32 4 And David faid unto Abigail, Bleſſed be the LORD God of [frac}, which ſent thee 5 this day to meer me:
# Which by his gracious and ſingular Providence ſo diſpeſed Mat. ters, that thou ſhouldeſt come to me : He rightly begins at the Fountain of this Deliverance, which was God; avd then procceds to the Inſtruments.
33 And bleſſed be thy advice, and bleſſed be thorn k, which haſt kept me this day from coming to ſhed _ ;, and from avenging my ſelf with mine own
14nd.
k i.e. The Lord bleſs and recompenſe thee, for this thy g00d Advice. 1 Which I had ſworn to do. Hereby it plainly 5.5. coy That Oaths whereby Men bind themſelves to any Sin,are Null and Void : and as it was a Sin to make them; ſo it is adding fin to {1a ro perform them,
34 For in very deed, as the Tord God of Iirael li- veth, which hath kept me back from hurting thee m, except theu hadfr halted and come to meer me, ſurely :. there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning — *% light, any that piſſeth againſt the wall. :
7m Not that he intended to Kill her, bur the Males only ; as was Noted on v. 22. But their Deſtru&ion was a dreadful AfMiQion and Damage to her. | e
35 So David received of herhand zbat which ſhe had brought him, and ſaid unto her, Go up in peace to thine houſe : ſee, I have kearkned to thy voice, and have accepted thy perſon ».
» i, Shewed my Acceptance of thy Perſon, by my Requeſt : See Gen. 19. 21. 4 CO WORE
36 \ And Abigail came to Nabal,and behold he held a feaſt in his houle like the feaſt of a king o, and Nabals heart as merry within him, for he was very drunken t wherefore ſhe told him nothing p, le or more, until the morning light.
o As the manner was upon thoſe ſolemn Occaſions: Sordid Co- vetouſneſs, and vain Prodigality were met together in him. p He being then uncapable of Admonition, his Reaſon and Conſcience being both aſleep.
[37 Butir came to pals in the morning, when the wine was gone out- of Nabal,and his wife had told him theſe things that his heart died within him, and he be- came as a ſtone q. |
q He was oppreſled with Grief, and fainted fear and horror of ſo great a Miſchicf, though ir who having in the Night galloped over a narrow broken Bridge, over a deep River; when in the to review it, was ſtruck dead with the horror of in.
33 And it came to paſs about ten days after, that the LORD iſmote Nabal, that he died -, :
1 God either inflited ſome other ſtroke or Diſeaſe v I increaſed his Grief and Fear to ſuch an height, as killed > -
39 4 And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he ſaid, Bleſſed be the LORD, that hath pleaded the cauſe of my repreach from the hand of Nabal s, and hath kept his ſervant from evil 2s for the LORD hath returned the wickedneſs of Nabal upon his own head. And David ſent « and communed with Abigail, to take her to him to wife,
s How could David rejoyce at the Death of his Enemy > Avſio: Alchough it may be ſaid, that he rejoyced not in Nabat”, ho ag ſuch, bur only in the declaration of God's Juſtice in Punithing 10 great a Wickedneſs; which was an honour to God, and-a docus« ment, and therefore a Benefit to Mankind, and fo a Publick Good, and cauſe of Joy: Yer the Matter is not weighty, if we confeſs, that this was another Inſtance of Humane Infirmity in David, and that it is not propoſed for our Imitation, but tor our Caution. Yes it may be turther ſaid, That this was nor purely an Att of private Revenge, becauſe David was a publick Perton, and Ancinted King ; and therefore Nabal's Repreach caſt upon David above, w. 10, It. was a Contempr of God, and of his Ordinances and Appointment ;
which waz vindicated by chis xemarkable Judgement, 5 5-6, From | , cas
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the fin of Blaodſhed and SelErevenge, V. 33- mt To wit, Meſſen- cers ; Which he thought firrer than ro gO himſelf; partly, becauſe it he had met with a Repulſe, it had beer leſs Ignominious 3 and ,art'y, becauſe he would leave her to her freedom and choice, and would not ſo much 2s ſeem to take her by violence. But this doubt- }-fs was not done immediately afrer Naba!'s Death, bur in fome convenient ſpace of rime after it ; though ſuch Circumſtances be commonly omitted in the S:cred Hiſtory; which gives only the H:ads, and moſt important Paſſages of things |
o And when the ſervants of David were come to Abigail ro Carmel, they ſpakeunto her, ſaying, David 2nT us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife. |
41 And ſhe aroſe, and bowed her felt on her face to the earth, and ſaid x, Behold, /et thine hand-maid ve a ſervant to waſh the feet of the ſervants of my lord.
x She ſhewed. this Reverence, and ſpake thus te them, as repre- ſenting Davia's Perſons | | | EE | . 42 And Abigail haſted, and aroſe and rode upon an aſs with five damſels of hers that went after her : and ſhe went after the meſſengers of David y, and became his wife. BEE |
y Not immediately, but ſome competent time after they were gone. She copſidered not David's preſent ſtraits and penury, which ſhe thought her plentiful Eſtate might ſupply ; nor his danger from Saul; but by a trve and ſtrong Faith, reſted upon God's Promiſe made to David, not doubring bur God would perform 1t-. |
42 David alſo took Ahinoam * of Jezreel, and they were aiſo both of chem his wives.
44 | Bur & Saul had given * Michal his daughter, Davids wite, to Phalti the ſon of Laiſh, which was of Gallim. |
2 Or, For, as the Hebrew 7a is oft-times uſed. For this ſeems to be added, as a reaſon why David took other Wives, becauſe Sau! had give his former Wife to another Man, that he might as far as he could extinguiſh all Relation and Kindred to him, whom he i ated; and withal, cut off his Hopes and Pretence to the Crown upon that account.
: CHAP, XXVLI.
Sar by the diſcovery of the Ziphites cometh to Hachil ah againſt David,t===3. Whn cometh with Abiſha: ro Saul's Camp; fAayeth him from killing Sail, but taketh his Spear and Cruſe, 4 12. He upbraideth Abner,
'7. Exhorteth Saul, 18 20, Who acknowleageth his ſin,
T3 21
25, : P. wo the Ziphires came unto Saul s to Gibeah,ſaying,