PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel
Robert Payne Smith [1818-1895] · 500,296 words · 562 reading sections
The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 121
III. U!l:LAWFc:L CURIOSITY. A debased condition is not recovered from suddenly. Despite the repentance for past sin and gratitude for return of God's favour the. low tone of life consequent on former practices remained. As a consequence of the singular combination of good and bad qualities at this hopeful turn in af…
620 wordsSECTION 122The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 122
Vere. 17-21.-'l.'rophies and chastuement. The facts are-1. An ent1meration by the Israelites of the golden images sent with the ark. 2. A terrible chastisement ·on the men of Beth-shemesh for their profane curiosity. 3. An effort to send the ark away, consequent on the terror created. These closing incidents of the …
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HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Yer. 10-ch. ~·ii. 1. (BETH-SHEMESH and KIRJATH-JEARrn.)-:l'!te 1·eturn of the ark. On the taking of the ark Israel sank to the lowest point of degradation. But "when the night is darkest then dawn is nearest." And the return of the sacred symbol was the first gleam of returning day. It …
740 wordsSECTION 124The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 124
Lord God?" &c. (ver. 20). (1) A conviction of his transcendent and awful holiness. "Our God is a consuming fire" (Heh. xii. 29). (2) A feeling of their own deep sin- fulness, which the former never fails to produce (Isa. vi. 5; Luke v. 8). (3) A per- suasion of the necessity of" righteousness and true holiness" in thos…
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the othe~, froi:n b~':_evolence in the form of me~cy. "According to !!is .mercy I e iaaved us (Titus 111. 5). 2. In the mode by winch they are commumcated. 'l'l·e opC'ration of the laws of nature (Gen. viii. 2:!; Jer. v. 21); the gift and sacrifice·of his only begotten Son. "Through Jesus Christ." 3. In the nearness…
1,257 wordsSECTION 126The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 126
CHAPTER VII. tum of happier times. Even here it was the men of the city who sanctified Eleazar, and Ver. 1.-At Kirjath-jearim the people re- not a priest. verently undertook the charge of the ark, THE REFORMATION OF ISRAEL (vers. 2-6). and carried out their arrangements so care- Ver. 2. - While the ark, &c. The liter…
458 wordsSECTION 127The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 127
fugitive, going stealthily from place to place faith, mul all he can promise is, "I will pmy- that he might tench and preach, hi.ling in for yon unto Jehovah" (nr. 6). - the ca"Verns in the limestone range of JnJrea, Yer. 4.-Then the children of Israel did emerging thence to visit now one quarter of put away [the] B…
970 wordsSECTION 128The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 128
acknowledged nilcr of Israel in things tem- tirely consumed by fire. 'Oloh means thr1/ pornl, both civil nnd ·military, as he had which a.jcends, nnrl symboliserl devotion anrl prcviomly been in things spiritual by virtue consecration to God. ChaW intensified thi& of his office ns prophet. This was, of course, signific…
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aide<l them so mightil~- at its beginning, ci,·il and military mnttcrs to tho king, )'Ct wonld also help them unto the end. The he never actually resigned the supreme co11- -mernorinl stood halfway between :Mizpeh trol, and on fitting occasions even cxerci~•,d and Shen, hoth which names have the article it. It was, …
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opene<l np by his own proYidence. 3. Cultivate every possible qun.lity, and hold 11 _Ill readiness for any use which God may make clear. 4. Court the honour and Lhss of welcoming to city or home the treasures dear to God, be they ordinanc£, of "·orsliip or those commissioned to do his will; for such bring blessing's…
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soul does not share in the full bliRs. 11 Why art thou cast down?" is ofter, asked. The answer is, there is not the spiritual fitness for perfect fellowship. Some "idols" hnve been cherished. Divine reserve is a discipline to cause the heart to lament after God. General lessons :-1. There is ample ground for believing…
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them to p<>rfoct the renunciation of false gods and the contrition due for sin. And the ni,I of the prophet's powerful intercession was to g·ive more effect to their own cry. Life., to be ble~sed in issue, must be one of prayer-an incessant cry for help to 1I\'<'. And, also, recourse must be had to the true Interces…
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works for men in forms ndnpted to their mental and spiritual condition. \Vhether the thunder whieh discomfited the Philistines was a special exertion of Divine power out of the ordinary .:ourse of atmospheric changes, or a coincidence brought about by him who, in the primary settlement of nature, foresees his own rela…
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11. In TIELATWN TO THE nELIGIOtTS LIFE OF CunrsTIANS THESE FACTS AnE FULL OF ~I_G1'1f'.IC'ANCE; It is not wise to seek _out_ spirit~rnl mea~ings from every simple l11~t0nc fact m the Old Testament. Pl.u!1 l~1story 1s not g·1ven as a rnligious enigma to \w solved _by. s?me ti:nnscendent_al _ms1ght. )':et there a~e an…
835 wordsSECTION 135The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 135
II. REPENTANCE PREACHED AND PRACTIRED. When the time came for the peopll' t,, b1Jnr him with an awakened conscience, Samuel addressed all the tribes with a voice of moral authority that recalls the admonitions of Moses and the last words of Joshu11 (ver. 3). And the people obeyed his word, showing their repentance i…
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co_ntinnC'<l, an<l cwn increased (,·er. 4 ). The l~w of God was made void, and his pre8c11ce ~nth<lrmn1. 2_. E_ffected, _uncle!· God, _by the mflucnce of one man-Samuel. Nothing- is ~xpressly said. concern mg !um ~nnn~: these twenty years ; but he appears to have· retire<l from Shiloh to Ramah, l11s nat1\"0 place, a…
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deliver you out of the hand of the Philstiines." 4. Li,stened to in a right spirit; witli fresh interest, reverence, self-application, and a determination to put it into practice. When the heart is prepared the truth is invested with new meaning and power; as words written on paper with invisible ink are clearly per…
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all offend." And the word of God often enjoins the confession of nil our offences before him, and declares it to be the necessllry condition of obtaining forgiveness. Consider- I. "r BAT IT IMPLIES. 1. That ,ve see the essential evil of sin. " Sin is the trans- gression of the law" (1 John iii. 4). More generally, …
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enemies nnd enjoy prosperity and peace. Israel was now restored from its apostasy, and on the very spot where it experienced an overwhelming defeat twenty years before it gained a signal triumph. We have here- I. THE GATHERING OF THE ENEMY (ver. 7). 1. So long as the yoke of the ungodly is patiently borne they remai…
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III. THE RECErTION OF IlELr (vers. 9, 10). 1. It came in answe1· to prayer. "And the Lord nnswered him." 2. It came at the moment of their greatest extremil?J. "Anel ns Samnel was offNing up the burnt offering·, the Philistines drew near to battle ag-ninst Israel." B11t man'R extremity is God's opportunity (Gen. xxi…
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of a ~ingle block or 0£ a heap of stones ; they generally received some "ignifican t 11amc, or were marked with a brief inscription, and they sometimes became centrc8 around which the people gathered, and were replaced by more imposing structures. The earliest instance mentioned in the Bible was at Bethel (Gen. xxviii.…
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distinguis~1ed amongst them fell, and smpassed them in the virtues they exhibited. He had higher conceptions of God and his law, held more intimate communion with him, nnd was altogether of a nobler type of human excellence. His constant aim was to do the will of God ; he was upright in heart and life, humble, patie…
1,493 wordsSECTION 143The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 143
EXPOSITION. SAUL (CHS. vm.-xxxr.J. ation of our Lord, namely, [irophecy and the CHAPTER VIII. kingdom. The first seven chapters give us THE gre11t interest of the First Book of the history of Samuel's birth, and of the Se.muel lies in the fe.ct that wo have in it the gradual development in him of those spiritual …
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irnclty, they trentcd the men of Jahesh- looked to the comrng of One who shoul,l per- Gilead with almost er1ual violence, on the fect this ideal, anrl insteacl of staining it pretence of their not having taken part in with sin, as Solomon did, should raise it to the war, but really to provide the remaining the full and…
1,001 wordsSECTION 145The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 145
THE E~TABLISHMENT OF SAUL'S KINGDOM (CBS. VIII.-XV.). REJECTION OF SAMUEL'S SONS (vers. 1-5). of h.is f~ith-Joel meaning Jehovah is God, Yer. 1.-When Samuel was old. As Samuel and Abiah Jah is Father. The name given lived for very many years after this time, in 1 Chron. vi. 28, Vashni, is a mistake, till towards th…
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-else,where (1 Snm: •xv. 30 : 2 Sam. v. 3 ; been a casual authority. And it was Samuel's l Kings viii. 3, &c.), ,vc have tmccs of a high ollice to give the n1ttion this, while he populrtr nsscmbly, representing the Israelite also changed the outward Form of prophecy, nation, and composed probauly of the chiefs and m…
1,004 wordsSECTION 147The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 147
Yer. 11.-Thie will be the manner of the which Orientals arc excessively fond. It is king. On the menning of this word sec eh. remarkable that Snmuel does not mention ii. 13. Here nlso it signifies not so much the far wo1·se use to which Solomon put their the le~al right itself, as the way in which daughters (1 Kings…
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the whole a series of men for superior, not now, in his mediatorial office as prophet, he ,merely to the judges and the monarchs in carries thither the nation's petition. -0ld time, but to any European dynasty. Ver. 22.-Hearken unto their voice. The Divine consent is now given for the third Vers. 19, 20.-The people r…
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F-:imurl's pain wa8 acnte and natural, and the concession made to tho discontented, 1lio11gh apparently a breach in the Divine order, was in keeping· with God's usual t rratnwnt of men. l. DISCONTENT 'l','JTH GoD's METHODS AND TIMES IS VARTOUBLY SHOWN. Men can ,l etcct and condemn faults in others which they either do…
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rlestined to be supreme, so entirely conducive to the temporal as also spiritual interesta of nil men, should be slow in progress and skill is a puzzle to many. Indolence wild interpretations of prophecy, and Intent scepticism are often but indications of ~ wish that God had not so ordained the constitution of thing…
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wir,cl tl,at passcth away, and cometh not again" (Ps. lxxviii. 39). The same is seen t:till. .<\.s Christ once" endured the contradiction of sinners," so does God constantly ~uffer ml'n to raise their voice against his appointments. He is " slow to anger. 11 Calmly he nllows men even to deny his existence, to critic…
857 wordsSECTION 152The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 152
Yet so it is. Likewise there are differences in the ruling of rational creatures. In one sense every free being can, and is left to, take what course he pleases. He may sin or not sin; he may love God or not; and this, too, while ti,e ubLgation is most binding. But, nevertheless, God enforces some things and in othe…
863 wordsSECTION 153The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 153
IV. MEN DEGRADE THEMSELYES in so far as the METHODS THEY ADOPT DO NO'!' HAR· l!IONISE WITH THE SUPREME ODJECT FOR WHICH THEY LIVE. 'l'he ordin'nry reader 'feels that Israel was self-degraded in preferring· to live like heathen nations when nnother -course was open. The ends of Israel's existence were highly moral; t…
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these things, we might have expected, would have made them circumspect, jnst, and devout; and tµey should have done so. How, then, can we account for their defec- tion? 1. Goodness is not hereditary. "The sinner begets a sinner, but a saint doth not beget a saint" (M. Henry). Hereditary relationship exerts a powerful i…
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hr~C'I (Gen. xvii. 6, 16; xxxv. 11; Nnm. xxiv. 17). Provision lrnd been made in• the la"· of Moses for the choice of a king, and directions gi\'cll concerning the manner in which he should govern (Dent. xvii. 15-20); and, more recently, intima- tions had been afforded that the time for his election was at hand (eh. …
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,ource of sin 11nd woe. The cause of truth 11nd righteousness in the world is greatly d11mnged when those who should be the guides of the ignorant and the wicked become their servile followers. 11 Palestine in ancient times was pre-eminently a land of kings. Every district, nay, every considerable city, had its king …
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ll. THAT THE POPULAR DESIRE IS NOT UNFREQUENTLY AN oecABION OF GREAT, TR(>UllLE TO A GODLY MAN (vers. 6-9). "The thing was evil in the eyes .of Samuel.". lie saw th11t it was wrong, felt disappointed and grieved, and was- at first altogether. ,,pposed to it, and disinclined to listen to those by whom it was exriress…
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throw tho re$ponsibility for the result upon themselves alone. The watchman who warns the wicked, even if ·they tum not from their way, "bath delivered his soul" (Ezek. xxxiii. 9); and the faithful minister is "unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish" (2 Cor. ii. 15). IV. THA…
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In illnstration of the spiritual benefit of prayer let us consider how Samuel, who, :· prnyed nnto the Lord" in his trouble, and II rehearsed nil the words of the people 111 the ears of the Lord" (,·er. 21), was comforted and helped in time of need. What "-- ,)ifferent man he was when he came forth from communion with …
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is to eradicate it I Samuel's lifelong example of integrity was lost upon his sons. 'fhe terrible fate of Eli's family was lost on them too. To the dignity of justice, to the honour of truth, they were indifferent for filthy lucre's sake. Then the elders of Israel asked Samuel to set a king over them. I. THE IMPROP…
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CHAPTER IX. rendering of tho Chaldee, and 1•irtually of the Septuagint, which gives well-grown. This SELECTION OF SAUL AS KING BY THE is the preferable translation ; for the wcrd YOICE OF PROPHECY. GENEALOGY OF SAUL con~!antly occurs ??upled with virgin (Detit. (Ycrs. 1-27). Ver. 1.-A man . . . whose xxxu. 26 ; Isa…
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(eh. xxxi. 16) describes Rachel's weeping o.s that the Books of Samuel in their present being heard in Ramah. It seems extraor- state arc later than his days. Here, on the· dinary that Saul should havo known nothing contrary, we have a narrative couched in the of Israel's chief ruler, and that his servant very language…
1,036 wordsSECTION 163The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 163
gntcwa~·. As Ramah occupied t"·o hills, the Samud coming out, and accost him in the Bnmah would he on the summit of one, while vory port~!. the city probably nestled between them. Vers. 19, 20. -Go up before me. Ad- Yer. 15.-Now Jehovah had told Samuel in dressed in the singular to Saul to whom as his ear. Literall…
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that it Rhonld be carefully reserved for him went down from the high place, anrl having (ver. 24). He now orders it to be set before entered the city, proceeJed to Samuel's dwell- Saul, with the.t which we.a upon it, i. e. all ing, where he communed with Saul upon the the flesh and tho fat not appointed to be top of th…
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select-~- k~ng was consist_~!1t with the fact tl_111t God was displeased with their request (~11. nu. 1 ; cf. Hosea xm. 11 ). The s?lution of the apparent discrepancy lies in the c1rcmnstance that God does not leave Ins people to the full bent of their own heart. •He mercifully regarded their conditi_on_, and governe…
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religious service. 2. Following the directions given, he meets Samuel ascending to the high place. 3. Samuel is already instructed by God to expect during the day the man whom he is to anoint as king. 4. On seeing Saul, an intimation is given from God that he is the chosen man. In some respects this narrative of events…
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banish tl1t, dC'rnal C'nergy from all participation in human affairs i' Do 11ot lhc-se eve_nts _with their _issue stand out as. a mi_crocosm o~ the great converg·ing· li11es ""·l11ch III the far-rl1stant future are to issue m one glonons resultant-the realisation of a holy will through the free and independent actio…
873 wordsSECTION 168The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 168
in part." It is true elw Bible is all we need for salvation, and containR more spiritual truth than elsewhere to be found ; but in one sense it is to men a treasure, and we are only fitted to receive out of it a dim intimation of the truth, as Saul was fitted <mly to receive from the mind of the prophet a portion of…
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th<' most cormnanding ev-idences of its Divine cliaracter. It professes to make all things n~w. It forms the trne, perfect m~n_hood. A religion ,yhich is seen practioally to enter mto every sphere of human activity, as the conserving "salt," carries with it the proof that it comes from the Creator of mnn and of soci…
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king, and yet no one proposed either himself or any other person to he king, but referred the determination entirely to God" (Scott). 2. In making choice of S;iuf, Samuel believed that he would. be acceptable to the people, and fol/ii the purpose for which they had desired a king, in saving them out of the hand of the …
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to 8t rike terror into the enemy and to inspire confidence in his followers•1 besides that, it "·as no mean ad,-antage that the crest of the leader should from his tallness he seen from afar by the people" (Kitto). 3. Hui mental and mo;·al cliaracteristics'. He was possessed of little mental culture. He had not been…
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will concerning the future king, was folly instructed therein by " the word of the Lord" (eh. iii. 21), which contained (1) a promise of sending him (ver. 16), (:2) a -direction to anoint him, (3) a statement of the purpose of his appointment, and ( 4) an expression of commiseration for the need of the people. Noth …
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liigl,er than the finding of strayed asses, the recovery of lost property, or "buying 11nd selling· and getting gain." Even the dullest soul has often a feeling that it was mnde for a nobler end than the gratification of bodily appetites, or the supply of C'nrthl)· needs. But "what is the chief end of man?" Alas, ho…
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alain, and ita blood sprinkled nbout the altar, a portion of it was burnt in the sacred fire, 1rn<l the rest reserved for food. "The thank or praise offering was tl,e expres- sion of tl,e worshipper's feelings of adoring gratitude on account of having received some spontaneous tokens of the Lord's goodness. This was…
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Vers. 26, 27 ;_ eh. x_. 1-8. (RAM~H.) - ,~aul privately anointed king. "And Samuel took a vial of 011, and poured 1t nron Ins hC'a<l." There is in the life of almost every man some day beyond all ot.lwrs, the C'vents of which serve to determine his future course. Such a <lay was that which i~ hPr<> described in the …
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nppointment ma,le hy Gori. By it he would be convinced tr.at it was not made by Aamuel merely, but by Go<l, who fulfilled his words ( eh. ix. 20); at the same time he would be taught to leave lower cares, ar:d aspire after the highest things. "In- wardly free, and consecrated to the Lord alone, he is to pursue his way …
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0 1.J TC'starnC'nt ~scribed t? the Lord directly what w!ls onlr indirectly recognised or llf',·11111 tc<l by 1nm; but m the present case there 1s obviously more than Divine allowance. Jehovah pointed out Saul to the prophet Samuel, and commanded that he ~l1ould be anointed_ captain, or king. We a~count for this ?n t…
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EXPOSITION. elon, of Tabor. Many attempt to connect CHAPTER X. this elon-Taborwith the allon, or oak, under SAUL ANOINTED TO DE JUNG, AND SIGNS which Deborah, Rachel's nnrse, was buried ·OIVEN HIM OONVINCINO HIM OF THE TTIUTil (Gen. xxxv. 8), and suppose that Tabor is a OF HIS APPOINTMENT (vers. 1-16). Ver. 1. corr…
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music of various instruments. l\Iusic was Litcmlly, "do for thyself as thy hand shall" nne of the great means employed by Samuel find," i~ e. follow the end of circumstances, in fraining his young men; nnd not only is and do thy best. This is the flood-timo of its effect at all times ele..-ating and refining, thy fo…
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On seeing this, the people of Gibeah, who have inherited these gifts, and if Saul can knew him beforetime,-Hehrew, "from take part in their prophesyings, why should yesterdny and the day before," but equiva- he not 1 Kish, his father, is no worse than lent to our phrase "for years,"-asked in theirs. Is Saul also among …
929 wordsSource & rights
Public domain historical Pulpit Commentary. Source page identifies the volume as Public Domain; text extracted from its historical PDF.
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Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.