The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 17

follies of the unhappy monarch, and, instead of finding plce.aure in lil'oepect of hie own coming promotion, to foe\ II.I! though In the act done ·t,y the Amlllcltite a violence had been perpetrRt.ed against the most holy of institutions. So has it been ln all ages, and is still. Men can barter religious professions for gain; or calmly and irreverently handle sacred subjects as though of common import ; or behave in the presence of B&Cred realitiee as though treading on unhallowed ground. Judas, Simon Mague, the revilers at _tbe cross, have their counterparts in those who seek gain by complying with the will of godleBB authorities, professional zealots for Christia.nit;ir, and cynics who make sport of tl&Cted things. 8. But, also, it is a ten~ncy which in each case gives colour t-0 the entire life. It we.s not a new thing for the Amalekite thus to think and feel concerning Saul and bis relation to Israel and David; for all along Saul had been !-<1 him simply one of many rulers among men, and the conflict of the pe.st years had been only a tria.1 of human strength and skill. And, also, David's profound reverence for the Divine idea in Saul's kingship, and his faith 'in the reality of a Divine purpose for men being incorporated with it, had permeat.ed his life during the wen.ry days of exile. The two men were always governed by their respective tendencies. The one life was narrowed, rendered gross and hard by persistent secularity; the other was broadened, refined, and beautified by constant communion with the unseen and eternai. 'l'he whole domestic and private as well as public life of men is affected for the worso or better as they are secular or spiritual in tone. Spirituality is favourable to every phase of human experience. Secularity means debasement. Were society pervaded by so pure, unselfish, and spiritually perceptive a temper as was David's, and more so, Din·id's greater Son, how smoothly would the machinery of life move on, and what music would there be in its roll! II. 'l'HE FINAL RESULT OF INDULGING m THESE OPPOSITE BT.ATES OF :MmD. As a fact, the Amalekite's zeal brought him disappointment-<leath. David's fine percep- tion of the sanctities of life, his habitual reverence for Divine institutions as seen in all his relations to Saul, his consciousness that God was establishing his own kingdom in his own way,-e.11 this issued in elevation to a position where spirituality of mind could be exercised for the greater good of Israel. Prophetic is this of the end of all secularity and spirituality. The one must end in disappointmen~in loss of those things which it was thou,,,uht would be gained, and even in judicial separation from the pure in heart (Matt. xvi. 26; vii. 21-28). The other is an education by which we become qualified to rise in the kingdom of God, to exercise over others a higher and wider influence than otherwise could be obtained (1 John iii. 2, 8; Matt. xxv. 23; 1 Tim. vi. 11, 12; Rom. iii 21). • .. ! GENERAL LESSONS. 1. It is a dangerous thing to form our estimate of what others may do from the ideas and feelings that govern our own actions. The Amalekite could not conceive of any one not rejoicing in the death of a foe. 2. Dull perception of spirituul realities is a real impoverishment of life, as truly as is an affliction of blindness or deafness. 3. Regard for Divine institutions is to be culttvated irrespective of the, imperfect character of men who act in connection with them. 4. The exposure of a base spirit is sure to be the result of a direct jndgment of the Son of David when we are called to stand before him. 5. .ADy attempt to cuu.rt the f~vour of the chosen King in ZioB by deeds and spirit not in harmony with the holy laws of his kingdom, will inevitably end in banishment from his presence (Luke vi. 46; xiii. 25-27). Borrow for the miscarriage of life's great purpose. Contrary to what ordinary men would have imagined, the news of the death of Saul at once diverted David's thoughts from his own personal advantage accruing therefrom, and at once developed an extra- ordinary sorrow. It must not be concluded that the setting apart of the rest of the day for purposes of mourning (vers. 11, 12) was simply compliance with custom in paying outward respect for the memory of a deceased monarch and his son. No doubt such an act could be decently performed by one who saw in the disaster an occasion of personal joy; indeed, a heartless rival, who cared alone for hie own elevation to t~e throne, would, as a matter of mere policy, encourage the observance of tokeue of pubho sorrow; for history testifies to the presence of a large element of hypocrisy in the elaborate manifestations of grief that have characterized the obsequies of rival rulers. But David was not a man of ceremony; and the elr:;y ptnned for the expression of his OR, I, 1-27.] THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. 13