THE
PULPIT COMMENTARY, EDITED llY THE
VERY REV. H. D. lYI. SPENCE, D.D., DEAN OF GLOUCESTER;
AND DY THE
REV. JOSEPH S. EXELL, M.A.
WITH
INTRODUCTIONS BY THE
VERY REV. F. W. FARRAR, D.D., F.R.S., DEAN OF CANTERBURY. RIGHT REV. H. COTTERILL, D.D., F.R.S.E. VERY REV. PRINCIPAL J. TULLOCH, D.D. REV. CANON G. RAWLINSON, M.A. REV. A. PLUMMER, M.A:, D.D.
NEW EDITION.
FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY LONDON AND NEW YORK 1906 PB.D,"TED BY WILUAII. CLOWES AND SONS, LlMlTBJ>r LONDON AND DBCCLE$. PULPIT COMMENTARY, EDITED BY THE
VERY REV. H. D. M. SPENCE, D.D., DEAN OF GLOUOESTEB;
AND BY THE
REV. JOSEPH S. EXELL, M.A.
II. SAMUEL. esxposition BY THE LATE VERY REV. R. PAYNE SMITH, D.D., DEAN OF CANTERBURY,
~omiletfcs BY REV. PROF. C. CHAPMAN, M.A., LL.D., 'WESTERN COLLEGE, PLntOUTlL
~omnces bi, lJ'atfous ~utf)otS. REV. B. DALE, M.A. REV. G. WOOD, B.A.
NEW EDlTION.
FUNK & WAGNALLS COMPANY LONDON AND NEW YORK 1906 THE SECOND
BOOK OF SAMUEL.
INTRODUCTION.
THE Second Book of Samuel is virtually the history of David's i eign, while the First had comprised a. twofold narrative, that, namely, of Samuel's refor- mation of Israel, followed by the accoant of the nprise and fall of Saul. And never had king a more pathetic history than Israel's first monarch. Full of hope and vigour, yet modest, brave, and generous, he had entered in a most praiseworthy spirit a.pon the duties of his high but difficult office. Unhappily, there was a fl.a.win a character otherwise so noble. Throughout the history of Israel one great principle is never forgotten, and that is the presence of a. higher than any human power, ever ruling in the affairs of men, and making right and justice prevail. And Saul could not bring himself into accord with this power, and again and again crossed the boundary which lay between the king's authority and that of God. It might seem a small matter, that at a time of great urgency Saul could not wait till the expiry of the seven days appointed for Samuel's coming to Gi!gal (1 Sam. xiii. 13) ; and to lose a kingdom for such hastiness seems to many modern commentators a hard measure. Nor are excuses wanting for his leniency towards the Amalekites, and Saul himself could se~ in it at first no violation of God's command (1 Sam. xv. 20). But in both cases ther.e was present the same spirit which made him murder in cruel haste the high priests at Nob, and put even their women and babes at the breast to death for the supposed violation of his royal authority. Saul could not submit to the Power that is higher than man, nor consent to make his own will bend to that of God; and this wilfulness was rebellion as hateful and contrary to right as open dealings with unclean spirits, or the actual abandonment of Jehovah for idols (1 Sam. xv. 23). It is easy to see its hatefulness in such deeds as the murder of the priests and the repeated ii INTRODUCTION TO
attempb3 to slay De.vid. The unerring judgment of God condemned it at its first ontbree.k, and before it had ended in crime; and this condemnation WR8 in mercy. He.d Se.ul repented and humbled himself in heart, his course would have been one ever brightening into light,. Dut he was stubborn and rebellions, and the gloom deepened round him till all was dark. Sanl was not prepared to do right because it was right ; e.ud when Se.tnuel and those who loved the right for its own sake drew awe.y from him, bis vanity was wounded, and jea.lonsy took possession of his heart. Undonbtedly he was a man possessed of great mental and bodily gifts, and his achievement in so rapidly raising the militia of Israel and crushing Nahash the Ammonite ga-ve him just rell.Bon fur exult.ation. It was a deed in which he gave proof of high courage, strong will, and great military capacity. He must have been himself surprised at the rapidity and com- pleteness of his success. Aud in that hour of gratified self-love he could be generons and noble-minded (1 Sam, :ri. 13). But it was largely vanity as well as fanaticism which led to the rash vow which nearly cost Jonathan his life; and when he hea.rd the women sing of David having slain his ten thousands, this wrong done to his self-love filled him with a mean spite against one who would have been the truest of his friendB, and his strong bulwark against the evils which filled his latter yea.re with distress. And it WB.11 this brooding jealousy which disturbed the be.la.nee of Saul's mind, and ma.de him B"Ubject to fits of mania, marked generally by intense depression, but breaking out occasiona.lly into deeds of fierce violence. Saul, in the midst of his violent acts, had never ceased to be a religious man, thongb there wa.s none of that personal love a:p.d loyalty to Jehovah which so distinguished David. It was the national religion •to which he gave his a.llegiance; and it was as a statesman and patriot that he respected it, though doubtless he nevar shook off the influence of Samuel. • But there WBS little genuine piety in his heart, and no trust in God, nor any feeling of union with him. In domestic life he retained his simple manners, and d1d not give way to that volnptnousness which disgraced David, and filled tha last twenty years of his life with shame and sorrow. But as a ruler he had fe.iled. It had seemed at first aa if the hope of Israel, that under a king the nation might dwell safely, would be fulfilled in him. For many years he wBB a ~<>'Orone and successful chieftain, and a hero in war. And Israel under him was rapidly advancing in the arts also of peace. Pro- t.ect,ed by the military successes of the king, Samuel was able in tranquillity to ce.rry on his schoolR, and through the sons of the prophets to promote the great work of internal rP,form. Justice was administered (I Sam. vii. 15), and the rudiments of learning were being generally acquired. When the younger son of a farmer, evidently little thought of at home, and in his brother's estimation fit only to look after a few sheep, could read and write, education must ltave been a thing not uncommon. For David thus taught was but a mere drudge at home. His elegy over Saul and Jonathan tells us of domestic refinement; of women clad in scarlet, and with jewels of gold, THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. iii