Commentary on the Old Testament Volume 2-4, Biblical commentary 1 · 2 Samuel · Chapter 16
CHAP. XVI.
VVHen David was a little past the top of the mountaine, Ziba Mephibosheths V. 1, 2, 3.servant met him with two Asses laden with 200. loaves, &c. Hee tooke this opportunitie to shew kindnesse to David for his owne benefit, and not out of love unto him, thinking that David would finally prevaile, and then reward him bountifully. Being asked for his master Mephibosheth, hee most treacherously belied him to David, saying, that now hee hoped the Kingdome would bee restored unto him, whereupon David gave him all that was Mephibosheths. A most rash and injust sentence to condemne a man unheard, upon an accusation so improbable. For the stirring of the people now was not to advance the house of Saul, but to make Absalom King, and Mephibosheth could not in reason bee thought to have any such imagination in his mind, being a man so impotent and unfit for government, yet Davids credulitie was such, that hee beleeved it, either because through his present troubles his judgment was confounded, or being overcome with Zibah his kindnesse in this time of his misery, wherefore in this fact hee is thought generally to have erred greatly, in condemning so rashly the sonne of his deare friend Ionathan, contrary to his oath, being also innocent; neither did hee afterwards, when hee knew the truth, reverse the judgement, as hee should have done. Hence wee may see, what the power of gifts is, that all Judges may take heed of them; and againe, Note. that even the best are subject to erre grosly, that wee may not imitate them in Pellican.all things.
Then David went on to Bahurim, and Shimei, a man of the house of Saul came out and cursed him, &c. Bahurim was a Citie of the Tribe of Benjamin, V. 5. Adrichom.somewhat more then a mile from Ierusalem, of it mention was also made before, Chap. 3. 16. and hee is said to bee the sonne of Gera, who came of Benjamin, 1 Chron. 8. 3. which doth further confirme, that his Citie was in Benjamin, and in that hee was of Sauls house, and a sonne of Jemini, Vers. 11. Whereas Chap. 19. 20. hee speaketh, as if hee were of the house of Ioseph, for hee saith, I came the first of all the house of Ioseph, Martyr answereth, that hereby hee meant that hee came the first of all Israel, as Israel was commonly counted by Peter Martyr.it selfe, and distinguished from Iudah, and was a severall kingdome under Ishbosheth the sonne of Saul, the head tribe whereof was Aephraim, one of Iosephs Tribes. Hee seeing the King now in great misery, and fleeing before Absalom thought, that his Kingdome was at an end, and therefore was bold thus to vent his malice against him. And hee did not onelyonly curse, but cast stones at him, V. 6.not that hee could hereby hurt him, but the more to shew his hatred and contempt. And in cursing hee called him a man of blood, because Ishbosheth and V. 7.Abner had been slaine by those, that were on his side, but hee laid this to his charge unjustly, as is manifest by their histories before going. Hee called him also a man of Belial that is, most wicked, happily because of his adultery, and murthering of Ʋriah: but although these his sinnes were most hainous, yet his study generally was to live according to Gods holy Lawes, and therefore hee coult not rightly for them bee called a man that hath cast off Gods yoake, as Belial signifieth. And hee added, the Lord hath rendred unto thee all the blood of the house of Saul, in whose stead thou hast reigned, hee taxed him as usurping V. 8.the kingdome, and now justly punisht therefore, when as the Lord had taken it from Sauls house, and given it unto him, and for this hee saith, that God had againe taken the kingdome from him, and given it to his sonne Absalom when as he attained it by usurpation. And all this, hee saith, hee suffered for his owne wickednesse, so that his humiliation would not profit him, wherein hee said true indeed, but not in the sense wherein hee spake it, for David suffered not for any sin against Saul or his house, but against God in the matter of Bathshebah, for which hee now suffered, and came to this misery.
Abishai hearing him speake thus was so moved through love to David, whose V. 9.kinsman hee was, as Shimei of Saul, that hee would have gone to cut off his head, calling him a dead dog according to the phrase familiarly used by the Hebrewes, when they would debase themselves, or others, 1 Sam. 24. 15. 2 Sam. 3. 8. 2 Sam. 9. 8. But David would not suffer him, saying, What have I to doe with you, yee sonnes of Zerviah? whereby hee meant both him and his brother V. 10.Joab, both valiant Captaines, and as it seemeth consenting to goe and take this revenge upon Shimei, although Abishai onelyonly bee named; so Martyr: or else remembring the bloody fact of Joab before against Abner hee spake in the plurall number, seeing Abishai offering to kill one in love to him also, as Pellican, who saith, that hee spake thus, because Joab was the author of that Pellican.bloodshed of Abner, wherewith hee was charged by Shimei. Hee hath cursed because God hath hidden him to curse David, &c. Hee looked at an higher hand, which brought Shimei thus forth against him, as by his sinnes hee had deserved, wherefore hee patiently submitted himselfe to beare it, and would have no revenge for the present taken upon him therefore, but afterwards hee appointed Solomon according to his wisedome to judge him, as hee did, 1 King. 2. 46. But if God bade him curse, hee seemeth not to have sinned, and so hee ought never to have been punisht for thus doing. Lyra answereth, here were two Lyra.things considerable, 1. The spirit and boldnesse of Shimei, thus to come forth alone against the King, being guarded with so many valiant men, who would doubtlesse bee ready to take revenge upon him; and to doe this, the power came from God. 2. The malice of his mind out of which hee so railed upon him, and this came from himselfe, and so hee sinned: even as hee that hath a lame legge, in that hee goeth with it, this comes from God, but his limping is from his owne imperfection. It was then Shimei his malicious heart against David, that put him upon this desperate adventure, but God by his virulent and slanderous tongue justly punisht David for his former sinnes, as hee well conceived, and now gave him occasion to exercise the vertue of patience: wherefore Shimei for his sinne was worthy of punishment, although hee did not utter these curses without God, who wrought herein justly for Davids further humiliation; thus likewise Hugo and Tostatus, God did not infuse this corruption of malice into Shimei, but being in him inclined it towards David for his punishment, and Theod. wee must know, that neither the incest of Amnon, nor parricide of Absalom, nor cursing of Shimei, as hee might have added, were of the working of God, but David not being protected by the divine providence against these evills, his house was like to a ship without a governour, and assaulted by vehement warres of made devills. Hee is said to bid him curse because hee laid open a way unto him, as another saith; God worketh in sinfull actions, see Peter Martyr at large upon this place. And if this were the cause why David would not have Shimei slaine, then Josephus erred, Josephus.who saith, that hee forbad it lest by his death occasion should bee given of new stirres and troubles: And here is to bee noted, how rightly David was Note. punished by Shimei his railing tongue for his hearkening so readily to the wicked flattery of Ziba; as hee had hereupon spolled Mephibosheth unjustly of his goods, so hee was now spoyled unjustly of his honours; and as hee had hearkened to a servant rising against his master, so hee was now forced to heare his subject rising up against him; and lastly as hee had heard a slanderous tale of Mephibosheths aspiring to his kingdome, so hee now heareth a slander laid upon him of usurping the kingdome of another: and so God will punish all his servants in their kind, if they sinne in this world, that they may bee saved in the world to come. But to this end wee must beare his judgments patiently, as David did, whose patience was most admirable, hee being herein a very type of Christ, who when hee was reviled, reviled not againe, although it was not secretly, but openly before all his servants, and the calumnies were most intolerable, and that when hee had power immediatly to take revenge upon him; unto his railing words, the throwing of stones and dust also against him being added, and that not once, but Shimei going along over against him and continuing so to doe, to provoke him the more, Vers. 13. And hee used besides this, that God bade him curse, two Arguments more as V. 11.grounds of patiently bearing it; 1. Because his owne sonne was risen up against him, whose rebellion hee did beare, and therefore much more, the railing and indignities offered to him by this sonne of Iemini, who was nothing allyed unto him, nor of his Tribe, and the kinsman of Saul, in zeale to whose house, being as hee tooke it, unjustly put downe by David, hee offered this indignitie to him out of a naturall affection which hee bare to his owne family. 2. Because happily God would doe good unto him for this his unjust malediction, hee committing the matter wholly to him, and not revenging V. 12.himselfe: which hee spake not, as if hee thought that his patient bearing of this injury were meritorious saith, Martyr, but because this is the order, Peter Martyr.whereby God in his mercy is wont to proceed, after affliction to send comfort, and it may bee added truely, that hee rewardeth afflictions patiently suffered with future good, yet not for the merit thereof, but out of his mercy. Some, because the seventh Psalme agreeth so fitly to Davids case at this time, doe thinke, that it was penned upon this occasion, although in the title it is Arn…bius. Brugensis.said to have been made upon the words of Cushi, the Benjamite, for Cush signifieth an Ethiopian, who is blacke, and happily Shimei for his black and evill conditions might bee so called: but Iunius applyeth it to some man not before named in Sauls time, but intimated in Davids speech to Saul, 1 Sam. 24. And some apply to this occasion also, Psal. 37. Whereas David may seeme to speake doubtfully, saying, Peradventure God will looke upon this mine affliction, it was not because hee doubted of good from God in the world to come, but of his restitution to his kingdome, which hee knew not whether it would please God to doe or not.
Then David and all the people with him being weary came and rested there, that is, in Bahurim, which was before spoken of, although Iosephus saith, that V. 14. Josephus.contemning Shimei he went right on to Iordan and rested there, but that was too farre a journey in one day, for it was from Ierusalem to Iordan 15. miles, the time being so much delayed, as it was, in dismissing the Arke, and Hushai, and speaking to Ittai, and Zibah, and touching Shimei, and going barefoot, and worshipping upon mount Olivet by the way, neither doth it agree to the proposition made before unto Zadok, that hee should send unto him into the Wildernesse neare by, yet it seemes by that which followeth that his stay was but short in Bahurim, for when the messengers came thither from Hushai, hee was gone, and the same night when they had done their message to him hee went over Iordan with all his traine. Hushai Davids friend in the meane season commeth to Absalom, and offereth his service to him upon this ground, he whom V. 15, 16.the Lord shall choose and all Israel, with him will I bee, and I will serve his sonne now, whose father I have served. In all which hee dissembled for the good of David, as the present necessity required. But whether is his argument good or not? and when one King is unjustly put downe and another set up, whether the subjects ought to serve that King, is a question? Martyr answereth, if the state Peter Martyr.generally accepteth him for King, hee is to bee served, the other King being dead, because a commonwealth cannot stand without a supreame Magistrate, so the Romans obeyed Iulius Caesar, and the whole Empire Phocas, after that hee had murthered Mauritius, but the case of David was not such, for hee was living, neither did all Israel, but the rebellious in Israel follow Absalom, and therefore the argument were fallacious. Nay, saith Hushai, meaning that hee would not continue his friendship with David any longer, and hee spake thus to deceive Absalom, as hee had before deceived his father, that hee beleeving him indeed to approve his proceedings, as hee seemed by his words to doe, might the more confidently follow his counsell to the benefit of David, and his owne deserved ruine.
Then Absalom said to Achitophel, Give yee counsell, what we shall doe, for though V. 20.hee onelyonly, be named Hushai was meant also, who when Achitophel gave that devilish counsell was enforced to dissemble and to give way unto it, lest if hee had opposed him at the first, hee should have beene suspected touching his fidelity to Absalom, and so have beene prevented of doing good in some other counsell of greater consequence.
Achitophel counselled him to goe in to his fathers concubines openly, that V. 21.all Israel hearing it, their hands might be strengthened with him, that is, saith Theodoret, and others after him, by this conceiving, that the difference between Theodoret. Lyra. Pellican.the father and the sonne would thus be made irreconciliable, whereas before they might feare a future reconciliation, and so be alwayes fluctuating and wavering in their mindes about their following of Absalom, betwixt whom and his father, if a reconciliation should happen to be made, they should be in danger many of them, of paying deare for this their rebelling with him. This counsell was most wicked, yet hereby was that fulfilled, which before was threatned, as a punishment to come upon David for his sinnes. 2 Sam: 12. 11.
Now the counsell of Achitophel was like the oracle of God, this is added, to V. 23.shew, in what great danger David was, seeing he had so politicke a man against him, and that the working of God for David, as he prayed, might be the more remarkeable, when Achitophels counsell, which was alwayes wont to be followed in Davids time, and in Absaloms, as most certaine, should be forsaken, and another mans counsell bee preferred. But how could his counsell bee like Gods oracle, for so much as he was a man, and so might erre, and sometime his counsell was most wicked, as at this time? Martyr answereth, that it is spoken hyperbolically, or hereby no equality is meant, but some similitude Peter Martyr.for certainty, or it is shewed, how naturall men esteemed of his counsell in all things. But it is said to have beene so accounted in Davids time, and therefore even by David, who was no naturall man, therefore it is meant only for certainty to bring any thing to effect, he had an insight into the way beyond all others, as if he had a divine spirit within him.