Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of 1 Samuel 23:7
And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.
7 15. The treachery of the Keilites
7. hath delivered him ] Lit. hath rejected him and delivered him. So blind was Saul as to imagine that it was not himself but David whom God had rejected. The Sept. reads “sold.”
a town, &c.] A city. It may have been one of the old Canaanite fortresses (see on Jos 11:13), or have been fortified as an outpost against the Philistines.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
He easily believed what he greedily desired, though his own experience had oft showed him how strangely God had delivered him out of his hands, and what a singular care God had over him.
For he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars; so that which he chose for his safety will be his certain ruin.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
7. it was told Saul that David wascome to KeilahSaul imagined himself now certain of his victim,who would be hemmed within a fortified town. The wish was father tothe thought. How wonderfully slow and unwilling to be convinced byall his experience, that the special protection of Providenceshielded David from all his snares!
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah,…. No doubt it was told him what he came thither for, to relieve it, and deliver it out of the hands of the Philistines, and what success he had; which one would have thought would have reconciled his mind to him, and made him think well of them; but instead of that, it only led him to contrive mischief against him:
and Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; as if the success he had given to David was against, him, and in favour of Saul:
for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars; while he betook himself to caves, and fields, and woods, he had no great hopes of finding him out, and coming up with him, and seizing him; but now he had got into a fortified place, enclosed with walls, and that had gates to it, kept bolted and barred; when he brought his army against it, and surrounded it, he imagined he would not be able to get out, and escape his hands.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
| David Escapes from Keilah. | B. C. 1057. |
7 And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars. 8 And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. 9 And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod. 10 Then said David, O LORD God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake. 11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O LORD God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the LORD said, He will come down. 12 Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the LORD said, They will deliver thee up. 13 Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.
Here is, I. Saul contriving within himself the destruction of David (1Sa 23:7; 1Sa 23:8): He heard that he had come to Keilah; and did he not hear what brought him thither? Was it not told him that he had bravely relieved Keilah and delivered it out of the hands of the Philistines? This, one would think, should have put Saul upon considering what honour and dignity should be done to David for this. But, instead of that, he catches at it as an opportunity of doing David a mischief. An ungrateful wretch he was, and for ever unworthy to have any service or kindness done him. Well might David complain of his enemies that they rewarded him evil for good, and that for his love they ere his adversaries, Psa 35:12; Psa 109:4. Christ was used thus basely, John x. 32. Now observe, 1. How Saul abused the God of Israel, in making his providence to patronise and give countenance to his malicious designs, and thence promising himself success in them: God hath delivered him into my hand; as if he who was rejected of God were in this instance owned and favoured by him, and David infatuated. He vainly triumphs before the victory, forgetting how often he had had fairer advantages against David than he had now and had yet missed his aim. He impiously connects God with his cause, because he thought he had gained one point. Therefore David prays (Ps. cxl. 8), Grant not, O Lord! the desires of the wicked; further not his wicked device, lest they exalt themselves. We must not think that one smiling providence either justifies an unrighteous cause or secures its success. 2. How Saul abused the Israel of God, in making them the servants of his malice against David. He called all the people together to war, and they must with all speed march to Keilah, pretending to oppose the Philistines, but intending to besiege David and his men, though concealing that design; for it is said (v. 9) that he secretly practised mischief against him. Miserable is that people whose prince is a tyrant, for, while some are sufferers by his tyranny, others (which is worse) are made servants to it and instruments of it.
II. David consulting with God concerning his own preservation. He knew by the information bought him that Saul was plotting his ruin (v. 9) and therefore applied to his great protector for direction. No sooner is the ephod brought to him than he makes use of it: Bring hither the ephod. We have the scriptures, those lively oracles, in our hands; let us take advice from them in doubtful cases. “Bring hither the Bible.”
1. David’s address to God upon this occasion is, (1.) Very solemn and reverent. Twice he calls God the Lord God of Israel, and thrice calls himself his servant,1Sa 23:10; 1Sa 23:11. Those that address God must know their distance, and who they are speaking to. (2.) Very particular and express. His representation of the case is so (v. 10): “Thy servant has certainly heard on good authority” (for he would not call for the ephod upon every idle rumour) “that Saul has a design upon Keilah;” he does not say, “to destroy me,” but, “to destroy the city” (as he had lately done the city of Nob) “for my sake.” He seems more solicitous for their safety than for his own, and will expose himself any where rather than they shall be brought into trouble by his being among them. Generous souls are thus minded. His queries upon the case are likewise very particular. God allows us to be so in our addresses to him: “Lord, direct me in this matter, about which I am now at a loss.” He does indeed invert the due order of his queries, but God in his answer puts him into method. That question should have been put first, and was first answered, “Will Saul come down, as thy servant has heard?” “Yea,” says the oracle, “he will come down; he has resolved it, is preparing for it, and will do it, unless he hear that thou hast quitted the town.” “Well, but if he do come down will the men of Keilah stand by me in holding the city against him, or will they open to him the gates, and deliver me into his hand?” If he had asked the men (the magistrates or elders) of Keilah themselves what they would do in that case, they could not have told him, not knowing their own minds, nor what they should do when it came to the trial, much less which way the superior vote of their council would carry it; or they might have told him they would protect him, and yet afterwards have betrayed him; but God could tell him infallibly: “When Saul besieges their city, and demands of them that they surrender thee into his hands, how fond soever they now seem of thee, as their saviour, they will deliver thee up rather than stand the shock of Saul’s fury.” Note, [1.] God knows all men better than they know themselves, knows their length, their strength, what is in them, and what they will do if they come into such and such circumstances. [2.] He therefore knows not only what will be, but what would be if it were not prevented; and therefore knows how to deliver the godly out of temptation, and how to render to every man according to his works.
2. David, having thus far notice given him of his danger, quitted Keilah, v. 13. His followers had now increased in number to 600; with these he went out, not knowing whither he went, but resolving to follow Providence and put himself under its protection. This broke Saul’s measures. He thought God had delivered David into his hand, but it proved that God delivered him out of his hand, as a bird out of the snare of the fowler. When Saul heard that David had escaped from Keilah, he forbore to go forth with the body of the army, as he intended (v. 8), and resolved to take only his own guards, and go in quest of his people’s enemies and turn their counsels head-long.
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary
CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES
1Sa. 23:9-12. It is evident from these verses that when the will of God was sought through the Urim and Thummim, the person making the inquiry placed the matter before God in prayer, and received an answerbut always to one particular question. For when David had asked the two questions given in 1Sa. 22:11, he received the answer to the second question only, and had to ask the first again. (Keil.)
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH1Sa. 23:7-12
SAUL MARCHES AGAINST KEILAH TO SEIZE DAVID
I. Men often put a false interpretation upon circumstances. Saul never made a greater mistake than when he said of David in Keilah, God hath delivered him into mine hand. If this was indeed his belief, it shows us how very greatly men may err in their interpretation of the events of Providence, and how far they may be from a right conception of the light in which God regards both their character and their actions. It seems impossible that Saul could either have misunderstood or forgotten the word of the Lord delivered to him by Samuel; and yet he here speaks as though his pursuit of David was undertaken with the Divine approval, and puts an entirely false meaning upon his present position. When men misinterpret human language, they do so either through ignorance or wilfulness. A man who is but imperfectly acquainted with a language may put a false construction on words spoken or written, and so come to a false conclusion as to the intention of the speaker or writer. So sometimes men, through ignorance, misread Gods providential dealings. Jobs friends entirely misinterpreted the circumstances in which they found the patriarch, concluding that his afflictions were to punish his sin when they were to develop and strengthen his godliness; and other men, who have had no revelation from God, have often doubtless erred in like manner. But by far the most destructive and the greater number of such misinterpretations arise not from ignorance but from wilfulness, as was certainly the case with Saul at this time. Such a wilful mistake was made by the Egyptian host at the Red Sea, when they said of Israel They are entangled in the land, the wilderness hath shut them in. The miracles of judgment which had just been wrought in the land of Egypt spoke concerning the character and purposes of the Lord God of the Hebrews in language which could only be wilfully misinterpreted, and hence they had only themselves to blame for their destruction. But such misreadings of Gods providential dealings have not been confined to Old Testament times. We need not wonder that they have been abundant in the history of the Christian Church, when we remember how men misinterpreted the death of Him who founded it, and concluded, when they saw Him hanging upon the cross, that Himself He could not save.
II. For a good man in such circumstances there is always a final court of appeal. A child when misjudged or perplexed goes to his father for a verdict or an explanation concerning that which troubles him. To his young mind the wisdom and the goodness resident in his parent constitute him the judge in all disputes, and the one who can solve all difficulties. Every good man thus instinctively turns to God when a wrong interpretation is put either upon his character or his circumstance, or upon both. Conscious of his own sincerity, and fully persuaded, even in the midst of his perplexities, of the wisdom and righteousness of his Heavenly Father, he looks heavenward for help and guidance when every human support fails him. Even Job, amid the terrible storm of afflictions which drew from him many expressions of impatience, and some which seem to impugn the justice of the Most High, ever and anon turns from the charges and expostulations of his mistaken human friends to Him whom he feels in his inmost soul is the final court of appeal, and the only Judge to whom he can safely commit his cause. So David here, perplexed no doubt by the providence which seemed to grow darker at every step, and pained at the ingratitude of the men upon whose gratitude and friendship he must surely have counted, turns again and again to his Father in heaven, and by his appeals and inquiries shows that, although the waves and the billows of adversity are all around him, his faith has not lost her hold, and that he can still hear the voice of the Lord upon the waters, and see Him sitting on the flood (Psalms 29).
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
The men of Keilah were neither chivalrous nor grateful. They regarded their own interests as supreme. Like many in our own day, they might profess to aim after the greatest happiness of the greatest number, but when you came to analyse their views, you would find that with them, to use the words of Joseph Hume, the greatest number was number one! It was not for their advantage to serve David, and they did not serve him; and I am free to say that all my observation and experience convince me that a large proportion of the present generation would have done as they were willing to do. Of course that does not excuse them, but it should make us cautious as to what we say in their condemnation, lest, haply, we may some day be judged out of our own mouths. Gratitude, chivalry, enthusiasm for the cause of the wrongedwhat are these words in the mouths of many to-day but words? they sound well, and they are very fine so long as they cost nothing; but let adherence to them put property or life in peril, and too many would cling to the property and the life, and let the others go. Ye who condemn the inhabitants of Keilah because they were willing to betray David, how long would you show gratitude at the risk of the loss of all things? It was a disgrace to them that they would not stand by him who had delivered them; but is it anything less to us, when we allow our worldly interests to blind us to the obligations under which we lie to those who befriended us in our time of need? Is it anything less to us when, for the sake of fashion, or fortune, or fame, we turn our backs upon the Christ, who has borne the agony of Gethsemane and Calvary on our behalf? Idolatry of self is as hideous now as it was in Davids time. Let those who are guilty of it, therefore, look here, and, in the pitiful poltroonery of the men of Keilah they will see how mean and contemptible they look.Dr. W. M. Taylor.
1Sa. 23:12. Here is a second inquiry. God loveth to be often sought unto by His praying people (Luk. 18:1), and therefore answereth them by degrees, that He may frequently hear from them. Thus the cloud empties not itself at a sudden burst, but dissolved upon the earth drop after drop. Trapp.
Whereas the Lord answereth, that Saul would come down to Keilah, and that the men of Keilah would deliver David into Sauls hands, and yet neither of these came to pass; hence it cannot be inferred that the predictions of the Lord are uncertain, for the Lords answer is here to be understood conditionally. A difference is here to be made between the prescience of God and the predestination: for the Lord as well seeth what shall be done as what is likely to be done in respect of the second causes; but His decree of predestination is only of those things which shall most certainly be effected.Willet.
The origin of the thirty-first Psalm is to be traced to this period of wandering, although there is nothing contained in the title of it which authorises this supposition. We meet, however, with many passages in the psalm which quite correspond with the circumstances in which David was then placed. The singer begins with the humble but confiding prayer that God would never let him be put to shame (he was so at that time, when the citizens of Keilah would no longer suffer him to dwell amongst them); but that he would deliver him (the guiltless outlaw) in his righteousness. He prays that the Lord would bow down His ear to him, and deliver him speedily, and be a strong rock to him, and a protecting fortress. The imagery here is plainly suggested by the wild scenes of nature which surrounded the singer. He prays that, for his names sake, the Lord would lead him and graciously be near him in the pathless and inhospitable wilderness, and that he would guard his feet from the net which they had laid on all sides to catch him. Into thine hand, he coutinues, I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth, namely, from the violence to which they would surrender me. Moreover, David speaks of himself as one who was forsaken by all the world, and was covered with unmerited reproaches and slanders. He was even guilty of high treason, and had placed himself in opposition to the greatest part of the people, because he was the object of the kings displeasure. Yet he is far from speaking of himself as free from all guilt. He feels himself as a poor sinner before God, and, with a sigh, gives utterance to the prayer, Have mercy upon me, O Lord. Nevertheless he trusted in His mercy whom he confidently called his God; and, after giving praise to the Lord for all the wonderful goodness and the help which he had hitherto vouchsafed to him in his flight, he concludes with this call to his brethren in the faith: O love the Lord, all ye his saints: for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer. Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.Krummacher.
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Davids and Jonathans Meeting. 1Sa. 23:7-18
7 And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.
8 And Saul called all the people together to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men.
9 And David knew that Saul secretly practised mischief against him; and he said to Abiathar the priest, Bring hither the ephod.
10 Then said David, O Lord God of Israel, thy servant hath certainly heard that Saul seeketh to come to Keilah, to destroy the city for my sake.
11 Will the men of Keilah deliver me up into his hand? will Saul come down, as thy servant hath heard? O Lord God of Israel, I beseech thee, tell thy servant. And the Lord said, He will come down.
12 Then said David, Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And the Lord said, They will deliver thee up.
13 Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.
14 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.
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 Sauls 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.
4.
Why did Saul think he could catch David in Keilah? 2.1Sa. 3:7
A man is hard to catch in the open fields. Those who are skilled in guerrilla tactics can slip off into the woods, hide in caves, or literally blend into the landscape. A group of men in a city are easier to catch. Saul evidently thought David had made a tactical mistake in going into a city which had gates and bars. If Saul could only besiege the city, set watchmen at the walls, and block the gates, then it would be impossible for David to escape. Even if Saul could not fight his way into the city, he could lay a siege and starve David and his men until they were forced to surrender.
5.
Why did David call for the ephod? 1Sa. 23:9
If Abiathar brought an ephod to David, he more than likely brought the rest of a high priests wearing apparel. God commanded Moses that he should make a breastplate for the high priest and here were placed the urim and thummim (Exo. 28:30). These items formed the media through which the high priest learned the will of the Lord in regard to any important matters. Josephus identifies the Urim and the Thummim with the sardonyxes on the shoulders of the ephod (Antiquities III, iii, 5). The rabbins indicated that these stones would glow with an unnatural iridescence to indicate the Lords will. If the Lords answer was negative, they would remain dull and dark. Other suggestions are made indicating that there was a golden plate within the folds of the ephod. On this plate were engraved the letters of the sacred name of God. It is suggested that by fixing his gaze on these letters, the priest became capable of prophesying, hearing the divine voice within or listening to it as it proceeded from God. The former suggestion seems more likely, and it was on this account that David called for the ephod. God would give him guidance through the services of the priest.
6.
Did the oracle come true? 1Sa. 23:12
David asked the Lord if the men of Keilah would deliver him up to Sauls hand. God said that they would. He also asked if Saul would come down to fight with him, and the Lord responded that Saul would come down to fight with him. David and his men left Keilah after he made this inquiry of the Lord. There is no record of the men of Keilah delivering David into the hands of Saul for this reason. Some would feel, therefore, that the oracle of the Lord was thwarted by Davids actions. If we understand Davids question to be a conditional question, we would not deny that the oracle came true. Davids question should be understood more as an enquiry as to whether the men of Keilah would deliver him if he stayed there. Of course, if he left then they would not have this opportunity. David was trying to find out if they were grateful for the way in which he had saved them out of the hands of the Philistines. He was making inquiry about their loyalty to him. When he found that their loyalty could not be trusted, he left their area. Furthermore, if the men of Keilah are considered to be a part of the people known as the Ziphites, we learn from the Scripture that these men twice revealed to Saul the hiding place of David in their vicinity. The land of Ziph extended between Carmel and Juttah and included the inhabitants of the highland of Judah. The men of Keilah might well be described as Ziphites. These men did deliver up David.
7.
Why did Davids band increase? 1Sa. 23:13
More and more people were placing their confidence in David. Gad, the prophet, had been sent of God to be with David. Abiathar, the priest, had fled to David after the priests were slaughtered by Saul. In the beginning every one that was distressed, every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented gathered themselves to David. The fact that his band was increasing would indicate that more people were plunging into debt on account of the taxation levied upon them to support the monarchy. More and more people were growing discontented with Saul and his policies. An increasing number of people were distressed over the way in which Saul was pursuing David. All of these joined themselves to David.
8.
Where was Ziph? 1Sa. 23:14
There is a town in the desert or wilderness of Ziph to which David fled. It was a place fortified by Rehoboam at a later date. The location has been preserved in the ruins of Tell Zif, four miles southeast of Hebron. The wilderness of Ziph was that portion of the desert of Judah which was near to and surrounded the town. Generally speaking, it was the highland district of Judah, and would be extending from Carmel on the east to Juttah on the west.
9.
How did Jonathan strengthen Davids hand? 1Sa. 23:16
Jonathans coming to David would in itself encourage him greatly. To see an old friend was a real privilege for a fugitive. Jonathans strengthening of David was primarily in God. One might expect such encouragement to be the function of the prophet or the priest, but the covenant between Jonathan and David had been a sacred vow. The flight of David was even worse than he had anticipated, and Jonathans coming to him gave him a great deal of reassurance. He was strengthened to know that Jonathan had not forgotten. This knowledge would be an immense boost to Davids morale.
10.
How did Jonathan know that David had been anointed king? 1Sa. 23:17
David delivered the men of Keilah (eight and one-half miles northwest of Hebron, Khirbet Kila) from the hands of the Philistines. Saul had proposed to come against the city while David was enclosed therein; but David, led of the Lord, departed and hid in the wilderness of Ziph. To his wilderness retreat came Jonathan. Here he told David that he knew that he was to be king, and he asked only that he himself might have the second place. It by no means follows from the words my father knoweth that Saul knew of Davids being anointed; nor does it follow that Jonathan knew of Davids calling to be king. Jonathan could learn from Davids course this far, and from his fathers own conduct, that David would not be overcome, but would possess the throne after the death of Saul.
Fuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series
(7) God hath delivered him into mine hand.There was little chance, Saul knew, of his being able to capture or slay his foe when he was roaming at large through the desert and forests which lay to the south of Palestine, and which stretched far southward beyond the reach of any armed force that he could collect; but there was a hope of being able to compass his enemys destruction, either through treachery or a hand-to-hand encounter, in a confined space like a city with bars and gates, such as Keilah. Saul and his counsellors knew too well whom they had to deal with in the case of the citizens of that faithless, thankless city. It is strange, after all that had passed, that Saul could delude himself that his cause was the cause of God, and that David was the reprobate and rejected. The Hebrew word here is remarkable: God hath repudiated or rejected him. The LXX. renders sold him (into my hands).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
(7) And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.
I beg the Reader, through the whole history of Saul, to mark with me the progress of sin. He is arrived to that degree of ripeness in iniquity, that now he hath not only thrown off the mask in openly persecuting David, but he dares to join God himself with him as engaged in his cause. Thus, Reader, the apostle tells us, that evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. 2Ti 3:13 .
Fuente: Hawker’s Poor Man’s Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
1Sa 23:7 And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul said, God hath delivered him into mine hand; for he is shut in, by entering into a town that hath gates and bars.
Ver. 7. God hath delivered him into mine hands. ] Thus this “hypocrite flattereth himself in his own eyes, until his iniquity be found to be hateful,” Psa 36:2 and although he standeth in a posture of distance and defiance against God, yet he talketh very confidently of him, as if on his side. So did Rabshakeh, and the Pharisees: and so do the Popish persecutors, beginning their processes against the martyrs with, “In the name of God, Amen,” and taking for their posy these words of the psalmist, “Our help is in the name of the Lord.” “Thou art near in their mouth,” saith the prophet concerning such, “but far from their reins.” Jer 12:2 They are right blackamoors, white nowhere but in the teeth.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
God. Hebrew. Elohim. App-4.
delivered. Hebrew. nakar. A homonym. Compare Deu 32:27, “behave strangely”; Job 34:19, regard or acknowledge. Here = to deliver.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
am 2943, bc 1061, An, Ex, Is 430
God hath: 1Sa 23:14, 1Sa 24:4-6, 1Sa 26:8, 1Sa 26:9, Psa 71:10, Psa 71:11
he is shut: Exo 14:3, Exo 15:9, Jdg 16:2, Jdg 16:3, Job 20:5, Luk 19:43, Luk 19:44
Reciprocal: Num 35:20 – by laying 1Sa 23:12 – They will 1Sa 24:18 – Lord 2Sa 12:7 – I delivered 2Ch 13:16 – God delivered Psa 31:21 – strong city Psa 37:12 – General Isa 19:4 – give over
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
1Sa 23:7. Saul said, God hath delivered him into my hand David, who judged of other mens generosity by his own, hoped he should be protected in Keilah; and Saul, who judged in the same manner of their baseness, believed he should not; and therefore he rejoiced upon receiving the news of Davids being shut up there, persuaded he should now get possession of his person. But it was strange he should imagine that God had taken measures to bring an innocent and pious man into his power, who was a contemner of God, a breaker of his commandments, and one that trampled on all laws, human and divine.