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Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
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Matthew Henry |
S E C O N D S A M U E L
CHAP. XIX.
We left David’s army in triumph and yet David himself in tears: now
here we have,
I. His return to himself, by the persuasion of Joab,
II. His return to his kingdom from his present banishment.
1. The men of Israel were forward of themselves to bring him back,
2. The men of Judah were dealt with by David’s agents to do it
and did it,
III. At the king’s coming over Jordan, Shimei’s treason is pardoned
(ver. 16-23),
Mephibosheth’s failure is excused
(ver. 24-30),
and Barzillai’s kindness is thankfully owned, and recompensed to his
son,
IV. The men of Israel quarrelled with the men of Judah, for not calling
them to the ceremony of the king’s restoration, which occasioned a new
rebellion, an account of which we have in the next chapter,
| Joab’s Reproof of David. | B. C. 1023. |
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1 And it was told Joab, Behold, the king weepeth and mourneth
for Absalom.
2 And the victory that day was turned into mourning unto all
the people: for the people heard say that day how the king was
grieved for his son.
3 And the people gat them by stealth that day into the city, as
people being ashamed steal away when they flee in battle.
4 But the king covered his face, and the king cried with a loud
voice, O my son Absalom, O Absalom, my son, my son!
5 And Joab came into the house to the king, and said, Thou hast
shamed this day the faces of all thy servants, which this day
have saved thy life, and the lives of thy sons and of thy
daughters, and the lives of thy wives, and the lives of thy
concubines;
6 In that thou lovest thine enemies, and hatest thy friends.
For thou hast declared this day, that thou regardest neither
princes nor servants: for this day I perceive, that if Absalom
had lived, and all we had died this day, then it had pleased thee
well.
7 Now therefore arise, go forth, and speak comfortably unto thy
servants: for I swear by the LORD, if thou go not forth, there
will not tarry one with thee this night: and that will be worse
unto thee than all the evil that befel thee from thy youth until
now.
8 Then the king arose, and sat in the gate. And they told unto
all the people, saying, Behold, the king doth sit in the gate.
And all the people came before the king: for Israel had fled
every man to his tent.
Soon after the messengers had brought the news of the defeat and death
of Absalom to the court of Mahanaim, Joab and his victorious army
followed, to grace the king’s triumphs and receive his further orders.
Now here we are told,
I. What a damp and disappointment it was to them to find the king in
tears for Absalom’s death, which they construed as a token of
displeasure against them for what they had done, whereas they expected
him to have met them with joy and thanks for their good services: It
was told Joab,
v. 1.
The report of it ran through the army
(v. 2),
how the king was grieved for his son. The people will take
particular notice what their princes say and do. The more eyes we have
upon us, and the greater our influence is, the more need we have to
speak and act wisely and to govern our passions strictly. When they
came to the city they found the king in close mourning,
v. 4.
He covered his face, and would not so much as look up, nor take any
notice of the generals when they attended him. It could not but
surprise them to find,
1. How the king proclaimed his passion, of which he ought to have been
ashamed, and which he would have striven to smother and conceal if he
had consulted either his reputation for courage, which was lessened by
his mean submission to the tyranny of so absurd a passion, or his
interest in the people, which would be prejudiced by his
discountenancing what was done in zeal for his honour and the public
safety. Yet see how he avows his grief: He cries with a loud voice,
O my son Absalom! “My servants have all come home safe, but where
is my son? He is dead; and, dying in sin, I fear he is lost for ever. I
cannot now say, I shall go to him, for my soul shall not be
gathered with such sinners; what shall be done for thee, O Absalom!
my son, my son!”
2. How he prolonged his passion, even till the army had come up to him,
which must be some time after he received the first intelligence. If he
had contented himself with giving vent to his passion for an hour or
two when he first heard the news, it would have been excusable, but to
continue it thus for so bad a son as Absalom, like Jacob for so good a
son as Joseph, with a resolution to go to the grave mourning and to
stain his triumphs with his tears, was very unwise and very unworthy.
Now see how ill this was taken by the people. They were loth to blame
the king, for whatever he did used to please them
(ch. iii. 36),
but they took it as a great mortification to them. Their victory
was turned into mourning,
v. 2.
They stole into the city as men ashamed,
v. 3.
In compliment to their sovereign, they would not rejoice in that which
they perceived so afflictive to him, and yet they could not but be
uneasy that they were thus obliged to conceal their joy. Superiors
ought not to put such hardships as these on their inferiors.
II. How plainly and vehemently Joab reproved David for this indiscreet
management of himself in this critical juncture. David never more
needed the hearts of his subjects than now, nor was ever more concerned
to secure his interest in their affections; and therefore whatever
tended to disoblige them now was the most impolitic thing he could do,
and the greatest wrong imaginable to his friends that adhered to him.
Joab therefore censures him,
He speaks a great deal of reason, but not with the respect and
deference which he owed to his prince. Is is fit to say to a king,
Thou art wicked? A plain case may be fairly pleaded with those that
are above us, and they may be reproved for what they do amiss, but it
must not be done with rudeness and insolence. David did indeed need to
be roused and alarmed; and Joab thought it no time to dally with him.
If superiors do that which is foolish, they must neither think it
strange nor take it ill if their inferiors tell them of it, perhaps too
bluntly.
1. Joab magnifies the services of David’s soldiers: “This day they
have saved thy life, and therefore deserve to be taken notice of,
and have reason to resent it if they be not.” It is implied that
Absalom, whom he honoured with his tears, sought his ruin and the ruin
of his family, while those whom by his tears he puts a slight upon were
such as preserved from ruin him and all that was dear to him. Great
mischiefs have arisen to princes from the contempt of great merits.
2. He aggravates the discouragement David had given them: “Thou
hast shamed their faces; for, while they have shown such a value
for thy life, thou hast shown no value for theirs, but preferrest a
spoiled wicked youth, a false traitor to his king and country, whom we
are happily rid of, before all thy wise counsellors, brave commanders,
and loyal subjects. What can be more absurd than to love thy enemies
and hate thy friends?”
3. He advises him to present himself immediately at the head of his
troops, to smile upon them, welcome them home, congratulate their
success, and return them thanks for their services. Even those that
may be commanded yet expect to be thanked when they do well, and ought
to be.
4. He threatens him with another rebellion if he would not do this,
intimating that rather than serve so ungrateful a prince he himself
would head a revolt from him, and then (so confident is Joab of his own
interest in the people) “there will not tarry with thee one man.
If I go, they will go. Thou hast now nothing to mourn for: but, if thou
persist, I will give thee something to mourn for (as Josephus expresses
it) with a true and more bitter mourning.”
III. How prudently and mildly David took the reproof and counsel given
him,
v. 8.
He shook off his grief, anointed his head, and washed his face, that he
might not appear unto men to mourn, and then made his appearance in
public in the gate, which was as the guild-hall of the city. Hither the
people flocked to him to congratulate his and their safety, and all was
well. Note, When we are convinced of a fault, we must amend, though we
are told of it by our inferiors, and indecently, or in heat and
passion.
| David’s Return to the Jordan. | B. C. 1023. |
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9 And all the people were at strife throughout all the tribes
of Israel, saying, The king saved us out of the hand of our
enemies, and he delivered us out of the hand of the Philistines;
and now he is fled out of the land for Absalom.
10 And Absalom, whom we anointed over us, is dead in battle.
Now therefore why speak ye not a word of bringing the king back?
11 And king David sent to Zadok and to Abiathar the priests,
saying, Speak unto the elders of Judah, saying, Why are ye the
last to bring the king back to his house? seeing the speech of
all Israel is come to the king, even to his house.
12 Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones and my flesh:
wherefore then are ye the last to bring back the king?
13 And say ye to Amasa, Art thou not of my bone, and of my
flesh? God do so to me, and more also, if thou be not captain of
the host before me continually in the room of Joab.
14 And he bowed the heart of all the men of Judah, even as the
heart of one man; so that they sent this word unto the king,
Return thou, and all thy servants.
15 So the king returned, and came to Jordan. And Judah came to
Gilgal, to go to meet the king, to conduct the king over Jordan.
It is strange that David did not immediately upon the defeat and
dispersion of Absalom’s forces march with all expedition back to
Jerusalem, to regain the possession of his capital city, while the
rebels were in confusion and before they could rally again. What
occasion was there to bring him back? Could not he himself go back with
the victorious army he had with him in Gilead? He could, no doubt; but,
1. He would go back as a prince, with the consent and unanimous
approbation of the people, and not as a conqueror forcing his way: he
would restore their liberties, and not take occasion to seize them, or
encroach upon them.
2. He would go back in peace and safety, and be sure that he should
meet with no difficulty or opposition in his return, and therefore
would be satisfied that the people were well-affected to have him
before he would stir.
3. He would go back in honour, and like himself, and therefore would go
back, not at the head of his forces, but in the arms of his subjects;
for the prince that has wisdom and goodness enough to make himself his
people’s darling, without doubt, looks greater and makes a much better
figure than the prince that has strength enough to make himself his
people’s terror. It is resolved therefore that David must be brought
back to Jerusalem his own city, and his own house there, with some
ceremony, and here we have that matter concerted.
I. The men of Israel (that is, the ten tribes) were the first that
talked of it,
The people were at strife about it; it was the great subject of
discourse and dispute throughout all the country. Some perhaps opposed
it: “Let him either come back himself or stay where he is;” others
appeared zealous for it, and reasoned as follows here, to further the
design,
1. That David had formerly helped them, had fought their battles,
subdued their enemies, and done them much service, and therefore it was
a shame that he should continue banished from their country who had
been so great a benefactor to it. Note, Good services done to the
public, though they may be forgotten for a while, yet will be
remembered again when men come to their right minds.
2. That Absalom had now disappointed them. “We were foolishly sick of
the cedar, and chose the branch to reign over us; but we have had
enough of him: he is consumed, and we narrowly escaped being consumed
with him. Let us therefore return to our allegiance, and think of
bringing the king back.” Perhaps this was all the strife among them,
not a dispute whether the king should be brought back or no (all agreed
it was to be done), but whose fault is was that it was not done. As is
usual in such cases, every one justified himself and blamed his
neighbour. The people laid the fault on the elders, and the elders on
the people, and one tribe upon another. Mutual excitements to the doing
of a good work are laudable, but not mutual accusations for the not
doing of it; for usually when public services are neglected all sides
must share in the blame; every one might do more than he does, in the
reformation of manners, the healing of divisions, and the like.
II. The men of Judah, by David’s contrivance, were the first that did
it. It is strange that they, being David’s own tribe, were not so
forward as the rest. David had intelligence of the good disposition of
all the rest towards him, but nothing from Judah, though he had always
been particularly careful of them. But we do not always find the most
kindness from those from whom we have most reason to expect it. Yet
David would not return till he knew the sense of his own tribe.
Judah was his lawgiver,
Ps. lx. 7.
That his way home might be the more clear,
1. He employed Zadok and Abiathar, the two chief priests, to treat with
the elders of Judah, and to excite them to give the king an invitation
back to his house, even to his house, which was the glory of their
tribe,
No men more proper to negociate this affair than the two priests, who
were firm to David’s interest, were prudent men, and had great
influence with the people. Perhaps the men of Judah were remiss and
careless, and did it not, because nobody put them on to do it, and then
it was proper to stir them up to it. Many will follow in a good work
who will not lead: it is a pity that they should continue idle for want
of being spoken to. Or perhaps they were so sensible of the greatness
of the provocation they had given to David, by joining with Absalom,
that they were afraid to bring him back, despairing of his favour; he
therefore warrants his agents to assure them of it, with this reason:
“You are my brethren, my bone and my flesh, and therefore I
cannot be severe with you.” The Son of David has been pleased to call
us brethren, his bone and his flesh, which encourages us to hope
that we shall find favour with him. Or perhaps they were willing to see
what the rest of the tribes would do before they stirred, with which
they are here upbraided: “The speech of all Israel has come to the king
to invite him back, and shall Judah be the last, that should have been
the first? Where is now the celebrated bravery of that royal tribe?
Where is its loyalty?” Note, We should be stirred up to that which is
great and good by the examples both of our ancestors and of our
neighbours, and by the consideration of our rank. Let not the first in
dignity be last in duty.
2. He particularly courted into his interest Amasa, who had been
Absalom’s general, but was his own nephew as well as Joab,
He owns him for his kinsman, and promises him that, if he will appear
for him now, he will make him captain-general of all his forces in the
room of Joab, will not only pardon him (which, it may be, Amasa
questioned), but prefer him. Sometimes there is nothing lost in
purchasing the friendship of one that has been an enemy. Amasa’s
interest might do David good service at this juncture. But, if David
did wisely for himself in designating Amasa for this post (Joab having
now grown intolerably haughty), he did not do kindly by Amasa in
letting his design be known, for it occasioned his death by Joab’s
hand,
3. The point was hereby gained. He bowed the heart of the men of Judah
to pass a vote, nemine contradicente–unanimously, for the recall
of the king,
God’s providence, by the priests’ persuasions and Amasa’s interest,
brought them to this resolve. David stirred not till he received this
invitation, and then he came as far back as Jordan, at which river they
were to meet him,
Our Lord Jesus will rule in those that invite him to the throne in
their hearts and not till he be invited. He first bows the heart and
makes it willing in the day of his power, and then rules in the
midst of his enemies,
Ps. cx. 2, 3.
| David Pardons Shimei. | B. C. 1023. |
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16 And Shimei the son of Gera, a Benjamite, which was of
Bahurim, hasted and came down with the men of Judah to meet king
David.
17 And there were a thousand men of Benjamin with him, and
Ziba the servant of the house of Saul, and his fifteen sons and
his twenty servants with him; and they went over Jordan before
the king.
18 And there went over a ferry boat to carry over the king’s
household, and to do what he thought good. And Shimei the son of
Gera fell down before the king, as he was come over Jordan;
19 And said unto the king, Let not my lord impute iniquity unto
me, neither do thou remember that which thy servant did
perversely the day that my lord the king went out of Jerusalem,
that the king should take it to his heart.
20 For thy servant doth know that I have sinned: therefore,
behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph
to go down to meet my lord the king.
21 But Abishai the son of Zeruiah answered and said, Shall not
Shimei be put to death for this, because he cursed the LORD‘s
anointed?
22 And David said, What have I to do with you, ye sons of
Zeruiah, that ye should this day be adversaries unto me? shall
there any man be put to death this day in Israel? for do not I
know that I am this day king over Israel?
23 Therefore the king said unto Shimei, Thou shalt not die. And
the king sware unto him.
Perhaps Jordan was never passed with so much solemnity, nor with so
many remarkable occurrences, as it was now, since Israel passed it
under Joshua. David, in his afflictive flight, remembered God
particularly from the land of Jordan
(Ps. xlii. 6),
and now that land, more than any other, was graced with the glories of
his return. David’s soldiers furnished themselves with accommodations
for their passage over this river, but, for his own family, a
ferry-boat was sent on purpose,
A fleet of boats, say some; a bridge of boats was made,
say others; the best convenience they had to serve him with. Two
remarkable persons met him on the banks of Jordan, both of whom had
abused him wretchedly when he was in his flight.
I. Ziba, who had abused him with his fair tongue, and by accusing his
master, had obtained from the king a grant of his estate,
A greater abuse he could not have done him, than, by imposing upon his
credulity, to draw him in to do a thing so unkind to the son of his
friend Jonathan. He comes now, with a retinue of sons and servants, to
meet the king
(v. 17),
that he may obtain the king’s favour, and so come off the better when
Mephibosheth shall shortly undeceive him, and clear himself,
II. Shimei, who had abused him with his foul tongue, railed at him, and
cursed him,
If David had been defeated, no doubt he would have continued to trample
upon him, and have gloried in what he had done; but now that he sees
him coming home in triumph, and returning to his throne, he thinks it
his interest to make his peace with him. Those who now slight and abuse
the Son of David would be glad to make their peace too when he shall
come in his glory; but it will be too late. Shimei, to recommend
himself to the king,
1. Came with good company, with the men of Judah, as one in their
interest.
2. He brought a regiment of the men of Benjamin with him, 1000, of
which perhaps he was chiliarch, or commander-in-chief, offering his own
and their service to the king; or perhaps they were volunteers, whom by
his interest he had got together to meet the king, which was the more
obliging because of all the tribes of Israel there were none, except
these and Judah, that appeared to pay him this respect.
3. What he did he hastened to do; he lost no time. Agree with thy
adversary quickly, while thou art in the way. Here is,
(1.) The criminal’s submission
(v. 18-20):
He fell down before the king, as a penitent, as a supplicant;
and, that he might be thought sincere, he did it publicly before all
David’s servants, and his friends the men of Judah, yea, and before his
own thousand. The offence was public, therefore the submission ought to
be so. He owns his crime: Thy servant doth know that I have
sinned. He aggravates it: I did perversely. He begs the
king’s pardon: Let not the king impute iniquity to thy servant,
that is, deal with me as I deserve. He intimates that it was below the
king’s great and generous mind to take it to his heart; and
pleads his early return to his allegiance, that he was the first of
all the house of Joseph (that is, of Israel, who in the beginning
of David’s reign had distinguished themselves from Judah by their
adherence to Ishbosheth,
that came to meet the king. He came first, that by his example
of duty the rest might be induced, and by his experience of the king’s
clemency the rest might be encouraged to follow.
(2.) A motion made for judgment against him
(v. 21):
“Shall not Shimei be put to death as a traitor? Let him, of all
men, be made an example.” This motion was made by Abishai, who would
have ventured his life to have been the death of Shimei when he was
cursing,
David did not think fit to have it done then, because his judicial
power was cut short; but, now that it was restored, why should not the
law have its course? Abishai herein consulted what he supposed to be
David’s feelings more than his true interest. Princes have need to arm
themselves against temptations to severity.
(3.) His discharge by the king’s order,
He rejected Abishai’s motion with displeasure: What have I to do
with you, you sons of Zeruiah? The less we have to do with those
who are of an angry revengeful spirit, and who put us upon doing what
is harsh and rigorous, the better. He looks upon these prosecutors as
adversaries to him, though they pretended friendship and zeal for his
honour. Those who advise us to what is wrong are really Satans,
adversaries to us.
[1.] They were adversaries to his inclination, which was to clemency.
He knew that he was this day king in Israel, restored to, and
re-established in, his kingdom, and therefore his honour inclined him
to forgive. It is the glory of kings to forgive those that humble and
surrender themselves: Satis est prostrasse leoni–it suffices the
lion that he has laid his victim prostrate. His joy inclined him to
forgive. The pleasantness of his spirit on this great occasion forbade
the entrance of any thing that was sour and peevish: joyful days should
be forgiving days. Yet this was not all; his experience of God’s mercy
in restoring him to his kingdom, his exclusion from which he attributed
to his sin, inclined him to show mercy to Shimei. Those that are
forgiven must forgive. David had severely revenged the abuses done to
his ambassadors by the Ammonites
(ch. xii. 31),
but easily passes by the abuse done to himself by an Israelite. That
was an affront to Israel in general, and touched the honour of his
crown and kingdom; this was purely personal, and therefore (according
to the usual disposition of good men) he could the more easily forgive
it.
[2.] They were adversaries to his interest. If he should put to death
Shimei, who cursed him, those would expect the same fate who had taken
up arms and actually levied war against him, which would drive them
from him, while he was endeavouring to draw them to him. Acts of
severity are seldom acts of policy. The throne is established by
mercy. Shimei, hereupon, had his pardon signed and sealed with an
oath, yet being bound, no doubt, to his good behaviour, and liable to
be prosecuted if he afterwards misbehaved; and thus he was reserved to
be, in due time, as much a monument of the justice of the government as
he was now of its clemency, and in both of its prudence.
24 And Mephibosheth the son of Saul came down to meet the king,
and had neither dressed his feet, nor trimmed his beard, nor
washed his clothes, from the day the king departed until the day
he came again in peace.
25 And it came to pass, when he was come to Jerusalem to meet
the king, that the king said unto him, Wherefore wentest not thou
with me, Mephibosheth?
26 And he answered, My lord, O king, my servant deceived me:
for thy servant said, I will saddle me an ass, that I may ride
thereon, and go to the king; because thy servant is lame.
27 And he hath slandered thy servant unto my lord the king; but
my lord the king is as an angel of God: do therefore what is
good in thine eyes.
28 For all of my father’s house were but dead men before my
lord the king: yet didst thou set thy servant among them that did
eat at thine own table. What right therefore have I yet to cry
any more unto the king?
29 And the king said unto him, Why speakest thou any more of
thy matters? I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land.
30 And Mephibosheth said unto the king, Yea, let him take all,
forasmuch as my lord the king is come again in peace unto his own
house.
The day of David’s return was a day of bringing to remembrance, a day
of account, in which what had passed in his flight was called over
again; among other things, after the case of Shimei, that of
Mephibosheth comes to be enquired into, and he himself brings it
on.
I. He went down in the crowd to meet the king
(v. 24),
and as a proof of the sincerity of his joy in the king’s return, we are
here told what a true mourner he was for the king’s banishment. During
that melancholy time, when one of the greatest glories of Israel had
departed, Mephibosheth continued in a very melancholy state. He was
never trimmed, nor put on clean linen, but wholly neglected himself, as
one abandoned to grief for the king’s affliction and the kingdom’s
misery. In times of public calamity we ought to abridge our enjoyments
in the delights of sense, in conformity to the season. There are times
when God calls to weeping and mourning, and we must comply with the
call.
II. When the king came to Jerusalem (since he could not sooner have an
opportunity) he made his appearance before him
(v. 25);
and when the king asked him why he, being one of his family, had staid
behind, and not accompanied him in his exile, he opened his case fully
to the king.
1. He complained of Ziba, his servant who should have been his friend,
but had been in two ways his enemy; for, first, he had hindered him
from going along with the king, by taking the ass himself which he was
ordered to make ready for his master
(v. 26),
basely taking advantage of his lameness and his inability to help
himself; and, secondly, he had accused him to David of a design to
usurp the government,
How much mischief is it in the power of a wicked servant to do to the
best master!
2. He gratefully acknowledged the king’s great kindness to him when he
and all his father’s house lay at the king’s mercy,
When he might justly have been dealt with as a rebel, he was treated as
a friend, as a child: Thou didst set thy servant among those that
did eat at thy own table. This shows that Ziba’s suggestion was
improbable; for could Mephibosheth be so foolish as to aim higher when
he lived so easily, so happily as he did? And could he be so very
disingenuous as to design any harm to David, of whose great kindness to
him he was thus sensible?
(3.) He referred his cause to the king’s pleasure (Do what is good
in thy eyes with me and my estate), depending on the king’s wisdom,
and his ability to discern between truth and falsehood (My lord the
king is as an angel from God), and disclaiming all pretensions of
his own merit: “So much kindness I have received above what I deserved,
and what right have I to cry any more unto the king? Why should
I trouble the king with my complaints when I have already been so
troublesome to him? Why should I think any thing hard that is put upon
me when I hitherto been so kindly treated?” We were all as dead men
before God; yet he has not only spared us, but taken us to sit
at his table. How little reason then have we to complain of any
trouble we are in, and how much reason to take all well that God
does!
III. David hereupon recalls the sequestration of Mephibosheth’s estate;
being deceived in his grant, he revokes it, and confirms his former
settlement of it: “I have said, Thou and Ziba divide the land
(v. 29),
that is, Let it be as I first ordered it
(ch. ix. 10);
the property shall still be vested in thee, but Ziba shall have
occupancy: he shall till the land, paying thee a rent.” Thus
Mephibosheth is where he was; no harm is done, only Ziba goes away
unpunished for his false and malicious information against his master.
David either feared him too much, or loved him too well, to do justice
upon him according to that law,
and he was now in the humour of forgiving and resolved to make every
body easy.
IV. Mephibosheth drowns all he cares about his estate in his joy for
the king’s return
(v. 30):
“Yea, let him take all, the presence and favour of the king
shall be to me instead of all.” A good man can contentedly bear his own
private losses and disappointments, while he see Israel in peace, and
the throne of the Son of David exalted and established. Let Ziba take
all, so that David may be in peace.
| Mephibosheth Meets David. | B. C. 1023. |
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31 And Barzillai the Gileadite came down from Rogelim, and went
over Jordan with the king, to conduct him over Jordan.
32 Now Barzillai was a very aged man, even fourscore years
old: and he had provided the king of sustenance while he lay at
Mahanaim; for he was a very great man.
33 And the king said unto Barzillai, Come thou over with me,
and I will feed thee with me in Jerusalem.
34 And Barzillai said unto the king, How long have I to live,
that I should go up with the king unto Jerusalem?
35 I am this day fourscore years old: and can I discern
between good and evil? can thy servant taste what I eat or what I
drink? can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing
women? wherefore then should thy servant be yet a burden unto my
lord the king?
36 Thy servant will go a little way over Jordan with the king:
and why should the king recompense it me with such a reward?
37 Let thy servant, I pray thee, turn back again, that I may
die in mine own city, and be buried by the grave of my father
and of my mother. But behold thy servant Chimham; let him go over
with my lord the king; and do to him what shall seem good unto
thee.
38 And the king answered, Chimham shall go over with me, and I
will do to him that which shall seem good unto thee: and
whatsoever thou shalt require of me, that will I do for thee.
39 And all the people went over Jordan. And when the king was
come over, the king kissed Barzillai, and blessed him; and he
returned unto his own place.
David had already graced the triumphs of his restoration with the
generous remission of the injuries that had been done to him; we have
him here gracing them with a no less generous reward of the kindnesses
that had been shown to him. Barzillai, the Gileadite, who had a noble
seat at Rogelim, not far from Mahanaim, was the man who, of all the
nobility and gentry of that country, had been most kind to David in his
distress. If Absalom had prevailed, it is likely he would have suffered
for his loyalty; but now he and his shall be no losers by it. Here
is,
I. Barzillai’s great respect to David, not only as a good man, but as
his righteous sovereign: He provided him with much sustenance,
for himself and his family, while he lay at Mahanaim,
v. 32.
God had given him a large estate, for he was a very great man,
and, it seems, he had a large heart to do good with it: what else but
that is a large estate good for? To reduced greatness generosity
obliges us, and to oppressed goodness piety obliges us, to be in a
particular manner kind, to the utmost of our power. Barzillai, to show
that he was not weary of David, though he was so great a charge to him,
attended him to Jordan, and went over with him,
Let subjects learn hence to render tribute to whom tribute is
due and honour to whom honour,
Rom. xiii. 7.
II. The kind invitation David gave to him to court
(v. 33):
Come thou over with me. He invited him,
1. That he might have the pleasure of his company and the benefit of
his counsel; for we may suppose that he was very wise and good, as well
as very rich, otherwise he would not have been called here a very
great man; for it is what a man is, more than what he has, that
renders him truly great.
2. That he might have an opportunity of returning his kindness: “I
will feed thee with me; thou shalt fare as sumptuously as I fare,
and this at Jerusalem, the royal and holy city.” David did not take
Barzillai’s kindness to him as a debt (he was not one of those
arbitrary princes who think that whatever their subjects have is theirs
when they please), but accepted it and rewarded it as a favour. We must
always study to be grateful to our friends, especially to those who
have helped us in distress.
III. Barzillai’s reply to this invitation, wherein,
1. He admires the king’s generosity in making him this offer, lessening
his service, and magnifying the king’s return for it: Why should the
king recompense it with such a reward?
v. 36.
Will the master thank that servant who only does what was his duty to
do? He though he had done himself honour enough in doing the king any
service. Thus, when the saints shall be called to inherit the kingdom
in consideration of what they have done for Christ in this world, they
will be amazed at the disproportion between the service and the
recompence.
Lord, when saw we thee hungry, and fed thee?
2. He declines accepting the invitation. He begs his majesty’s pardon
for refusing so generous an offer: he should think himself very happy
in being near the king, but,
(1.) He is old, and unfit to remove at all, especially to court. He is
old, and unfit for the business of the court: “Why should I
go up with the king to Jerusalem? I can do him no service there, in
the council, the camp, the treasury, or the courts of justice; for
how long have I to live?
v. 34.
Shall I think of going into business, now that I am going out of this
world?” He is old and unfit for the diversions of the court,
which will be ill-bestowed, and even thrown away, upon one that can
relish them so little,
As it was in Moses’s time, so it was in Barzillai’s and it is not worse
now, that, if men be so strong that they come to fourscore years,
their strength then is labour and sorrow,
Ps. xc. 10.
These were then, and are still, years of which men say they have no
pleasure in them,
Eccl. xii. 1.
Dainties are insipid when desire fails, and songs to the aged ear are
little better than those sung to a heavy heart, very disagreeable: how
should they be otherwise when the daughters of music are brought low?
Let those that are old learn of Barzillai to be dead to the delights of
sense; let grace second nature, and make a virtue of the necessity.
Nay, Barzillai, being old, thinks he shall be a burden to the
king, rather than any credit to him; and a good man would not go
any where to be burdensome, or, if he must be so, will rather be so to
his own house than to another’s.
(2.) He is dying, and must begin to think of his long journey, his
removal out of the world,
It is good for us all, but it especially becomes old people to think
and speak much of dying. “Talk of going to court!” says Barzillai; “Let
me go home and die in my own city, the place of my father’s
sepulchre; let me die by the grave of my father, that my bones
may be quietly carried to the place of their rest. The grave is ready
for me, let me go and get ready for it, go and die in my nest.”
3. He desires the king to be kind to his son Chimham: Let him go
over with my lord the king, and have preferment at court. What
favour is done to him Barzillai will take as done to himself. Those
that are old must not grudge young people those delights which they
themselves are past the enjoyment of, nor confine them to their
retirements. Barzillai will go back himself, but he will not make
Chimham go back with him; though he could ill spare Chimham, yet,
thinking it would gratify and advance him, he is willing to do it.
IV. David’s farewell to Barzillai.
1. He sends him back into his country with a kiss and a blessing
(v. 39),
signifying that in gratitude for his kindnesses he would love him and
pray for him, and with a promise that whatever request he should at any
time make to him he would be ready to oblige him
(v. 38):
Whatsoever thou shalt think of, when thou comest home, to ask
of me, that will I do for thee. What is the chief excellency
of power but this, that it gives men a capacity of doing the more good?
2. He takes Chimham forward with him, and leaves it to Barzillai to
choose him his preferment. I will do to him what shall seem good to
thee,
v. 38.
And, it should seem, Barzillai, who had experienced the innocency and
safety of retirement, begged a country seat for him near Jerusalem, but
not in it; for, long after, we read of a place near Beth-lehem, David’s
city, which is called the habitation of Chimham, allotted to
him, probably, not out of the crown-lands or the forfeited estates, but
out of David’s paternal estate.
| Quarrel between Israel and Judah. | B. C. 1023. |
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40 Then the king went on to Gilgal, and Chimham went on with
him: and all the people of Judah conducted the king, and also
half the people of Israel.
41 And, behold, all the men of Israel came to the king, and
said unto the king, Why have our brethren the men of Judah stolen
thee away, and have brought the king, and his household, and all
David’s men with him, over Jordan?
42 And all the men of Judah answered the men of Israel, Because
the king is near of kin to us: wherefore then be ye angry for
this matter? have we eaten at all of the king’s cost? or hath
he given us any gift?
43 And the men of Israel answered the men of Judah, and said,
We have ten parts in the king, and we have also more right in
David than ye: why then did ye despise us, that our advice should
not be first had in bringing back our king? And the words of the
men of Judah were fiercer than the words of the men of Israel.
David came over Jordan attended and assisted only by the men of Judah;
but when he had advanced as far as Gilgal, the first stage on this side
Jordan, half the people of Israel (that is, of their elders and
great men) had come to wait upon him, to kiss his hand, and
congratulate him on his return, but found they came too late to witness
the solemnity of his first entrance. This put them out of humour, and
occasioned a quarrel between them and the men of Judah, which was a
damp to the joy of the day, and the beginning of further mischief. Here
is,
1. The complaint which the men of Israel brought to the king against
the men of Judah
(v. 41),
that they had performed the ceremony of bringing the king over Jordan,
and not given them notice, that they might have come to join in it.
This reflected upon them, as if they were not so well affected to the
king and his restoration as the men of Judah were, whereas the king
himself knew that they had spoken of it before the men of Judah thought
of it,
It seemed likewise as if they intended to monopolize the king’s favours
when he had come back, and to be looked upon as his only friends. See
what mischief comes from pride and jealousy.
2. The excuse which the men of Judah made for themselves,
(1.) They plead relations to the king: “He is near of kin to us,
and therefore in a matter of mere ceremony, as this was, we may claim
precedency. It was into our country that he was to be brought, and
therefore who so fit as we to bring him?”
(2.) They deny the insinuated charge of self-seeking in what they had
done: “Have we eaten at all of the king’s cost? No, we have all
borne our own charges. Hath he given us any gift? No, we have no
design to engross the advantages of his return; you have come time
enough to share in them.” Too many that attend princes do so only for
what they can get.
3. The men of Israel’s vindication of their charge,
They pleaded, “We have ten parts in the king” (Judah having
Simeon only, whose lot lay within his, to join with him), “and
therefore it is a slight upon us that our advice was not asked about
bringing back the king.” See how uncertain the multitude is.
They were lately striving against the king, to drive him out; now they
are striving about him, which shall honour him most. A good man and a
good cause will thus recover their credit and interest, though, for a
time, they may seem to have lost them. See what is commonly the origin
of strife, nothing so much as impatience of contempt or the least
seeming slight. The men of Judah would have done better if they had
taken their brethren’s advice and assistance; but, since they did not,
why should the men of Israel be so grievously offended? If a good work
be done, and well done, let us not be displeased, nor the work
disparaged, though we had no hand in it.
4. The scripture takes notice, by way of blame, which of the contending
parties managed the cause with most passion: The words of the men of
Judah were fiercer than those of the men of Israel. Though
we have right and reason on our side, yet, if we express ourselves with
fierceness, God takes notice of it and is much displeased with it.
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