Explication of the Judicial Laws of Moses, Part 1 · Chapter 4 – Chapter 5
CHAPTER IIII. What Samuel meaneth by Miſhpat Hammelech.foreign
1 SAM. 8. 11. And he ſaid this will be the manner of the King that ſhall raigne over you, &c.
KIMCHI ſaith whatſoever is ſet downe in this Text, it is lawfull for the King to doe it, and therefore he interpreteth Miſhpat Melech 1 Sam. foreign Lex Regis.8. 8. This ſhall be the Law of the King, or this is the thing which the King may doe by the Law; the Chaldie Paraphraſt paraphraſeth it Nimuſa, a Law.
Maymone expoundeth the words in this wiſe, he ſhallforeign Lex, chaldaicè. take your Beaſts at the Kings price, and your Oliues and your Vines for to maintaine his ſervants in theRambamfilius Maymone. Warres; and he ſaith in neceſsitate omnia pertinent ad jus regis, ſed extra neceſsitatem non pertinent: But this is not the meaning of the place.
The Lord is deſcribing here to them, that King whichSamuel deſcribeth a tyrant, and not what a King may lawfully doe. he is to giuegive to them in his wrath, and not what a lawfull King may doe; and Miſhpat here ſignifieth not a Law, but the manner and cuſtome of him who ſhould doe ſuch things, as 1 Sam. 2. 13. And the Prieſts [Miſhpat] cuſtome was with the people to take the fleſh of the ſacrifice that did not belong to him. Here it cannot be tranſlated, it was the Prieſts Law, for it had beene ſacrilegious theft in the Prieſt to hauehave taken any part of the ſacrifice, but that which was due to him. So this ſhould be the [Miſhpat] or cuſtome of this King whom God ſent in his wrath, that he ſhould take any thing which he pleaſed from them, although it had not beene for neceſſary uſes; but 1 Sam. 10. 25. the word Miſhpat is taken in anotherforeign Lex Regni. ſenſe, then Samuel told the people [Miſhpat Hammelocha] the law of the Kingdome, and laid it up before the Arke. Here Miſhpat is taken in another ſenſe, how the King ſhould rule the Countrey, and this Booke Samuel laid up before the Arke; but this Miſhpat was not laid up before the Arke, but was ſet downe as a puniſhment for that people.
Now that this King which Samuel deſcribeth unto them (whom God ſent in his wrath) might not doeReaſons prooving that he was not a lawfull King, who is deſcribed here. theſe things to his Subjects by lawfull authoritie, the reaſons are theſe.
Firſt, God gaue them this King in his anger, and tooke Reaſon 1 him away in his wrath, Hoſ. 13. 11. Which cannot be ſaid of any King in whom there is but the leaſt ſparkle of goodneſſe.
Secondly, He will take your [Cerem] not onelyonly your Reaſon 2 Vines,foreign but alſo your Vineyards, as Ahab tooke Naboths Vineyard; whereas David bought from Arauna the Iebuſite the ground to build the Temple on.
Thirdly, He will take their tithes; either he will take Reaſon 3 theſe tithes from the Prieſts, and that had beene ſacriledge; or elſe he will tithe the people over againe, and that had beene too hard a burden for them.
Fourthly, He will make your young men ſlaues, Reaſon 4 and your young women drudges;The Kings of Iſrael made no free men ſlaues. but the good Kings of Iſrael never did ſo, they ſet not the Iſraelites to any ſervile worke, 2 Chron. 2. 17. And Salomon ſet the Iſraelites to be overſeers over the worke of the Temple, but he ſet Strangers to doe the ſervile workes.
When the Holy Ghoſt deſcribeth a good King, he calleth him Nadibh: and foreign in the New Teſtament,foreign. Bountifull Lord, Luk. 22.
In what Kings Queſt. were theſe puniſhments accompliſhed?
The Iewes hold that they were not all accompliſhed in one King, Anſw. ſome of them were accompliſhed in Rehoboam, 1 King. 12. 16. ſome of them in Ahab, 1 King. 21. and ſome in Omri, Micah 6. 16.
The Concluſion of this is, a good King ſeeketh not Concluſion. theirs but them, therefore good ſubjects ſhould anſwer as an Echo, We and ours are thine; and the good King or Nadibb will anſwere, I and mine ſhall be ever for you my foreign Princeps, à manificentia at liberalitate ſic dictus.people. When the Maſter ſendeth his ſervant away with his reward, and the ſervant doth his dutie faithfully, then it is called foreign, Mat. 20. 2.
CHAPTER V. A Difference betwixt the Election of Saul, and the Election of David.
1 SAM. 13. 14. The Lord hath ſought him a man after his owne heart.
FIrſt Saul was choſen but out of the tribe of Benjamin, but David out of the tribe of Iuda; and the Kingdome was intailed to him and his poſteritie, but not to the poſteritie of Saul. In Chriſts genealogie none is called a King but David onelyonly.
Secondly, Saul was choſen by lot, but David moreSaul was choſen by lot, David immediately. immediately by God; and even as Matthias when he was choſen by lot, his calling was not ſo ſolemne as Pauls was: ſo neither was the calling of Saul ſo ſolemne as was the calling of David, Non tam miſit Deus Saulum quàm permiſit populo.
Thirdly, when he ſpeaketh of David, he ſaith 1 Sam. 13. 14. Quaeſivi, Bikkeſh eſt diligenter inquirere, Cant. 3.foreign diligenter inquirere. Exod. 4. 19. 2 Sam. 22. 33. And he was as glad in finding of him, as the Widow was when ſhee found her groat, who called in her neighbours to rejoyce with her when ſhe had found it, Luk. 16. 9.
Fourthly, Quaeſivi mihi, eſt dativus Commodi. Zach. 9.Mihi eſt datirus commodi, id eſt, in commodum meum. 9. Behold thy King commeth unto thee; that is, for thy profit and benefit. So David was the King that would ſerue for the Lords glory.
Fiftly, he choſe David according to his owne heart, this was verbum amoris; and there was great ſimilitude betwixt Davids heart, and Gods owne heart. The Iewes obſerue concerning David, that when he had ſinned in numbring of the people, God ſaid to the Prophet, Goe tell David, 2 Sam. 24. 12. 1 Chron. 21. 10. Giving himHow the Lord calleth David his ſervant. no other title but David; as Kimchi marketh upon that place; but when he had a purpoſe to build a houſe for the Lord, then he ſaid Goe tell my ſervant David, 2 Sam. 7. 5. 1 Chron. 17. 4. Shewing what account he maketh of ſuch, and how acceptable men are to him, when they ſeeke his glory, and the good of his Church. So when the people had committed Idolatry, the Lord calleth them Moſes people, Goe get thee downe, for thy people Why God called the Iſraelites Moſes people.which thou broughtſt out of Aegypt, hauehave corrupted themſelues, Exod. 32. 7. He calleth them not my people, becauſe they were blotted with ſuch a blot as was not to be found in his children, Deut. 32. 5. Now becauſe David was a King fit for Gods worſhip, ſee how friendly he ſpeakes of him, I hauehave ſought to me a man; that is, an excellent man.
Sixtly, according to my heart; I made not choiſe ofGod choſe not David for his ſtature. him for his comely ſtature, as the people made choiſe of Saul, but I choſe him becauſe he was a man according to mine owne heart.
The Concluſion of this is, 1 Sam. 16. 7. a man judgeth Concluſion. according to his eyes, but the Lord looketh to the heart; the Carntos hab…re oc…los quid.Lord hath not eyes of fleſh, Iob 10. 4. That is, he looketh not to outward qualities as men doe; but his eyes peirce into the heart; and he made choiſe of David, becauſe he ſaw his heart was upright. The heart of the Prince is the object of the eye of God.