Chapter 21:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Ruth 2 Samuel
1 Samuel 21
Complete Concise
David has now quite taken leave both of Saul's court and of
his camp, has bidden farewell to his alter idem—his other self, the beloved
Jonathan; and henceforward to the end of this book he is looked upon and treated
as an outlaw and proclaimed a traitor. We still find him shifting from place to
place for his own safety, and Saul pursuing him. His troubles are very
particularly related in this and the following chapters, not only to be a key to
the Psalms, but that he might be, as other prophets, an example to the saints in
all ages, "of suffering affliction, and of patience," and especially
that he might be a type of Christ, who, being anointed to the kingdom, humbled
himself, and was therefore highly exalted. But the example of the suffering
Jesus was a copy without a blot, that of David was not so; witness the records
of this chapter, where we find David in his flight, I. Imposing upon Abimelech
the priest, to get from him both victuals and arms (v. 1-9). II. Imposing upon
Achish, king of Gath, by feigning himself mad (v. 10-15). Justly are troubles
called temptations, for many are by them drawn into sin.
Verses 1-9
Here, I. David, in distress, flies in the tabernacle of God, now
pitched at Nob, supposed to be a city in the tribe of Benjamin. Since Shiloh was
forsaken, the tabernacle was often removed, though the ark still remained at
Kirjath-jearim. Hither David came in his flight from Saul's fury (v. 1), and
applied to Ahimelech the priest. Samuel the prophet could not protect him,
Jonathan the prince could not. He therefore has recourse next to Ahimelech the
priest. He foresees he must now be an exile, and therefore comes to the
tabernacle, 1. To take an affecting leave of it, for he knows not when he shall
see it again, and nothing will be more afflictive to him in his banishment than
his distance from the house of God, and his restraint from public ordinances, as
appears by many of his psalms. He had given an affectionate farewell to his
friend Jonathan, and cannot go till he has given the like to the tabernacle. 2.
To enquire of the Lord there, and to beg direction from him in the way both of
duty and safety, his case being difficult and dangerous. That this was his
business appears ch. 22:10, where it is said that
Ahimelech enquired of the
Lord for him, as he had done formerly, v. 15. It is a great comfort to us in
a day of trouble that we have a God to go to, to whom we may open our case, and
from whom we may ask and expect direction.
II. Ahimelech the priest is surprised to see him in so poor an
equipage; having heard that he had fallen into disgrace at court, he looked shy
upon him, as most are apt to do upon their friends when the world frowns upon
them. He was afraid of incurring Saul's displeasure by entertaining him, and
took notice how mean a figure he now made to what he used to make:
Why art
thou alone? He had some with him (as appears Mk. 2:26), but they were only
his own servants; he had none of the courtiers, no persons of quality with him,
as he used to have at other times, when he came to enquire of the Lord. He says
(Ps. 42:4) he was wont to
go with a multitude to the house of God; and,
having now but two or three with him, Ahimelech might well ask,
Why art thou
alone? He that was suddenly advanced from the solitude of a shepherd's
life to the crowd and hurries of the camp is now as soon reduced to the desolate
condition of an exile and is
alone like a sparrow on the housetop, such
charges are there in this world and so uncertain are its smiles! Those that are
courted to-day may be deserted to-morrow.
III. David, under pretence of being sent by Saul upon public
services, solicits Ahimelech to supply his present wants, v. 2, 3.
1. Here David did not behave like himself. He told Ahimelech a
gross untruth, that Saul had ordered him business to despatch, that his
attendants were dismissed to such a place, and that he was charged to observe
secresy and therefore durst not communicate it, no, not to the priest himself.
This was all false. What shall we say to this? The scripture does not conceal
it, and we dare not justify it. It was ill done, and proved of bad consequence;
for it
occasioned the death of the priests of the Lord, as David
reflected upon it afterwards with regret, ch. 22:22. It was needless for him
thus to dissemble with the priest, for we may suppose that, if he had told him
the truth, he would have sheltered and relieved him as readily as Samuel did,
and would have known the better how to advise him and enquire of God for him.
People should be free with their faithful ministers. David was a man of great
faith and courage, and yet now both failed him, and he fell thus foully through
fear and cowardice, and both owing to the weakness of his faith. Had he trusted
God aright, he would not have used such a sorry sinful shift as this for his own
preservation. It is written, not for our imitation, no, not in the greatest
straits, but for our admonition.
Let him that thinks he stands take heed lest
he fall; and let us all pray daily,
Lord, lead us not into temptation.
Let us all take occasion from this to lament, (1.) The weakness and infirmity of
good men; the best are not perfect on this side heaven. There may be true grace
where yet there are many failings. (2.) The wickedness of bad times, which
forces good men into such straits as prove temptations too strong for them.
Oppression makes a wise man do foolishly.
2. Two things David begged of Ahimelech,
bread and a
sword.
(1.) He wanted bread:
five loaves, v. 3. Travelling was
then troublesome, when men generally carried their provisions with them in kind,
having little money and no public houses, else David would not now have had to
seek for bread. It seems David had known the
seed of the righteous begging
bread occasionally, but not constantly, Ps. 37:25. Now, [1.] The priest
objected that he had none but hallowed bread,
show-bread, which had stood
a week on the golden table in the sanctuary, and was taken thence for the use of
the priests and their families, v. 4. It seems the priest kept no good house,
but wanted either a heart to be hospitable or provisions wherewithal to be so.
Ahimelech thinks that the young men that attended David might not eat of this
bread unless they had for some time abstained from women, even from their own
wives; this was required at the
giving of the law (Ex. 19:15), but
otherwise we never find this made the matter of any ceremonial purity on the one
side or pollution on the other, and therefore the priest here seems to be
over-nice, not to say superstitious. [2.] David pleads that he and those that
were with him, in this case of necessity, might lawfully eat of the hallowed
bread, for they were not only able to answer his terms of keeping from women for
three days past, but
the vessels (that is, the bodies)
of the young
men were holy, being
possessed in sanctification and honour at all times
(1 Th. 4:4, 5), and therefore God would take particular care of them, that they
wanted not necessary supports, and would have his priest to do so. Being thus
holy, holy things were not forbidden them. Poor and pious Israelites were in
effect priests to God, and, rather than be starved, might feed on the bread
which was appropriated to the priests. Believers are spiritual priests, and the
offerings of the Lord shall be their inheritance; they eat the bread of their
God. He pleads that the bread is in a manner common, now that what was primarily
the religious use of it is over; especially (as our margin reads it)
where
there is other bread (
hot, v. 6)
sanctified that day in the
vessel, and put in the room of it upon the table. This was David's plea,
and the Son of David approves it, and shows from it that mercy is to be
preferred to sacrifice, that ritual observance must give way to moral duties,
and that may be done in a case of an urgent providential necessity which may not
otherwise be done. He brings it to justify his disciples in plucking the ears of
corn on the sabbath day, for which the Pharisees censured them, Mt. 12:3, 4.
[3.] Ahimelech hereupon supplies him:
He gave him hallowed bread (v. 6),
and some think it was about this that
he enquired of the Lord, ch. 22:10.
As a faithful servant he would not dispose of his master's provisions without
his master's leave. This bread, we may suppose, was the more agreeable to
David for its being hallowed, so precious were all sacred things to him. The
show-bread was but twelve loaves in all, yet out of these he gave David five (v.
3), though they had no more in the house; but he trusted Providence.
(2.) He wanted a sword. Persons of quality, though officers of
the army, did not then wear their swords so constantly as now they do, else
surely David would not have been without one. It was a wonder that Jonathan did
not furnish him with his, as he had before done, ch. 18:4. However, it happened
that he had now no weapons with him, the reason of which he pretends to be
because he came away in haste, v. 8. Those that are furnished with the sword of
the Spirit and the shield of faith cannot be disarmed of them, nor need they, at
any time, to be at a loss. But the priests, it seems, had no swords: the weapons
of their warfare were not carnal. There was not a sword to be found about the
tabernacle but the sword of Goliath, which was laid up behind the ephod, as a
monument of the glorious victory David obtained over him. Probably David had an
eye to that when he asked the priest to help him with a sword; for, that being
mentioned, O! says he,
there is none like that, give it to me, v. 9. He
could not use Saul's armour, for he had not proved it; but this sword of
Goliath he had made trial of and done execution with. By this it appears that he
was now well grown in strength and stature, that he could wear and wield such a
sword as that. God had
taught his hands to war, so that he could do
wonders, Ps. 18:34. Two things we may observe concerning this sword:—[1.] That
God had graciously given it to him, as a pledge of his singular favour; so that
whenever he drew it, nay, whenever he looked upon it, it would be a great
support to his faith, by bringing to mind that great instance of the particular
care and countenance of the divine providence respecting him. [2.] That he had
gratefully given it back to God, dedicating it to him and to his honour as a
token of his thankfulness; and now in his distress it stood him greatly in
stead. Note, What we devote to God's praise, and serve him with, is most
likely to redound, one way or other, to our own comfort and benefit. What we
gave we have.
Thus was David well furnished with arms and victuals; but it
fell out very unhappily that there was one of Saul's servants then attending
before the Lord,
Doeg by name, that proved a base traitor both to David
and Ahimelech. He was by birth an Edomite (v. 7), and though proselyted to the
Jewish religion, to get the preferment he now had under Saul, yet he retained
the ancient and hereditary enmity of Edom to Israel. He was master of the herds,
which perhaps was then a place of as much honour as master of the horse is now.
Some occasion or other he had at this time to wait on the priest, either to be
purified from some pollution or to pay some vow; but, whatever his business was,
it is said, he was
detained before the Lord. He must attend and could not
help it, but he was sick of the service,
snuffed at it, and said, What a
weariness is it! Mal. 1:13. He would rather have been any where else than
before the Lord, and therefore, instead of minding the business he came about,
was plotting to do David a mischief and to be revenged on Ahimelech for
detaining him. God's sanctuary could never secure such wolves in sheep's
clothing. See Gal. 2:4.
Verses 10-15
David, though king elect, is here an exile—designed to be
master of vast treasures, yet just now begging his bread—anointed to the
crown, and yet here forced to flee from his country. Thus do God's providences
sometimes seem to run counter to his promises, for the trial of his people's
faith, and the glorifying of his name, in the accomplishment of his counsels,
notwithstanding the difficulties that lay in the way. Here is, 1. David's
flight into the land of the Philistines, where he hoped to be hid, and to remain
undiscovered in the court or camp of Achish king of Gath, v. 10. Israel's
darling is necessitated to quit the land of Israel, and he that was the
Philistine's great enemy (upon I know not what inducements) goes to seek for
shelter among them. It should seem that as, though the Israelites loved him, yet
the king of Israel had a personal enmity to him, which obliged him to leave his
own country, so, though the Philistines hated him, yet the king of Gath had a
personal kindness for him, valuing his merit, and perhaps the more for his
killing Goliath of Gath, who, it may be, had been no friend to Achish. To him
David now went directly, as to one he could confide in, as afterwards (ch. 27:2,
3), and Achish would not have protected him but that he was afraid of
disobliging his own people. God's persecuted people have often found better
usage from Philistines than from Israelites, in the Gentile theatres than in the
Jewish synagogues. The king of Judah imprisoned Jeremiah, and the king of
Babylon set him at liberty. 2. The disgust which the servants of Achish took at
his being there, and their complaint of it to Achish (v. 11):
"Is not
this David? Is not this he that has triumphed over the Philistines? witness
that burden of the song which was so much talked of,
Saul has slain his
thousands, but
David, this very man,
his ten thousands. Nay,
Is not this he that (if our intelligence from the land of Israel be true) is, or
is to be,
king of the land?" As such, "he must be an enemy to
our country; and is it safe or honourable for us to protect or entertain such a
man?" Achish perhaps had intimated to them that it would be policy to
entertain David, because he was now an enemy to Saul, and he might be hereafter
a friend to them. It is common for the outlaws of a nation to be sheltered by
the enemies of that nation. But the servants of Achish objected to his politics,
and thought it not at all fit that he should stay among them. 3. The fright
which this put David into. Though he had some reason to put confidence in Achish,
yet, when he perceived the servants of Achish jealous of him, he began to be
afraid that Achish would be obliged to deliver him up to them, and he was
sorely
afraid (v. 12), and perhaps he was the more apprehensive of his own danger,
when he was thus discovered, because he wore Goliath's sword, which, we may
suppose, was well known in Gath, and with which he had reason to expect they
would cut off his head, as he had cut off Goliath's with it. David now learned
by experience what he has taught us (Ps. 118:9),
that it is better to trust
in the Lord than to put confidence in princes. Men of high degree are a lie,
and, if we make them our hope, they may prove our fear. It was at this time that
David penned Psalm 55
(Michtam, a golden psalm), when the Philistines took
him in Gath, where having shown before God his distresses, he resolves (v.
3),
"What time I am afraid I will trust in thee; and therefore (v.
11)
will not be afraid what man can do unto me, no, not the sons of
giants." 4. The course he took to get out of their hands:
He feigned
himself mad, v. 13. He used the gestures and fashions of a natural fool, or
one that had gone out of his wits, supposing they would be ready enough to
believe that the disgrace he had fallen into, and the troubles he was now in,
had driven him distracted. This dissimulation of his cannot be justified (it was
a mean thing thus to disparage himself, and inconsistent with truth thus to
misrepresent himself, and therefore not becoming the honour and sincerity of
such a man as David); yet it may in some degree be excused, for it was not a
downright lie and it was like a stratagem in war, by which he imposed upon his
enemies for the preservation of his own life. What David did here in pretence
and for his own safety, which made it partly excusable, drunkards do really, and
only to gratify a base lust: they made fools of themselves and change their
behaviour; their words and actions commonly are either as silly and ridiculous
as an idiot's or as furious and outrageous as a madman's, which has often
made me wonder that ever men of sense and honour should allow themselves in it.
5. His escape by this means, v. 14, 15. I am apt to think Achish was aware that
the delirium was but counterfeit, but, being desirous to protect David (as we
find afterwards he was very kind to him, even when the lord of the Philistines
favoured him not, ch. 28:1, 2; 29:6), he pretended to his servants that he
really thought he was mad, and therefore had reason to question whether it was
David or no; or, if it were, they need not fear him, what harm could he do them
now that his reason had departed from him? They suspected that Achish was
inclined to entertain him: "Not I," says he. "He is a madman. I'll
have nothing to do with him. You need not fear that I should employ him, or give
him any countenance." He humours the thing well enough when he asks,
"Have
I need of madmen? Shall this fool come into my house? I will show him
no kindness, but then you shall do him no hurt, for, if he be a madmen, he is to
be pitied." He therefore
drove him away, as it is in the title of
Ps. 34, which David penned upon this occasion, and an excellent psalm it is, and
shows that he did not change his spirit when he changed his behaviour, but even
in the greatest difficulties and hurries his
heart was fixed, trusting in
the Lord; and he concludes that psalm with this assurance, that
none of those
that trust in God shall be desolate, though they may be, as he now was,
solitary and distressed,
persecuted, but not forsaken.
Chapter 21:
| Darby
| Geneva
| Gill
| Jamieson Faussett Brown
| Matthew Henry
| Matthew Henry Concise
| Wesley
| Index
| Bible Gateway |
Introduction 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Ruth 2 Samuel
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