PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Expositor's Bible: The Second Book of Samuel
Blaikie, William Garden · 120,492 words · 163 reading sections
8Th And Final Series In 7 Vols.
THE EXPOSITOR'S BIBLE. Edited by Rev. W. R. NICOLL, D.D., Editor of _London Expositor_. =MACLAREN, Rev. Alex.=--COLOSSIANS--PHILEMON. =DODS, Rev. Marcus.=--GENESIS. =CHADWICK, Rev. Dean.=--ST. MARK. =BLAIKIE, Rev. W. G.=--SAMUEL, 2 VOLS. =EDWARDS, Rev. T. C.=--HEBREWS. =SMITH, Rev. G. A.=--ISAIAH, VOL. I. =ALEX…
349 wordsSECTION 2_David'S Lament For Saul And Jonathan._
2 SAMUEL i. David had returned to Ziklag from the slaughter of the Amalekites only two days before he heard of the death of Saul. He had returned weary enough, we may believe, in body, though refreshed in spirit by the recovery of all that had been taken away, and by the possession of a vast store of booty besides. Bu…
971 wordsSECTION 3_David'S Lament For Saul And Jonathan._
In this incident we find David in a position in which good men are often placed, who profess to have regard to higher principles than the men of the world in regulating their lives, and especially in the estimate which they form of their worldly interests and considerations. That such men are sincere in the estimate th…
650 wordsSECTION 4_David'S Lament For Saul And Jonathan._
The Amalekite that thought to gratify David by pretending that he had slain his rival had no idea that he was wronging him; in his blind innocency he seems to have assumed as a matter of course that David would be pleased. It is not likely the Amalekite had ever heard of David's noble magnanimity in twice sparing Saul'…
849 wordsSECTION 5_David'S Lament For Saul And Jonathan._
The song embalms very tenderly the love of Jonathan for David. Years had probably elapsed since the two friends met, but time had not impaired the affection and admiration of David. And now that Jonathan's light was extinguished, a sense of desolation fell on David's heart, and the very throne that invited his occupati…
1,091 wordsSECTION 6_Beginning Of David'S Reign At Hebron._
To "thoughts that breathe and words that burn," like those of this song, David could not have given expression without having his whole soul stirred with the desire to repair the national disaster, and by God's help bring back prosperity and honour to Israel. Thus, both by the afflictions that saddened his heart and th…
764 wordsSECTION 7_Beginning Of David'S Reign At Hebron._
His own tribe, the tribe of Judah, was far the friendliest, and the most likely to make allowance for the position in which he had been placed. They were his own flesh and blood; they knew the fierce and cruel malignity with which Saul had hunted him down, and they knew that, as far as appearances went, his chances of …
719 wordsSECTION 8_Beginning Of David'S Reign At Hebron._
The city of Hebron, situated about eighteen miles to the south of Jerusalem, was the place to which David was directed to go. It was a place abounding in venerable and elevating associations. It was among the first, if not the very first, of the haunts of civilised men in the land--so ancient that it is said to have be…
735 wordsSECTION 9_Beginning Of David'S Reign At Hebron._
By a singular coincidence, the first place to which the attention of David was called, after his taking possession of the royal position, was the same as that to which Saul had been directed in the same circumstances--namely, Jabesh-gilead. It was far away from Hebron, on the other side of Jordan, and quite out of the …
742 wordsSECTION 10_Beginning Of David'S Reign At Hebron._
There can be no doubt that David was moved by considerations of policy as well as by more disinterested motives in sending this message and offering this prayer for the men of Jabesh-gilead. Indeed, in the close of his message he invites them to declare for him, and follow the example of the men of Judah, who have made…
810 wordsSECTION 11_Beginning Of Civil War._
[1] From the use of the expression "city of the Lord," it has been inferred by some critics that this Psalm must have been written after the capture and consecration of Jerusalem. But there is no reason why Hebron might not have been called at that time "the city of the Lord." The Lord had specially designated it as th…
677 wordsSECTION 12_Beginning Of Civil War._
David was not present with his troops on this occasion, the management of them being entrusted to Joab, his sister's son. Here was another of the difficulties of David--a difficulty which embarrassed him for forty years. He was led to commit the management of his army to his warlike nephew, although he appears to have …
958 wordsSECTION 13_Beginning Of Civil War._
The pursuit of the defeated army was by-and-bye interrupted by nightfall. In the course of the evening the fugitives somewhat rallied, and concentrated on the top of a hill, in the wilderness of Gibeon. And here the two chiefs held parley together. The proceedings were begun by Abner, and begun by a question that was a…
750 wordsSECTION 14_Beginning Of Civil War._
And David must have grieved exceedingly when he heard what had taken place. The slaughter of nearly four hundred of God's nation was a terrible thought; still more terrible it was to think that in a sense he had been the occasion of it--it was done to prevent him from occupying the throne. No doubt he had reason to be …
759 wordsSECTION 15_Beginning Of Civil War._
In that audacious speech which Abner addressed to Joab, there occurs an expression worthy of being taken out of the connection in which it was used and of being viewed with wider reference. "Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end?" Things are to be viewed by rational beings not merely in their pr…
583 wordsSECTION 16_Conclusion Of The Civil War._
2 SAMUEL iii. 1-21. The victory at the pool of Gibeon was far from ending the opposition to David. In vain, for many a day, weary eyes looked out for the dove with the olive leaf. "There was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David." The war does not seem to have been carried on by pitched battles, bu…
792 wordsSECTION 17_Conclusion Of The Civil War._
We have already said that polygamy was not imputed to David as a sin in the sense that it deprived him of the favour of God. But we cannot allow that this permission was of the nature of a boon. We cannot but feel how much better it would have been if the seventh commandment had been read by David with the same absolut…
679 wordsSECTION 18_Conclusion Of The Civil War._
The proverb says, "When rogues fall out, honest men get their own." How utterly unprincipled the effort of Abner and Ishbosheth was is evident from the confession of the former that God had sworn to David to establish his throne over the whole land. Their enterprise therefore bore impiety on its very face; and we can o…
854 wordsSECTION 19_Conclusion Of The Civil War._
But it is not likely that in this demand for the restoration of Michal David acted on purely personal considerations. He does not seem to have been above the prevalent feeling of the East which measured the authority and dignity of the monarch by the rank and connections of his wives. Moreover, as David laid stress on …
917 wordsSECTION 20_Conclusion Of The Civil War._
It must have been a happy day in David's history when Abner set out from Hebron to convene the assembly of the tribes that was to call him with one voice to the throne. It was the day long looked for come at last. The dove had at length come with the olive leaf, and peace would now reign among all the tribes of Israel.…
273 wordsSECTION 21_Assassination Of Abner And Ishbosheth._
2 SAMUEL iii. 22-39; iv. It is quite possible that, in treating with Abner, David showed too complacent a temper, that he treated too lightly his appearance in arms against him at the pool of Gibeon, and that he neglected to demand an apology for the death of Asahel. Certainly it would have been wise had some measures…
814 wordsSECTION 22_Assassination Of Abner And Ishbosheth._
How did David act toward Joab? Most kings would at once have put him to death, and David's subsequent action towards the murderers of Ishbosheth shows that, even in his judgment, this would have been the proper retribution on Joab for his bloody deed. But David did not feel himself strong enough to deal with Joab accor…
651 wordsSECTION 23_Assassination Of Abner And Ishbosheth._
"Should Abner die as a fool dieth? Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters; As a man falleth before the children of iniquity, so didst thou fall." Had he died the death of one taken in battle, his bound hands and his feet in fetters would have denoted that after honourable conflict he had been defea…
672 wordsSECTION 24_Assassination Of Abner And Ishbosheth._
From the assassination of Abner, the real source of the opposition that had been raised to David, the narrative proceeds to the assassination of Ishbosheth, the titular king. "When Saul's son heard that Abner was dead in Hebron, his hands were feeble, and all the Israelites were troubled." The contrast is striking betw…
824 wordsSECTION 25_Assassination Of Abner And Ishbosheth._
These rapid, instantaneous executions by order of David have raised painful feelings in many. Granting that the retribution was justly deserved, and granting that the rapidity of the punishment was in accord with military law, ancient and modern, and that it was necessary in order to make a due impression on the people…
731 wordsSECTION 26_David King Of All Israel._
2 SAMUEL v. 1-9. After seven and a half years of opposition,[2] David was now left without a rival, and the representatives of the whole tribes came to Hebron to anoint him king. They gave three reasons for their act, nearly all of which, however, would have been as valid at the death of Saul as they were at this time…
672 wordsSECTION 27_David King Of All Israel._
This was a most memorable event in David's history. It was the fulfilment of one great instalment of God's promises to him. It was fitted very greatly to deepen his trust in God, as his Protector and his Friend. To be able to look back on even one case of a Divine promise distinctly fulfilled to us is a great help to f…
685 wordsSECTION 28_David King Of All Israel._
But it does not concern us at present to look so much at the general resemblances between David and our blessed Lord, as at the analogy in the fortunes of their respective kingdoms. And here the most obvious feature is the bitter opposition to their claims offered in both instances even by those who might have been exp…
800 wordsSECTION 29_David King Of All Israel._
So impregnable was this stronghold deemed, that any attempt that David might make to get possession of it was treated with contempt. The precise circumstances of the siege are somewhat obscure; if we compare the marginal readings and the text in the Authorized Version, and still more in the Revised Version, we may see …
680 wordsSECTION 30_David King Of All Israel._
But they impress much more than our imagination. We recall the unrivalled moral and spiritual forces that were concentrated there: the goodly fellowship of the prophets, the noble army of the martyrs, the glorious company of the apostles, all living under the shadow of Mount Zion, and uttering those words that have mov…
480 wordsSECTION 31_The Kingdom Established._
[2] There is difficulty in adjusting all the dates. In chap. ii. 10, it is said that Ishbosheth reigned two years. The usual explanation is that he reigned two years before war broke out between him and David. Another supposition is that there was an interregnum in Israel of five and a half years, and that Ishbosheth r…
1,015 wordsSECTION 32_The Kingdom Established._
But is this way of claiming to be specially favoured and blessed by God not objectionable? Is it not what the world calls "cant"? Is it not highly offensive in any man to claim to be a favourite of Heaven? Is this not what hypocrites and fanatics are so fond of doing, and is it not a course which every good, humble-min…
1,081 wordsSECTION 33_The Kingdom Established._
We pass by, as not requiring more comment than we have already bestowed on a parallel passage (2 Sam. iii. 2-5), the unsavoury statement that "David took to him more concubines and wives" in Jerusalem. With all his light and grace, he had not overcome the prevalent notion that the dignity and resources of a kingdom wer…
687 wordsSECTION 34_The Kingdom Established._
For when the Philistines had got time to recover, they again came up, pitched again in the plain of Rephaim, and appeared to render unavailing the signal achievement of David at Baal-perazim. Again David inquired what he should do. The reply was somewhat different from before. David was not to go straight up to face th…
663 wordsSECTION 35_The Ark Brought Up To Jerusalem._
The personal affection for David and his heroes which would thus be formed must have been very warm, nay, even enthusiastic. In the case of David, whatever may have been true of the others, all the influence thus acquired was employed for the welfare of the nation and the glory of God. The supreme desire of his heart w…
919 wordsSECTION 36_The Ark Brought Up To Jerusalem._
But the best of services may be gone about in a faulty way. There may be some criminal neglect of God's will that, like the dead fly in the apothecary's pot of ointment, causes the perfume to send forth a stinking savour. And so it was on this occasion. God had expressly directed that when the ark was moved from place …
820 wordsSECTION 37_The Ark Brought Up To Jerusalem._
It may happen to you that some Christian undertaking on which you have entered with great zeal and ardour, and without any surmise that you are not doing right, is not blessed, but meets with some rough shock, that places you in a very painful position. In the most disinterested spirit, you have tried perhaps to set up…
1,001 wordsSECTION 38_The Ark Brought Up To Jerusalem._
A few other circumstances are briefly noticed in connection with the close of the service, when the ark had been solemnly enshrined within the tabernacle that David had reared for it on Mount Zion. The first is that "David offered burnt-offerings and peace-offerings before the Lord." The burnt-offering was a fresh mem…
747 wordsSECTION 39_The Ark Brought Up To Jerusalem._
The last thing recorded of David is, that he returned to bless his house. The cares of the State and the public duties of the day were not allowed to interfere with his domestic duty. Whatever may have been his ordinary practice, on this occasion at least he was specially concerned for his household, and desirous that …
342 wordsSECTION 40_Proposal To Build A Temple._
2 SAMUEL vii. The spirit of David was essentially active and fond of work. He was one of those who are ever pressing on, not content to keep things as they are, moving personally towards improvement, and urging others to do the same. Even in Eastern countries, with their proverbial stillness and conservatism, such men…
781 wordsSECTION 41_Proposal To Build A Temple._
When the thought of building a temple occurred to David, he conferred on the subject with the prophet Nathan. The Scripture narrative is so brief that it gives us no information about Nathan, except in connection with two or three events in which he had a share. Apparently he was a prophet of Jerusalem, on intimate ter…
657 wordsSECTION 42_Proposal To Build A Temple._
But the message through Nathan contained also elements of encouragement, chiefly with reference to David's offspring, and to the stability and permanence of his throne. To appreciate the value of this promise for the future, we must bear in mind the great insecurity of new dynasties in Eastern countries, and the fearfu…
887 wordsSECTION 43_Proposal To Build A Temple._
It is a striking scene that is presented to us when "David went in, and sat before the Lord." It is the only instance in Scripture in which any one is said to have taken the attitude of sitting while pouring his heart out to God. Yet the nature of the communion was in keeping with the attitude. David was like a child s…
692 wordsSECTION 44_Proposal To Build A Temple._
A very important question arises in connection with this chapter, to which we have not yet adverted, but which we cannot pass by. In that promise of God respecting the stability of David's throne and the perpetual duration of his dynasty, was there any reference to the Messiah, any reference to the spiritual kingdom of…
460 wordsSECTION 45_Foreign Wars._
[3] The expression is very obscure, whether we take the affirmative form of the Revised Version or the interrogative form of the Authorised Version. "And this, too, after the manner of men, O Lord God!" (R.V.) We must choose between these opposite meanings. We prefer the interrogative form of the A.V. David's wonder be…
682 wordsSECTION 46_Foreign Wars._
It is an instructive fact that the history of these wars is given so shortly. A single verse is all that is given to most of the campaigns. This brevity shows very clearly that another spirit than that which moulded ordinary histories guided the composition of this book. It would be beyond human nature to resist the te…
796 wordsSECTION 47_Foreign Wars._
3. The third of his campaigns was against Hadadezer, the son of Rehob, king of Zobah. It is said in the chapter before us that the encounter with this prince took place "as he went to recover his border at the river Euphrates;" in the parallel passage of 1 Chronicles it is "as he went to establish his dominion by the r…
698 wordsSECTION 48_Foreign Wars._
6. In the south, however, there seems to have been more of a spirit of opposition. No particulars of the campaign against the Edomites are given; but it is stated that David put garrisons in Edom; "throughout all Edom put he garrisons, and all the Edomites became servants to David." The placing of garrisons through all…
800 wordsSECTION 49_Foreign Wars._
In these warlike expeditions, King David foreshadowed the spiritual conquests of the Son of David, who went forth "conquering and to conquer," staggered for a moment, as in Gethsemane, by the rude shock of confederate enemies, but through prayer regaining his confidence in God, and triumphing in the hour and power of d…
599 wordsSECTION 50_Administration Of The Kingdom._
2 SAMUEL viii. 15-18. If the records of David's warlike expeditions are brief, still more so are the notices of his work of peace. How he fulfilled his royal functions when there was no war to draw him from home, and to engross the attention both of the king and his officers of state, is told us here in the very brief…
729 wordsSECTION 51_Administration Of The Kingdom._
In the next place, we have much to learn from the statement that the most prominent thing that David did was to "execute judgment and justice to the people." That was the solid foundation on which all his benefits rested. And these words are not words of form or words of course. For it is never said that Saul did anyth…
709 wordsSECTION 52_Administration Of The Kingdom._
And in all this we find the features of that higher government of David's Son which shows so richly His most gracious nature. The cry of sorrow and need, as it rose from this dark world, did not repel, but rather attracted, Him. Though the woes of man sprang from his own misdeeds, He gave Himself to bear them and carry…
673 wordsSECTION 53_Administration Of The Kingdom._
1. There was the military department, at the head of which was Joab, or rather he was over "the host"--the great muster of the people for military purposes. A more select body, "the Cherethites and the Pelethites," seems to have formed a bodyguard for the king, or a band of household troops, and was under a separate co…
911 wordsSECTION 54_Administration Of The Kingdom._
It is scarcely possible to say how far these careful ecclesiastical arrangements were instrumental in fostering the spirit of genuine piety. But there is too much reason to fear that even in David's time that element was very deficient. The bursts of religious enthusiasm that occasionally rolled over the country were n…
738 wordsSECTION 55_David And Mephibosheth._
2 SAMUEL ix. The busy life which King David was now leading did not prevent memory from occasionally running back to his early days and bringing before him the friends of his youth. Among these remembrances of the past, his friendship and his covenant with Jonathan were sure to hold a conspicuous place. On one of thes…
971 wordsSECTION 56_David And Mephibosheth._
To return to the narrative. The history of Mephibosheth, Jonathan's son, had been a sad one. When Israel was defeated by the Philistines on Mount Gilboa, and Saul and Jonathan were slain, he was but an infant; and his nurse, terror-stricken at the news of the disaster, in her haste to escape had let him fall, and cause…
766 wordsSECTION 57_David And Mephibosheth._
Every arrangement was thus made that could conduce to his comfort His being a cripple did not deprive him of the honour of a place at the royal table, little though he could contribute to the lustre of the palace. For David bestowed his favours not on the principle of trying to reflect lustre on himself or his house, b…
707 wordsSECTION 58_David And Mephibosheth._
Here, my friends, is the most glorious feature of the Christian religion. Happy those of you who have apprehended this attitude of your most gracious Father, who have believed in His love, and who have accepted His grace! For not only has God received you back into His family, and given you a name and a place in His te…
989 wordsSECTION 59_David And Hanun._
Such kindness to those who are in need is not only a duty of religion, but tends greatly to commend it. Neglect of those who have claims on us, while objects more directly religious are eagerly prosecuted, is not pleasing to God, whether the neglect take place in our lives or in the destination of our substance at deat…
743 wordsSECTION 60_David And Hanun._
Between the Ammonites and the Israelites collisions had occurred on two former occasions, on both of which the Ammonites appear to have been the aggressors. The former of these was in the days of Jephthah. The defeat of the Ammonites at that time was very thorough, and probably unexpected, and, like other defeats of th…
704 wordsSource & rights
Public domain in the USA; original historical text digitized by Project Gutenberg.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.