challenge, both •rmiea would have aeparated eelled In the nee of arm1, yet the diepMity of ftll fril'nda. And .Joab still aohl upon the numbers i1 remarkable ; for the Benjamites 111me prinoiple of forbea.rance, and gives the were alao famous warriors. We oe.n only lrignal for 11topping the pnnuit. He WIMI BC<'Ount for it by the superiority of the not a man of a tender heart, but he WIMI tactics of Joab, who was a man of ooneum• wiae RDd aenBible, and fully awe.re that the mate military skill, and who knew both •laughter of Abner and hie men, even if how to gain a victory and how to use the he oould have deetroyed them all, would advantage whioh the pursuers have over only have ~n'kled in the minde of all the pursued to the full. If we sometime, brael, and Bet them agaiuet David and his wonder that David endured Joe.b so Jong, rule. we ought to remember how muoh he owed Ver. 29.-A.na Abner ma his men walked t.o his nephew's genius, and that Joab was all that night. At the end of the chapter always faithful t.o himself. we learn that Joab did the same. Each Ver. 32.-The 1epulohra of his father, army had about twenty-six miles to march, whioh was in Bethlehem. The name of and the night was lesa exhausting for a Zeruie.b's husband is never mentioned, but long walk than the day. As soon, then, as he was evidently of the same town wi his Abner &&w Joab and his men occupied with wife, and at his death, when probably still the removal of Aeahel's body, he withdrew young, he had received honourable sepul- from the hill of Amm&h, and., passing ture. As Bethlehem is o.bout eleven miles through the Are.bah, or plain of Jordan, distant from Gibeon, Joo.b probably marched crossed the river by the same ford which he thither straight from the battle-field, and had used when starting on his unfortunate spent the next day in paying the last errand, and so returned home. The phrase, tribute of respect to hie brother, and in all llithro.n, shows that this was a district, refreshing his men. At nightfe.11 he re- but nothing more of it is known. sumed his march t.o Hebron, which wwi Vers. 30, 81.-llf:ineteen men . . . three fifteen miles further to the south, and where hlllldred a.nd three soore men. Though he would arrive on the morning following Dln;d's "mighties," as they were called, ex- that on. which Abner reached Me.henaim.
HOMILETICS. Vers. 1-7.-The facts are: 1. David, knowing that time was come for action, and being in doubt as to what movement would further the end in view, seeks guidance of God. 2. Not only does he obtain sanction to enter Judah, but is even instructed to make Hebron his head-quarters. 3. Entering the district around Hebron with his family aud attendants, he is anointed by the men of Judah over the tribe of Judah. 4. Being informed of the kind and valiant act of the men of Jabesh-Gilead (1 Sam. xx..xi. 11-13), David sends them a message of thanks, and assures them of the Divine blessing and of his own grateful remembrance. 5, He also reminds them that the crisis in the affairs of the nation, in the death of Saul on the one hand, and his own elevation by the men of Judah on the other, required of them to be true to their reputation as men of courage. There are several themes suggested by these facts. Among them, consider-
Th£ beginnings of prosperity. As the Second Book of Samuel introduces a turn of aflilirs in the national experience, so this second chapter introduces a turn in the personal experience of David. He passes from the bitter trio.ill of tho past, through the anguish depicted. in the :first chapter, into the more prosperous and easy circum- stances of free public activity. Undoubtedly he was conscious of a sense of relief from burdens almost more than he could bear (1 Sam. x..xvii.1); and being naturally buoyant and hopeful in spirit, the hitherto restrained powers of his nature were now eager to manifest their energy. His day had come after a long night of waiting. The promises of the past were about to he fulfilled. Jonathan's dream of his beloved friend being a more worthy successor than himself(' Pulpit Commentary,' 1 Samuel, pp. 381,382) was coming true. In one sense David had always, even during his exile and sufferings, been a prosperous man, for he was God's chosen servant, blessed with a good conscience &11d the favour of the Eternal; but now he was all that with the additional circum- stance of being about to enter on a position of commanding influence among the people of God. We have a counterpart to David's position at this juncture in some of the circumstances of our life; for in youth, in business, in Church work, and in national 'l'llE SECOND BOOR Ob' SAMUEL. 41