him his Armour-bearer. Iosephus Iosephus.noteth that this was done the same day, that David triumphed for his victory over the Amalekites, so that the godly persecuted was comforted & the wicked Note. persacuter at length destroyed for his wickednes: which may serve to arme al the godly with patience, in their greatest sufferings, and to terrifie their wicked enemies. Touching the slaughter of Jonathan, who was a good man, happily saith Martyr, if he had lived, God saw that his heart might afterwards have Peter Martyr.beene turned from David, and therefore he suffered him to be cut off to prevent it, yet he being good, could not dye evill, and it is not to be doubted, but that although he lost this life, yet he was received to everlasting life. The sonnes of Saul are first slaine to aggravate his sorrow, and by this example wicked parents may see how they bring Gods judgements not onelyonly upon themselves, but upon their posterity also, upon the best of whom God may justly bring his judgements, because all are sinners and so subject to death, but Romi 5. 1 Cor: 11. 32. Lyra.the godly being thus judged in this world are saved in the world to come. Touching Saul and his armour-bearer killing themselves, Lyra saith, it is commonly held, that his armour-bearer was Doeg, whom all the Hebrewes judge to have dyed in signe, and so to have perished everlastingly, because he slew himselfe, lest surviving he should come into Davids hands, and so be put to a more ignominious death: but that Saul was saved, although he dyed corporally for his sinnes and lost his kingdome here, because although selfe-murther be damnable, when it is done out of a respect to a mans selfe to avoid a more ignominious or painefull death, or to be rid out of the miseries of this world, or inward troubles oppressing, yet if respect be herein had to Gods honour to prevent greater dishonour doing to him by the abuse of his servant living, it is no sinne, and so doth not indanger the soule everlastingly, for thus Sampson slew himselfe, and Rasius 2 Maccab. 14. and certaine godly women, of whom Saint Augustine speaketh, lest comming into the power of the barbarous they should be defiled to Gods greater dishonour, yet he justifieth them Aug: de Civit: l: 1. cap. 17.not from all fault herein, unlesse they did it by any instinct from God: and because Saul repented him of his sinnes, and patiently submitted himselfe to beare his punishment, they conclude that he was moved by an instinct in this killing of himselfe, and because he repented and patiently submitted to beare his punishment, he was saved. And as an argument of his patience they alledged his feeding to strengthen himselfe to goe to this battle and hastening thither, although he knew certainely that he should dye there, neither did he admonish any of his sonnes to withdraw themselves out of the danger, which argueth that he submitted not onelyonly to beare Gods judgements in himselfe, but also in his children, and he had in killing himselfe respect to Gods honour, for he said, lest these uncircumcised come and thrust me through, and abuse me, which abuse he thought being done to him, who was by God made Captaine over his people, would have redounded more to Gods dishonour. Moreover they argue from the saying of Samuel, to morrow shalt thou and thysons be with me, therefore in a blessed condition: and lastly because at the first Saul was 1 Sam: 9. 2.commended to be good and elect, & that there was none better then he amongst all the people: thus the Hebrewes, but the common opinion of Christian Doctors, saith Lyra, is, that Saul was damned, because 1 Chr. 10. 13. it is said that he slew him for his transgression, and because he enquired of a Witch, and not of the Lord, whence it may be gathered, that all which hath been said to prove Saul repentant at the last is vaine. For if he sought not to the Lord, but to the Devill, he feared not, nor trusted in the Lord, and so could not by true repentance turne unto him to be saved. And whereas his patient submitting of himselfe to beare the judgement, which was denounced, is alledged, this was so farre from justifying him, as it concludeth him the moresinfull, because it is forbidden not only to seeke to such as have familiar spirits but to beleeve them, and if Saul beleeved that which he heard by meanes of such a one, he did hereby increase his sin, and whatsoever he did hereupon could not be good, as coming from an evill cause; for that which is alledged of Samue's speech unto him, it hath been already answered, and whereas before he was commended for good, see what hath bin said upon that passage, 1 Sam. 9. 2. For the examples brought of Sampson and Rsiaus, &c. who killed themselves, it is answered, that they did it by an instinct from Gods spirit, as may be gathered, because Sampson was often stirred up by the Spirit, and if at that time when he pulled downe the house he had not, it had beene impossible for him to doe it; and for Rastus and the godly women, that killed themselves, they were alwayes of a virtuous life, but Saul of a wicked, as ch. 14. whithersoever he went, he did wickedly, and in the law it is a maxim, qui semel bonus, semper praesumitur esse bonus, and contrariwise, qui semel malus, semper praesumitur esse malus, and therefore whatsoever may be said in the defence of them, the like cannot be said of Saul, he had long traded in abominable wickednesses, and therefore most probably the evill spirit, whereby he was carryed at other times, wrought with him now also to make him commit this his last sinne of selfe-murther, thus Borrhaeus, Osiander, and Martyr. Borrhaeus, Osiander, Marayr.The Devill to whom he sought, through Gods just judgement, stirred him up to dye thus desperately, so Mar. Antonius, amongst the Romans▪ when he had first required his armour-bearer Eros to kill him, fell upon his owne sword. Saul had put the priests of God to the sword most unjustly and the Gibeonites, and he sought by all meanes to kill David, therefore God him and would not vouchsafe to direct him any more, and left him to Satan, by whose instigation he sought to a Witch, and so was driven by the same sword miserably to end his owne life. Wherefore it is strange that Pellican Pellican. P. Martyr.should speake of him, as offering himselfe up in sacrifice to God, Martyr much better, seeing his reprobation is not plainely determined in holy Scripture, leaveth it to his judgement, who alone shall judge us all. If it be demanded, Qu. whether there be any hope of their salvation, that in any case kill themselves: It is answered, that it is a fact altogether unlawfull in any case, except, as hath beene already said, a man be moved hereunto by the instinct of the Spirit, as Sampson. 1. Because it is expresly forbidden, Com. 6. for if the Willet.killing of another man be here forbidden, much more of a mans selfe, because this is more unnaturall. 2. A man by killing himselfe goeth out of his station without command from God, that set him here, and so committeth a capitall offence, as a Souldier that goeth out of his station, without order from his Generall, so Plato. Therfore Hierome well speaketh hereupon in the person of Non recipi… tales animas quae menolente exierunt e corporeGod, I receive not such soules, as against my will went out of their bodies. 3. Neither did our Lord bid his disciples to use any such meanes to ridde themselves out of their troubles, but when they were persecuted in one City to flee into another, neither did any holy man, that we read of in Scripture, ever use this meanes, as Joseph, Moses, David, Job, or Josiah. 4. The heathen Athenians did so abhorre from this sinne, that they made a Law, that such should lose all their goods and not be buried in the fields of Athens. And indeed it sheweth a great deale of pusillanimity and basenesse of minde, and not any valour, in that such have not the courage to endure the misery, or shame happening unto them; and the judgement of our Church touching them, may easily appeare in that they are not admitted to Christian buriall, nor in any private place, but in high-wayes, the common receptacle of dead dogs, and other carrion. If it be demanded, whether those vertuous women, who killed themselves to prevent sinne, are not to bee thought to bee in any better case, as the Virgine Pellagia, so much commended by Saint Ambrose, and that godly Matron, who being in the hands of Maxentius, desired leave to goe aside and tire herselfe, but went and killed her selfe. It is answered, that through the grace of God working in them, they might repent after the deadly blow given, and so be saved. As for others who being wearied with the tediousnesse of temptation kill themselves, their case seemeth to be more desperate and dangerous, because through the instigation of the evill spirit they doe this last tragicall unnaturall act towards themselves.
Saul being dead and his body found by the Philistims, they cut off his head V. 8, 9.and sent to publish it in the house of their Idols, amongst the people, and they put his Armour in the house of Ashteroth, and fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan. His head was not onelyonly carryed about, but put in the Temple of Dagon, 1 Chron. 10. 10. as his armour in the house of Ashteroth; there it is, in the house of their Gods, but the word Ashteroth is plurall, and therefore may so be rendred, see Judg. 2. 13. This was done partly to be revenged for the cutting off of Goliah's head by David, and partly in way of ascribing this victory to 1 Sam. 54. 17.their Idols, as David set up Goliahs head in Jerusalem, thus ascribing his victory to God, and his armour it seemeth was put in the Tabernacle of the Lord, ch. 21. 9. Thus an Idolatrous people triumpheth now over God, as it were, and his chosen one, as if their Idols had beene more potent; and God suffered this dishonour for a time, that he might punish Sauls horrible sinnes: whereby Note. wee may see, how he is set upon the punishment of sinne, that wee all may bee deterred from sinne hereby.
For these words, and fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan, the Vulg. Lat. hath it, hanged his body on the wall of Bethshan, 2 Sam. 21. 12. He and his sons are said to have beene in the street of Bethshan, and howsoever his body onelyonly is here spoken of, yet it is to be understood, that his sonnes bodies were so served also, because in this ch. v. 12. the men of Jabesh are said to have taken away not onelyonly his body but also the bodies of his sonnes from the wall of Bethshan. Some thinke that they were hanged in the street neare the wall, Willet.but it is more probable upon the wall, because in the street it could not so conveniently have beene done for troubling the passage, and yet it might well afterwards be said that they were stolne from the street of Bethshan, because the wall was an appurtenance of the street. Thus the greatest ignominy was done to Saul and his sonnes that might be, deservedly indeed on Sauls part, but spightfully, and blasphemously, even towards God, on the Philistims part, which was not suffered long to goe unrevenged, as we shall afterwards see in Davids raigne. This Bethshan was a City in the lot of Manasseh, Judg. 1. 17. but not yet gotten out of the Philistims hands. Touching that which was said v. 7. that the Philistims went and dwelt in the Cities, out of which the V. 7.Israelites fled for feare, it is to be understood, saith Lyra, that they dwelt no otherwise in them, but by garrisons in their strong holds to keepe the Israelites still under.
When the Inhabitants of Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistims had done to Saul, V. 11, 12, 13.all the valiant men of them came by night to Bethshan and tooke his body and the bodies of his sonnes and burnt them, and put their bones under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven dayes. The men of Jabesh had beene delivered by Saul from Nahash the King of the Ammonites, and therefore they above all others sorrowed for his death, 1 Sam: 11.and bestowed this honourable buriall upon him. They burnt their bodies with sweet aromaticall stuffe, as the manner then was to doe to the dead bodies of Kings, whom they honoured, for thus it was done unto Asa 2 Chr: 16. By their fasting seven dayes they shewed the greatnesse of their sorrow for him, so Lyra. But whether did the men of Jabesh well in honouring him thus, whom Lyra. Peter Martyr.God would have dishonoured for his wickednesse? Peter Martyr answereth, they did thus not to crosse God in his judgements, but to shew a gratefull minde for their past deliverance, and to performe a duty of piety towards their King, by vindicating him from that great ignominy, to which he was put amongst the uncircumcised, and therefore David hearing of it, approved and applauded it, and seconded it, 2 Sam. 21. 12. and he was a man guided by the 2 Sam: 2. 5.spirit of God. The wickednesse of a King then freeth not their Subjects from Note. duty, as the Pope excommunicating a King absolveth his Subjects from their obedience, for Ambrose excommunicating Theodosius did not thus, and the son of a wicked father is still bound to a filiall duty towards him, as Jonathan obeyed his father and followed him to the warre, notwithstanding his great wickednesse. Touching their burning of these dead bodies, it may be thought to have beene done partly because the flesh was corrupted, and therefore they burnt that from the bones with a fire made of sweet things, and partly lest the Philistims should come to fetch away their bodies againe and abuse them anew. For it was no generall custome to burne the dead amongst the Jewes. For their bones, which are said here to be put under a tree, 1 Chron. 10. 12. they are said to have beene buryed under an Oake, or a tree called Terebintbus, for they had not then any publicke burying places. For their fasting seven dayes, so did Jobs friends, when they came and saw him in so great misery, as plerced their hearts with sorrow; these men of Jabesh were so full of griefe Iob, 2. 13.not onelyonly for the death of Saul, but for the generall calamity of the commonwealth; and it is not to be doubted, but that unto their fasting they joyned prayers, yet not for the reliefe of the dead, as is used in the Church of Rome, for they goe immediately to their place, neither can they be removed any more to a better, as appeareth in the parable of Dives and Lazarus, but to pacifie Gods wrath, which then was great against Israel. Some thinke that in their seven dayes fast they had respect unto the seven dayes given them by the King of Ammon, ch: 11. within the compasse of which time Saul came and rescued Borrhaus.them.