The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 299

ch?sen of God, inquiry is made con?erni,!g the absent one. 4. On the young·e~ hemg brought, Samuel at once recogmses !um as the chosen of God and in obedience to _tl_1e voice of God, anoints hii:11 in the midst of the family. 5. H~nceforth the Spmt of the Lord rests on David. We have here the introduction of an entirely new feature in the de,·elopment of Israel's mission in the world. The former choice of a king was virtually man's. The initiation of the choice was taken in the desire to ha,e a king to embody their idea of government (eh. viii. 5, 19, 20). In this case the people are not ?onsulfod or heeded. G_od selects. the man according to his- knowledge of what 1s best. The human device had failed; the Divine choice c11n now come in with impressiveness. Yet human instrumentality brings to pass God's purpose. Samuel, h~wever, is influenc~d by the app_ear'.rnce of things, and lias to learn that even the Judgment of the wise and good 1s liable to err. The essentia'1 imperfection of man's judgment as compared with God's is explained by the fact that man's knowledge does not enter into the realities of thing·s as does God's. . I. LIFE IS A SERIES OF JUDGMENTS. In every act of perception there is involved an intuith-e judgment; and in every comparison of different objects, as also in every course of silent reasoning, a decision is arrived at which helps to form the stock of· ideas constituting our knowledge. Thus do we acquire opinions respecting the value of men and things. In some persons there is a tendency to criticise human actions· and words, and to proceed from what is clear to the senses to a deliberate judgment on the invisible; but in all there is a necessity of nature by which, apart from criticism, some estimate is formed of every one coming under our observation. This necessity of our nature is full of advantage. It is the means of enrichment to the mind; it furnishes a basis for friendship ; it preserves from treachery; it facilitates the intercourse of life ; and when the series of judgments is formed, under the guid- ance of such light as Christ gives, it constitutes an imperishable fount of enjoyment when thi11 life is past. II. Gon ALSO BAS HIS JUDGMENT OF TBINGS. It is not correct to speak of God's knowledge in the terms applicable to man; for he does not pass from the small to the great, the obscure to the clear, the sensible to the invisible. Yet it may be said of God that there is in his mind a clear judgment respecting ea_ch, as to what it essentially is, and what its value in the great economy of the universe. To say that God knows us altogether is another way of saying that he has a judgment of our character and position. It is a solemn fact for us that the Eternal adjudges our actions and thoughts one by one as they arise (Rev. xx. 12), and the day of judg- ment will be a summary of the judgments passed on our actions one by one as they occur. If men only had more faith in God, and did but let a knowledge of his estimate of actions influence their lives, what wonders we should see I III. MA.N's JUDGMENT AND Goo's JUDGMENT ARE OFTEN VERY DIFFERENT. Possibly, while the distinction between infinite and finite exists, there can never be a perfect coincidence of the human and Divine judgment, in the strictest sense of the term. But apart from this there are several aspects of the truth affirmed and illustrated in the case of Samuel. 1. The constitution of things. We know and judge only of the appearance of things. The material universe, even when subjected to the scrutiny of the most correct scientific appliances, and reduced to the last analysis of elements, is only known on tlie outside. What the ultimate relation of the primary forces to the one almighty Power, and why they work in certain observed lines to which we give the name" laws," we know not. The same is true of mind. It is a vast world, on the outer fringe only of which we at present can gaze. Not so God's. As Author and Upholder of all, he_ has an estimate of the internal, essential constitution of things more perfect than our estimate of the outward appearance. Hence the folly of men professing to say what cannot be ; or that the universe, as seen by us in operation, is to be and has been always thus. Hence the wisdom of submitting to the revealed truth of God when it touches on his relation to the order of things and the mysteries of his own ineffable Being (Matt. xxviii. 19; John vii. 28). 2. The worth of lines of actwn. Man's judgment is freely expressed in refer- ence to certain lines of action pursued by what are called the "great." The heroes of the world have often won admiration for deeds which, had man's judgment been based on a finer perception of what constitutes greatness, would have been  ea. XVI, 1-23.] THE FIRST BOOK OF SAMUEL. 301