The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 532

customs may have laid upon him was removed, and the prospects of his being welcomed us king in Israel were brightened ; yet in his own heart he was made to feel all the pain and shame of being regarded as a man o~ trea~herou_s c~aracter. He could not but smart under the contempt of heathen princes 1f, as 1s hkely, he knew of their language concerning himself. "Make this fellow return," and for the reason "lest in the battle he be an adversary to us." To profess to be true and faithful, and yet to be scorned and treated as one whose word and profession are worthless, this was one means by which Providence caused the erring one to suffer from the fruit of hi,;i own deeds. General lessons :-1. Let us not be allured into questionable courses by a prospect of present ease, seeing that a perilous crisis may arise out of the very means we take for securing ease. 2. Whatever troubles beset the Church by reason of the imper- fect conduct of God's servants, let us still cherish faith in his wisdom and power to counteract the natural effects of their conduct. 3. It is of great importance so to act as never to merit the scorn and distrust of irreligious men, for we thereby dishonour the name of God and destroy our proper influence in the world. Vers. 6-11.-Escape from danger. The facts are-I. Achish informs David of the remonstrance of the princes, and at the same time expresses confidence in his integrity. 2. On Achish urging his return from the scene of conflict, David professes to be surprised that he should be distrusted, and appeals to his past fidelity. 3. Being reassured of the confidence of Achisb, and of the determination of the princes, David returns with his men. The relations of Achish and David appear to have been most honourable to both, and there is something beautiful in the respect and consideration with which this heathen ruler treats the refugee. He does his best to lessen the pain which he presumes the communication of the resolve of the princes will cause him, and sends him away with the strongest assurances of interest and confidence. On the other hand, while keenly feeling the implication of the princes, David displays in his self-vindication the art of a skilled diplomatist. He does not say that he wishes to go against Israel, or that he regrets not being permitted to go, but shrewdly asks whether, so far as concerns his past conduct while with Achish, he might not be- t.rusted in conflict with a foe. There are several topics suggested by this discussion. between the heathen king and the Hebrew refugee. I. The STING Oll' SUSPICION. David was hurt by the imputation of possible trea- chery. His sojourn among the Philistines had been marked by carefulness not to abuse their hospitality, and to fulfil the obligations incident to his position as a. protected refugee. Also, as a pious Hebrew, he claimed to be far above the uncir- cumcised in all thnt makes character noble and trustworthy. Moreover, the proba- bility is he did not entertain thoughts of treachery, but rather in his conscious embar- rassment was secretly praying to God for some escape from the dilemma of his position. Although, as a man of the world, he must have seen the legitimacy of their conclusion from their premises, yet this did not remove or lessen the sting of thE> suspicion of the princes. He was reaping the bitter fruit of his former act; and we- have noticed under vers. 1-6 the element of chastisement in this pain. To every upright mind it is most distressing to be nn object of suspicion, and especially among persons with whom friendship has been maintained. It eats away the joy 1md strength of the heart, and destroys much of our power with men. Happy is it for us if a good conscience is a private solace; but we should see to it that the suspicion is not warranted by any puzzling ambiguities in om words or. deeds. II. FIDELITY IN ENGAGEMENTS. Achish, in strong language, testifies to the fidelit_v with which David had kept every engagement involved in his position in the countr_,-, and David himself appears to have been honestly conscious that in this matter he· was upright. He had done his duty, and that is much to say in a world where so many temptations arise to induce selfish action, regardless of relative claims. It is of great importance in the social order that men understand their position to rulers, to neighbours, and to home, and with careful exactitude discharge the varied obliga- tions resting on them with religious scrupulosity. It is hard to say what material loss moral injury, and social and commercial disorganisation arise from laxity in keeping engagements. The ease with which some, e,·en professing Christians, can 544 THE FIRST nooK OF SAlllUEL. [CH. XXIX. 1-11. -- --- ----------------------------- disregard I.he obligations of their position in society and the Church and also fail to meet undertakings deliberately mad<', is Ycry painful to contemplate. "'e honour God _when we "fulfil. all righteousness." Our supposed fidelity in great things ie depn"l"'ed of much of its honour and glory by neglect of what are deemed the "minor moralities." Our Lord has taught us the connection between the two. "He that ie faithful in the least is faithful also in much." III. THE INFLUENCE OF SUPERIOR CHARACTER. There is evident sincerity in the words of Achish when he says of David, "Thou hast been upright. . . I know that thou nrt good in my sight as an angel of God." The fact is, the force of David's superior character as an enlightened Hebrew and a God-fearing man was duly recog- nised by this heathen king. The disparity between the two men in point of spiritut1.l enlightenment and holy aspiration was enormous. The peaceful, kindly disposition of Achish enabled him to live on such terms of intimacy with David as to feel the full force of his superiority. The highest form of character on earth is realised when great naturn l powers are fully permeated with the light and love of the Christian spirit; and in any case of moderate powers, elevation is attained in so far as the pure, loving mind of Christ rules the life. Such character is a silent formative power in society. Men who speak not of it consciously recognise its beauty and force. They feel its charm its restraining power, its elevating tendency, its quickening and soothing effects'. How blessed the influence of a missionary among degraded heathen I What power for good is exercised by many a devout pastor in village and city I Who can esti- mate the value of holy character in the master of workmen, the teacher of the young, the mother of a family, the statesman at the head of affairs? IV. CONCEALMENT OF THOUGHT. David complained to Achish of the suspicions of his lords, and was prepared to prove that nothing in his conduct· since he bad been amongst them gave the slightest ground for their imputation; but his defence was so carefully worded as to conceal from Achish the real thought of his heart. He simply reasoned from bis known conduct to a general conclusion of fidelity to bis protector; he said nothing of the private wish that he may not have to fight Israel, or of any hope that he shall escape the test of fidelity, or of his secret pleasure that a door of escape was opening. The form of the language, to one not keen in detect- ing shades of thought under general terms, might lead to the belief that he was referring to the impending battle, and so far perhaps David's words may be chal- lenged. Yet he only said what was generally true. He concealed the sentiments pertinent to the coming contest. This practice of concealing thought requires much watchfulness. We are not bound to let out all we think, nor are we to give faculties to men to understand what others would see at once, but we are bound not to design to qive a wrong impression. Truthfulness lies in intent as also does falsehood. V. DOORS OF ESCAPE. After the fearful strain that must have been put on David's feelings by the ambiguous position in which he had placed himself, it must have been an immense relief to see the door open for an honourable retreat. The Bible does not tell us all that God's servants thought and felt and did; but judging from David's usual conduct when in gTeat straits,· and from the references in the Psalms to times of trial, we may infer that during this painful and self-caused S0!l.son of peril he cried from the depths of hi? heart for deliverance. It came, and the." salva- tion" was of the Lord. How this suggests to us the many escapes which God secures for us during our earthly course I What instances there are of the same Providence in the records of the Bible and the history of the Christian Church I And above all, there is now "an open door" set ~efore us by 'Yhich, i~ we will, we may escape from the degradation and woe of srn, and walk m the hberty of tl10 children of God. "Escape for thy life," was once said to Lot. He gave heed, and was saved. He that bath an ear to hear, let him now hear what the Spirit saitl1 to the Churches.