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2 Samuel
Chapter Two
2 Samuel 2
Chapter Contents
David made king in Hebron. (1-7) Abner makes Ishbosheth
king Battle between Abner's men and those of Joab. (8-17) Asahel slain by
Abner: 25-32. Both parties retreat. (18-24)
Commentary on 2 Samuel 2:1-7.
(Read 2 Samuel 2:1-7.)
After the death of Saul
many went to David at Ziklag
1 Chronicles 12:22
but he trusted in God who
promised him the kingdom
to give it in his own time and manner. Yet assurance
of hope in God's promise
will quicken pious endeavours. If I be chosen to the
crown of life
it does not follow
Then I will do nothing; but
Then I will do
all that God directs me. This good use David made of his election
and so will
all whom God has chosen. In all our journeys and removes
it is comfortable to
see God going before us; and we may do so
if by faith and prayer we set Him
before us. God
according to the promise
directed David's path. David rose
gradually: thus the kingdom of the Messiah
the Son of David
is set up by
degrees; he is Lord of all
but we see not yet all things put under him.
Commentary on 2 Samuel 2:8-17.
(Read 2 Samuel 2:8-17.)
The nation in general refused David. By this the Lord
trained up his servant for future honour and usefulness; and the tendency of
true godliness was shown in his behaviour while passing through various
difficulties. David was herein a type of Christ
whom Israel would not submit
to
though anointed of the Father to be a Prince and a Saviour to them. Abner
meant
Let the young men fight before us
when he said
Let them play before
us: fools thus make a mock at sin. But he is unworthy the name of a man
that
can thus trifle with human blood.
Commentary on 2 Samuel 2:18-24
(Read 2 Samuel 2:18-24)
Death often comes by ways we least suspect. We are often
betrayed by the accomplishments we are proud of! Asahel's swiftness
which he
presumed so much upon
did him no service
but hastened his end.
Commentary on 2 Samuel 2:25-32
(Read 2 Samuel 2:25-32)
Abner appeals to Joab concerning the miserable consequences
of a civil war. Those who make light of such unnatural contests
will find that
they are bitterness to all concerned. How easy it is for men to use reason
when it makes for them
who would not use it
if it made against them! See how
the issue of things alter men's minds! The same thing which looked pleasant in
the morning
at night looked dismal. Those who are most forward to enter into
contention
will repent before they have done with it
and had better leave it
off before it be meddled with
as Solomon advises. This is true of every sin
oh that men would consider it in time
that it will be bitterness in the latter
end! Asahel's funeral is here mentioned. Distinctions are made between the dust
of some and that of others; but in the resurrection no difference will be made
but between the godly and ungodly
which will remain for ever.
── Matthew Henry《Concise Commentary on 2 Samuel》
2 Samuel 2
Verse 1
[1] And
it came to pass after this
that David enquired of the LORD
saying
Shall I go
up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him
Go up. And
David said
Whither shall I go up? And he said
Unto Hebron.
Enquired — By
Urim. Thus David begins at the right end
and lays his foundation in God's
counsel and assistance.
Shall I go — He
asked not whether he should take the kingdom; for that was appointed before;
and he would not offend God
nor dishonour his ordinance with unnecessary
enquiries; but only where he should enter upon it; whether in Judah
as he
supposed
because of his relation to that tribe
and his interest in it; or in
some other tribe: for he doth not limit God
but resolves exactly to follow his
counsels.
Hebron —
Which was next to Jerusalem (part whereof the Jebusites now possessed) the
chief city of that tribe
and a city of the priests
and in the very center of
that tribe
to which the whole tribe might speedily resort
when need required.
And the sepulchres of the patriarchs adjoining to Hebron
would remind him of
the ancient promise.
Verse 3
[3] And his men that were with him did David bring up
every man with his
household: and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron.
Dwelt in —
That is
the cities or towns belonging to Hebron
which was the Metropolis. For
in Hebron itself there was not space for them all
because it was filled with
priests
and with David's court.
Verse 4
[4] And
the men of Judah came
and there they anointed David king over the house of
Judah. And they told David
saying
That the men of Jabeshgilead were they that
buried Saul.
Anointed —
This they did upon just grounds
because not only the kingdom was promised to
that tribe
but David was designed and anointed by God
whose will both they
and all Israel were obliged to obey. And they resolved not to neglect their
duty
though they saw the other tribes would. Yet their modesty is observable
they make him king of Judah only
and not of all Israel. And therefore there
was need of a third anointing to the kingdom over all Israel
which he had
chap. 5:3
that first anointing; 1 Samuel 16:13
was only a designation of the
person who should be king
but not an actual inauguration of him to the
kingdom.
Verse 5
[5] And
David sent messengers unto the men of Jabeshgilead
and said unto them
Blessed
be ye of the LORD
that ye have shewed this kindness unto your lord
even unto
Saul
and have buried him.
Kindness —
This respect and affection. For as it is
an act of inhumanity to deny burial
to the dead; so it is an act of mercy and kindness to bury them.
Verse 6
[6] And now the LORD shew kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite
you this kindness
because ye have done this thing.
Kindness and truth —
That is
true and real kindness; not in words only
but also in actions
as you
have done to your king.
I will requite — So
far am I from being offended with you for this kindness to my late enemy.
Verse 7
[7]
Therefore now let your hands be strengthened
and be ye valiant: for your
master Saul is dead
and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over
them.
Be valiant — Be
not afraid lest the Philistines should punish you for this fact
but take good
courage
I will defend you.
For
… —
Or
though your master Saul be dead
and so your hearts may faint
as if you
were now sheep without a shepherd.
Verse 8
[8] But
Abner the son of Ner
captain of Saul's host
took Ishbosheth the son of Saul
and brought him over to Mahanaim;
Abner —
Tho' ambition and desire of rule
because he knew that Ishbosheth would have
only the name of king
whilst he had the power.
Verse 9
[9] And
made him king over Gilead
and over the Ashurites
and over Jezreel
and over
Ephraim
and over Benjamin
and over all Israel.
Gilead —
Largely so taken
for all the land of Israel beyond Jordan.
Ashurites —
That is
the tribe of Asher
as the Chaldee paraphrast and others understand
it.
Jezreel — A
large and rich valley situate in the borders of the tribes of Zebulun
Issachar
and Naphtali
and so put for them all.
All Israel —
Except Judah.
Verse 10
[10]
Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel
and reigned two years. But the house of Judah followed David.
Two years —
Namely
before the following war broke out
which continued five years.
Verse 12
[12] And
Abner the son of Ner
and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul
went out
from Mahanaim to Gibeon.
Went out — To
fight with David's army
and to bring back the rest of the kingdom to Saul's
house.
Verse 13
[13] And
Joab the son of Zeruiah
and the servants of David
went out
and met together by
the pool of Gibeon: and they sat down
the one on the one side of the pool
and
the other on the other side of the pool.
Met —
That is
met the opposite army
and put themselves in a posture for battle.
Verse 14
[14] And
Abner said to Joab
Let the young men now arise
and play before us. And Joab
said
Let them arise.
And play —
That is
shew their prowess and dexterity in fighting together. He speaks like
a vain-glorious and cruel man
and a soldier of fortune
that esteemed it a
sport to see men wounding and killing one another. So this he designed
partly
for their mutual recreation and trial of skill; and partly
that by this
occasion they might be engaged in a battle. But he is unworthy the name of a
man
who is thus prodigal of human blood.
Verse 16
[16] And
they caught every one his fellow by the head
and thrust his sword in his
fellow's side; so they fell down together: wherefore that place was called
Helkathhazzurim
which is in Gibeon.
By the head — By
the hair of the head
which after their manner was of a considerable length.
Helkath-kazzurim —
Or
the field of rock; that is
of men who stood like rocks unmovable
each one
dying upon the spot where he fought.
Verse 21
[21] And
Abner said to him
Turn thee aside to thy right hand or to thy left
and lay
thee hold on one of the young men
and take thee his armour. But Asahel would
not turn aside from following of him.
And take
… — If
thou art ambitious to get a trophy or mark of thy valour
desist from me who am
an old and experienced captain
and go to some young and raw soldier; try thy
skill upon him
and take away his arms from him.
Verse 23
[23]
Howbeit he refused to turn aside: wherefore Abner with the hinder end of the
spear smote him under the fifth rib
that the spear came out behind him; and he
fell down there
and died in the same place: and it came to pass
that as many
as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still.
And died — So
Asahel's swiftness
which he presumed on so much
only forwarded his fate! With
it he ran upon his death
instead of running from it.
Verse 26
[26] Then
Abner called to Joab
and said
Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou
not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? how long shall it be then
ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren?
Bitterness — It
will produce dreadful effects.
Brethren — By
nation and religion: whom therefore they should not pursue with so fierce a
rage
as if they were pursuing the Philistines.
Verse 27
[27] And
Joab said
As God liveth
unless thou hadst spoken
surely then in the morning
the people had gone up every one from following his brother.
Unless
… —
Unless thou hadst made the motion that they should fight
verse 14. It was thou
not I
that gave the first
occasion of this fight. Abner was the sole cause of this war; otherwise all
things had been ended by an amicable agreement: which might have been made that
very morning
if he had so pleased.
Verse 32
[32] And
they took up Asahel
and buried him in the sepulchre of his father
which was
in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night
and they came to Hebron at
break of day.
In Bethlehem —
The rest they buried in the field of battle
but Asahel in the sepulchre of his
father. Thus are distinctions made upon earth
even between the dust of some
and of others! But in the resurrection no difference will be made but between
good and bad; which will remain for ever.
── John Wesley《Explanatory Notes on 2
Samuel》
02 Chapter 2
Verses 1-11
And it came to pass after this
that David inquired of the Lord.
Strength and weakness
David's sense of dependence upon God!
1. His passive patience is
exquisitely touching
and presents such a contrast to his recent unsettled
haste of spirit. We shall find this quiet restfulness characterising his
triumphant hours. Not inertness and supineness--active dependence. Not
sloth--that marked his faithless hours--but a calm restfulness
betokening
living faith. He makes no effort to secure the throne
and yet every hope
concerning it he has ever nourished is moving toward fruition. Had his eye
rested upon the human side
he was well able to make the forward movement. By
nature a man of quick decision and quicker action
his valiant men would urge
him to move towards Jerusalem. Instead of any such movement
he stays “to
inquire of the Lord” (2 Samuel 2:1).
2. Additional emphasis is
given to this view of David's state of heart in the tone of his prayer: “Shall
I go up into any of the cities of Judah?” not selecting the city. Being of the
tribe of Judah
it rises to his lips to ask if he may be among his own people.
Do we not often ask advice
with deepest emphasis when we see not our way? It
is strong faith
genuine humility
which submits our choice to Divine
over-ruling.
3. How simple the record I
“So David went up thither.” How much the record covers! Prompt obedience and
unfaltering trust. This is the way to move towards the consummation of Divine purposes--to
obey Divine commands unhesitatingly. “I made haste
and delayed not to keep Thy
commandments” (Psalms 119:60).
4. The consequences of sin
remain long after the sin itself is forgiven. David's sojourn among the
Philistines bore fruit after many days--fruit that was bitter to the taste. For
David to ally himself with the Philistines could bring only pain and weakness.
To-day the believer marries the worldling
the child of God takes into
partnership the child of the world. Ziklag experiences are repeated all too
surely around us. Prompted to the deed by personal jealousy or fear of losing
his position
Abner sets up as king Ishbosheth
Saul's son (2 Samuel 2:8). To this the western tribes
agree;--their fear lest David's compact with Philistia be yet undissolved
largely minister.
(H. E.
Stone.)
Verse
3-4
And they dwelt in the cities of Hebron
and the men of Judah came
and there they anointed David.
David's reign at Hebron
The death of Saul did not end David's domestic troubles
and did
not leave him free
for a considerable number of years
to employ his energies
for the good of the whole kingdom. It appears that his chastisement for allying
himself with Achish was not yet exhausted. The more remote fruits of that step
were now only beginning to emerge
and years elapsed before its evil influence
ceased to be felt. The close alliance which had subsisted between him and the
great enemy of his country
arid author of its disasters
could hardly fail to
render him an object of distrust and suspicion to many of his countrymen. All
his former achievements against the Philistines--the cruel injustice of Saul
which had driven him in despair to Achish--his recent services against the
Amalekites--the generous use he had made of the spoil--and the influence of his
high personal character
however powerfully they might tell is his immediate
neighbourhood
would have but little weight in his favour in the more distant
parts of the kingdom. For after a great disaster
the public mind is often
exasperated
and ready
to lay an enormous amount of blame on any one who can be assailed with any
plausibility. Beyond all doubt
David would come in for his full share of such
attacks. It was
therefore
in every way the most expedient course for David to
establish his quarters immediately in one of the cities of Judah. But in the admirable frame
of mind in which he now was
he declined taking this step
indispensable though
it seemed
until he had obtained Divine direction regarding it The form in
which he made the inquiry shows how clear the expediency of going up to one of
the cities of Judah was to his own mind. The city of Hebron
situated about
eighteen miles to the south of Jerusalem
was the place to which he was
directed to go. In was a spot abounding in holy and elevating associations. It
was among the first
if not the very first haunt of civilised men in the
land--so ancient
that it is said to have been built seven years before Zoan in
Egypt (Numbers 13:22). The Father of the
Faithful had often
pitched his tent under its spreading oaks
and among its olive groves and
vine-clad hills the gentle Isaac had meditated at eventide. There
Abraham had
watched the last breath of his beloved Sarah
the companion of his wanderings
and the partner of his faith; and there
from the sons of Heth
he had
purchased the sepulchre where so much holy and venerable dust was deposited
in
the hope of a glorious resurrection. Thither Joseph and his brethren had
brought up the body of Jacob
laying it
in fulfilment of his dying command
beside the bones of Leah. It had been s
halting-place of the twelve spies
when they went up to search the land; and the cluster of grapes which they
carried back was cut from the neighbouring valley
where the finest grapes of
the country are still found. The sight of its venerable cave had doubtless
elevated the faith and courage of Joshua and Caleb
when the other spies became
so faithless and fearful. In the division of the land it had been assigned to
Caleb
one of the noblest spirits the nation ever produced; and afterwards it
had been made one of the Levitical cities of refuge. No place could have
recalled more vividly the lessons of departed worth
and the victories of early
faith
or abounded more in memorials of the blessedness of following the Lord.
It was a token of God's kindness to David that He directed him to make Hebron
his headquarters. And it was a further token of His goodness
that no sooner
had David gone to Hebron
than “the men of Judah came and anointed him king
over the house of Judah.” (W. G. Blaikie
M. A.)
Fresh anointing
Anointed first by Samuel in the secrecy of his lather's house
he
was now anointed king over his own people; just as the Lord Jesus
of whom he
was the great exemplar and type
was anointed first by the banks of the Jordan
and again as the representative of His people
when He ascended for them into
the presence of
the Father
and was set as
King on the holy hill of Zion. We cannot turn from this second anointing
without emphasising the obvious lesson that at each great crisis of our life
and especially when standing on the threshold of some new and enlarged sphere
of service
we should seek and receive a fresh anointing to fit us to fulfil
its fresh demands. There should be successive and repeated anointings in our
life-history as our opportunities widen out in ever-increasing circles. (F.
B. Meyer
B. A.)
Verses
5-32
And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh-Gilead.
Attempts at conciliation defeated
1. The chief anxiety of
David
alter being anointed king over the house of Judah
would naturally be
how to secure the peaceful allegiance of the other tribes. Prompted by the
desire to prevent civil war
and also by the amiable feelings of his own heart
he sent a kind and grateful message to the men of Jabesh-Gilead
complimenting
them on the respect they had shown for the mutilated remains of Saul and his
sons. Every action of David in reference to his great rival evinces the
superiority of his spirit to that which has often prevailed in similar
circumstances. Within the Scriptures themselves we have instances of the
dishonour that was often put on the body of a conquered foe: the cases of
Jehoram and Jezebel will readily occur to every one. The shocking fate of
Hector's dead body
dragged thrice round the walls of Troy behind the chariot
of Achilles
was regarded as only such a calamity as might be looked for amid
the changing fortunes of war. Mark Anthony is said to have broken out into laughter
at the sight of the hands and head of Cicero
which he had caused to be cut
off. It is very true that David was not strong enough at this time to offer any
such outrage to his opponents
even if he had been willing; it would have been
alike impolitic and cruel; but it is unfair to allege
that motives of policy
were the only consideration that influenced him. The spirit of kindly regard
both to the person and the family of his predecessor
evidently breathed out
from David's inmost soul
and is not to be denied or disparaged because the
course it prompted was likewise the course of sound policy. When we come to
examine his proceeding in giving up seven of Soul's sons to the Gibeonites
we
shall see that that act was not an exception to his ordinary spirit.
2. The message which David
sent to the men of Jabesh-Gilead was not merely fitted to gratify them
but was
calculated to give confidence to the old friends and supporters of the former
king. It would have been natural enough for them to apprehend--considering the
ordinary practice of conquerors and the ordinary fate of the conquered
that
when David came to power he would adopt very rigid measures against the
comrades of his persecutor. By the message which he sent to them across the
country
and across the Jordan
he showed clearly that he was animated by quite
an opposite spirit; that instead of trying to punish those who had served with
Saul
he was rather disposed to show them favour. Divine grace
acting on his
native character
made David thus kind and forgiving
and presented to the
world the beautiful spectacle of an eminent religious profession in union with
most honourable and magnanimous behaviour.
3. But the spirit in which
David acted to the friends of Saul did not receive the fitting return. His
peaceable purpose was defeated through Abner
captain of Soul's host
who set
up Ishbosheth
one Of “Soul's sons
as king
in opposition to David. Ishbosheth
himself was evidently a mere tool in Abner's hands; he was a man of no spirit
or” activity; and in setting him up as a claimant for the kingdom
Abner most
probably had an eye to his own interest. It is plain that he acted in this
matter in the spirit of daring ungodliness; he knew that God had given the
kingdom to David
for he afterwards taunted Ishbosheth with the fact (2 Samuel 3:9); and nothing but
personal motives of irresistible strength could have induced him to act in
direct opposition to God. Under Saul
he had been chief captain of the host;
under David
he could not expect to hold so high a position; and if the secret
motive that induced him to set up Ishbosheth were revealed
it would probably
be this--that a better place might be provided for himself--that Abner might be
the first subject in the realm. The world's annals
alas! contain but too many
instances of such reckless selfishness; wars without number
with their untold
masses of victims
have sprung from no higher motive than the ambition of some
Diotrephes to have the pre-eminence. What need has every man to guard against
this selfish and therefore murderous spirit
and to pray that the animating
spring of his conduct may be that love--that Christian charity
which is the
queen of all the graces
and the very bond of perfectness! The well-meant and
earnest efforts of David to ward off strife were thus frustrated; it was now
his bitter lot to see the kingdom torn by that most dreadful of all
scourges--civil war. As regarded
the immediate occasion of the war
he had a perfectly clear conscience--Abner
alone was responsible; but the war itself
to a feeling and patriotic heart
like David's
must have occasioned inconceivable anguish. Did it ever occur to
him that he was now brought
against his will
into the very position which he
had professed to King Achish to be so eager to occupy? Did he ever think that
in the providence of God
placed
as he now was
in an attitude of hostility to
his own countrymen
he was undergoing chastisement for the words he had then so
rashly uttered? From a proposal made by Abner
with a view to simplify the
contest (2 Samuel 2:14)
it would appear that
that general's conscience was not quite at ease in regard to the dismal
slaughter he was on the point of provoking. The proposal seems to have been
that a small and equal number of young men should be chosen on each side
and
that the contest should be held as settled in favour of the army whose young
men should be victorious. The practice was common enough in ancient times;
Roman history furnishes some memorable instances of it--that of Romulus and
Aruns
and that of the Horatii and Curiatii; the challenge of Goliath to the
host of Israel was another instance of the same practice. The young men were
accordingly chosen; but they rushed against each other with such terrible
impetuosity
that each of them slew his opponent
and the contest remained
undecided as before. There was now nothing for it but a general appeal to arms;
and when the shock of battle came at Gibeon
the victory fell to David; Abner
and his troops were signally defeated. At the conclusion of the battle
at the
sight of the flying foe
David might have said (though the psalm was
probably
not written for this occasion) “Now know I that the Lord saveth His anointed;
He will hear him from His holy heaven
with the saving strength of His right
hand. Some trust in chariots
and some in horses; but we will remember the name
of the Lord our God. They are brought down and fallen
but we are risen and
stand upright. Save
Lord: let the king hear us when we call (Psalms 20:6-9). (W. G. Blaikie
M. A.)
Verse
8
Ishbosheth.
Isbosheth and Abner
Saul's son was a poor
weak creature
who would never have thought
of resisting David but for the stronger will behind him. To be weak is
in this
world full of tempters
to drift into being wicked. We have to learn betimes to
say “No
” and to stick to it. Moral weakness attracts tempters as surely as a
camel fallen by the caravan track draws vultures from every corner of the sky.
The fierce soldier who fought for his own hand while professing to be moved by
loyalty to the dead king
may stand as a type of the self-deception with which
we gloss over our ugliest selfishness with fine names
and for an instance of
the madness which leads men to set themselves against God's plans
and
therefore to be dashed in pieces
as some slim barrier reared across the track
of a train would be. To “rush against the thick bosses of the Almighty's
buckler” does no harm to the buckler
but kills the insane assailant. (A.
Maclaren
D. D.)
Verses 12-32
Verse 12-13
The servants of
Ishbosheth
the son of Saul
went out . . .
the servants of David went out.
Taking sides
Guizot
in his life of St.
Louis of France
says that the latter had many vassals who were also vassals of
the King of England
and that many subtle and difficult questions arose as to
the extent of the service which they owed to these kings. At length the French
King commanded all those nobles who held lands in English territory to appear
before him
and then he said to them
“As it is impossible for any man living
in my kingdom and having possession in England rightly to serve two masters
you must either attach yourselves altogether to me
or inseparably to the King
of England.” After saying this
he gave them a certain day by which to make
their choice.
Verse 26
Knowest thou not that it
will be bitterness in the latter end?
Bitterness
Abner was the cousin of
King Saul
and commander-in-chief of his army. Even after the death of Saul
Abner's ability and skill enabled him to uphold the failing fortunes of the
family. While David reigned in Hebron
a son of Saul was the head of ten
revolting tribes beyond Jordan. Abner was an eloquent lecturer on prudence
when recklessness had wrought his own ruin. Like many old men who had been
dissipated all their lives
when they can no longer be rakes and libertines
they gravely advise young men to be chaste and sober. It would be well if every
headstrong Abner would ask himself
in season to repent and amend
“Knowest
thou not it will be bitterness in the latter end?” There is a dreadful
condition
in the future
towards which every guilty soul is surely and swiftly
drifting--a state of bitterness. It may serve a good purpose to inquire
in
what this bitterness consists?
I. One
of the ingredients
in the cup of bitterness which the wrong-doer will assuredly drink is the
consciousness that it was his own doing. “Thou hast destroyed thyself!” will be
the taunting cry of the demon. The easy
good-natured world has a nice way of
smoothing over such things
and saying
“He is not very steady
poor fellow;
but
then
he does not mean any harm.” And the same mistaken spirit of charity
adds
“He is nobody's enemy but his own!” The Bible teaches a different lesson:
“The enemy of God
by wicked works” (Colossians
1:21).
Inwardly and outwardly
the impenitent sinner is hostile to God.
II. Another
reason why bitterness must be the portion of the transgressor will be
that he
risked so much and received so little. The cup of worldly pleasure had a very
small flavour of sweetness in it
after all. The most seductive forms of
sensual indulgence are always followed by bitterness. Let any one study that
terrible picture
sketched from real life
“The Man about Town
” in “The Diary
of a London Physician
” and as he turns with a shudder from the sight
he will
discover a new meaning in the prophet's words
“It is an evil thing
and a
bitter
that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God” (Jeremiah
2:19).
III. Another
ingredient of bitterness to the lost will be the memory of evil-doings. Hell is
a place where the condemned will be shut up with themselves. Moreover
there
will be a development of character in its inmates--no longer kept under any
degree of restraint
by better surroundings--which imagination cannot conceive
of. It would be well for them to remember that the devil is daily administering
anodynes to keep men stupefied and inactive. Among these narcotics
are--
1. The
business and distractions of life.
2. Another
anodyne which the devil offers to his unsuspecting victim is the cup of worldly
pleasure. If one has swallowed an overdose of laudanum
he must be kept moving
about briskly
or he will sink down into the sleep of death. So
too
with
those stupefied by Satan's arts
we must give them no peace
until they are
fully aroused to a sense of their danger. (J. A. Norton.)
A sweet beginning but a
bitter end
These are the words of
Abner
a near relation of king Saul
and a distinguished general of his armies.
They are addressed to Joab
one of David's nephews and a commander of his army
a man valiant it is true but bounding with ambition and burning with vengeance.
A course of wrong conduct ends in bitterness.
I. That
sin does not answer in the long run. A course of sin may and often does answer
for a certain time; it may yield profit and pleasure to its author for years.
1. Unrighteous
avarice may answer for a certain time. The greedy and over-reaching man of the
world may be wondrously successful. He may see his fortune rising higher and
glittering brighter as the result of his unscrupulous and unremitting efforts.
In all this he may for a time find great
pleasure. Success keeps his brain
active and his blood warm.
2. Unbridled
sensuality may answer for a certain time. A young man gives himself up to the
gratification of his animal appetites and lusts. He finds an elysium in purely
sensual indulgences.
3. Unscrupulous
ambition may answer for a certain time. In all men there is more or less a love
of power; in some it is a dominant passion. These men
working out their
passion
struggle upward in the social realm; their course yields them
pleasure.
4. Social
impositions may answer for a certain time. There are men who have a passion for
deceiving
they live for imposture
and by imposture. Now
whilst in all these
courses of conduct there is a certain kind of pleasure
the pleasure only runs
on to a certain period. From an inevitable law in the moral universe
the time
comes when the sweet becomes bitter
when all the pleasure becomes poison than
rankles in every vein of the soul. We infer--
II. That
we do not finish with life as we go on. The brute perhaps finishes his life as
he proceeds; his yesterdays affect him only materially. Not so with man. We
have not done with any of the conscious periods through which we have passed
not even with the earliest. Our first actions will vibrate on the ear a
thousand ages on; the first scenes will unfold themselves to the eve in ages
far on in the future. Two laws render this certain:--
1. The
law of moral causation. Our consciousness is ourselves; and this consciousness
is the product of the past. It is to-day the cause of what it will be
to-morrow.
2. The
law of mental association. There is a faculty within us we call memory
and
this memory gathers up the fragments of our past life so that nothing is lost.
How often
by the principle of contrast
resemblance
and proximity
are the
past actions of our lives called vividly up before us! Memory is the course of
the wicked
the paradise of the innocent
and the common resort of all souls.
We infer:--
III. That a sinner's moral sense
is destined to a great revolution. What was sweet once
becomes hitter in the future.
Physically
the man who at one time felt an article of food delicious which
afterwards he found to be nauseous
has had
of course
his natural palate
greatly altered. Just so in morals: when a man finds that the things which at
one time gave him highest delight yield him intense pain
some great change
must have taken place in his moral sensibility. Ah
it is so. The time hastens
when he will see with different eyes
hear with different ears
feel with
different nerves
taste with different palate. The silver which Judas clutches
with delight
through a change in his moral sensibility
becomes so red-hot
that he throws it away as unbearable. The fact is
that all the pleasures
connected with sinful life are dependent upon a torpidity of conscience; let the conscience be
aroused to a sense of its guilty condition
and these pleasures vanish
nay
turn into wormwood and gall. (Homilist.)
Keeping the end in view
Here we have an inquiry
which ought to be put under all circumstances that are doubtful
and especially
under all circumstances that are marked by selfishness or disregard of the
interests of others. The question never is
what is the present feeling
but
what will be the ultimate condition. There is night as well as morning
and the
darkness must be considered as certainly as the light. What do things grow to?
What is the latter end? If a man sow good seed he will reap good fruit. He who
sows the wind will reap the whirlwind.
1. This
question may be put to every man who is pursuing evil courses:--Say to the
indolent
“Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end?” say
to the drunkard the same thing; say to the debauchee
whose whole thought is
taken up with the satisfaction of his passions
the same thing; say also to the
gambler
the adventurer
to the man who is boasting immediate success founded
upon immoral courses
“Knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the
latter end?” Remind every one that there is a latter end; that there is a war
in which there is no discharge; that there is an audit in which we must give up
every account
every voucher
and undergo Divine judgment. The whole of our
life should be conducted under the consciousness of its latter end.
3. This
need not becloud our prospects
depress our spirits
or take the inspiration
out of our action: a man may so contemplate his latter end as to know nothing
of melancholy; he may rather see in it the beginning of the blessedness that is
pure and immortal. We shall all stand before the judgment-seat of Christ. God
will bring every work into judgment
with every secret thing
whether it be
good
or whether it be bad. (J. Parker
D. D.)
Progressive character of
sin
Sin is like the descent of
a hill
where every step we take increases the difficulty of our return. Sin is
like a river in its course; the longer it runs it wears a deeper channel
and
the further from the fountain
it swells in volume and acquires a greater
strength. Sin is like a tree in its progress: the longer it grows
it spreads
its roots the wider
grows taller
grows thicker
till the sapling which once
an infant's arm could bend
raises its head aloft
defiant of the storm. Sin in
its habits becomes stronger every day--the heart grows harder; the conscience
grows duller; the distance between God and the soul grows greater; and
like a
rock hurled from the mountain top
the farther we descend
we go down and down
and down
with greater and greater rapidity. (T. Guthrie
D. D.)
Verse
28
Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him.
Death comes unawares
Observe here--
1. How death often comes upon us by ways that we least suspect. Who
would fear the hand of a flying enemy
or the butt end of a spear? yet from
these Asahel receives his death wound.
2. See how we are often betrayed by the accomplishments we are proud
of. Asahel's swiftness
which he presumed so much upon
did him no kindness
but forwarded his fate; and with it he ran upon his death
instead of running
from it. (M. Henry.)
Verse 29
And Abner and his men
walked all that night through the plain.
The cost of success
We would remind ourselves
of such events in order that we may see what has been accomplished by military
discipline
by the subordination of merely personal whims and desires. Even
conquerors have no easy time in life. We think of success
of triumph
of
coronation
but we forget that before these things
and as necessary to them
there must be discipline
suffering
loss
trial of every kind. We read with
glowing hearts the accounts of explorers
discoverers
adventurers
who have
gone into regions unknown and undreamed of; and here
again
we forget the
night watchings
the night marchings
the continual perils and difficulties of
the road. Self-denial is not confined to Christian experience. Whoever would be
great in any department or relation of life must over know the pain of
self-mortification--must
in other words
achieve the mastery himself--must
so
to say
stand upon himself in an attitude of triumph. (J. Parker
D. D.)
Verse 32
They came to Hebron at break of day.
The break of day
Joab and his men walking all night towards Hebron
and reaching it
at break of day. See in this a symbol of the pilgrimage of our earthly life
in
what must be as darkness compared with the wondrous light to which we press
but reaching rest at last
yet not till the break of that golden day.
I. Are we pilgrims
of the light
or of the night? Of both. Of the light as we press to reach it
as even now its beams fall on our pathway here
enlightening much that else
might perplex. Yet must that light only make the remaining darkness felt. Is it
not of the New Jerusalem that it is written
“There shall be no night there?”
Can I say there is no night here--no night of sorrow
no pain
no burden
clouding heart and mind? Even when life is brightest with us
the very sense of
comfort and joy abides because we know that they have about them a heavenly
atmosphere. They are to us God's gifts
and we know that He has in reserve
still richer blessings. If we are in sorrow we yearn for God
and in joy we
rest still in Him. There is always something before the Christian
a brighter
life that is to be. We speak of the night of death. Henry Fawcett used to say
that from the great illness which prostrated him for so long
he arose
having
learnt
what he had recognised before
that death was not to be feared. Nay
more than this
for we need not speak only of the physical aspects of death: we
may learn that in death there is not so much a passing into dark valleys--the
valleys of the shadow
at all events
are past when death is reached--as a stepping
into wondrous light. Death is an unveiling which lets in light and life to our
poor human experience. Let us press on in the pilgrimage
though we walk all
the night. There is the appointed path and the allotted time. To few will that
time
in God's mercy
seem too long
so full is the night of quiet mercies
so
little are we alone. But even if the way seem rough
and the hours dark
the
night has its own appointed law and limit. Bear up
press on
and all shall be
well.
II. The pilgrim
shall reach a place of rest. “And Joab and his men went all night
and they
came to Hebron.” Hebron is one of the most ancient cities of the world still
standing. It is now a city of some 5
000 inhabitants. It has had many changes
in its political history
and has once and again been in ruins. Abraham is
called by the Mohammedans Khulil
“the Friend”--i.e.
of God; and this
we are
told by travellers
is the modern name of Hebron itself. It is “the city of
'the Friend of God.’” Among our quiet resting-places God not seldom brings us
to the places from which we can look back
marking the goodness and mercy which
have followed us since that long past when near to the same spot we built with
them some altar to the Lord. The Lord accepted the offering of ourselves;
through the pilgrimage He has been with us.
III. For notice
lastly
the rest shall be reached at its appointed time. “And Joab and his men
went all night
and they came to Hebron at break of day.” The eternal morning
shall not be missed by any who follow on in the way of the Lord's choosing.
Only be brave
be faithful
until the day break
and the shadows flee away. Often the shadows of
some trouble or some anxiety pass away even here. New light is on our path; the
way of lowly duty is plain. Whenever the day-break is upon us
it is only that
we may turn
refreshed by rest
to the duty of the new day. (J. Gasquoine
B. A.)
──《The Biblical Illustrator》