THE<\/p>\n
SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL,<\/p>\n
otherwise called,<\/p>\n
THE SECOND BOOK OF THE KINGS<\/p>\n
Ch. 2Sa 1:1-16<\/span>. The news of Saul’s death brought to David<\/p>\n 1<\/strong>. Now it came to pass<\/em>, &c.] The narrative of the closing chapters of the First Book is continued without any break. The division of the Books is purely artificial, and did not exist in the original Hebrew text. See Introd.<\/em>, ch. 1 1.<\/p>\n when David was returned<\/em> ] See 1Sa 30:26<\/span>.<\/p>\n Now it came to pass … – <\/B>There is no break whatever between the two books of Samuel, the division being purely artificial.<\/P> <\/p>\n THE SECOND BOOK OF SAMUEL<\/B><\/P> <\/P> -Year from the Creation, 2949.<\/P> -Year before the Incarnation, 1055.<\/P> -Year before the first Olympiad, 279.<\/P> -Year before the building of Rome, 302.<\/P> -Year of the Julian Period, 3659.<\/P> -Year of the Dionysian Period, 467.<\/P> -Cycle of the Sun, 19.<\/P> -Cycle of the Moon, 11.<\/P> <\/P> CHAPTER I<\/P> <\/P> An Amalekite comes to David, and informs him that the<\/I><\/P> Philistines had routed the Israelites; and that Saul and<\/I><\/P> his sons were slain<\/I>, 1-4.<\/P> And pretends that he himself had despatched Saul, finding him<\/I><\/P> ready to fall alive into the hands of the Philistines, and<\/I><\/P> had brought his crown and bracelets to David<\/I>, 5-10.<\/P> David and his men mourn for Saul and his sons<\/I>, 11, 12.<\/P> He orders the Amalekite, who professed that he had killed Saul,<\/I><\/P> to be slain<\/I>, 13-16.<\/P> David’s funeral song for Saul and Jonathan<\/I>, 17-27. <\/P> NOTES ON CHAP. I<\/P> <\/p>\n Which though burnt, yet was not so consumed by the fire, that David and his men could not lodge in it. <\/P> <\/p>\n 1. David had abode two days inZiklag<\/B>Though greatly reduced by the Amalekite incendiaries,that town was not so completely sacked and destroyed, but David andhis six hundred followers, with their families, could still find someaccommodation.<\/P><\/p>\n Now it came to pass after the death of Saul<\/strong>,…. The third day after, as appears from the next verse:<\/p>\n when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites<\/strong>; as related in 1Sa 30:17<\/span>;<\/p>\n and David had abode two days in Ziklag<\/strong>; which, though fired by the Amalekites, was not utterly consumed, but there was still some convenience for the lodging of David and his men; within this time he sent his presents to several places in the tribe of Judah, of which mention is made in the chapter before quoted, and at the same time it was that so many mighty men came to him from several tribes spoken of in 1Ch 12:1<\/span>.<\/p>\n David receives the news of Saul’s death<\/em>. – 2Sa 1:1-4<\/span>. After the death of Saul, and David’s return to Ziklag from his campaign against the Amalekites, there came a man to David on the third day, with his clothes torn and earth strewed upon his head (as a sign of deep mourning: see at 1Sa 4:12<\/span>), who informed him of the flight and overthrow of the Israelitish army, and the death of Saul and Jonathan. <\/p>\n 2Sa 1:1-3<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/strong> 2Sa 1:1<\/span> may be regarded as the protasis to 2Sa 1:2<\/span>, so far as the contents are concerned, although formally it is rounded off, and forms the apodosis to : “It came to pass after the death of Saul, David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites<\/em> (1 Samuel 30:1-26), that David remained at Ziklag two days. And it came to pass on the third day,”<\/em> etc. Both of these notices of the time refer to the day, on which David returned to Ziklag from the pursuit and defeat of the Amalekites. Whether the battle at Gilboa, in which Saul fell, occurred before or after the return of David, it is impossible to determine. All that follows from the juxtaposition of the two events in 2Sa 1:1<\/span>, is that they were nearly contemporaneous. The man “came from the army from with Saul,”<\/em> and therefore appears to have kept near to Saul during the battle. <\/p>\n 2Sa 1:4<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> David’s inquiry, “How did the thing happen?”<\/em> refers to the statement made by the messenger, that he had escaped from the army of Israel. In the answer, serves, like in other passages, merely to introduce the words that follow, like our namely<\/em> (vid., Ewald<\/em>, 338, b<\/em>.). “The people fled from the fight; and not only have many of the people fallen, but Saul and Jonathan his son are also dead.”<\/em> … : not only … but also<\/em>. <\/p>\n 2Sa 1:5-10<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/strong> To David’s further inquiry how he knew this, the young man replied (2Sa 1:6-10<\/span>), “I happened to come <\/em> ( = ) up to the mountains of Gilboa, and saw Saul leaning upon his spear; then the chariots <\/em> (the war-chariots for the charioteers) and riders were pressing upon him, and he turned round and saw me, … and asked me, Who art thou? and I said, An Amalekite; and he said to me, Come hither to me, and slay me, for the cramp <\/em> ( according to the Rabbins) hath seized me <\/em> (sc., so that I cannot defend myself, and must fall into the hands of the Philistines); for my soul (my life) is still whole in me. Then I went to him, and slew him, because I knew that after his fall he would not live; and took the crown upon his head, and the bracelet upon his arm, and brought them to my lord”<\/em> (David). “After his fall” does not mean “after he had fallen upon his sword or spear” (Clericus), for this is neither implied in nor in (“supported, i.e., leaning upon his spear”), nor are we at liberty to transfer it from 1Sa 31:4<\/span> into this passage; but “after his defeat,”<\/em> i.e., so that he would not survive this calamity. This statement is at variance with the account of the death of Saul in 1Sa 31:3<\/span>.; and even apart from this it has an air of improbability, or rather of untruth in it, particularly in the assertion that Saul was leaning upon his spear when the chariots and horsemen of the enemy came upon him, without having either an armour-bearer or any other Israelitish soldier by his side, so that he had to turn to an Amalekite who accidentally came by, and to ask him to inflict the fatal wound. The Amalekite invented this, in the hope of thereby obtaining the better recompense from David. The only part of his statement which is certainly true, is that he found the king lying dead upon the field of battle, and took off the crown and armlet; since he brought these to David. But it is by no means certain whether he was present when Saul expired, or merely found him after he was dead.<\/p>\n 2Sa 1:11-12<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/strong> This information, the substance of which was placed beyond all doubt by the king’s jewels that were brought, filled David with the deepest sorrow. As a sign of his pain he rent his clothes; and all the men with him did the same, and mourned with weeping and fasting until the evening “for Saul and for Jonathan his son, for the people of Jehovah, and for the house of Israel, because they had fallen by the sword”<\/em> (i.e., in battle). “The people of Jehovah”<\/em> and the “house or people of Israel”<\/em> are distinguished from one another, according to the twofold attitude of Israel, which furnished a double ground for mourning. Those who had fallen were first of all members of the people of Jehovah, and secondly, fellow-countrymen. “They were therefore associated with them, both according to the flesh and according to the spirit, and for that reason they mourned the more” (Seb. Schmidt). “The only deep mourning for Saul, with the exception of that of the Jabeshites (1Sa 31:11<\/span>), proceeded from the man whom he had hated and persecuted for so many years even to the time of his death; just as David’s successor wept over the fall of Jerusalem, even when it was about to destroy Himself” ( O. v. Gerlach<\/em>).<\/p>\n 2Sa 1:13<\/span><\/p>\n <\/strong> David then asked the bringer of the news for further information concerning his own descent, and received the reply that he was the son of an Amalekite stranger, i.e., of an Amalekite who had emigrated to Israel.<\/p>\n 2Sa 1:14-16<\/span> <\/p>\n <\/strong> David then reproached him for what he had done: “How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to destroy the Lord’s anointed?”<\/em> and commanded one of his attendants to slay him (2Sa 1:15<\/span>.), passing sentence of death in these words: “Thy blood come upon thy head (cf. Lev 20:9<\/span>; Jos 2:1<\/span>;(1); for thy mouth hath testified against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed.”<\/em> <\/p>\n (Note: “ Thy mouth hath testified against thee<\/em>, and out of it thou art judged (Luk 19:22<\/span>), whether thou hast done it or not. If thou hast done it, thou receivest the just reward of thy deeds. If thou hast not done it, then throw the blame upon thine own lying testimony, and be content with the wages of a wicked flatterer; for, according to thine own confession, thou art the murderer of a king, and that is quite enough to betray thine evil heart. David could see plainly enough that the man was no murderer: he would show by his example that flatterers who boast of such sins as these should get no hearing from their superiors.” – Berleb. Bible.<\/em>)<\/p>\n David regarded the statement of the Amalekite as a sufficient ground for condemnation, without investigating the truth any further; though it was most probably untrue, as he could see through his design of securing a great reward as due to him for performing such a deed (vid., 2Sa 4:10<\/span>), and looked upon a man who could attribute such an act to himself from mere avarice as perfectly capable of committing it. Moreover, the king’s jewels, which he had brought, furnished a practical proof that Saul had really been put to death. This punishment was by no means so severe as to render it necessary to “estimate its morality according to the times,” or to defend it merely from the standpoint of political prudence, on the ground that as David was the successor of Saul, and had been pursued by him as his rival with constant suspicion and hatred, he ought not to leave the murder of the king unpunished, if only because the people, or at any rate his own opponents among the people, would accuse him of complicity in the murder of the king, if not of actually instigating the murderer. David would never have allowed such considerations as these to lead him into unjust severity. And his conduct requires no such half vindication. Even on the supposition that Saul had asked the Amalekite to give him his death-thrust, as he said he had, it was a crime deserving of punishment to fulfil this request, the more especially as nothing is said about any such mortal wounding of Saul as rendered his escape or recovery impossible, so that it could be said that it would have been cruel under such circumstances to refuse his request to be put to death. If Saul’s life was still “full in him,” as the Amalekite stated, his position was not so desperate as to render it inevitable that he should fall into the hands of the Philistines. Moreover, the supposition was a very natural one, that he had slain the king for the sake of a reward. But slaying the king, the anointed of the Lord, was in itself a crime that deserved to be punished with death. What David might more than once have done, but had refrained from doing from holy reverence for the sanctified person of the king, this foreigner, a man belonging to the nation of the Amalekites, Israel’s greatest foes, had actually done for the sake of gain, or at any rate pretended to have done. Such a crime must be punished with death, and that by David who had been chosen by God and anointed as Saul’s successor, and whom the Amalekite himself acknowledge in that capacity, since otherwise he would not have brought him the news together with the royal diadem.<\/p>\n David’s Concern at Saul’s Fate.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/I><\/span><\/P> <\/TD> B. C.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN> 1055.<\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/SPAN><\/P> <\/TD> <\/TR> <\/TABLE> 1 Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; 2 It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so<\/I> it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance. 3 And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. 4 And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also. 5 And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead? 6 And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am<\/I> I. 8 And he said unto me, Who art<\/I> thou? And I answered him, I am<\/I> an Amalekite. 9 He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is<\/I> yet whole in me. 10 So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was<\/I> upon his head, and the bracelet that was<\/I> on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.<\/P> Here is, I. David settling again in Ziklag, his own city, after he had rescued his family and friends out of the hands of the Amalekites (v.<\/I><\/span> 1<\/span>): He abode in Ziklag.<\/I> Thence he was now sending presents to his friends (1 Sam. xxx. 26<\/span>), and there he was ready to receive those that came into his interests; not men in distress and debt, as his first followers were, but persons of quality in their country, mighty men, men of war,<\/I> and captains of thousands<\/I> (as we find, 1Ch 12:1<\/span>; 1Ch 12:8<\/span>; 1Ch 12:20<\/span>); such came day by day to him, God stirring up their hearts to do so, till he had a great host, like the host of God,<\/I> as it is said, 1 Chron. xii. 22<\/span>. The secret springs of revolutions are unaccountable, and must be resolved into that Providence which turns all hearts as the rivers of water.<\/P> II. Intelligence brought him thither of the death of Saul. It was strange that he did not leave some spies about the camp, to bring him early notice of the issue of the engagement, a sign that he desired not Saul’s woeful day, nor was impatient to come to the throne, but willing to wait till those tidings were brought to him which many a one would have sent more than half-way to meet. He that believes does not make haste, takes good news when it comes and is not uneasy while it is in the coming. 1. The messenger presents himself to David as an express, in the posture of a mourner for the deceased prince and a subject to the succeeding one. He came with his clothes rent, and made obeisance to David (v.<\/I><\/span> 2<\/span>), pleasing himself with the fancy that he had the honour to be the first that did him homage as his sovereign, but it proved he was the first that received from him sentence of death as his judge. He told David he came from the camp of Israel, and intimated the bad posture it was in when he said he had escaped out of it, having much ado to get away with his life, v.<\/I><\/span> 3<\/span>. 2. He gives him a general account of the issue of the battle. David was very desirous to know how the matter went, as one that had more reason than any to be concerned for the public; and he told him very distinctly that the army of Israel was routed, many slain, and, among the rest, Saul and Jonathan, v.<\/I><\/span> 4<\/span>. He named only Saul and Jonathan, because he knew David would be most solicitous to know their fate; for Saul was the man whom he most feared and Jonathan the man whom he most loved. 3. He gives him a more particular account of the death of Saul. It is probable that David had heard, by the report of others, what the issue of the war was, for multitudes resorted to him, it should seem, in consequence; but he was desirous to know the certainty of the report concerning Saul and Jonathan, either because he was not forward to believe it or because he would not proceed upon it to make his own claims till he was fully assured of it. He therefore asks, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan are dead?<\/I> in answer to which the young man tells him a very ready story, putting it past doubt that Saul was dead, for he himself had been not only an eye-witness of his death, but an instrument of it, and therefore David might rely upon his testimony. He says nothing, in his narrative, of the death of Jonathan, knowing how ungrateful that would be to David, but accounts only for Saul, thinking (as David understood it well enough, ch.<\/I><\/span> iv. 10<\/span>) that he should be welcome for that, and rewarded as one that brought good tidings. The account he gives of this matter is, (1.) Very particular. That he happened to go to the place where Saul was (v.<\/I><\/span> 6<\/span>) as a passenger, not as a soldier, and therefore an indifferent person, that he found Saul endeavouring to run himself through with his own spear, none of his attendants being willing to do it for him; and, it seems, he could not do it dexterously for himself: his hand and heart failed him. The miserable man had not courage enough either to live or die; he therefore called this stranger to him (v.<\/I><\/span> 7<\/span>), enquired what countryman he was, for, provided he was not a Philistine, he would gladly receive from his hand the coup de grace<\/I> (as the French call it concerning those that are broken on the wheel)–the merciful stroke,<\/I> that might dispatch him out of his pain. Understanding that he was an Amalekite (neither one of his subjects nor one of his enemies), he begs this favour from him (v.<\/I><\/span> 9<\/span>): Stand upon me, and slay me.<\/I> He is now sick of his dignity and willing to be trampled upon, sick of his life and willing to be slain. Who then would be inordinately fond of life or honour? The case may he such, even with those that have no hope in their death, that yet they may desire to die, and death flee from them,<\/I> Rev. ix. 6<\/I><\/span>. Anguish has come upon me;<\/I> so we read it, as a complaint of the pain and terror his spirit was seized with. If his conscience now brought to mind the javelin he had cast at David, his pride, malice, and perfidiousness, and especially the murder of the priests, no marvel that anguish came upon him: moles (they say) open their eyes when they are dying. Sense of unpardoned guilt will make death indeed the king of terrors. Those that have baffled their convictions will perhaps, in their dying moments, be overpowered by them. The margin reads it as a complaint of the inconvenience of his clothes; that his coat of mail which he had for defence, or his embroidered coat which he had for ornament, hindered him, that he could not get the spear far enough into his body, or so straitened him, now that his body swelled with anguish, that he could not expire. Let no man’s clothes be his pride, for it may so happen that they may be his burden and snare. “Hereupon,” saith our young man, “I stood upon him, and slew him<\/I>” (v.<\/I><\/span> 10<\/span>) at which word, perhaps, he observed David look upon him with some show of displeasure, and therefore he excuses himself in the next words: “For I was sure he could not live;<\/I> his life was whole in him indeed, but he would certainly have fallen into the hands of the Philistines or given himself another thrust.” (2.) It is doubtful whether this story be true. If it be, the righteousness of God is to be observed, that Saul, who spared the Amalekites in contempt of the divine command, received his death’s wound from an Amalekite. But most interpreters think that it was false, and that, though he might happen to be present, yet he was not assisting in the death of Saul, but told David so in expectation that he would reward him for it, as having done him a piece of good service. Those who would rejoice at the fall of an enemy are apt to measure others by themselves, and to think that they will do so too. But a man after God’s own heart is not to be judged of by common men. I am not clear whether this young man’s story was true or no: it may consist with the narrative in the chapter before, and be an addition to it, as Peter’s account of the death of Judas (Acts i. 18<\/span>) is to the narrative, Matt. xxvii. 5<\/span>. What is there called a sword<\/I> may here be called a spear,<\/I> or when he fell upon his sword he leaned on his spear. (3.) However he produced that which was proof sufficient of the death of Saul, the crown that was upon his head and the bracelet that was on his arm. It should seem Saul was so foolishly fond of these as to wear them in the field of battle, which made him a fair mark for the archers, by distinguishing him from those about him; but as pride<\/I> (we say) feels no cold,<\/I> so it fears no danger, from that which gratifies it. These fell into the hands of this Amalekite. Saul spared the best of their spoil, and now the best of his came to one of that devoted nation. He brought them to David, as the rightful owner of them now that Saul was dead, not doubting but by his officiousness herein to recommend himself to the best preferments in his court or camp. The tradition of the Jews is that this Amalekite was the son of Doeg (for the Amalekites were descendants from Edom), and that Doeg, who they suppose was Saul’s armour-bearer, before he slew himself gave Saul’s crown and bracelet (the ensigns of his royalty) to his son, and bade him carry them to David, to curry favour with him. But this is a groundless conceit. Doeg’s son, it is likely, was so well known to Saul that he needed not ask him as he did this Amalekite (v.<\/I><\/span> 8<\/span>), Who art thou?<\/I> David had been long waiting for the crown, and now it was brought to him by an Amalekite. See how God can serve his own purposes of kindness to his people, even by designing (ill-designing) men, who aim at nothing but to set up themselves.<\/P><\/p>\n Second Samuel – Chapter 1<\/strong><\/p>\n Battle News Reaches David, vs. 1-10<\/p>\n There is no natural break <\/em>between the events of First Samuel, chapter 31 and Second Samuel, chapter 1. They were originally one book. The events, Saul’s death, Israel’s defeat, and David’s abode in Ziklag continue to be the subject at hand. The opening words of this passage show that about five days had passed since David was dismissed by Achish and sent back to Ziklag (compare 1Sa 30:1<\/span>). It was the third day after the return from slaughter of the Amalekites that a messenger came running to David with news of the battle on mount Gilboa.<\/em><\/p>\n The man arrived in David’s presence <\/em>with the marks of grief upon him; dirt on his head, his clothes torn. He fell down and did obeisance to David, acknowledging already David’s succession to the kingship. He answered David’s inquiry that he had escaped out of the battle, and David asked him for news of what had happened. So he broke the disastrous news to David. The men of war have fled from the field, many of them have lost their lives, Saul and Jonathan are among the dead.<\/em><\/p>\n This doubtless saddened David, <\/em>but he wanted more positive evidence that the king and prince were lost. Upon inquiring of the young messenger an interesting story was told. He said that he had come upon Saul on mount Gilboa by chance and found him leaning on his spear, unable to flee further. However, the Philistine chariots and horsemen were coming rapidly upon him.<\/em><\/p>\n The young newsbearer told how Saul <\/em>had seen him and beckoned him, inquiring of his identity. He answered that he was an Amalekite. Then Saul asked him to stand on his body and to slay him, for he was filled with anguish that he could not get relief from his suffering by dying. So the Amalekite stood on Saul and slew him because he realized that the king could not live any way. He had taken the king’s crown from his head and the bracelet from his arm and brought them to David as the rightful recipient of them.<\/em><\/p>\n CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES.<\/strong><\/p>\n 2Sa. 1:6<\/span>. The chariots and horsemen.<\/strong> It has been remarked that it is extremely unlikely that chariots and horsemen, pursued the Israelites on to the mountains, and this statement has been generally regarded as a part of the falsehood of the whole story, which is throughout at variance with the account in the last chapter.<\/p>\n 2Sa. 1:7<\/span>. Here am I,<\/strong> etc. This statement also, as Kiel remarks, has about it the air of untruth, for it is extremely improbable that Saul would have no Israelite by his side to whom to address his request.<\/p>\n 2Sa. 1:9<\/span>. Anguish.<\/strong> From a verb meaning to interweave<\/em>, or work together;<\/em> hence some translate My cuirass<\/em> hindereth me, etc., but Keil, Erdmann, Kunchi, and others cramp<\/em>. Gesenius reads, giddiness, vertigo.<\/p>\n 2Sa. 1:10<\/span>. Crown,<\/strong> rather diadem<\/em>, A small metallic cap or wreath, which encircled the temples, serving the purpose of a helmet, with a very small horn projecting in front, as the emblem of power. Bracelet,<\/strong> i.e.<\/em>, the armlet worn above the elbow, an ancient mark of royal dignity. (Jamieson.)<\/em><\/p>\n 2Sa. 1:12<\/span>. The people of Jehovah<\/strong> and the House of Israel<\/strong> are distinguished from one another, according to the twofold attitude of Israel, which furnished a double ground for mourning. Those who had fallen were first of all members of the people of Jehovah, and secondly, fellow-countrymen. (Ked.)<\/em> They were, therefore, associated with them both according to the flesh and according to the spirit, and for that reason they mourned the more. (Schmidt.)<\/em><\/p>\n 2Sa. 1:13<\/span>. A Stranger,<\/strong> etc, i.e<\/em>. An Amalekite who had emigrated to Israel. (Keil)<\/em>. Although most Bible students regard the Amalekites story as untrue, yet Josephus adopts it. Wordsworth thinks it may be supplementary to the former account, and that though Saul was the author of his own death, inasmuch as he did what he could to destroy himself, yet he was despatched at last by the Amalekite, and remarks, If the story be true, it is worthy of remark that Saul owed his death to one of that nation of Amalek, which he had been commanded by God to destroy.<\/p>\n 2Sa. 1:15-16<\/span>. Although some commentators think that this action of David was a political one, most believe that he was moved by a higher motive, and that according to Erdmann he acted theocratically with perfect justice in slaying with holy anger the murderer of the Lords anointed.<\/p>\n MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.<\/em>2Sa. 1:1-16<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n THE DECEIVER DECEIVED<\/p>\n I. Those who plan to deceive others are often deceived by means of their own plan.<\/strong> This is a principle of Divine working which is continually manifesting itself. When the sons of Jacob laid a plot to rid themselves of their brother, and to prevent the fulfilment of his dreams, the deception which they thus practised on their father was the first step by which Joseph ascended to the rulership of Egypt. In the case before us we have a man who, having conceived a plan of deception, brought it forth in falsehood, hoping thereby to gain a great reward. But this scheme of his, instead of bringing him the praise and the preferment for which it had been planned, brought him the condemnation and death which his deception merited as much as the deed for which David judged and punished him.<\/p>\n II. Bad men judge others by their own moral standard.<\/strong> The untoward issue of this plan of the Amalekite arose from his mismeasurement of the man with whom he had to deal. He knew what his own feelings would be if he were in Davids case, and had no other rule by which to judge actions except the amount of fancied good or ill they brought to himself. So is it with all bad men. Their own supposed interest is the measure of all thingsself is first, and often last, and if righteousness and mercy mingle at all with their plans and purposes, it is only when they do not hinder the main object of their existence. Hence they cannot understand a man who sorrows over anything that is not a personal and material loss, and still more are they puzzled to comprehend him who is displeased at a deed which brings him gain, or who grieves over the fall of others when that fall is a stepping-stone to his own elevation. This heathen of the olden time was not farther removed from Davids stand-point of action than men of the world now are from that of the spiritual man.<\/p>\n OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS<\/em><\/p>\n Davids course in this matter was the best policy<\/em> for him; but we have no right to conclude from that fact that he was led to it by considerations of policy. He had himself shown, on an occasion of great temptation, that reverence for the Lords anointed of which he here speaks. The fact that honesty is the best policy will not of itself alone make a man honest; but neither does it prevent<\/em> a mans being honest, or give us a right to suspect a good mans motives.Transr. of Langes Commentary<\/em>.<\/p>\n David had been long waiting for the crown, and now it is brought him by an Amalekite. See how God can serve his own purpose of kindness to his people, even by designing men who aim at nothing but to set up themselves.Henry<\/em>.<\/p>\n There is something very humiliatingsomething peculiarly distressing, because felt to be deeply degrading, in this very circumstance of having been so misunderstood and misjudged as to have been supposed capable of finding gratification in acting out principles which rule minds of another order, and of sympathising with the courses to which these principles conduct. There is scarcely a trial which is more hard to endure, or which pierces the heart with so deep a pang, than thus to find ones self standing in the estimation of a man whose feelings and principles are low, on that same low platform which marks his own moral position, and side by side with himself.Miller<\/em>.<\/p>\n I. DAVID MADE KING OF ISRAEL, 2Sa. 1:1<\/span> to 2Sa. 5:25<\/span>.<\/p>\n 1. David Receives News of Sauls Death, 2Sa. 1:1-27<\/span>.<\/p>\n The Amalekites account of Saids Death. 2Sa. 1:1-12<\/span><\/p>\n Now it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, and David had abode two days in Ziklag; 3 And David said unto him, From whence comest thou? And he said unto him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. 8 And he said unto me, Who art thou? And I answered him, I am an Amalekite.<\/p>\n 9 He said unto me again, Stand, I pray thee, upon me, and slay me: for anguish is come upon me, because my life is yet whole in me.<\/p>\n 10 So I stood upon him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not live after that he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither unto my lord.<\/p>\n 11 Then David took hold on his clothes, and rent them; and likewise all the men that were with him:<\/p>\n 12 And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of the Lord, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword.<\/p>\n 1.<\/p>\n How long after the battle before David heard the news? 2Sa. 1:1<\/span><\/p>\n David had abode in Ziklag for two days before he heard the news from the battlefield. This gave him time to return from his slaughter of the Amalekites and to establish his residence again in the Philistine city which had been given him by Achish. On the third day a man came from the camp and brought the news to David. It had taken a similar amount of time for Davids men to move from Aphek to Ziklag when the Philistine lords insisted that he not go to battle with them.<\/p>\n 2.<\/p>\n In what condition was the bearer of the news? 2Sa. 1:2<\/span><\/p>\n The man had his clothes rent. He had earth upon his head indicating that he had not taken time to clean up after the battle. When he came to David he fell on his face to the ground and did obeisance. When he was asked about his activities he said that he had come out of the camp of Israel. Whether this was a disguise or the actual condition the man found himself in after the battle cannot be determined at this point.<\/p>\n 3.<\/p>\n Did David believe the man? 2Sa. 1:5<\/span><\/p>\n David asked him about the outcome of the battle. The man told him that the people of Israel had fled from the battle. He also announced that many of the people were killed. He especially noticed that Saul and Jonathan were dead. The man does not mention Malchishua or Abinadab. David evidently doubted the veracity of the mans account because he asked him how he knew that Saul and Jonathan were dead.<\/p>\n 4.<\/p>\n How did an Amalekite get in Sauls army? 2Sa. 1:8<\/span><\/p>\n Mercenaries were allowed to join in a campaign, especially if it were an unholy war in which the citizens had no interest. It is rather ironic that the man was a member of the tribe whom Saul was sent to exterminate. It was Gods intention that these people be driven out of the land of Canaan, but Saul had failed to do his work thoroughly. His lack of thoroughness had brought about his downfall and rejection. At this point an Amalekite takes credit for having killed Saul.<\/p>\n 5.<\/p>\n Where did the Amalekite get Sauls crown? 2Sa. 1:10<\/span><\/p>\n An Amalekite came out of the midst of the battle and brought David the news. It was a common thing for foreigners to join with the armies of the Israelites. David had been back at Ziklag for two days when he received this word. Nothing is said in the account as to how long after the battle it was when David received the announcement. Very evidently the foreigner did not tell the truth about the death of Saul. More than likely he had obtained the bracelet and the crown by coming upon the body before the Philistines did.<\/p>\n 6.<\/p>\n Why did the Amalekite bring the report to David? 2Sa. 1:10<\/span><\/p>\n The Amalekite called David his lord. He took the crown that was on Sauls head and the bracelet that was on his arm and brought them to David. He said that he had killed Saul. He said that anguish had taken hold on him so he could not live. Evidently the Amalekite thought that David would appreciate his killing Saul. He also must have thought that David was to be the next king, It was for these reasons that he brought the evidence of Sauls death to David and made the report to him.<\/p>\n 7.<\/p>\n How did Saul die? 2Sa. 1:10<\/span><\/p>\n David was removed from the field of battle by at least a three-day journey. He had no way of knowing exactly how Saul had died, but he had heard the testimony of the Amalekite who said he had killed Saul. He certainly did not want anyone to say that he had been involved in planning or executing Sauls murder. The Amalekite evidently had not told the truth. The account of Sauls death in 1 Samuel 31<\/span> is an inspired account. The Amalekites version varies in several significant details leading us to conclude that he did not tell the truth.<\/p>\n 8.<\/p>\n What was Davids reaction to the news? 2Sa. 1:11-12<\/span><\/p>\n David took hold on his clothes and rent them. This was the customary Jewish way of expressing deep emotions. David wept and fasted throughout the rest of the day. The men that were with him also mourned and wept and fasted. Their lament was for Saul, the fallen king, and his good son Jonathan. They were also weeping because hard times had befallen the people of Israel. The Philistines had beaten them in battle, and they were in a position similar to that in the days of Eli when the Philistines had captured the Ark.<\/p>\n (1) After the death of Saul.<\/strong>These words are immediately connected with 1 Samuel 31<\/span>, and the following words, when David was returned, refer to 1 Samuel 30<\/span>. The two books really form one continuous narrative.<\/p>\n Two days in Ziklag.<\/strong>The site of Ziklag has not been exactly identified, but it is mentioned in Jos. 19:5<\/span> as one of the cities in the extreme south, at first assigned to Judah, but afterwards given to Simeon. It is also spoken of in connection with Beersheba and other places of the south as re-occupied by the Jews on their return from Babylon (Neh. 11:28<\/span>). Its most probable locality is some ten or twelve miles south of beersheba, and nearly equidistant from the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea. It was thus quite four days journey from Mount Gilboa. and the messenger who brought the news of the battle must have left the field before Davids return to Ziklag.<\/p>\n DAVID HEARS OF THE DEATH OF SAUL AND OF JONATHAN, 2Sa 1:1-16<\/span>.<\/p>\n As soon as the results of the fearful battle of Gilboa became known, great must have been the excitement through all the land of Israel. Saul’s partisans and all his loyal subjects must have felt the spell of mingled alarm and grief, and even the bitterest malcontents must have been ill at ease when they learned that the whole army of Israel was demoralized and put to flight by the Philistines. In this chapter we learn with what anguish David’s loyal heart received the bitter tidings.<\/p>\n 1<\/strong>. <\/strong> Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible <\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Matthew Henry’s Whole Bible Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: The Preacher’s Complete Homiletical Commentary Edited by Joseph S. Exell<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
2 It came even to pass on the third day, that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes rent, and earth upon his head: and so it was, when he came to David, that he fell to the earth, and did obeisance.<\/p>\n
4 And David said unto him, How went the matter? I pray thee, tell me. And he answered, That the people are fled from the battle, and many of the people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are dead also.
5 And David said unto the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son be dead?
6 And the young man that told him said, As I happened by chance upon mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him.
7 And when he looked behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, Here am I.<\/p>\nFuente: College Press Bible Study Textbook Series<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments<\/b><\/i><\/h4>\n