The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 487

IV, REVOLT AGAmST CHRIST IS A COURSE OJI' OONDUOT DEVOID OF POSITIVE REGULA- TIVE PRINOIPLE, Shebo.'s principles, so far as he had o.ny, were negative. There wa.~ nothing in his words or deeds that in<lico.ted any definite principle on which the state we.s to be governed. Hitherto the theocro.tic principle, enunciated o.nd enforced by So.muel, regulo.ted the setting up o.nd setting aside of rulers. The spiritual interests of the ne.tion were the prime concern. Now, Divine authority being ignored, there was no principle to determine the destiny of the people. The conflicting whims and passions of men were to contend for supremacy, o.nd the grand purpose for which the nation had been hitherto supposed to exist in relation to Messiah and the world was lost to view. In the same way, the course of humo.n affairs, without Christ, is aimless, chaotic. Infidelity and agnosticism rest on negations. Individual life is as a ship without a helm. GENERAL LESSONS. 1. There is always in human nature a. la.tent tendency to rest- lessness under authority, and we should both be on our guard against this in our own lives, and also avoid whatever may develop it in others. 2. The quarrels and disputes of Christian men on matters of government and precedence may generate, by degrees, feelings of alienation from religion. 3. In this life we should not be surprised if, like David, we find the pathway of returning prosperity shaded by some transient clouds. 4. The zeal of crowds in a bad cause is more due to the iufl.uence of clever and restless leaders than to any profound convictions or intelligent views in the people themselves. Unsanctified power. We pass over David's provision for his concubines, simply noting how wise and considerate he was in thus cutting himself free from old associa- tions full of reminiscences of sorrow, and at the same time doing no injustice to any one concerned. The chief figure in the narrative before us is Joab, who here stands out as a strong man bent on a definite purpose, and able to carry out his will in spite of moral, social, and loyal considerations. All the other men referred to are as pigmies beside him, and the orders even of the king are so far bent to his will that he becomes practically master of the situation. Regarding him as an illustration of unsanctified power, we notice- I. GREAT ABILITIES. Joab was a man of great natural abilities. This is obvious throughout his career. There was not one in the army to compare with him. Great natural abilities are the base of power among men. In some men they are purely intellectual, in others they are those of will. For influencing action and obtaining an ascendency over multitudes, will-force must be strong. This partly accounts for success in commerce, in statesmanship, in Church government, in popular movements. IL STRONG PASSIONS. Passions are not abilities; they are rather the fire that feeds the energy of the will. Joab was a man whose passions were very strong, though no• boisterous and impulsive. His jealousy and hatred of Amasa, who had been appointed to supersede him in command, were intense. These, blended with contempt for his inferiority, disgust at David's choice, and a lofty pride which would not deign to remonstrate with the king, formed such a strenuous force on the naturally powerful will, that to kill his rival was a decision which no ordinary obstacles could hinder in accomplishment. When unholy passions, deliberately cherished, concentrate on a. powerful will, there results one of the most formidable instances of unsanctified power. Such men are to be dreaded. They cannot but make a great impression on weaker natures, and bend them to their own designs. They are illustrations of what woe comes to mankind when distinguished powers, incorporated in the constitution of man, receive a bent of evil rather than of good. A being who becomes a Miltonio Satan might be a real archangel. It is the spirit that makes the one or the other. III. A DREAD SECRET. To many the bearing of Joab toward the authority of David in this matter of Amasa may be an enigma, seeing that he raised no revolt, but was rather zealous for the king. But that which made Joab so terrible an example of unsanctified power was his possession of the dreadful secret of Uriah's death (eh. xi. 14-26). He knew too much of David's former guilt; and so all his great natural abilities were concentrated in holding a firm grip on the king's public reputation. It is true, David had found forgiveness with God, and was a new man; but he knew that Joab had him in his power in matters that came nearest to a man's life, and Joab perfectly understood that David dared not do what otherwise he would doubtless havo  l'iOO THE SECOND BOOK OF SAM'GEL. [on. xx. 1-20.