The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 250

HOMILETICS. Vel"II. 1-5.-Rr'iected friendliness. The fact.s are: 1. On the death of the Kin"'•Of Ammon, David resolves to send a kindly message to Hnnun, in remembrance of faviurs received from his father Nahash. 2. On the arrival of David's servants, the chief men of Ammon suggest to the new king that their message of condolence is a piece of trickery on the part of David for political ends. 8. Listening to these insinuations, Hamm shows bis contempt for David by cutting off one side of the beard of his ambassadors, and exposing the lower part of their person. 4. On beating of this humi- liation, David sends a message to them on their way home, directing them to remain at Jericho till their beards were grown again, The question as to the chronological order of the events mentioned in this chapter e.s compared with eh. viii. does not o.ffect the character of the facts or the lessons conveyed. The supposition that David deserved the insult be met "rith at the hand of Hanun, in consequence of showing friendliness to one of Israel's traditional foes, is not justified, because of the explicit reference to David's remembrance of acts of kindness. As in the case of Mepbibosbeth remembrance of Jonathan's kindness is referred to by way of explaining the conduct describetl,·so hero it is eYidently regarded as a corresponding excellence in David that he we.s mindful also of the kindness of aliens. The object of the historian is obviously to bring out into view the king's broad generosity. In this light, then, we may regard the narrative as showing- !. THE 1!:XISTEKCE IN HUMAN INTERCOtJnSE OF UNREQUITED AND UNRECORDED ACTS OF X.IIIDNESS. Had not this ver. 2 been written we might never have known that the pagan Nabash bad showed kindness to the Lord's anointed. Possibly few in Israel knew of the actual service rendered by Nahash to David at some period of his exile. No record of it existed save in the king's memory; and Nahash died before his con- sideration for one in trouble was acknowledged in regal form. Possibly he may have felt it strange that no notice was taken of the past when David came into power. The fact that we have this incidental reference to the kindness suggC;sts what we often observe to be true, that many kindly deeds are done of which history takes no note, and which in the hurry and strife of life are lost to sight and mind. There is more good in the world than i~ tabulated. Thousands of considerate friendly deeds, revealing the true brotherhood of man and the latent worth of human nature, are being daily performed, but of which the mass of mankind will know nothing, and which, perhaps, will lie for a long time, through unavoidable circumstances, unrequited. We ought to bear this in mind when we strive to form an estimate of the state of the world, and it should set us at ease if onr own generous acts do not figure in the annals of our time, and are to all appearance disregarded and unproductive of reciprocal conduct. It is the coul"lle of life ; and yet nothing is lost, nothing is in vain. Il. THI!: GENEROSITY OF A TRUE HEART PASSES BEYOND CONVENTIONAL BOUNDS, To some it would seem stran~e that the King of Israel should cherish kindly sentiments towards an alien monarch, and even go out of the ordinary oouree to express those 1entiments. Bigotry and a narrow interpretation of fidelity to the theocratic principle on which David's government was based would !~strict generous feelings to one's. ~wn nationality. But David saw that man was before c1t1zen,and the law of love before political expediency; and, as the Saviour later on saw a man and brother in the Samaritan and in every human creature, so now David saw in a kindly Nahaah a kiIIBhip prior to and OH, ll, 1-10.] 'l'Hll: SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL.