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Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 23:14

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And David abode in the wilderness in strongholds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.

14. And David abode in the wilderness ] David’s next resort was “the wilderness of Judah,” the wild uncultivated tract lying between the mountains of Judah and the Dead Sea. His chief abode was “the mountain (perhaps the hill of Hachilah, 1Sa 23:19) in the wilderness of Ziph,” a district S. E. of Hebron, where a rounded hill half way between Hebron and Carmel still bears the name Tell Zf. Ziph is mentioned in Jos 15:55, and was fortified by Rehoboam (2Ch 11:8).

every day ] Continually: not that he literally spent all his time in the pursuit of David.

Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

Ziph is placed between Hebron and En-gedi (marginal references). (The wood 1Sa 23:15 is by Conder taken as a proper name, Cheresh, and identified with Khoreisa.)

Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible

Verse 14. Wilderness of Ziph] Ziph was a city in the southern part of Judea, not far from Carmel.

Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible

As Saul fondly persuaded himself he intended, 1Sa 23:7.

Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole

14, 15. David abode in thewilderness . . . of ZiphA mountainous and sequestered regionwas generally called a wilderness, and took its name from some largetown in the district. Two miles southeast of Hebron, and in the midstof a level plain, is Tell-ziph, an isolated and conical hillock,about a hundred feet high, probably the acropolis [VANDE VELDE],or the ruins [ROBINSON] ofthe ancient city of Ziph, from which the surrounding wilderness wascalled. It seems, anciently, to have been covered by an extensivewoods. The country has for centuries lost its woods and forests,owing to the devastations caused by man.

Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible

And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds,…. In the wilderness of Ziph, in high and strong rocks there, as it seems to be explained by what follows:

and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph; which had its name from a city in the tribe of Judah, of which

[See comments on Jos 15:55];

and Saul sought him every day; for though he did not go forth from the place where he was to Keilah, yet hearing which way he went, and whereabout he lurked, he sought after him continually, if haply he might find him:

but God delivered him not into his hand: which suggests, that it was only the providence of God that secured him, or, in all probability, such was the diligence of Saul, that he would have found him out, and he must have fallen into his hands, as he expected.

Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible

David in the Wilderness of Ziph.

B. C. 1057.

14 And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. 15 And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood. 16 And Jonathan Saul’s son arose, and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. 17 And he said unto him, Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth. 18 And they two made a covenant before the LORD: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house.

Here is, I. David absconding. He abode in a wilderness, in a mountain (v. 14), in a wood, v. 15. We must here, 1. Commend his eminent virtues, his humility, modesty, fidelity to his prince, and patient attendance on the providence of his God, that he did not draw up his forces against Saul, fight him in the field, or surprise him by some stratagem or other, and so avenge his own quarrel and that of the Lord’s priests upon him, and put an end to his own troubles and the calamities of the country under Saul’s tyrannical government. No, he makes no such attempt; he keeps God’s way, waits God’s time, and is content to secure himself in woods and wildernesses, though with some it might seem a reproach to that courage for which he had been famous. But, 2. We must also lament his hard fate, that an innocent man should be thus terrified and put in fear of his life, that a man of honour should be thus disgraced, a man of merit thus recompensed for his services, and a man that delighted in the service both of God and his country should be debarred from both and wrapped up in obscurity. What shall we say to this? Let it make us think the worse of this world, which often gives such bad treatment to its best men; let it reconcile even great and active men to privacy and restraint, if Providence make these their lot, for they were David’s; and let it make us long for that kingdom where goodness shall for ever be in glory and holiness in honour, and the righteous shall shine as the sun, which cannot be put under a bushel.

II. Saul hunting him, as his implacable enemy. He sought him every day, so restless was his malice, v. 14. He sought no less than his life, so cruel was his malice, v. 15. As it had been from the beginning, so it was now, and will be, he that is born after the flesh persecuteth him that is born after the spirit, Gal. iv. 29.

III. God defending him, as his powerful protector. God delivered him not into Saul’s hand, as Saul hoped (v. 7); and, unless God delivered him into his hand, he could not prevail against him, John xix. 11.

IV. Jonathan comforting him as his faithful and constant friend. True friends will find out means to get together. David, it is likely, appointed time and place for this interview, and Jonathan observed the appointment, though he exposed himself thereby to his father’s displeasure, and, had it been discovered, it might have cost him his life. True friendship will not shrink from danger, but can easily venture, will not shrink from condescension, but can easily stoop, and exchange a palace for a wood, to serve a friend. The very sight of Jonathan was reviving to David; but, besides this, he said that to him which was very encouraging. 1. As a pious friend, he directed him to God, the foundation of his confidence and the fountain of his comfort: He strengthened his hand in God. David, though a strong believer, needed the help of his friends for the perfecting of what was lacking in his faith; and herein Jonathan was helpful to him, by reminding him of the promise of God, the holy oil wherewith he was anointed, the presence of God with him hitherto, and the many experiences he had had of God’s goodness to him. Thus he strengthened his hands for action, by encouraging his heart, not in the creature, but in God. Jonathan was not in a capacity of doing any thing to strengthen him, but he assured him God would. 2. As a self-denying friend, he took a pleasure in the prospect of David’s advancement to that honour which was his own birthright, v. 17. “Thou shalt live to be king, and I shall think it preferment enough to be next thee, near thee, though under thee, and will never pretend to be a rival with thee.” This resignation which Jonathan made to David of his title would be a great satisfaction to him, and make his way much the more clear. This, he tells him, Saul knew very well, Jonathan having sometimes heard him say as much, whence it appears what a wicked man Saul was, to persecute one whom God favoured, and what a foolish man he was, in thinking to prevent that which God had determined and which would certainly come to pass. How could he disannul what God had purposed? 3. As a constant friend, he renewed his league of friendship with him. They made a covenant now, this third time, before the Lord, calling him to witness to it, v. 18. True love takes delight in repeating its engagements, giving and receiving fresh assurances of the firmness of the friendship. Our covenant with God should be often renewed, and therein our communion with him kept up. David and Jonathan now parted, and never came together again, that we find, in this world; for Jonathan said what he wished, not what he had ground to expect, when he promised himself that he should be next to David in his kingdom.

Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary

(14) The wilderness of Ziph.This wilderness probably lies between Hebron and En-gedi. Some of these stations in the wanderings of the future king are only doubtfully identified. Cowpers musicalthough perhaps, according to our recent canons of taste, old-fashionedlines well describe the Psalmist-kings weary wanderings during this portion of his chequered career:

See Judahs promised king bereft of all,
Driven out an exile from the face of Saul.
To distant caves the lonely wanderer flies,
To seek that peace a tyrants frown denies.
His soul exults; hope animates his lays;
The sense of mercy kindles into praise;
And wilds familiar with the lion s roar
Ring with ecstatic sounds unheard before.

COWPER.

Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him.This is merely a general remark, and intended to cover a long period of time, including the remaining portion of Sauls reign, during which David was perpetually exposed to Sauls attempts to destroy him. It quietly mentions also that though Saul was armed with all the power of the king in Israel, he was powerless, for the invisible King of Israel declined to give this hated David into his hand.

Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)

DAVID IN THE DESERTS OF ZIPH AND MAON, 1Sa 23:14-29.

14. A mountain in the wilderness of Ziph Perhaps the same eminence, about three miles southeast of Hebron, that still bears the name Tell Zif; at all events, some mountain in this vicinity is meant. Compare Jos 15:55.

Saul sought him every day He probably supposed that David was gathering troops around him for hostile purposes against himself, and that when adequately strong he would not hesitate to make an attempt upon the throne. He may have feared also that David would issue a call to the tribes of Israel for help, for he well knew how popular the young hero was wherever he was known.

Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

Jonathan Comes To David In Order To Encourage Him As Saul Continues To Pursue Him ( 1Sa 23:14-18 ).

Meanwhile David had a pleasant surprise, for Jonathan came looking for him and found him. Jonathan was unquestionably a true man of faith (as we have already seen) and a godly and humble man. And he was totally submissive to what YHWH wanted to do. He was indeed quite content to play second fiddle to David. He was so unlike his father that in many ways it is difficult to understand how he could have been a son of Saul at all, even though he was. Furthermore it is clear that from the beginning he had seen the genius of David, and had been willing to accept it without rancour. Jonathan would have made a good, steady king, but he did not have David’s genius, and he knew it. And he was therefore perfectly willing to go along with being his lieutenant. He was a truly great man.

And besides he loved David in a way that can only be understood by comrades-in-arms. That is why when he saw how things were going he put himself at great personal risk by seeking David out in order to encourage and strengthen him. At this torrid time in his life Jonathan’s friendship and love must genuinely have been a great encouragement to David. To have a friend like Jonathan (which means ‘gift of YHWH’) was to have a friend indeed.

Analysis.

a And David abode in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill-country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand (1Sa 23:14).

b And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life, and David was in the wilderness of Ziph among the brushwood (1Sa 23:15).

c And Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose, and went to David among the brushwood, and strengthened his hand in God (1Sa 23:16).

b And he said to him, “Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel, and I will be next to you, and that also Saul my father knows” (1Sa 23:17).

a And they two made a covenant before YHWH, and David abode in the brushwood, and Jonathan went to his house (1Sa 23:18).

Note that in ‘a’ David abode in the wilderness in the hill country and in the parallel he abode among the brushwood. But note also the great contrast. On the one hand we have David versus Saul in continual opposition, and in the parallel we have David and Jonathan in complete harmony. In ‘b’ Saul comes out to seek David’s life, and in the parallel Jonathan assures David that he will not find him. Central in ‘c’ is the fact that Jonathan seeks David out in order to comfort him and make him strong.

1Sa 23:14

‘ And David abode in the wilderness in the natural strongholds, and remained in the hill-country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God did not deliver him into his hand.’

Compare 1Sa 23:7. There Saul had convinced himself that God had delivered (literally ‘rejected’) David into his hand. But it had been a vain dream. Now we learn that God continued with His policy of not delivering David into Saul’s hand. Indeed we will shortly learn from the mouth of none other than Saul’s son, that God would never deliver David into Saul’s hand. He was inviolable in the purposes of God. (Nevertheless God would still give him a hard time. After all he was in training).

David and his men were ever on the move in order to avoid Saul. They were now in the barren wilderness of Judah, the wild uncultivated tract between the mountains of Judah and the Dead Sea. And in that area, the hill of Hachilah in the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph appears to have been a favourite camp site (1Sa 23:19). From there they would be able to scan the area for miles around, and be aware of anyone approaching from any direction. In view of the undoubted strength of David’s small army, which having got used to the terrain would be able to pick off any enemy unless they came in unusual strength, this continual movement must have been as much because David did not want to attack his fellow country men as because he was afraid of them. Indeed from what we know of his exploits it was Israel who would have been wise to be afraid of him. But fortunately for them he had no desire to vent his rage on them. He was prepared to bide his time, and clearly kept his men in good order, even protecting local communities from those who meant them no good.

On the other hand Saul’s determination to find him had increased even more, for while we must not take ‘every day’ too literally, his manoeuvres clearly took up a large part of Saul’s time. It could not have been good for Israel, for Saul should have been watching the borders. But Saul had become obsessed with David, and to him nothing else mattered.

1Sa 23:15

‘ And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life, and David was in the wilderness of Ziph among the brushwood.’

David was now well aware that this was a life and death game. He had no wish to harm Saul, but he knew that Saul did not feel the same and was unquestionably seeking his life. He knew therefore that if he was caught he could expect no mercy. This was why he and his men constantly changed their haunts, and it was why they had come to this desolate region. Life would not have been easy there. The burning heat and the shortage of water would have provided them with a constant problem. But its undoubted advantage was that it was not a place to which most men liked to come, and while it is doubtful if there were trees in that dry and barren land, the brushwood would provide ample cover for men as skilled as David’s men had become in avoiding being seen. Indeed they were becoming so skilled as fighting men that we have to wonder what would have happened if Saul had ever come up with David and his men without a huge force behind him. Perhaps fortunately for Saul it never happened. David and his men were too elusive.

The whole wilderness of Ziph was a hot, waterless and almost barren place. It is doubtful if trees would grow there. But brushwood (choresh) is very persistent and probably grew there in some profusion. On the other hand, some see Choresh as signifying a place name which is simply not mentioned elsewhere.

1Sa 23:16

‘ And Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose, and went to David among the brushwood, and strengthened his hand in God.’

But then out of the blue another Saulide sought David. He had clearly learned of where he was and sought him out to strengthen his hand in God. He must have constantly grieved over his father’s attitude towards David. Not being aware of the kind of mental illness that his father had, he must have been totally unable to understand it. But Saul was a prisoner of his own mental instability and delusions. What Saul did not, of course, realise, was that he was preparing David for a bright future. David would never have become the man he was without Saul.

Jonathan’s faith and loyalty to God shine through in all that he does. He would have made a good and godly king. But he would never have achieved what David did, and even compared with his, David’s godliness was exceptional (in spite of his mistakes). We may wonder how Jonathan found David when Saul could not. The answer probably lies in the fact that people would tell Jonathan things that they would never tell Saul. And, of course, Jonathan’s approach would neither have been hindered or avoided. Indeed he would have been helped. All knew that he was David’s friend.

1Sa 23:17

‘ And he said to him, “Do not be afraid, for the hand of Saul my father will not find you, and you will be king over Israel, and I will be next to you, and that also Saul my father knows.”’

Jonathan, a man of great spiritual insight, recognised the hand of God in David’s life. He therefore knew that God would keep him safe from the hand of his father. He knew that come what may, Saul would never find David. And that was because he knew in his heart that it was God’s purpose that David be king over Israel, and he knew that deep in his heart that was also something that Saul knew. And then he, Jonathan, would be quite content to be ‘next to him’. He was quite prepared to be his second-in-command. And that was something that Saul also knew, and which added to his fury.

1Sa 23:18

‘ And they two made a covenant before YHWH, and David abode among the brushwood, and Jonathan went to his house.’

And there in the burning wilderness the two men made a further covenant before YHWH, confirming the covenant that they already had, solemnly agreeing to protect each other’s future, and guaranteeing that they would work together in harmony in the future. And then they parted for the last time. And meanwhile David continued to live among the brushwood, and Jonathan returned to his home in Gibeah. For those who would serve God fully the way is often in the brushwood.

Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett

In the Wilderness of Ziph

v. 14. And David abode in the wilderness in strongholds, on sheltering heights in the great semiarid region of Southern Judah, whose several parts were named after the cities in the neighborhood, and remained in a mountain in the Wilderness of Ziph, establishing his camp there for some time. And Saul sought him every day, all the days of his life, continually, but God delivered him not into his hand. This remark serves as an introduction to the entire next section.

v. 15. And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life, he received information to that effect, it was impressed upon his consciousness more and more; and David was in the Wilderness of Ziph in a wood, a thick forest, which offered him the best form of concealment.

v. 16. And Jonathan, Saul’s son, arose, and went to David into the wood, in proof of the continued faithfulness of his friendship, and strengthened his hand in God, encouraged him by reminding him of God’s promises of His divine presence and protection.

v. 17. And he said unto him, Fear not; for the hand of Saul, my father, shall not find thee, he was convinced that David was sheltered by God’s special protection; and thou shalt be king over Israel, a conviction which had been forced upon him by the trend of events, and I shall be next unto thee, he was perfectly willing to resign all claim to the throne; and that also Saul, my father, knoweth, he was aware that David was to be his successor.

v. 18. And they two made a covenant before the Lord, renewing the covenant which united their hearts, 1Sa 20:16-42; and David abode in the wood, remaining in concealment with his men, and Jonathan went to his house.

v. 19. Then came up the Ziphites, whose behavior furnishes a most glaring contrast to that of Jonathan, to Saul to Gibeah, saying, Doth not David hide himself with us, in our neighborhood, in strongholds in the wood, where they could note his every movement, in the hill of Hachilah, which is on the south side of Jeshimon? This wooded, rocky mountain lay on the south side of a waste region which stretched out on the west side of the Dead Sea, within the steppes of Judah.

v. 20. Now, therefore, O king, come down according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and our part shall be to deliver him into the king’s hand. So passionate were they in their adherence to Saul that they would do all in their power to deliver David into his hand.

v. 21. And Saul said, with the blindness of an evil conscience, Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have compassion on me, praising them in this respect, just as he had rebuked his servants for their lack of sympathy for him, 1Sa 22:8.

v. 22. Go, I pray you, prepare yet, and know and see his place where his haunt is, where his foot will be, every retreat of David in his constant shifting about; for it is told me that he dealeth very subtilly, that was a prominent trait in David’s character.

v. 23. See, therefore, and take knowledge of all the lurking-places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to me with the certainty, literally, “what is certain,” that is with sure information, and I will go with you; and it shall come to pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out throughout all the thousands of Judah, the larger division of the tribe, Num 1:16, that is, in their territory. Thus Saul still showed his fixed idea that David was attempting to take his throne and life, and thus committing a great crime against God.

v. 24. And they arose and went to Ziph before Saul, who was soon to follow with his men; but David and his men were in the Wilderness of Maon, south of the mountain of Hachilah, in the plain on the south of Jeshimon, on or near a conical hill which still bears a very similar name.

v. 25. Saul also and his men went to seek him. And they told David; wherefore he came down into a rock, descended the rock, the mountain where he had been, in order to reach the lowland and a new hiding-place, and abode in the Wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after David in the Wilderness of Maon.

v. 26. And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on that side of the mountain, the mountain thus separating the two armies; and David made haste to get away for fear of Saul, he was very anxious to escape ; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round about to take them, they were at the point of surrounding them.

v. 27. But there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land, they had undertaken a raid on a large scale, their object being to obtain booty.

v. 28. Wherefore Saul returned from pursuing after David, and went against the Philistines; therefore they called that place Sela-hammahlekoth (rock of divisions, rock of escapes), because it was undoubtedly due to its upthrust that David escaped with his men.

v. 29. And David went up from thence, and dwelt in strongholds at En-gedi, about the middle of the western shore of, the Dead Sea. The Lord, who governs all things, protected His servant in this extremity. And the same God has ways and means to help us in all our troubles and difficulties. if we but commit our way to Him.

Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann

EXPOSITION

SAUL‘S PURSUIT OF DAVID IN THE WILDERNESS OF ZIPH (1Sa 23:14-28).

1Sa 23:14, 1Sa 23:15

Strong holds. Natural fortresses in the woods and mountains are meant, and places difficult of access. The wilderness of Ziph. This lay to the south of Hebron, upon the edge of the great desert of Judah (Jos 15:55). Saul sought him every day. The pursuit was maintained constantly, with men always spying David’s movements, and ready to report to Saul any opportunity of seizing him; but apparently there was no body of men at present perpetually in quest of him. In a wood. Many rightly regard this as a proper name, Horesh, and as the same place as the mountain mentioned in 1Sa 23:14; for, as Conder remarks (‘Tent Work,’ 2:89), “a moment’s reflection will convince any traveller that, as the dry, porous formation of the plateau must be unchanged since David’s time, no wood of trees can then have flourished over this unwatered and sun-scorched region .”

1Sa 23:16-18

Jonathan went to David into the wood. To Horesh, as in 1Sa 23:15. This visit suggests two things: the first, that, after the scene in 1Sa 22:8, Saul was estranged from his son, and treated him harshly, regarding him as a fellow conspirator with David; the second, that there was a growing conviction, not only in Jonathan’s mind, but generally, that Jehovah had transferred the kingdom from Saul to David, and that consequently David’s final success was inevitable. He strengthened his (David’s) hand in God. Such a visit, and the expression of Jonathan’s strong conviction that Jehovah was with David, must necessarily have had a powerful moral effect upon his mind. Under such trying circumstances David must often have been tempted to despair; but the assurance of Jonathan’s unbroken love for him, and the knowledge that he and many more regarded him as chosen by God to be Israel’s king, would revive his courage and make him content to bear the hardships of his present lot. I shall be next unto thee. Had he not been killed in Mount Gilboa, it seems that, unlike Ishbosheth, Jonathan would have resigned all claim to the crown. But the feeling must often have distressed David, that the kingdom could become his only by dispossessing his true and unselfish friend. Nor would such a regret be altogether removed by Jonathan’s ready acquiescence in it as God’s will, though, as next to him, and beloved as he deserved, his position as the king’s friend would have been a not unenviable one. Still, to be second where by right of inheritance he should have been first would have been a very trying lot, and it was better for Jonathan that he should die a soldier’s death, even granting that he would have felt a lively joy in David’s success and the glory of his empire. But their love was to be exposed to no vicissitudes, and the two friends parted never to meet againDavid remaining at Horesh, while Jonathan returned to his home at Gibeah.

1Sa 23:19, 1Sa 23:20

The Ziphites. Rather, “some Ziphites,” or “people of Ziph,” as there is no article. They tell Saul that David was hiding in the fastnesses of the wild region in their neighbourhood, and especially in the hill of Hachilah, a ridge that ran along eastward of Maon. Conder recognises it in the long ridge called El Kolah, running out of the Ziph plateau towards the Dead Sea desert. It lay on the south of Jeshimon, or rather “on the right hand of the desert.” Jeshimon is not a proper name, but means any desert (Psa 107:4; Isa 43:19), though it is used specially of the desert of Sinai in Deu 32:10, and of that of Judah here and in Num 21:20; Num 23:28. Conder calls it “the dreary desert which extends between the Dead Sea and the Hebron mountains. It is called Jeshimon, or ‘Solitude,’ in the Old Testament, and ‘wilderness of Judea’ in the New (Mat 3:1). It is a plateau of white chalk, 2000 feet lower than the watershed, and terminated on the east by cliffs which rise vertically from the Dead Sea shore to a height of about 2000 feet. The scenery is barren and wild beyond all description. The chalky ridges are scored by innumerable torrents, and their narrow crests are separated by broad flat valleys. Peaks and knolls of fantastic forms rise suddenly from the swelling downs, and magnificent precipices of ruddy limestone stand up like fortress-walls above the sea. Not a tree nor a spring is visible in the waste, and only the desert partridge and the ibex are found ranging the solitude. It was in this pathless desert that David found refuge from Saul’s persecution, and the same has been a place of retreat from the days of Christ to the present time.” The Ziphites assure Saul that from their knowledge of this region they shall be able, if he come in force, so to guide him as that David must fall into his hands.

1Sa 23:21-23

Ye have compassion on me. There is something pitiable in Saul’s answer. He had brooded over his rejection from being king, and the many indications that David was to be his successor, till he had become the prey of abject melancholy. He evidently regarded himself as a wronged and injured man, while David to his diseased imagination was ever conspiring against him and plotting his murder. With much prolixity he encourages them still to keep a close watch upon all David’s movements, so as to know his place where his haunt is. Literally, “his place where his foot will be,” the place whither he goes for rest and refuge. The reason he gives for this long and close observation of David’s doings is that it is told him that he dealeth very subtilly. That is, according to Saul’s information, he behaved with the utmost prudence, ever keeping a careful look out against surprise, and using much skill to conceal his movements and to provide for his escape from danger. Finally, they are to return with the certaintywith trustworthy and accurate information, and then Saul will gather his forces and search David out throughout all the thousands of Judah. These are the larger divisions of the territory of the tribe (Num 1:16; Num 10:4), throughout which Saul will hunt for him till he has got him into his power.

1Sa 23:24

While the Ziphites were conferring with Saul and gathering information David had moved about six miles to the south of Ziph, and was in the wilderness of Maon. This town is still called Main, and occupies a conical hill, whence Robinson (‘Bibl. Res.,’ 2:433) counted no less than nine cities belonging to the hill country of Judah. Conder (‘Tent Work,’ 2:90) calls it a great hump of rock. In the plain on the south of Jeshimon. Literally, “in the ‘Arabah to the right of the desert.” The ‘Arabah was the name of the low-lying desert tract extending along the valley of the Jordan from the lake of Gennesareth to the Dead Sea. Maon lay upon the edge of this depression, in the southern portion of the Jeshimon or Solitude.

1Sa 23:25, 1Sa 23:26

He came down into a rock. Hebrew, sela’, a cliff or precipice. In the next verse it is described as a mountain, on one side of which was David and his men, in full view of Saul and his army on the other. But as Saul’s forces were much more numerous, they were preparing to separate, and so enclose David, while he made haste. The word expresses anxiety and fear, and may be translated, “And David sought anxiously to go from before the face of Saul.” Conder’s description of the spot (‘Tent Work,’ 2:91) sets the whole scene most vividly before us. It is as follows:”Between the ridge of El Kolah (the ancient hill of Hachilah) and the neighbourhood of Maon there is a great gorge called ‘the Valley of Rocks,’ a narrow but deep chasm, impassable except by a detour of many miles, so that Saul might have stood within sight of David, yet quite unable to overtake his enemy; and to this “cliff of division” the name Malaky now applies, a word closely approaching the Hebrew Mahlekoth. The neighbourhood is seamed with many torrent beds, but there is no other place near Maon where cliffs such as are to be inferred from the word sela’ can be found. It seems to me pretty safe, therefore, to look on this gorge as the scene of the wonderful escape of David, due to a sudden Philistine invasion, which terminated the history of his hair-breadth escapes in the south country.” This cliff in 1Sa 23:28 is called Sela-Hammahlekoth, “the cliff of divisions,” or “of separations,” ham representing the Hebrew article. Many other derivations have been suggested, but the above, which alone agrees with the ordinary meaning of the Hebrew verb, is proved to be right by Mr. Conder’s researches. They enable us also to correct some small errors. Thus David did not come down into a rock, but “to the cliff,” the sela’ or precipitous gorge described above. Nor did he “descend the rock” (Erdmann) “in order to conceal himself in the low land, or in the caves at its base,” but he went to it as being an impassable barrier between him and his pursuers. But “he hasted anxiously to get away” (1Sa 23:26), because Saul would divide his army into two parts, and so David would only have the advantage of the few miles of detour which Saul must make. But for the news of the Philistine invasion his final escape would have been almost hopeless. The ordinary notion that David and his men were concealed from the sight of Saul by an intervening mountain is disproved, not only by no such mountain existing, but also by the clause, “Saul and his men were surrounding David and his men” (1Sa 23:28). They had them in sight, and were forming in two divisions, so as to pass the gorge at the two ends and close upon the flanks of David’s small band of followers.

1Sa 23:29 belongs to the next chapter.

HOMILIES BY D. FRASER

1Sa 23:1-12. (HARETH, KEILAH.)

Answers to prayer.

Inquiry of the Lord by Urim and Thummim really meant prayer in which Divine direction was sought in a particular manner (see 1Sa 14:19, 1Sa 14:36). It was made by David soon after the arrival of Abiathar, on three several occasions (1Sa 23:2, 1Sa 23:4, 1Sa 23:10),on the last of them by two separate questions,and in each case a definite answer was received. “God shows great care for David, instructing him now by prophets (1Sa 22:5), and now by Urim and Thummim” (Grotius). “That which in the olden Jewish times was the prerogative of a few becomes in Christian days the privilege of the many. Christ makes all his faithful followers ‘kings and priests unto God.’ And much of the sacred symbolism that gathered around the ancient priesthood now gathers in another form around the believer in Christ. Mere symbols have given place to true spiritual power. The Spirit of God which once underlay the symbols, and spake through them to the devout mind, now communicates directly with the heart, and needs no material intervention” (‘Bible Educ.,’ 4:38). Those who seek guidance of God in a right spirit never fail to obtain it, especially in

I. PERPLEXITY concerning the knowledge of duty. Asking, “Shall I go?” (1Sa 23:9.) they receive, perchance, the definite answer, “Go;” not, indeed, by an audible voice, but by means of

1. The elevating, calming, and enlightening of their minds through communion with God, and more particularly by the purifying of their moral nature from carnal and selfish affections by his indwelling Spirit, which enables them to see “what the will of the Lord is.” “Our notions resemble the index and hand of the dial; our feelings are the hidden springs which impel the machine; with this difference, that notions and feelings react on each other reciprocally” (Coleridge). “The understanding resembles not a dry light, but admits a tincture of the will and the passions, which generate their own system of truth accordingly” (Bacon). And when the heart (which is the soul’s eye) is pure we see God (Pro 28:5; Mat 5:8; Joh 7:17).

2. A clear understanding of the meaning of the written word, and of its application to the circumstances in which they are placed. As by that word thoughts, impressions, and purposes are tried, in order that it may be proved whether they are of God, so by the same word they are formed and directed (Isa 8:20; Joh 16:13).

3. A correct judgment of what is right and most expedient, accompanied by an inward assurance of the Divine approbation. “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God,” etc. (Jas 1:5; Psa 25:9).

II. DIFFICULTY arising from hindrances to the performance of duty. “David inquired of the Lord yet again” (1Sa 23:4). The obstacles placed in the way of duty, especially by friends, ought to lead to renewed consideration and prayer, and these are often followed by

1. Strong confirmation of the conviction previously entertained. “Arise, go down to Keilah.”

2. Increased confidence of success. “I will give the Philistines into thine hand.”

3. Entire removal of the difficulty. “David and his men went.” It appears to have been chiefly for their satisfaction that the second inquiry was made. Whilst we should endeavour to persuade men to adopt a right course, we ought above all things to look to God to dispose them to walk therein.

III. DANGER, which sometimes occurs on the fulfilment of duty (1Sa 23:7-12). “In the deed of deliverance itself lies the seed of new suffering.” Saul misinterprets events (1Sa 23:7), like other men blinded by sin and “using the name of God when God is farthest off from them,” confidently calculates on seizing David, levies war, and openly devotes himself to the execution of his wicked purpose. But David is warned; he has also, probably, reason to suspect the fidelity of the citizens of Keilah, and again inquires of the Lord. He does so with much fervour, calling him the “Lord God of Israel,” and humbly acknowledging himself to be his servant; and the answers he obtains afford him

1. Foresight of the perilous events of the future. “He will come down.”

2. Insight into the hidden purposes of men. “They will deliver thee up.” We may often ascertain more of the secret thoughts of men by communion with God than by consultation with men themselves.

3. Guidance for the frustration of ungrateful and evil intentions, and escape from every danger. “David and his men, etc.” (1Sa 23:13). How perfect is the knowledge which God possesses of all things! How sure is the guidance which he affords to those who seek him! How safe are they who make him their Rock and their Fortress! In the midst of all his troubles David can sing of “his marvellous loving kindness in a fenced city;” as he does in Psa 31:1-24.: “In thee, O Jehovah, have I found refuge.”

“See Judah’s promised king bereft of all;
Driven out an exile from the face of Saul.
To distant caves the lonely wanderer flies,
To seek that peace a tyrant’s frown denies.
His soul exults; hope animates his lays;
The sense of mercy kindles into praise;
And wilds familiar with the lion’s roar
Ring with ecstatic sounds unheard before”

(Cowper).D.

1Sa 23:14-29

EXPOSITION

SAUL‘S PURSUIT OF DAVID IN THE WILDERNESS OF ZIPH (1Sa 23:14-28).

1Sa 23:14, 1Sa 23:15

1Sa 23:16-18

1Sa 23:19, 1Sa 23:20

1Sa 23:21-23

1Sa 23:24

1Sa 23:25, 1Sa 23:26

1Sa 23:29 belongs to the next chapter.

HOMILETICS.

1Sa 23:13-18

Deepening sorrows and new encouragement.

The facts are

1. David, deeming it unsafe to remain in Keilah, goes forth with his men in uncertainty as to their destination.

2. Saul, forbearing to march against Keilah, seeks in vain to capture David in the wilderness of Ziph.

3. While David, fully aware of Saul’s evil intent, remains in the wilderness, he is comforted by a visit from Jonathan, who expresses his confidence in David’s future supremacy and renews with him a covenant of friendship. It is one of the most beautiful features in David’s life that he never hesitated to follow the indications of the will of God, however humiliating to himself, and apparently adverse to the attainment of the objects dearest to his heart. This obedience is the natural outcome of the full trust in the Lord so amply expressed in the Psalms. To exchange the comforts of an anticipated sojourn in Keilah for a rough and unsettled life in the mountainous district of Ziph was a new trial to the faith already highly strained. But the obedience was speedily followed by the occurrence of an event full of interest and encouragement, and the narrative of this section thus furnishes us with one of the most suggestive instances on record of the providential alleviation of sorrows incident to the path of duty. The connected truths here conveyed may be set forth as follows:

I. DEEPENING SORROWS MAY FOLLOW ON MANIFEST TOKENS OF GOD‘S FAVOUR AND TENDER CARE. No one could doubt but that the response given to David’s inquiry at Keilah was clear evidence to himself and others that he was the chosen servant of God, and the character of the reply to his prayer was proof that the tender care of Jehovah was keeping him from the rage and cruelty of Saul. We can thus understand the strong expressions of confidence in God and gratitude for his mercy to be found in the psalms of this period; and yet the anguish of spirit and heaviness of heart which also are manifest in portions of those psalms are to be accounted for only by the fact that the loving kindness thus shown was accompanied by the permission of continued and almost unendurable sorrows. No sooner had David been delivered from the hand of Saul at Keilah than he found himself, if possible, worse off than before entering Keilah, an outcast and fugitive, hiding daily for his life amidst the wilds of the rugged wilderness of Ziph. It is a riddle which the unspiritual mind can never solve, but which becomes increasingly simple and beautiful to those who enter into the spirit of our Saviour’s mission on earththat the sorrows of life often deepen when God is putting honour on his servants by preparing them for a more pure and blissful fellowship with himself, and for a higher grade of spiritual service. Our Saviour was the “beloved Son,” the object of the Father’s complacent love, and his work for the benefit of mankind was one of suffering, shame, and death. In his case we see how the higher the service, the wider its range, and the more pure and blissful its issue, the deeper were its sorrows. To him there was no contrariety between the bitterness of the cup provided and the love unspeakable and unmeasured. Not every one is fitted to enter fully into the higher form of service. Many sons of Zebedee long for the honour apart from the cost. The loftier views of the Apostle Paul enabled him to regard the manifold sorrows of his life as an honourable and to be coveted participation of the sufferings of Christ. The power of spiritual service lies not in knowledge, not in culture of mere intellect, but in more perfect purity of spirit and a high development of the spiritual powers of faith, love, and free, cheerful absorption of will in the will of God; and such is human nature at its best, that only tribulation, it may be increasing tribulation, can so check our unspiritual tendencies as to enable us to serve God on the highest plane. A rough and rugged wilderness may fall to our lot not only while God loves and cares for us, but possibly as a further means of developing in us those high spiritual qualities which in days to come will fit us to minister psalms of comfort and cheer to the saints of God, and occupy positions of influence in the invisible Church corresponding in the spiritual sphere to that held by David in Israel when he swayed a royal sceptre over the land.

II. PROVIDENCE BRINGS SPECIAL SOLACE IN SEASONS OF INCREASING SORROWS, What though David exchange the prospective comfort of a stay in Keilah for a fugitive life in the wilderness, what though his heart for the moment find it “too hard” to solve the strange problem of his chequered course; just then that same Providence which directed his steps from Keilah was mercifully operating in the heart of the noblest man at the court of Saul to bring him sweetest consolation. There are many lines of influence at work under the unifying hand of God for the defence and guidance of his people; and though in his first feeling of disappointment on leaving Keilah David could only see one line, the subsequent appearance of Jonathan where he least expected him made it clear that others were an existence and found their centre in God. God never really impoverishes those who trust and serve him. Our course when faithful is one of progressive enrichment, and will be till we enter on the perfected inheritance above. It is contrary to the laws of a spiritual life for a true servant of God to be worse off today than yesterday. The ordinary springs of comfort open to Davidmeditation on God’s past faithfulness, the conviction that he was working out a high and Divine purpose, and the pouring out of his heart in prayerwere now supplemented by the presence and love of his dearest earthly friend. And so God never takes away what seems to be a good, and never lays any new burden on us but that he gives us a corresponding blessing. Abraham sorrowed for kindred in a distant home, but had God for his portion and exceeding great reward. Our health fails, our material possessions vanish, or our loved ones die, and we turn our hearts more truly and passionately toward him who never fails, who is an everlasting portion, and who “gathers into one” the living and dead. Oh, blessed discipline! How tenderly the great Father cares for his sorrowing ones! With what precision does he follow them “whithersoever” in the order of duty they go, to raise up streams in the desert and cause them to feel, as the Apostle Paul in his sorrows felt, that God is able to supply all their need and never does forsake his saints.

III. In the unfolding of the GENERAL PURPOSES OF GOD‘S KINGDOM there is a SUBORDINATION OF SERVICE in which, however, the HIGHER IS DEPENDENT FOR COMPLETEST EFFECTIVENESS ON THE LOWER. In Israel at that time God’s merciful purposes toward mankind were being wrought out through the agency of servants occupying in the execution of the Divine will positions of relative subordination. Samuel, David, Jonathan were each working out the same results. But the part which Jonathan played in the sum of events comprised in the period covered by the history was inferior to that of David. As a spiritual man he had his work to do, and it was as important in its place as was that of Samuel and of David; yet we can see how wisely he formed an estimate of his position and service for the one great end, when he regarded David as superior in calling and in the honours and responsibilities he would have to bear. Jonathan by visiting David and ministering to his comfort recognised this unity and diversity of service, And it is instructive to notice how in the spiritual service which unites us those who are supposed to hold inferior positions, and certainly do not carry so heavy responsibilities, are able to render most important aid to others above them in these respects. David was relatively the greater man, and yet David needed the spiritual encouragement and support which Jonathan was able to afford; and Jonathan, by strengthening “his hand in God,” was for the time so far the benefactor and the superior. The unity and subordination of spiritual service is a truth applicable to the world as a whole, and to the part taken by any of us at particular stages of its history. There is to be at last “a glorious Church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing” (Eph 5:27), and things are to be gathered together in one in Christ (Eph 1:10). This unity of result is to be the product of all the manifold influences and agencies which God is pleased to employ through the whole course of time,from the first to the last man,as truly as the complete temple is the product not of the more prominent toilers, but of the totality of workers, from the highest to the lowest, first to last. As every separate ray of light and drop of dew is necessary, and therefore of value, in the totality of vegetation we witnessas the vegetation would be less perfect were any one of these to be absent from the process, so there is need, in converting the Divine idea of salvation into the grand reality indicated in the New Testament, forevery small as well as great spiritual influence, and the most perfect fruition of the great thus becomes dependent on the action of other influence inferior to itself. Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, and Paul were respectively great in faithfulness, wisdom, devotion, fervour, and zeal, yet the educating influence of their lives is in the same line, and is ultimately strengthened by association with the holy patience of a despised Lazarus and the large liberality of a poor widow. Men do not see the interlacings of spiritual agencies. The influence exerted by Jonathan’s counsel and friendship on the man chosen to do so wonderful a work for all time raises the thought whether in the main the great results achieved by some whose names are prominent may not be closely allied to the influences exerted by others unknown to fame. There are doubtless great revelations yet to be made in reference to the interdependence of the forces of the spiritual world. We do not as yet see the full bearings of the prayers of the lowly on the raising up of distinguished workers and their enrichment with spiritual power. The devoted missionary, the successful pastor, the great teacher and leader of men, may therefore owe much of their peculiar spiritual usefulness to the untraceable influence of prayers offered by the obscure. This principle helps to explain the great stress laid in the Bible on the prayers of ordinary Christians, and thus enables us to see how after all a poor afflicted child of God may be an unconscious strengthener of persons unknown by name.

IV. A TRUE SPIRITUAL PERCEPTION RECOGNISES THIS UNITY AND SUBORDINATION, AND SEEKS TO GIVE EFFECT TO IT. The actions and words of Jonathan sprang from his distinct recognition of the fact that David, though greater than himself, was inspired by the same aim, and longed for the realisation of Israel’s glory. He could not bless Israel by a virtuous reign; it was denied him to be in Zion a king typical of the Messiah; but he could strengthen the heart of him who was destined to that honour; and with unparalleled magnanimity and self-denial, with utter absorption in Israel’s good, and cheerful submission to the manifest will of God, he contributed his part toward the final issue. It is a question whether amidst our modern religious parties we sufficiently realise the unity and subordination of our work for Christ. The narrowness of our isms is not healthful in itself, and it tends to rob the great body of workers of much of the sympathy and large-hearted prayer that would unconsciously; to themselves make them strong in God. What elevation of thought and grandeur of life should we more uniformly attain to could we, like Jonathan, put into practice the feeling that our prayers and sympathies, in going forth for all who labour for Christ, and especially for those who are called to bear the strain of high and perilous service, are our contribution to the one great enterprise which from first to last has filled the heart of Christ and is absorbing the best energies of his Church!

V. THE BEST FORM OF SERVICE WE sometimes can RENDER TO GOD IS TO INSPIRE WITH COURAGE the hearts of those who DO A WORK TO WHICH WE ARE NOT CALLED. Jonathan was not called to be a king, but he served God by inspiring the heart of David with courage amidst his sorrows and cares. The narrative implies that the friends conversed freely on the situation and prospects of David. Doubtless Jonathan, besides assuring David of his own belief in God’s purposes and his personal allegiance, would also press upon him the fact of Israel’s need, the past care of God, the anointing by Samuel and its significance, the historic trials of patriarchs, the high purposes of sorrow and patience, the honour of being chosen to serve and to wait, and the grand issue when, in some as yet unknown manner, the best Messianic hopes of the nation would be realised. He knew that David’s need was quiet trust in God, and with the tenderness and love of a true friend he diverted his thoughts away from Saul and the sorrows of a fugitive life to the everlasting Refuge. “Strengthened his hand in God.” Noble man! noble service! There are in the lives of many of God’s servants seasons when their wisdom, strength, courage, and patience are taxed almost beyond endurance. “Heart and flesh fail.” What they need is faith in God. To move on in the dark, to toil when success seems hopeless, to hold on though dangers thicken, to hope when events are adversethis was the case of David, and often that of missionaries, pastors, parents, and others called to high and arduous service. How such men long for the inspiring word, the significant sign of sympathy, the reminder of the truth well known! The history of the Church is full of such instances. “Who is sufficient for these things? Could ye not watch with me one hour?” Angels came and cheered the heart which men left to bear the unutterable burden. Following the example of Jonathan and of the angels, we each may do something to inspire with new faith and hope those who feel the pressure of care and toil for Christ; we may do it by our words of cheer, by our assured sympathy, by our fervent prayer, and by hearty, free cooperation in the enterprise which absorbs their energy.

Practical lessons.

1. We should seek the evidence of our being blessed with the favour of God in the unquestionable spiritual blessings he has conferred on us in the past, in the fact of Our being led by him and not by our own choice, and in the answer of a good conscience to his claim on our obedience and love, and not in the presence or absence of easy circumstances. God’s chosen ones have often known the pains of wilderness life.

2. We may he sure that before troubles become so manifold as to destroy the end for which God has called us into his service some appropriate aid will come, not to relieve us of all care, but to fortify us for duty; for he will not suffer us to be tempted above that we are able to bear.

3. It should inspire every Christian worker amidst his toils that he is daily borne on the heart of many who, though unseen and unknown by name, are friends in Christ.

4. Honour is due to every one who by prayer or kindly word contributes to the sum of Christian effort.

5. True religious sympathy will lead us to rejoice in the superior service to which others are called, and will devise new means of aiding their progress.

6. There are seasons in the religions life when calm trust in God, in the absence of favouring circumstances, is almost our sole duty; and when we are strengthened in this respect we shall be able to possess our souls in patience till the desire of our heart is attained (Luk 21:14-19).

1Sa 23:19-29

The unobserved side of life.

The facts are

1. The Ziphites send to Saul, offering their services to secure David if only he will come to their country in pursuit of him.

2. Saul, indulging in pious language, thanks the Ziphites for their sympathy, and promises to comply with their request when properly informed of David’s movements.

3. Going in pursuit of David in the wilderness of Maon, Saul encompasses him with his men.

4. At this critical juncture Saul is called away to repel an invasion of the Philistines, whereupon David seeks refuge in Engedi. This brief narrative is full of suggestion of profitable topics, such as the intense zeal of men in sinful courses, its reasons and its issue; the pernicious influence of local jealousy in determining the bearing of men towards others; the blindness and folly of combinations of men against the quietly developing purposes of God; the power of the love of gain, leading, as it does, men to adopt a course of evil from which others shrink; the causes of the indifference or aversion of sections of the community to the governing and advancing sentiment of a nation, as seen in the attitude of the Ziphites contrasted with the general feeling in relation to Saul and David; the moral causes of disregard for the signs of the times; the tendency to cover up deeds of wrong under the plea of patriotism and loyalty; the degree to which religious forms of speech and professions of sanctity may survive the utter decay of vital godliness; and the moral uses of protracted trouble to the children of God. But leaving these, we may generalise the most prominent teaching in the following way:

I. THERE IS AN IMPORTANT UNOBSERVED SIDE OF LIFE WHICH MUST BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT IN FORMING A PROPER ESTIMATE OF CONDUCT. In this section we have a record of facts as they appeared to an observer. The acts of the Ziphites are recorded, and not the reasons from which they proceeded. Our knowledge of men compels us to believe that there were intellectual and moral causes of the active zeal against David which they alone of all Israel manifested; but, so far as the narrative itself informs us, their conduct may have been inspired by loyalty to a recognised king. Thus, also, Saul’s conduct as here described is only that which appears to the casual observer. There is nothing wrong in a monarch endeavouring to capture a subject who holds a strong potation by the aid of armed men; nor is there anything but an appearance of piety in imploring the Divine blessing on men who express in tangible form their sympathy with his troubles. Again, the conduct of David as here recorded embraces only that side of life on which men can gaze, for he here appears as one acting as though his entire safety depended alone on his exertions, and not on any other power. The inner, religious side of his life is not noticed. And, finally, the acts of the Philistines are narrated as they would appear to a historiansimply as the movements of men bent on some of the ends common to the warlike and restless, no reference being made to the over ruling power which silently worked on the inner side of life, causing their action to synchronise with the perilous position of David. What is thus true of the Ziphites, Saul, David, and the Philistines, as their acts are set forth in the history, is also true of all men whose deeds are recorded in history, and of every individual in the prosecution of his daily course. The main purpose of history is to state fact in such a connection as to show the dependence of one on the other. There is always presupposed a vast area of life, which furnishes the immediate moral causes of what appears in the field of human observation. In so far as historians profess to trace actions back to their governing principles, and thus reveal the other and inner side of life, they become philosophers, and must not expect the same deference for their conclusions as for their statements of fact. The Ziphites would have Saul think that their zeal was the offspring of a cherished patriotism and loyalty, whereas there is reason for believing that other causes were chiefly in operation. It is the characteristic of sacred history that sometimes it gives an authoritative record of the inner life, assigning the true causes of the actions described. The practical use of the fact that there is an unobserved side of life is

1. To induce more care with respect to our unobserved life. When we believe that there is more real life lived within than without, that the causes and germs of things are all nurtured beyond human observation, that the moral value of what is observed is determined by the quality of what is unobserved, and that though, like the Ziphites, we may seem to do only what may possibly proceed from worthy motives, God looks at the actual spring of conductthen shall we be more earnest in seeking a pure heart, an unobserved life which shall be acceptable to God.

2. To regulate our judgment of human actions. The knowledge that there is an unobserved side of conduct cannot but induce caution in our estimate of character. The apparent loyalty of a Ziphite and the pious language of a Saul may be the expression of a good or of an evil condition of the unobserved life. Our own deceitful hearts tell us how possible it is to appropriate virtues to ourselves before others when in our deepest consciousness we know that no just claim can be made to them. On the other hand, as it would be unjust to infer that because in this historical section there is simply a record of David’s exertions to escape Saul, therefore he was destitute of the pious trust which seeks refuge in God (Psa 54:1-7.), so, in viewing the outward life of men, we must not conclude that that is all; for in the unobserved life, spent concurrently with the observed, there may be a devout, holy trust in God which, beyond all human view, sustains and strengthens the entire man. There is a vast demand on our pity and sympathy in the life which underlies many a calm and brave endurance of toil and care; and beneath many a fair exterior there is a secret second life deserving scorn and indignation.

II. ANTAGONISM TO RELIGION IS USUALLY TRACEABLE TO MORAL CAUSES. Although the record does not state the reasons for the conduct of the Ziphites, we, taking it in connection with the entire history of the period, may approximately arrive at their real nature. Remembering that these men belonged to a nation whose very existence was due to the predominance in public affairs of religious considerations, that government with them was a question of allegiance to God as well as to man, that the national life of their own period had been one in which religious principles had become increasingly prominent in public affairs, that they were well aware of Saul’s recognition as king on the understanding that be acted in subordination to the higher principles of which Samuel was the assertor, that it was within their knowledge that Samuel and the high priest Abiathar had disowned Saul and favoured David, and that David’s prowess had been distinctly approved of God and beneficial to the nation, while his holy, beautiful life was in striking contrast with the life which had secured the slaughter of the .priests at Nob, alienated the head men of his own tribes and become an occasion of sorrow to the land it follows from all this that these men could not have set themselves against the most renowned and honoured man of their own tribe unless they were under the influence of motives sufficiently strong to overbear the evidence, on the one side, of David’s integrity and recognition by God, and, on the other, of Saul’s debasement and rejection. That they did not reason and act in harmony with facts admitted arose from two circumstances.

1. That David was now, and for some time had been, an outlaw, isolated and sorrowful, a fact seemingly inconsistent with the previous honours conferred upon him by God, and with the continued sanction of Samuel and Abiathar.

2. That lack of sympathy with the holy aspirations of David and jealousy against one of their own tribe induced them to take his present unfortunate position as disproof of any value to be attached to the earlier evidences of his being a chosen servant of God. We have in this case an illustration of the antagonism of men towards Christ while he was on earth, and towards Christianity in the present age. In the case of our Saviour there was the most clear and convincing evidence that he was the Anointed, resembling that of David’s call. Only resort to the absurd supposition that he was influenced by Beelzebub could afford an appearance of logical consistency in disputing his Messiahship. But a further point of resemblance arises; for the Pharisees construed the lowly life, the unostentatious bearing, the manifest sorrows, in fact, the strange delay in rising to complete dominion, as inconsistent with their idea of what became an Anointed of the Lord. Moreover, as with the Ziphites, so with the Pharisees; there was a moral offence because of Christ’s insistence on internal holiness, and they were averse to the kind of government over men which he alone cared to establish. But as aversion to holiness and jealousy of distinction are strong principles of action, the Pharisees, like the Ziphites, could not await the development of events; they must needs take active measures to capture and destroy One who had proved by his deeds of power the greatest benefactor of the age. In the case of modern antagonism to Christianity we find the same causes at work under analogous conditions. Given the existence of a Supreme Being, interested in the spiritual condition of his creatures and free to act for their welfare, and givens also, as can be well established to every mind free from preconceived ideas on the impossibility of the supernatural, the veracity of the evangelical records, we have then a body of evidence concerning the supernatural origin and character of Christianity as clear as, and much fuller than, the evidence to the Hebrews of David’s selection through Samuel and distinct approval by God; and this becomes overwhelming when taken in conjunction with that wondrous life which no other hypothesis can possibly explain. Yet men seek to set aside this evidence because, forsooth, it does not fall in with their conception of what a revelation from God to man should be; much after the model of the Ziphites, who could not believe a wanderings sorrowful outlaw to be the coming king, notwithstanding that some earlier events seemed to point in that direction. No doubt in many theoretical objectors to Christianity there is a positive aversion more or less pronounced to the inward holiness and entire submission of heart and intellect and will which Christ makes the invariable condition of being his subjects, and this perverts the judgment.

III. STRONG FAITH IN GOD IS THE PROPER COMPLEMENT OF THE MOST EARNEST EXERTION, AND IS A POWER IN BRINGING ABOUT THE DESIRED RESULT. Confining our attention to this narrative, we should conclude that David not only strove with all his energy to avoid a conflict with Saul, but that he was conscious that success rested entirely on his exertions. But there was an unobserved side of David’s conduct of which the narrative says not a word. The fifty-fourth Psalm reveals that other side, and we there learn that though he strove to escape as though everything depended on his skill and discretion, yet he trusted in God as though hope were alone to be found in him. This double life is well known to every child of God. Whatever metaphysical questions may be started concerning it, as a fact it is unquestionable. Faith is a power acting in the unseen, spiritual sphere concurrently with our exertions in the visible, material sphere. Both are real powers in God’s government of man. We are apt to underestimate faith because we do not see its incidence; or we are disposed to doubt its utility because we cannot trace the intricate operations by which events are brought to pass. It is some aid to our faith to remember that the Divine energy is immanent in every mind and in every ultimate force, and can carry out millions of lines of action concurrently for definite ends as readily as we by concentration can carry out one to a single end. God does rule among the armies of heaven and the inhabitants of the earth. His control of men’s movements is evidently not a mere general survey of hard, rigid lines of force originally set in motion, but the free exercise of his personal energy on the deepest springs of human action, so as to insure a concurrence of events at such times and places as may subserve some advantage to those whose lives are moving in harmony with his holy purposes. God becomes a reality to us in so far as we believe this and act on the belief. Our Christian enterprises, private conflicts with sin and sorrow, and daily occupations should be pursued with all zeal, and yet with all faith in the need and certainty of God’s help. If we wish men to be moved, money to be raised for Christ’s service, hindrances to religion to be overcome, and events to be brought about for which we have not the adequate means, there is no presumption, but rather there is profound wisdom and piety, in asking God to exercise his boundless power for the glory of his name. “When the Son of man cometh” to visit his Churches, as when once he walked among the seven golden candlesticks (Rev 1:13-17), “shall he find faith on the earth“? (Luk 18:8).

General considerations:

1. It is worthy of consideration how far the outward life observed by men is a genuine expression of the inner, and to what extent our secrets are holy and lawful.

2. A study of the intellectual and moral causes of unbelief, as manifested by various grades of intellect and during many centuries, would furnish instruction and warning to the tempted.

3. It is to be feared that the extreme development of man’s activity in all departments of life and the insistence on personal effort have withdrawn the attention of Christians too much from the great part which faith in God is ordained to play in the government of the world and salvation of men.

HOMILIES BY B. DALE

1Sa 23:13, 1Sa 23:14

David’s wanderings in the wilderness.

“And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand” (1Sa 23:14). From the time of his leaving Gath till his return (1Sa 27:2) David dwelt in the following places successively

1. The cave of Adullam.

2. Mizpeh of Moab.

3. The forest of Hareth.

4. Keilah.

5. The wilderness of Ziph (Hachilah, Horesh).

6. The wilderness of Maon.

7. En-gedi.

8. “The hold” (1Sa 24:22).

9. The wilderness of Paran (1Sa 25:2).

10. The wilderness of Ziph again.

The period over which his wanderings in these places extended is not stated, but it was probably upwards of five years; “and the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a year and four months” (1Sa 27:7). Like the journeyings of the people of Israel (the events of which “were written for our admonition”), they resemble, in some respects, the course of all God’s servants through the present world to “the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” “Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?” (Psa 56:8). Regarded generally they were a scene of

1. Bitter hostility. “Saul sought him every day.” And so long as the servants of the great King are “in the world” they are objects of the hatred and opposition of “the prince of this world” and “the children of disobedience” (Eph 2:2; Gal 1:4), because “they are not of the world.” The hostility which is directed against them is unreasonable and unrighteous, but real and deep; sometimes fierce and violent, and never ceases.

2. Outward distress. David was hunted like “a partridge on the mountains” (1Sa 26:20), “wandered in deserts and mountains and caves of the earth,” sometimes (like the Son of man) “had not where to lay his head,” suffered hunger and thirst and continual hardship, was separated from “lover and friend,” and lived in the midst of extreme peril. Others are more highly favoured, but none can escape the ordinary sorrows of life; some are “greatly afflicted,” and not a few suffer reproach and persecution for Christ’s sake. “We must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God” (Act 14:22).

3. Inward conflict, temptation, care, depression, grief, and fear, such as are described in the psalms which refer to David’s wanderings, and are full of imagery derived therefrom. “His sanctified genius did not give forth its perfect fragrance till it was bruised in God’s chastening hand. It was the storm of affliction that awoke the full harmonies of David’s harp” (Binnie). And these are echoed in the experience of the servants of God in every age.

4. Divine protection and instruction, by means of providential occurrences, the prophetic word, and the inward teaching of the Holy Spirit. “God delivered him not into his hand.” “Out of these great experiences in David’s sorrowful life of the grace and power, wisdom and justice, mercy and goodness of God, was developed in him, and through him in his people, that intelligence of faith and theological knowledge which we see in the Psalms and the prophetical writings” (Erdmann). And still higher privileges than of old are near conferred on the people of God.

5. Sacred devotion. His harp was his constant companion in his wanderings, and mingling with its tones in every place, his voice rose up to God in prayer and praise, making every place a temple.

“Serene he sits and sweeps the golden lyre,
And blends the prophet’s with the poet’s fire.
See with what art he strikes the vocal strings,
The God, his theme, inspiring what he sings” (Lowth).

“Whether it be the Divine excellences, or the deep-toned voice of penitence, or the longing of the soul after God, the rejoicing in the light of his countenance, or thanksgiving for his mercies, in short, every emotion of the renewed heart finds adequate expression in the Book of Psalms” (J. Duncan). It is “the poetry of friendship between God and man” (Herder).

6. Active service. For during his wanderings he was called to render special service (verse 2), and in the latter part of them continually afforded protection to his people (1Sa 25:16). “None of us liveth to himself.” We are the Lord’s servants, and must serve him in faithful and diligent labour on behalf of others.

7. Necessary preparation for future service, honour, and joy.

“Oh spread thy covering wings around,

Till all our wanderings cease,

And at our Father’s loved abode

Our souls arrive in peace.”D.

1Sa 23:15-18. (HORESH, in the wilderness, of. Ziph.)

The benefit of true friendship.

“And Jonathan strengthened his hand in God (1Sa 23:16). The friendship of Jonathan for David hero stands in contrast not only to the hatred of Saul, but also to the ingratitude of the citizens of Keilah, and the treachery of the Ziphites (1Sa 23:19). The benefit of it, which had been long enjoyed by David, was even more fully than ever experienced by him now, when he left Keilah with his 600 men, wandered hither and thither, and “abode in a mountain (Hachilah) in the wilderness of Ziph.” He was exposed to the persecution of Saul, who sought to destroy him by every means in his power (1Sa 23:14), driven from one stronghold to another, able to procure only a precarious subsistence, anxious, fearful, and sometimes ready to sink in doubt and despondency. “Just at this moment Jonathan, as though led by God made his way to him in the thickets of the forest (literally, Horesh), and consoled him as if with words and promises from God himself” (Ewald). He did not accompany the force in pursuit of David (1Sa 23:15), but came from Gibeah. His peculiar and trying position made it impossible for him to do more for his friend than hold this secret interview with him, without altogether breaking with his royal father, and openly incurring the charge of disobedience and rebellion. Never was friendship more faithfully shown; never did it render more valuable service. Well might the blind man, when asked what he thought the sun was like, reply, “Like friendship.” Its benefit, as received by David, was

I. OPPORTUNE. “A friend loveth at all times;” but his kindly offices are peculiarly grateful and beneficial in a time of need; as, e.g; in

1. Physical distress, affliction, homelessness, privation, peril of liberty or life.

2. Mental anxiety, loneliness, discouragement, depression, when the

“Light is low,
When the blood creeps, and the nerves prick
And tingle; and the heart is sick,

And all the wheels of Being slow.”

3. Spiritual trial, temptation, failing faith hope and patience; in view of the prosperity of the wicked, the patience of Heaven, the delay of promised good. At such a time how unspeakably precious is a true friend! His countenance is like sunshine breaking through thick clouds. “Friendship is the only point in human affairs concerning the benefit of which all with one voice agree. There is nothing so suited to our nature, so well adapted to prosperity or adversity. I am not aware whether, with the exception of wisdom, anything better has been bestowed on man by the immortal gods. And they seem to take away the sun from the world who withdraw friendship from life” (Cicero). “Refuge failed,” etc. (Psa 142:4; Mat 26:40, Mat 26:56).

II. ADAPTED to the most pressing need. “And strengthened his hand in God, i.e. strengthened his heart not by supplies, or by money, or any subsidy of that kind, but by consolation drawn from his innocence and the promises of God” (Keil). “Exhorted him to put confidence in God” (Dathe). He strengthened him by

1. His genial presence, especially since his visit was expressive of his fidelity, confidence, and sympathy, and made with much effort, self-denial, and risk. “They that fear thee will be glad when they see me” (Psa 119:74; Pro 27:17). “Whom when Paul saw,” etc. (Act 28:15; 2Co 7:7). “When I ask myself whence it is that I feel this joy, this ease, this serenity when I see himit is because it is he, it is because it is I, I answer; and that is all that I can say” (Montaigne).

2. His encouraging words. “Fear not” (” the keynote of Jonathan’s address”), etc; in which he assured him of

(1) Preservation from threatening danger, doubtless pointing him to the Divine protection.

(2) Exaltation to the highest dignity: “Thou wilt be king over Israel;” pointing him to the Divine purpose, which had been plainly declared, and could not fail to be fulfilled. He had already intimated (1Sa 20:15), and now explicitly asserted, his faith in that purpose. What ground was there for David s fear?

(3) His anticipation of continued and intimate association with him when he should sit on the throne, all claim to which he willingly renounced for his sake, and in obedience to the will of God.

(4) The conviction of Saul himself that he would prevail. If Saul believed it, why should David doubt? What more he said is not recorded. But this was admirably adapted to strengthen his heart and hand. “It is difficult to form an adequate conception of the courage, the spiritual faith, and the moral grandeur of this act. Never did man more completely clear himself from all complicity in guilt than Jonathan from that of his father. And yet not an undutiful word escaped the lips of this brave man” (Edersheim).

3. His renewed covenant with him (1Sa 18:3; 1Sa 20:16, 1Sa 20:17, 1Sa 20:42), in which, whilst he pledged his own faithful love and service, he drew forth the expression of his faith in his future destiny as well as of his fidelity to himself and his house: and both appealed to God as witness. The intercourse of friends is peculiarly beneficial when it is sanctified by their common recognition of the presence of God, and their common devotion to his will. “Next to the immediate guidance of God by his Spirit, the counsel and encouragement of virtuous and enlightened friends afford the most powerful aid in the encounter of temptation and in the career of duty.” It was the last time David and Jonathan met.

“O heart of fire! misjudged by wilful man,

Thou flower of Jesse’s race!

What woe was thine, when thou and Jonathan

Last greeted face to face!

He doomed to die, thou on us to impress
The portent of a bloodstained holiness”

(‘Lyra Apostolica’).

III. ENDURING. The influence of their meeting continued long afterwards, and produced abundant fruit (1Sa 24:7; 1Sa 26:9). “The pleasures resulting from the mutual attachment of kindred spirits are by no means confined to the moments of personal intercourse; they diffuse their odours, though more faintly, through the seasons of absence, refreshing and exhilarating the mind by the remembrance of the past and the anticipation of the future. It is a treasure possessed when it is not employed; a reserve of strength, ready to be called into action when most needed; a fountain of sweets, to which we may continually repair, whose waters are inexhaustible” (R. Hall). “If the converse of one friend, at one interview, gives comfort and strengthens our hearts, what may not be expected from the continual supports, daily visits, and powerful love of the Saviour of sinners, the covenanted Friend of believers!” (Scott).D.

1Sa 23:19-23. (THE HILL OF HACHILAH.)

Treachery.

One of the most painful of the afflictions of David (suspicion, hatred, calumny, ingratitude, etc.) was treachery, such as he experienced at the hands of some of the people of Ziph. They were men of his own tribe, had witnessed his deliverance of Keilah from the common enemy, were acquainted with his character and relations with Saul, and might have been expected to sympathise with him when he sought refuge in their territory. But “those who should have rallied around him were his enemies and betrayers.” They had “a panoramic view of the country from Tell-Zif, and could see from thence David’s men moving about in the desert;” went and informed the king that he was hiding himself “in strongholds in the wood (Horesh), in the hill of Hachilah (south of Tell-Zif, which is four miles southeast of Hebron), on the right hand of the desert;” urged him to come down and accomplish his desire, and promised to deliver David into his hand. This new affliction came upon him almost immediately after he had been encouraged by the visit of Jonathan, and in it we see

I. AN EXHIBITION OF HUMAN DEPRAVITY. There can be no doubt, after what had taken place, about the motives by which they were actuated. Underneath their apparent “compassion” for Saul (1Sa 23:21) lay hatred of David, aversion to his principles, and the “evil heart of unbelief, departing from the living God,” which exists in all ages, and manifests itself in an endless variety of ways (Psa 14:1-7.; Rom 3:10; Heb 3:12). It appears in

1. Unfeeling faithlessness; indifference to the claims of close relationship, superior worth, and valuable service; deficiency of compassion for the needy and unjustly persecuted; voluntary misuse of advantages, and abuse of trust.

2. Subtle selfishness, making some temporal good its chief aim; for its sake doing injury to others, eagerly seeking the favour of the wealthy and powerful, and disguising itself under professions of loyalty and public service; running “greedily after the error of Balaam for reward” (Jud 11; Mat 26:14, Mat 26:15).

3. Ungodly zeal. Any one at that time in Israel who feared God more than man could not lend himself to be made a tool of Saul’s blind fury. God had already manifestly enough acknowledged David” (Delitzsch). Saul knew that it was the purpose of God that David should be king (1Sa 23:17), notwithstanding his pious language (1Sa 23:21), and the men of Ziph participated with him in his endeavour to defeat that purpose. Their character is described in Psa 54:1-7; ‘The Divine Helper against ungodly adversaries’ (see inscription):

“O God, by thy name save me,
And in thy might judge my cause.
For strangers have risen up against me,
And violent men have sought after my life;
They have not set God before them.”

They were strangers “not by birth or nation, but as to religion, virtue, compassion, and humanity” (Chandler); and in calling them such “there is a bitter emphasis as well as a gleam of insight into the spiritual character of the true Israel” (Rom 2:28, Rom 2:29; Rom 9:6).

II. AN EXPERIENCE OF SEVERE TRIAL often endured by good men, who “for righteousness’ sake” are betrayed by false friends, and even those “of their own household” (Mat 10:36), in whom they have put confidence. The trial

1. Causes intense suffering; grieves more than the loss of earthly possessions, and inflicts a deeper wound than a sword (Psa 55:12).

2. Becomes an occasion of strong temptation; to indulge a spirit of revenge, to doubt the sincerity of others, to refrain from endeavour for the general good as undeserved and vain (Psa 116:11). But when regarded aright

3. Constrains to fervent prayer and renewed confidence in the eternal and faithful Friend.

“O God, hear my prayer;
Give ear to the words of my mouth.
Behold, God is my Helper,
The Lord is the Upholder of my soul”

(Psa 54:2, Psa 54:4).

III. A FORESHADOWING OF MESSIAH‘S SUFFERINGS, for the afflictions of David on the way to the throne of Israel were ordained to be a type of “the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” “He came unto his own, and his own received him not,” was persecuted by the rulers of the nation, and, after escaping many treacherous designs of his enemies, was betrayed by Judas (the only Judaean among the twelve) “into the hands of sinners.” And his betrayal was necessary to

1. The completeness of his experience as the chief of sufferers.

2. The setting forth of his example of spotless holiness and quenchless love.

3. The perfection of his sympathy as the Succourer of the tempted. “It became him,” etc. (Heb 2:10, Heb 2:18). “The end of Christ’s incarnation was that he might draw up into his own experience all the woes and temptations of humanity, to draw around him all the swathings of our imperfect nature, and make our wants his own, till not a cry could go up from it which had not first come into his own consciousness” (Sears).D.

1Sa 23:24-28. (THE WILDERNESS OF MAON.)

A marvellous escape.

“Therefore they called that place Sela-hammahlekoth”the cliff of separations (1Sa 23:28). It seemed as if at length Saul was about to accomplish his purpose. Led by the treacherous Ziphites, he went down to the hill of Hachilah, from which David had withdrawn to “the wilderness of Maon, in the plain on the south of the desert.” In his further pursuit (1Sa 23:25) there was but a short distance between themSaul standing on a ridge of Hachilah, David on a rock or precipice in Maon; but a deep chasm separated them from each other. And when “Saul and his men were encircling David and his men to seize them, and David was sore troubled to escape” (1Sa 23:26), “there came a messenger unto Saul, saying, Haste thee, and come; for the Philistines have invaded the land.” Thus his purpose was suddenly and effectually defeated. The escape of David suggests, concerning the dealings of God with his servants, that

I. HE SOMETIMES SUFFERS THEM TO BE REDUCED TO SEVERE STRAITS. Danger is imminent, the enemy exults, their own wisdom and strength are unavailing, and they are full of anxiety and dread. They have no resource but to betake themselves to “the Rock of Israel;” if he should fail them they are lost; and it is to constrain them to seek refuge in him that they are beaten off from every other (see 1Sa 7:12).

II. HE NEVER SUFFERS THEM TO CONTINUE THEREIN WITHOUT HELP. Although the space that separates them from destruction be narrow, it is impassable; for the invisible hand of God is there, and the enemy cannot go a step further than he permits. “He shall cover thee with his feathers,” etc. (Psa 91:4). Sometimes nothing more can be done than to “stand still and see the salvation of the Lord;” if an effort to escape must be made, it is still he who saves, and to him we must ever look in faith and prayer. “What doth not prayer overcome and conquer? What doth not resistance drive back when accompanied by distrust of self and trust in God? And in what battle can he be conquered who stands in the presence of God with an earnest resolve to please him?” (Scupoli). “When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back,” etc. (Psa 56:9).

III. HE OFTEN DELIVERS THEM AT THE MOMENT OF THEIR GREATEST PERIL. He does so both in temporal calamity and in spiritual trouble, labour and conflict. At the point of despair deliverance comes (Mic 7:8). And thereby his interposition is rendered more apparent, the designs of the enemy are more signally frustrated, and the gratitude of his servants is more fully excited. “David was delivered at the last hour, it is true; but this never strikes too late for the Lord to furnish in it a proof to those that trust in him that his word is yea and amen when it says, ‘I will never leave thee nor forsake thee'” (Krummacher).

IV. HE MAKES USE OF VARIOUS AND UNEXPECTED MEANS FOR THEIR DELIVERANCE (1Sa 23:27). Who could have predicted the arrival of such a message? The incursion of the Philistines was the natural result of the course pursued by Saul in levying war (1Sa 23:8), going out to seek the life of David (1Sa 23:15), and leaving the country unprotected; but the message came at the opportune moment by the overruling providence of God. His resources are boundless; he employs his enemies for the preservation of his friends, diverts their attention to other objects, and impels them to spend their strength in conflict with each other. “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations” (2Pe 2:9).

V. HIS INTERPOSITION ON THEIR BEHALF SHOULD BE GRATEFULLY RECORDED; as it was in the name which was given to the spot, and still more fully in the psalm ending

“With willing mind will I sacrifice unto thee;
I will give thanks to thy name, O Jehovah, for it is good.
For out of all distress hath he delivered me,
And upon mine enemies hath mine eye seen its desire”

(Psalm 54:8, 9).D.

HOMILIES BY D. FRASER

1Sa 23:16-18

Sweet counsel in time of need.

I. THE DISCOURAGEMENT OF DAVID. The citizens of Keilah, after he had with his good sword delivered them from the Philistine marauders, were so ungrateful, perhaps so much afraid of sharing the fate of the city of Nob at the hand of Saul, that they were ready to betray the son of Jesse and surrender him to the king. From this danger he no sooner escaped than the people of Ziphthough he did not compromise them by entering their town, but eneamped in a woodwere not only willing, but eager, to reveal his hiding place. And the pursuit was hot. “Saul sought him every day.” To add to the danger, David had with him 600 armed mentoo many to be easily concealed, but too few to encounter the force which Saul led against him, and which was numbered by thousands. It was therefore a critical time for David; and his poetic, sensitive nature felt the ingratitude and injustice more keenly than he dreaded the actual peril, so that he began to be quite chagrined and disheartened. The Apostle Paul had a similar tendency to depression. He felt ingratitude and calumny most acute]y, and was more cast down by these than by any of the physical sufferings and mortal risks that befell him. But Paul was like David too in his quick susceptibility to words of kindness, and in drawing strength from fellowship with congenial minds.

II. THE FRIEND IN TIME OF NEED. St. Paul tells, “When we were come into Macedonia, our flesh had no rest, but we were troubled on every side; without were fightings, within were fears. Nevertheless God, who comforteth those that are cast down, comforted us by the coming of Titus.” In like manner did God comfort David amidst fightings and fears by the coming of Jonathan. This noble-minded prince cheered the fugitive in the forest of Ziph

1. By showing to him a generous human affection. This was love indeed, which clave to David in exile as closely as ever it had done when he was in the sunshine of public favour, and which was willing to run great risks for the delight of clasping hand in hand and talking face to face. Here was genuine friendship, which is perhaps more rare than love. Cynics point out that the celebrated friendships, as of David and Jonathan in the Bible, and Damon and Pythias the Pythagoreans in Greek story, belong to “the heroic and simple period of the world;” and they allege that these cannot be reproduced in the sophisticated society of modern times. There is something in this, though it is not absolutely true. The tone of “In Memoriam” may be too intense for most of us, but it is not incomprehensible. That is a rare and lofty friendship which prefers another in honour above ourselves. From the early days of David’s promotion Jonathan augured his advancement to the throne, and took generous delight in the prospect. He still retained and openly expressed the same feeling. David would be king, and he, his friend and brother, would share his joy and stand at his right hand. It was not to be so. But we see David, when established on the throne, looking, if we may so speak, for Jonathan. “And David said, Is there yet any that is left of the house of Saul, that I may show him kindness for Jonathan’s sake?” (2Sa 9:1).

2. By lifting his thoughts to God. It was not possible or proper for Jonathan to levy troops and lead them to the help of his friend against the king his father. But he did what he could, and did the best thing possible in such a case, when he animated the faith, and hope of David in the promise and providence of God. He referred to the Divine purpose as no secret, but revealed, and known to Saul himself, though he struggled against it. The counsel of the Lord must stand. How could David doubt it? But David did sometimes doubt and fear, and he is not alone in the weakness. Sarah had the promise of God that her son should be Abraham’s heir and successor, and yet she was uneasy lest he should be dispossessed or hurt by the son of Hagar. Jacob at Bethel got a promise that he and his posterity would possess the lung on which he lay, yet when he returned to it he was quite alarmed lest Esau should destroy his family and himself. And so also many persons who have eternal life in the gospel and in the sure provision of grace by Christ Jesus grow faint and raise foreboding questions: What if God forget me? What if I perish after all? The best thing that a friend can do for such a doubter is to show him that God cannot lie and cannot be defeated. For his name’s sake he will do as he has said. So one may strengthen the weak hands of another in God.

III. THOUGHTS SUGGESTED BY THE MEETING IN THE WOOD.

1. The value of an early friendship in the fear of God. It is in youth that the strongest friendships are formed, and permit interchanges of criticism and correction that are not so palatable when years have increased our reserve, and perhaps our obstinacy. This is especially true of the moral and religious aspect and use of friendship. Old men, even when they are on terms of cordial personal regard, do not easily exchange spiritual confidences. But young friends can do so; and never do they put the bond between them to better use than when they warn each other of moral risks and snares, and encourage one another to trust in God.

2. The great part which secondary personages in history may play. David takes a primary or front place in sacred story; but he was much indebted to the kindly help of others who take a less conspicuous ranke.g; Jonathan encouraging him in the wood, and Abigail turning him back from hasty bloodshedding. Again we pass on in thought to the Apostle Paul, who fills a very high place in the Christian annals, but was much helped by men and women in quite a secondary position. Himself tells us so, joyfully acknowledging his obligation to such as Aquila and Priscilla, Mary, Urbane, Timothy, Epaphroditus, John Mark, Luke, and Aristarchus. These Christians did direct work for the Lord; but perhaps did their best piece of service when they helped Paul, and encouraged his hand in God. So is it at all times with the greatest men in both Church and State. They owe much to others who are far less known than themselves, if known at all. A sympathetic wife, a faithful friend, a humble helper, quite incapable of taking the conspicuous position or doing the public work, supplies a strengthening, restoring element in hours of discouragement or weariness, and so does much to preserve a notable career from failure. In fact every great man draws up into his thought and work the cogitations of many minds, the desire of many hearts, the faith or fortitude of many spirits; and the efforts and sympathies of many combine in the results which are associated with his name.

3. The uncertainty that friends who part will meet again on earth. “They two made a covenant before the Lord,” and parted, little knowing that each was taking the last look of his friend. Their thoughts were of days to come, when they should not need to meet by stealth. They would be always together by and bytake counsel together fight side by side against the enemies of Israel, do exploits for their nation, and reestablish the worship of Jehovah and the honour of his sanctuary. The elevation of one would be the elevation of both; and the spirit of jealousy which now darkened the court and the kingdom would give place to generous confidence and love. So they proposed; but God disposed otherwise. Jonathan never saw David again. Death broke their “fair companionship,” and the elevation of David was bedewed with tender sorrow for his friend, “the comrade of his choice, the human-hearted man he loved.” There is one Friend, only one, from whom we cannot be severed. Oh, what a Friend we have in Jesus! especially helpful to us in cloudy days and seasons of distress. He comes to us when we are in the wood, perplexed, embarrassed, cast down. Let us tell all our straits and misgivings to him. This Friend will never die. And not even our death can break the friendship or separate us from the love of Christ.F.

Fuente: The Complete Pulpit Commentary

1Sa 23:14. In the wilderness of Ziph This mountainous wilderness was within the precincts of the tribe of Judah, (for there, as it was natural, David thought himself most in safety,) and upon the confines of Edom; Jos 15:24. It is supposed to have had its name from the Hebrew word zepheth, pitch, with which it is said to have abounded. This is the more probable, if it was situate, as some place it, on the borders of the Asphaltick lake. It was not far from Maon and Carmel, 1Sa 23:25 chap. 1Sa 25:5.

Fuente: Commentary on the Holy Bible by Thomas Coke

(14) And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand. (15) And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was in the wilderness of Ziph in a wood.

Every day Saul sought to accomplish his purposes, and every day, the Lord as often delivered his servant. Such are the Lord’s deliverances to all his people. Oh! how precious would it be to the souls of the faithful, if they every day lived, kept house, and feasted upon this; for the truth is certain; the Lord himself saith, I, the Lord, do keep it; will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day. Isa 27:3 .

Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

1Sa 23:14 And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God delivered him not into his hand.

Ver. 14. In the wilderness of Ziph. ] Which was the name of a city: so called, belike, from the plenty of pitch there. Zepheth signifieth pitch. Exo 2:3 Isa 34:9

And Saul sought him every day. ] So desperately bent was he to destroy him: being herein like the scorpion, whereof Pliny saith that there is not one minute of time wherein it doth not put forth the sting desirous to do harm. Or rather like the devil, whose malice to mankind is incessant and unsatisfiable.

Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)

mountain = hill country.

Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics

a mountain: Psa 11:1-3

the wilderness: Ziph is mentioned in Joshua with Carmel and Maon, near which it seems to have been situated; and as we have mention of Carmel and Maon in the history of David, as adjoining to Ziph, it cannot be doubted that by the Ziph, in the wilderness of which David now lay, and where was the hill of Hachilah, is to be understood Ziph near Carmel and Maon. Jos 15:24, Jos 15:55

Saul: 1Sa 27:1, Psa 54:3, Psa 54:4, Pro 1:16, Pro 4:16

but God: 1Sa 23:7, Psa 32:7, Psa 37:32, Psa 37:33, Psa 54:3, Psa 54:4, Pro 21:30, Jer 36:26, Rom 8:31, 2Ti 3:11, 2Ti 4:17, 2Ti 4:18

Reciprocal: Jos 2:16 – Get you 1Sa 24:11 – thou huntest 1Sa 26:8 – God 2Sa 12:7 – I delivered 2Sa 22:1 – and out 1Ch 12:8 – into the hold 2Ch 11:8 – Ziph Eze 33:27 – in the caves Act 12:19 – sought for him

Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

IN PERILS AMONG FALSE BRETHREN

They will deliver thee up. God delivered him not into Sauls hand.

1Sa 23:12; 1Sa 23:14

I. Base ingratitude.The treachery of the people of Keilah was like that of Judas. David had risked his life to save the town from the Philistines. Notwithstanding the danger he was already in from Saul, and against the earnest protest of his men not to endanger himself further with warring with the Philistines, he generously went to the rescue of the helpless inhabitants of Keilah. One would naturally suppose that their gratitude would be such that they would, in turn, have defended him against Saul. But evidently they had no sense of honour. They would do the thing they thought best for their own self-interest.

Saul was coming with a great army. It seemed likely that David and his few men would be taken, anyway; and the people of Keilah probably expected to gain favour, and possibly a reward from the king. Had they had faith to believe that only a few more months would pass, and then David would have all power in the land, they would most likely have acted differently. Keilah and Judas are not the only ones who, for the hope of worldly favour or gain, have betrayed the rightful King. In business and social life there come, almost every day, opportunities to stand for Christ against His enemies; but how often, from fear of man, or in the hope of gaining favour or making money, a child of God will, like a coward, betray his Lord by an act, or by a laugh, or by silence when he should speak, notwithstanding the fact that Christ has given His life to save us from our great enemy.

II. David and Saul: a contrast.Davids reliance upon Gods guidance, and his confidence in Gods help, are in sharp contrast to the empty profession of religiousness which Saul constantly assumed. David would not smite the Philistines without ascertaining whether it was Gods will (1Sa 23:2). He would not leave Keilah on his own judgment, but inquired what was the Lords mind about it (vv. 911). When the Ziphites were about to disclose his lurking place, he sings: Save me, O God! by Thy Name. Behold! God is my helper. For He hath delivered me out of all trouble (Psalms 54).

But observe, in contrast, Sauls words to the Ziphites: Blessed be ye of the Lord, for ye have had compassion upon me (v. 21). Where God is unable to help us is in paths of our own choosing. But it is impossible to walk with Him and fall into the hands of Saul. Saul may seek us every day, and false friends, as the Ziphites, play into his hands, but we may say, as David did at this time (Psalms 54), that God is with them that uphold our souls, and that His Name is good.

III. But amid all the outward strife God provides for us, as He did for David, some Jonathan, some rill of human love, some sweet friendship or brotherhood.Ah! this is the use of a friend, to strengthen our hands in God, to whisper words of hope, to enter into covenant with us. And this is what that Best of Friends does, Who discovers us in the deepest, thickest woods, and whispers His Fear not. There is no soul so lonely or desolate with whom Jesus will not enter into covenant and pour in the oil of His comfort and the wine of His love.

Illustrations

(1) A wanderers life was this in very deed! Yet here, amid the rocks and caves of Judah, David wrote many of his most helpful Psalms. The whole Church is richer for these days of trial; and here is the clue to much that we cannot understand of the meaning of pain. We have to learn in suffering what we teach in song. But amid his wanderings how closely David walked with God! Before starting on his expeditions he carefully, and more than once, inquired of God, through the mysterious Urim and Thummin which Abiathar had brought with him. And when once a man gets into this blessed habit he may rely on Gods deliverances.

(2) That the men of Keilah, suffering from plundering bands of Philistines, should have sought help from David rather than from Saul indicates his standing before the people and the service rendered to the country by his band of armed men. It astonishes us that Keilah, saved by David, is so ungrateful as to consent to surrender him to the power of Saul. The fact gives us a new sense of the trials incident to this period of Davids history. He owed his safety to the forewarnings of danger which he obtained from the Lord, at one time through the prophet Gad; at other times through the priests with the linen ephod.

Fuente: Church Pulpit Commentary

23:14 And David abode in the wilderness in strong holds, and remained in a mountain in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every day, but God {e} delivered him not into his hand.

(e) No power nor policy can prevail against God’s children, but when he appoints the time.

Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes

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