The Pulpit Commentary — 1 Samuel — Section 546

defeated (Yer. 17). 3. That which has been lost is recovered (ver. 19). 4. Much more than has been expected is gained (ver. 20). "A few days after bavid's own people were about to stone him- on the ruins of Ziklag the royal crown was laid at his feet." Observations :-1. Wl1en good men transgress they must expect to be "chastened of the. Lord," and wicke~ men _are sori:ietimes use~ as a rod for the purpose. 2. The wickedness of the wicked 1s merc1fully restrained (ver. 2) 1 often turns to the benefit of those whom they seek to injure, and returns upon th eir own heads. 3. The c_hi~f purpose of chastisement is to bring men to _God in humility, penitence, subm1ss1on, and trust, and prepare them for future service and exaltation. 4. The difference in the effects of calamity upon men (as upon Saul and David) manifests the difference of their cbara?ter. 5. The m~re heavily trouble presses upon men, the ~or_e closely should they chng to God, tha~ rt m~y be rig·htly borne and accomplisl, its mtended moral end. 6. God never disappomts the confidence of his children. but fulfils his promises to them more richly than they dare to hope.-D. Vers. 11-20. (SOUTH OF THE DROOK BESOR.)-.An Egyptian slave. "I was re- minded of the poor Egyptian whom David found half dead, and brought to life again by giving him 'a piece of cairn of figs and two clusters of raisins' to eat and water to drink, by an incident which occurred to me when crossing the plain of Askelon. Far from any village, a sick Egyptian was lying by the road-side in the burning sun, and apparently almost dead with a terrible fever. He wanted nothing bnt 'water I water I' which we were fortunately able to give him from our travel- ling-bottle ; but we were obliged to pass on and leave him to his fate, whatever that might be" (Thomson, 'The Land and the Book'). How the "young man of Egypt" became "slave to an Amalekite" is not stated, but it is probable that he fell into his hands in some marauding expedition, like the Hebrew women and children in the raid on Ziklag. His condition was an involuntary, hard, and degrading one. He was- 1 ABANDONED DY ms MASTER with-1. Indifference and contempt. His worth as a man created in the image of God was disregarded ( as is generally the case in-. the odious institution of slavery). He was treated as the absolute property of his ma.ster, "an animated tool" (.Aristotle), and when deemed no longer useful, thrown away. 2. Injustice. Every claim in return for his services was ignored. He was entirely at the mercy of his master, and unprotected by any law (such as existed among the Hebrews). 3. Inhumanity. "My master left me three days agone because I fell sick" (ver. 13). He might have been easily carried forward on one of the camels (ver. 17), but the .Amalekites were hard and cruel, and he was left to perish with hunger or. to be devoured by wild beasts. "He that is higher than the highest regardeth " (Eccles. v. 8), and the meanest slave cannot be despised and neglected with impunity. II. BEFRIENDED BY STRANGERS (vers. 11, 12). 1. Out of compassion and desire to save his life by every means in their power. 2. In fulfilment of the law .of God, which required that kindness should be shown to the poor, the stranger, and the slave, "Love ye therefore the stranger, for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Deut. x. 19; :xxiii. 7, 15, 16). 3. With appreciation of the service he might render ( ver. 15 ). The more helpless any one is, the more urgent h~s. claim to ~ssistance ; yet no one is so helpless but that he may be capable-of requrtmg the kmdness-ehown. to him. Slavery among the Hebrews differed widely from slavery among other ancient and modem peoples ( eh. :xxv. 10; Ewald, Ginsburg, 'Eccles!astes,' p. 283 ; ; Ecce Homo '). " By Christianising the master the lfOspel enfranchised the slav_e. It did not legislate about mere names and forms, but 1t went to the root o~ the _e~l, it spoke to the heart of man. When the heart of the master was .filled with D1vme grace and was warmed with the love of Christ the r~st woul~ so~~ follow. The lips would speak kind words, the bands would do liberal tlungs (Wordsworth, 'Com. on Philemon '). III. SrrnncEADLE TO HIS BENEFACTORS. 1. From gratitude for the benefit received. No human heart is wholly insensible to the power of kindness. 2. Under a solem,a ,;usurance of protection. After his abandonment by his master he could haye no scruple concerning his right to his continued servi :e, if any such right ever existed; OH. XXX. 1-31.] THE FinST BOOK OF SA:VIUEL.