The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 14

not to moke B profession of some interest In it B means of a.ttainin" to social position ond ma.teriol prosperity, so did he pay honour to the chosen eervant°or God for what he could golu thereby'. But the moin point in his conduct centres on David. He came prncUcally in the form of a tempter to one who had long been under the force of stron" temptation to desire and seek the removal from position, if not from life, of one wh; had been both an ungrateful enemy and an obstacle to the carrying out of his life's mission. We have seen in onr comments on the First Book of S11muel bow bravely David bnd withstood all the influences which urged to action against Saul. He bad trinmphed, and was now calmly waiting on Providence at Ziklag. But now the hand of Providence was being manifested without any action of his own. For doe8 not this stranger declare the great news that the miserable king was fallen ; that by an act of his own he had saved Israel from the shame of his dying directly under Philistine hands; and that the crown-the symbol of authority-was now within David's own camp? Is there not here, then, release from the severe tension of self-restraint which for years bad been put on thought and deed? Now surely David may breathe freely, and oven bless God and take courage I Gratitude to such a news bearer was surely due, and a sobered gladness may legitimately be cherished I Let us, then, consider the nature of subtle temptations. I. THEY MAY SPRmG FROM UNLOOKED-FOR SOURCES, AND SO TAKE US OFF OUR GUARD. Who would have supposed that an Amalekite--a man whose tribe had been in conflict with David-would have appeared before him as bearer of news most momentous as affecting his future career? The apparent disinterestedness of one who could not be a partisan would render David open to the natural effect of the tidings on an ordinary heart. So in our life subtle temptations, calling us to no ostensible act of wrong, spring up we know not how, and take us by surprise. It may be an evil thought is suddenly obtruded in a line of ordinary thought; or a friend hints at a possibility without suggesting a deed or a feeling; or a set of facts start before the observing faculty, conveying, by their convergence on a matter of special interest to us, an impulse to cherish a definite class of feelings which, when examined in cool moments, is found to be essentially unholy. "Watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation," was an exhortation based on a profound knowledge of t,he manifold avenues along which subtle promptings to evil may enter into and possess the soul. II. 'l'HEY MAY NOT CALL TO .ANY DEFINITE ACTION. In this case David was even relieved, by the fact of the tidings, from the pressure that had so long been on him to take action for his own advancement. Whatever appeal there was in the temptation was simply to the seat of feeling. The constitutional weakness of man is to feel satis- faction when an enemy is removed, and, though conventional custom may lead us to say that that satisfaction is tempered by sadness, it is to be feared that in this there is more of form than reality. Many men would not see any temptation in this narrative. They cannot see that-character lies in feeling cherished, more than in acts that mani- festly violate some law of God or man. Incitements to deeds of open vice do not form the most dangerous evils of our lot. Satan ruins more by undermining than by direct ·assault. The weakening of the inner seat of purity and kindliness alone need not involve any deed or word known to our fellow-creatures. III, THEY MAY PRESENT THEMSELVES UNDER COVER OF CONSIDERATIONS OF EX.PE~ DmNcY, Judging from the standard that governs the lives of most men, the Amale- kite imagined that his story would gratify David for two reasons-one, that hopes long cherished of being of service to Israel were soon to be realized; the other, that Saul was set aside by other hands than his own. There can be no doubt but that, in proportion to the strength of bis hope of some day being the means of raising Israel from the sorrows which had come by the misrule of Saul, so would be the tendency to rejoice in its speedy realization ; and this he knew would be legitimate. Hence, although, as .\ kindly good man, he might well abstain from cherishing any secret satisfaction at the disaster which had befallen Saul, yet, in view of the beneficial issues about to flow from the event, would there not be valid ground for so doing? Was not the welfare of the nation of more importance than sentiment for an individual? And could he not dis- tinguish between malicious joy, and satisfaction in the rising of public good out of personal disaster? It is thus easy for one nation to :find, by a swift process of tbougb t, plausible pretext for satisfaction in the calamities of nuother nation. Possibly our  10 'l'HE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. [en, 1. 1-2i.