Annotations upon the Holy Bible — Volume 1 — Section 713

Heb. bowed himſelf, and + thanked the King : And Joab |; Kid. aid, To day thy ſervant knoweth that I ;have found Iam ſonear to him,is both more grievous and more ſhameful to me. grace in thy ſight, My Lord, O King, in that the king | Burt the truth of the buſineſs was this, Ab/alem ſaw that his Father 1Or, thy: hath fulfilled the re queſt of | his ſervant P ; Oo accmae his deſign n bringing him thither,having farisfied ) 7. e. Reſtored Abſalom at my requeſt. Whereby Joab thought - = _ own natural affection, and his peoples deſire of A4bſalom's to eſtabliſh himſelf for ever,and that he ſhould be both the Father's ras. | Ks; baniſhment ; bur that he could nor without reſtirurion and the Son's favourite. Queſt. Whether David did wellin grant-/ _ E a. preſence and favour iran his deſign; z. e confirm ing his requeſt ? 4,Although there be ſome Circumſtances which | ; For it = om LO which he ſaw he ha "top the peoples hearts, in part extenuate David's fault herein, as Ammon's high provocation | wn "F etter for me to die, than to want the fight and favour of of Abſalom; Abſalom's being out of the reach of David's Juſtice' ry 4 won _ Thus he infinuares himſelf into his Farher's af- where alſo he could and would have kept himlelf, if David had nor Dr wr y ror: ſuch Reſpett and —_ oo him. Tr ſcems that promiſed him impunity ; the extream danger of Abſalom's infeftion oF b. ——E _ joe having fo farr tl 4 - - Tp s favour, as by Heatheniſh Principles and PraQtices ; the ſafety of David's king- | £ 1 8 = ee... wok avring by 24. um, and take fo much con= dom, which ſeemed to depend upon the Eſtabliſhment of the Suc- ray" cas [rand Upon his own juirification,as if what he had done, ceſſion, and that u-on 4b/alom, to whom the hearts of the People | þ thi 'S: ns at leaſt not ſuch as to deſerve death. For ſo were ſo univerſally and vehemently inclined,if the matter was real- " &< PeECHh intimates. =P : ly ſo, and not pretended or magnified by the Art of this ſubril 33 0 Joab came to the king, and told him: and Woman ; yet it ſeems moſt probable that D#vid was faulty herein, | When he had called for Abſalom, he came to the king becauſe thjs ation was dire&ly contrary to the expreſs Laws of God | and bowed himſelf on his face to the ground before the which ſtritly- command the Supreme Magiſtrate ro execute Juſtice king: and the king kiſſed Abſalom & upon all willful Murtherers, without any reſervation, Gen.g.6 Num. t1 g ſ; , 5 X —— om ane E SIND 3Þ's 2.31. And David had no power to diſpenſe with God's Laws, aj _ ” x yon. of his thorough Reconciliation to him Which nor to ſpare any whom God commanded him to deſtroy : for the atom 41d very ill requite, as the next Chapter manifeſteth, Laws of God did bind the Kings and Rulers,as wellas the people of GEHAET. AV. Tſ-ael, to obſerve and obey them,as is moſt evident from Dex#. 17. Abſalom ftealeth the hearts of Iſrael, 1---6. Under pretence of a wow 18, 19. and from Joſ. : 8. and many other places. And indeed we ob:ajnerh leave to go to Hebron : there with Ahitophel's aid he con«- may read David's Sin in theGlaſs of thole tremendous Judgements Jpires to be king, 5-12, David fiyeth from Jeruſalem with all his men: of God which befel him,by means of his indulgence to 4b/alom.,For leaveth ten of his concubines, 13:=-37. | —_ although God's Providences be in themſelves no Rule to judge of A Nd it came ro pals after this, that Abſalom * pre- * r Kings || the good or evil of Mens aftions; yer where they comply with | ©*% 1.229 him chariots, and horſes, and fifty men te 7: 5: | God's Word, and accompliſh his Threatnings, as here they did, run before h; 9 4 | | they are to be taken for the tokens of God's Diſpleaſure. pn Tn D pros bo i now rams wi; co \ ing's eldeſt Son, ; for Chi. AbL - o Joab ar ole and went to Geſhur, and brought leab, who was his eldeſt Brother, 2 Sam. 3. 3. was either dead, or alom to Jer ulalem. : . : manifeſtly uncapable of the Government. And this courſe he knew 24 And the King ſaid, Let him turn to his own | would draw the Eyes and Minds of People to him,and make them houſe, and let him not ſee my face z. So Abſalom re- | conclude that David intended him for his Succeſlor. | turned tohis own houſe, and ſaw nat the kings face. 2 And Abſalom roſe up carly b, and ſtood beſide the z Leſt whilſt he ſhewed ſome mercy to 4tſalom, he ſhould ſeem | WAY of the gate c: and it was ſo, that when any man to approve of his Sin.and thereby wound his own Conſcience, and | that had a controverſie, | came to the king for judge- f Heb) loſe his Honour, and encourage him and others, to fuch like Ar- ment, then Abſalem called unto him 4, and ſaid, Of *9 come. rempts; and that by this means 4b/alow might be drawn to a whar ci h ? And he ſaid. Thy { :s of more thorough Humiliation and true Repenrance. at cit art t oue? An e laid, y lervant zs © + Heb, 25 Q + But in all Iſrael there was none to be ſo | 9fC of the tr ibes of Ifrael f. | __ BY md as 44. MUCh praiſed as Abſalom for his beauty «: from the 6 Thereby making a ſhew of ſ{elf-denial, and diligence,and ſolici> Jam there ſole of his foot even to the crown of his head,there was tude forthe good Nd of eveey pore FREE A PS: BROS. © — had opportunity. c Either, Firſr, Ofthe King's Palace. Or rather, beau] no blemiſh in him. OR Secondly,Of the City,for that was the place of Judicature or Judge= pa ns y 4 This is here noted as the occaſion of his pride and Inſolency, ment, for which theſe Men came- d Preventing him with the offers fad Þ and of the Peoples AffeCtions to him, and conſequently of the fol- | of his aſſiſtance e As if he were ready to make particular enquiry nth lowing Rebellion. : into the ſtate of his cauſe. f Or rather, of one City ( which word peatly, 26 And when he polled his head, ( for it was at e-| is eaſily underſtood our of the foregoing queſtion ) of the tribes of very years end that he polled it : becauſe the hair was -—_ ER of an Iracliriſþ City, cirher this, or that ; ofſuch or heavy onhim, therefore he polled ic ) he _ che "0 as i Abſalom ſaid unto him, See, thy matters are . . : . 3 3 _— —_ - head attwo hundred ſhekels b, atter the kings good and rightg: bur || there 55 no man deputed of the || O, ,us ed, : | rs : . king to hear thee þh. will hear fe, b Whereas ordinarly the hair ofa Man's head which grows in a s Upon ſome very flight hearing of their Caſe, he approved it, thee from