z I do not excuſe my Sin, but with griefand ſhame confeſs it ; in which cafe the Lord thy God is ready to pardon Offenders, and ' fol truſt wilt thou be. o The ſenſe of my former fin now hath, and whilſt I live, will make me the firſt and moſt forward in a!] Ads of Duty and Service to thy Majeſty. p Obje#. He was a Ben- jamite, Chap« 16. 5, How then doth he make himielf one of the houfe of Joſeph? Anſw. The houſe of Joſeph is here pur, citker, 1. For kheten Tribes, which are oft diſtinguiſhed from Judah, and then
I. SAMUEL.
umm...
they are called th» honiſz of Foſeph; as Zech. 1o. 6. But this dis ſtinQtion was not made before the diviſion of the People into two Kingdoms : And even after thar Divition, Benjamin was conf antly reckoned with Judah, and not with Joſeph cr Exiraim. Or, 2. For all the Tribes of J-ae', who are all called the chi/dren of Joſeph,P[al.77, I5. Compare Pſat: 80. r. and $1. 5. as well they mighr, not only becauſe of Joſeph's Eminency, ( the moit Eminent Perions and Things being oft put for the reſt of the kind) and becauſe the rig..ts of Primogeniture were in a great part devolved upon him, 1 Chron: 5. 1 bur alſo becauſe Joſep had been as a Father ro them, and had nouriſhed them all like Children; as is exprefſed in the Hebrew Text, Gen; 47. 12. But 1n this ſenſe this was not true, for the Houſe of Judab came before him, verie-15. Or rather, 3. For all the Tribes, except Judah, which are conveniently called he houſe of Joſeph, for the reaſons now mentioned, 2nd are fitly diſtin= guiſhed from Judah, becauſe the Rights of the Fiiſt-born were di. vided between Judah and Joſeph, 1 Chron: 5. 2. And though Benja« min, after the Diviſion of the Kingdoms was fitly joyned with Ju. 4ah, becauſe then they adhered ro that Tribe ; Yet before that time it was more conveatently joyned with Joſeph, becauſe they march« ed under the Standard of the Houſe of Joſeph, or of Ephraim, Numb; 10, 22, 23, 24, Whenceit is, that Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manaſſeh, are put together, Pjal 80» 2. |
21 But Abiſhai the ſon of Zeruiah anſwered -and
ſaid, Shall nor Shimei be put to death for this, becauſe
. he curſed the LORD's anointed q ?
q 1.e. The King. By this Expreſſion, he minds David of his
_ former Zeal againſt thoſe who offered any injury to Sau!, becauſe
he was the Lord's anoin'ed, 1 Sam: 24. 6. and 26. 9. and there- fore demands the ſame Juice againſt Shim-3 for his curſing of the King, which was ſo expreſly forbidden, Exod: 22. 28. and by the prone i of that Law, Exod: 21, 17. might ſcem puniſhable with cath.
22 And David ſaid, What haveI to do with you r, ye ſons of Zeruiah s, that ye ſhould this day be adver- faries unto me 5? * Shall there any man be put to death this day in Iſrael? for do not I know, that I ors chis day king over Iſrael « ?
r I do nor ask, neither will I take your Advice in this Matter. s implying, that Joab's hand was in this Contrivance, or that he ſuſp:Eted it. # 1. e. That you put me upon things unfit for me to do, and contrary to my p eſent Intereit; for it was David's In- tereſt at this time to »ppeaſe the People, and reconcile them to him, and not now to give them any new diſtaſte by As of Se- veuity : For this wouid make othe's jealous, that David will not forgive them neithcr, bur would watch an opportunity to be Re- venged on them. You pretend Friendſhip uerein, and would have me take it for an effe& of your Zeal tor my Service ; but in truth you give me ſuch Countel as my Enemies would with me to follow, that the:zeby T might awaken the fears and jealouſies of my P.ople which are now aſleep, and caſt them into a ſecond Rebellion : Which either Foab and Abijbai really deſigned by this Advice, that ſo Joab might recover his Place again, and be made neceflary for the King's Service ; or David ſuſpe&ed that they did ſo. « Is not my Kingdom, which for my Sins was in a manner wholly loſt, juſt now re%ored and aſſured to me ? And when God hach been ſo merciful to me in forviving my Sin, ſhall I now ſhew my ſelf Revengful to Shimei? Shall I fully the publick Joy and Glory of this Day, with an a& of ſuch ſeverity ? Or, ſhall I alienate the Hearts of my People from me, now when they are re- turning to me ?
23 Therefore * the King ſaid unto Shimei, Thou (balt not die x; and the King ſware unto him y.
x To wit, this day, as Abijhai defirerh ; nor whilk TT live, nor by my Hands, as it i« repeated and explained, 1 Kings 2. 8. nor for this Cauſe alone, . For theugh David gave order to Solomon for his Puniſhment after his Death; Nor was it fit !or the puilick Good, that iuch a horrid Crime ſhould go unpuniſhed ;, Yer he would nor have him puniſhed for this Fault alone, but for ſome other apital Crime, which he preſumed Shimaei's Temper would e-fily betr:y himto ; Ai.d Sol-mon's deep Witdom would calily find our, 1 Kings 2.9, y That he would not put him to death with the Sword, as it is expreſſed 1 Kngs 2. 8.
24 Y And Mecpnibotheth the ſon z of Saul came down to meet the King, and had neither drefſed his feer a, nor trimed his beard b, nor waſhed his
clothes c, from the day the King departed, until the day he came again in [Ceace. EE
Z1,e, The Grind-ſon, 2 Sam: 6. 3, 6. @ By cutting his Nails; and by waſhing his Feet, which was uſual in thoſe hot Climates and very refreſhing ; And therefore now negle&t:d , as becoming a Mourner. 6 Bur ſuffered it to grow. very long, and diſorderly, as was uſual with many Perſons in a forlorn, or mournful State. c His L:innen Clothes. This and the former were ſigns, that h+ was a true and obltinate Mourner, that laid afide his uiual Refreth- ments: And they are here mentioned as Evilences of the Falſhoo1 of Ziba's former Relation concerning him, Chaptey 16. 3.
25 And it Came to paſs when hte was come to Jeruſalem 4 to meet the King, that che King ſaid