The Pulpit Commentary — 2 Samuel — Section 589

perBiste11Cll would, by psychological le.w, enfeeble pnrpose. He could not go on for ever in e. line of sin; exhaustion of more.l motive is e. reality. 3. 'l'he gracious action of Gorl would revive the latent e.nd suppreBBed sense of right; for though the Holy Spirit ls grieved, he does not depe.rt for ever from the erring. 'l'he se.me is true still. External difficulties of e. sinful course me.ke the way hard, e.nd so give chance for reflection e.nd react.ion of the better self. The exhaustion and satiety of persistence in evil tends to open e. way for the action of Divine influence. The misery of the prodigal, the weariness of sin, the loss of ee.rly novelty, do not tum men, but they render other more spiritue.l e.ction more timely. The ree.l cause which turns these occasions to e.ccount is the gracious action of the Holy Spirit. III. THE OHANGED ESTIMATE OF OONDUCT UNDER THE LIGHT OF Goo's SPmIT. Aa we he.ve seen (vers.1-9), plausible reasons could be assigned for numbering the people, but now the.t in the silence of night the light had come, the.t which once we.s reason- able e.nd proper, and persisted in as essential, is folly e.nd sin. It is only in the light which God causes to shine into our hearts that we can see what is the real character of some of the motives lurking there. Saul of Tarsus came to see himself in the li11:ht of God, e.nd the old life in which be had prided himself became his shame. No man knows himself apart from Divine illumination. Repentance marks the change undergone in a man's estimate of himself in the sight of God. IV. THE ANTITHESIS OF SIN AND RIGHT REASON, When David confessed before God that in what be bad done he had acted foolishly, be not only expressed a changed estimate of his conduct, but also illustrated a universal truth. Sin and wisdom a.re incompatible; they are mutually exclusive. The lie from the beginning has been the.t it is good for man to do bis own will. The wisdom of being "as gods" was the first of snares. The votaries of plea.sure e.nd the scornful rejecters of the supernatural Christ deem themselves wise in following the bent of their unholy and proud disposition. The wise "disputer of this world" looks with contempt on "the foolishness of preaching" a..d of the obedience to Christ which is its object. Yes, like David, in bis sin, they have their da.y; but just as he found at last tbe.t his wisdom was all the time folly, so others will find the.t wisdom is utterly removed from their preference of their own to the will of Christ. Sin is the most desperate folly. It debases man's nature, entails numberless ills for body and spirit, interferes with the true development of the mind and the acquisition and enjoyment of the treasures of good hid in nature, inflicts a. stigma and lee.ves a stain that unfit for the highest society in the universe, and, moreover, mars the future possibly beyond recovery. Holiness and wisdom alone coincide. To go against the will of God is a species of madness. The history of individuals and of nations is proof of it. V. Goo's WATCHFULl,"ESS OVER BEPE$TING SINNERS, It was a long solitary night when David came to see the folly and sin of bis conduct. The outpouring of bis penitent heart was known to no human being. The most sacred experiences of life are secrets between the soul and God. But yet in the morning, just at the right time, the messenger of God came to him. His mission was to offer altema.tive c_hast.isemen_ts, but there was implied in it forgiveness. The eye of God had seen the inner workings of the broken spirit, e.nd the occasion was seized to bring David again into more dire~t communication with his God. In thP. case of Bathsheba. Nathan bad a.wakened pem- tence; here Gad ea.me to help forwa.rd the good work begun in penitence. The cry of Saul of Tarsus was heard in hee.ven, and to help him a servant of God was prepared to speak the words suitable t.o his case. The ear of the Lord is ever open to ~be cry of the humble, and his eye is on their sorrows. Some message or messenger will be sent t.o them to confirm the fact of their awakening to a sense of sin, e.nd do what is best for their restoration. Let every ~tent remember that God hears the cry in the night, and sees all the desires of the broken heart. VI. THE ADAl"l'ATION OF CHABTISEMBNT TO BIN. In the alternative choice of David as to the form of chastisement there is secured the same adaptation of the infliction t.o the nature of the sin. Many explanations have been offered of this sin, but we prefer to consider its essence to lie in a sense of elation in the strength of the nation, and a consequent desire to be 8.l!llured. of its sufficiency for all contingencies. David we.a thinking of strength and glory in nnmerica.l form, In this be we.a goin~ counter to the letter and spirit of the Law laid down for him and his people (Lev, uvi,J, SucceSB and CID. XXIV. 1-25,] THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL. 605