The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 542

Yers. 21-31.-Tlie law of service. The facts are-1. On returning to the men who ha<l remained at ~esor, some of Davi~'s followers ?ppose his intention to give them a ~hare_ <?f the spoil,_ and 11;re even _des1rou~ of sending them_ away. 2. David resists tlns spmt as bemg rncons1stent with gratitude to God for !us care and aid and with stric_t _justic_e. to those who serv~ in ln~mble f_orm ac~ording to t~eir str~ngth. 3. Davids dec1s10n becomes a standing ordrnance m Israel sfuture nat10nal life. 4. He ~ends presents to the elders of cities that had befriended him during the days of his persecution. David's course all through was wonderfully chequered. He had good reason for saying," Many are the afflictions of the righteous." No sooner had he rejoiced in the triumph of victory, and was devising in his heart kind and generous deeds, t~1an he has !o exper_ie_nce the an~oyance and pain of contending with a nrnrmurmg and rnutmous spmt among his own followers. .As we look at him, the "man after God's own heart," bent on a noble mission for Israel, generous in spirit to all around, rising high above others in integrity of purpose and spiritual aspira- tion, and surrounded by a motley group of men, hard to control, and often low in tendency, we cannot but think of One greater, who later on stood among wayward, ignorant men, the Holy One, intent on establishing a throne never to be shaken, and wearied and wounded by the incessant" contradiction of sinners." But God teaches mankind through lessons evolved from the varied and often painful experience of his serrants, and it is a consolation to them that the fires which try them should also emit light for the benefit of coming generations. There are three truths practical in bearing brought out by this part of David's experience. - I. THE DIVERSE CHARACTER OF MEN IS SEEN IN THE EFFECT OF SUCCESS uroN THEIR SPIRIT AND CONDDCT. David and his men had achieved a great success, and were returning full of the joy of victory. The record tells us nothing of the bearing of the leader and of the men on the first flush of success; no doubt the wild excite- ment over the spoil of many of his followers was in striking contrast with the tremul- ous joy which found vent in his private thanksgiving to God. But on their return to Besor, the depraved, irreligious spirit of those termed" men of Belia!" appeared in the love of greed and the cruel indifference to the wants of the weary which drew forth David's remonstrance. Success revealed. the iniquity of their hearts, while it drew forth the grateful, tender qualities of David's cbarncter. Prosperity is as real a test of what men are as is adversity. It draws forth a different set of qualities, but is not the less a means of proving and inte_nsifying a man'.s character,_be it good o_r_bad, When we say that sometimes success m commerce, literature, sCJ_ence, or military skill makes a man vain and scornful of others, or humble and considerate, we really mean that it has developed hidden weakness in the one case, and moral strength in the other. When the character deteriorates or improves under the influence of pros- perity, it depends on casual circumstances as to how the deterioration or iml?rovem~nt will manifest itself. Here the presence of feeble men unable to engage m conflict happened to be the occasion of an outburst of selfish feeling. The same occasion furnished a manifestation of kindly consideration and love of justice. While few things create in generous hearts more disgust and sorrow than the selfishness, luxurious indulgence, and purse-proud bearing of m_en whose struggles in life have tJrought material success, few qualities are more admired than those of large-hearted benevolence, simplicity of habit, compassion for the dest~tute,. and the grate~ul,. lowly spirit which ascribes all good to God, and proves the smcenty of the ~sc1~ption by deeds of self-denial on behalf of others. He who can conquer pros_per1ty 1s often a greater man than the conqueror of adversity. Only the spirit of him wlio "made himself of no reputation," who "became poor" that we" might be rich," will enable us to subdue all things to his glory (cf. Ps. lxxiii. 3-12; Prov. i. 32; Mark x. 23- 25 ; Phil. iii. 7, 8). II. THE LAW OF SERVICE IN THE KINGDOM OF Goo. The selfish spirit of some of nu. XXX. 1-31.J THE FIHST BOOK OF SAMUEL. 555