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said to David, Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the LORD, saying, The LORD be between me and thee, and between iny seed and thy seed forever. he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.

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REFLECTIONS.

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N Jonathan here is a noble, heroic instance of faithful friendship. A friend loveth at all times, and a brother is born for adversity. He loved one who was to supplant him, one that was in adversity. This was an extraordinary friendship, built on the purest principles. This example of candour, integrity, and steadiness in friendship, deserves our imitation. He that hath such a friend, should show himself friendly, and make all possible returns. It was great kindness in Jonathan to hazard his own life in the service of his friend, Greater love hath no man than this, to lay down his life for his friend; but God commendeth his love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us; and after his example, we are commanded to be willing to lay down our lives for the brethren.

2. We have here a further proof, how much like a brute and a monster, ungoverned passions make a man. Few are more hard to be convinced and reformed, than men of strong passions and ungoverned spirits. In the example of Saul they may see, as in a glass, their own features. What a violent passion was he in with his own son, who was dutiful, valiant, and pious! Jonathan's conduct was no evidence that his mother was a perverse, rebellious woman; but passionate men never scruple what they say, or whom they abuse, Saul vented all the scandalous, ill natured words he could think of, and then attempted to kill him. Let persons of hot and hasty tempers recollect this instance, and read this story again and again; let masters of families and parents often reflect upon it; that, seeing the odiousness of anger and passion, they may treat their servants with mildness, and their children with tender affection. Fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on bowels of affection, compassion, and gentleness; forbearing and forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.

that he was leaving such a faithful friend, who had just saved his life at the hazard of his own, and that he was leaving him to the fury of a madman, who would, if possible, destroy him for his regard to David. Both of them were too much affected to say much more, therefore Jonathan, who was least moved, takes leave of him in a more calm, religious man mer, reminding him of their mutual engagements and solemn covenant in the sight of God.

CHAP. XXI.

David, by imposing upon Ahimelech, gets provisions and a sword; he flies to Gath, and imposeth on the Philistines.

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either to take leave of the ark, or to seek direction :* and Ahimelech was afraid at the meeting of David, and said unto him, Why [art] thou alone, and no man with thee? Having heard of Saul's displeasure against David, he might suppose he was flying from him, and that it might be dangerous to shelter him, 2 especially as Doeg was now there. And David said unto Ahime lech the priest, The king hath commanded me a business, and hath said unto me, Let no man know any thing of the business whereabout I send thee, and what I have commanded thee: and I have appointed [my] servants to such and such a place. He might have some servants, but had no soldiers, as he used to have : 3 the rest of the story was a lie. Now therefore what is under thine hand? give [me] five [loaves of] bread in mine hand, or what there is present: he wanted provisions; he was afraid of Doeg, whom he knew; he could not stay while bread was baked, or while the priest went to his own house, which might be at a dis4tance, to get some. And the priest answered David, and said, [There is] no common bread under mine hand, but there is hallowed bread; if the young men have kept themselves at least from women, their wives, by the use of whom they contracted 5 ceremonial uncleanness, Exodus xix. 15. And David answered the priest, and said unto him, Of a truth women [have been] kept from us about these three days, since I came out, and the vessels of the young men are holy, and [the bread is] in a manner common, yea, though it were sanctified this day in the vessel, or, especially when this day there is other bread sanctified in 6 the vessel, and ready to be put on the table. So the priest gave him hallowed [bread :] for there was no bread there but the shew bread that was taken from before the LORD, to put hot 7 bread in the day when it was taken away. Now a certain man of the servants of Saul [was] there that day, detained before the LORD; and his name [was] Doeg, an Edomite, but a proselyte to the Jewish religion, the chiefest of the herdmen that [belonged] to Saul.f

Nob was a city of Benjamin, twelve miles from Gibeah. Saul brought the ark and the tabernacle there, for the sake of consulting God, and being near the court."

+ Some writers have attempted to vindicate this falsehood, by saying his intention was innocent, it was designed to keep the priests from the blame of siding with him; and that we are not obliged to speak all the truth to our own or others' disadvantage. But nothing can vindicate a lie. We are not to do evil that good may come. David bewails this sin, ch. xxii. 22. and prays against it, Psalm cxix. 29.

He was the inspector of governor of the herdmen belonging to Saul, who, though a` king, did not think it beneath him to have flocks and herds. This man, wicked as he was kept up the rites of religion, and came to sacrifice, or pay his vows at the tabernacle.

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And David said unto Ahimelech, And is there not here under thine hand spear or sword? for I have neither brought my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king's business required haste. He came without a weapon, to prevent suspicion, and that he might appear as a private man ; but he gave another reason to the priest. And the priest said, The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom thou slewest in the valley of Elah, behold, it [is here] wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod in the priest's wardrobe if thou wilt take that, take [it] for [there is] no other save that here. And David said, [There is] none like that; give it me; as being a pledge of God's favour to him, and a great encouragement to his faith and the priest gave it him, and inquired of the Lord for him: what the answer was, we know not; perhaps there was none, as a punishment for his lying.

And David arosé, and fled that day for fear of Saul, and went I to Achish the king of Gath.* And the servants of Achish said unto him, [Is] not this David the king of the land? did they not sing one to another of him in dances, saying, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands? The courtiers remonstrated against this, as appears by Psalm liv. they watched him narrowly, and wrested his words. They considered him as the chief commander, next to the king, and probably would become his successor; they heard what was done in Israel, how fond the peo12 ple were of him, and therefore advised Achish to kill him. And David, aware of his danger, laid up these words in his heart, and 13 was sore afraid of Achish the king of Gath. And therefore, he had recourse to a stratagem, whereby he betrayed great distrust in God, and was guilty of such unmanly dissimulation, as is unbecoming a servant of his; and he changed his behaviour before them, and feigned himself mad in their hands, and scrabbled on the doors of the gate, and let his spittle fall down upon his beard. 14 Then said Achish unto his servants, Lo, ye see the man is mad wherefore [then] have ye brought him to me? This pretence was the more easily believed, as they would scarce suppose a man in his senses would come there with Goliath's sword, and after having done the Philistines so much mischief. Achish intimates that there was no service to be hoped for from him, nor any reason 15 to fear him: Have I need of mad men, that ye have brought this [fellow] to play the madman in my presence? shall this [fellow] come into my house? shall my court be degraded with a madman? Notwithstanding this, Achish had a very great respect for him; (see ch. xxvii.) he saw through the pretence, but was willing to send David away.

It was strange that he should fly to the city of Goliath, and with his sword too. But he heped they would receive him as an enemy of Saul. Outlaws of a nation have generally been sheltered by their enemies. Themistocles, the Athenian general, when banished, fled to the enemies whom he had often conquered. David durst not Ay to other nations who were at peace with Saul, for they would have delivered him up. It seems Achish gave him a kind reception. The true secret appears to me to be this, that Achish had a great respect for him, ag a brave man, and liked him the better for having killed the proud Goliath, between whom and Achish there was no great friendship.

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REFLECTIONS.

E hence learn, that mercy is to be preferred to sacrifice, and that ritual observances must give way to moral duties. This is our Lord's inference from this story, Matt. xii. 3-7. Many things may be done in cases of urgent necessity, which would otherwise be improper; and this vindicates doing acts of necessity and mercy on the Lord's day. But we should be careful, on the other hand, that we do not run into unjustifiable liberty, which seems to be more peculiarly the fault of the present day. Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy.

2. When Providence reduces us to straits and difficulties, we have great need to watch over our own hearts. When David was driven out, and wanted provision, what sins did he run into! what mean artifices did he use to secure himself! such as were unbecoming a good man, and one that knew better. He afterward severely repented of his folly. The greatest straits will not justify stealing, lying, and such evil practices. It is better to want bread, than grace; better to starve, than sin against God. These things are written for our instruction and admonition. Poverty is a strong temptation to dishonesty and fraud: but let those who are poor and distressed, watch and pray that they enter not into temptation. We may all learn the suitableness of Agur's prayer, Prov. xxx. 7-9. Give me neither poverty nor riches ; feed me with food convenient for me; fix me in the middle station of life: lest I be fully and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.

CHAP. XXII.

In this chapter we find several persons resorting to David at Adullam; Doeg's accusation of Ahimelech ; and Saul's command to kill the priests.

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AVID therefore departed thence, and escaped to the cave, or strong hold, Adullam and when his brethren and all his father's house heard [it,] they went down thither to him to secure themselves, apprehending danger from Saul. And every one [that was] in distress, who were weary of Saul's arbitrary government and oppression, and every one that [was] in debt to cruel creditors, and were unable to fiay, and whose goods and lands were perhaps seized upon, and every one [that was] discontented, that was bitter of soul, under some grievous oppres sion, gathered themselves unto him; and he became a captain over them and there were with him about four hundred men.*

These were not a troop of banditti, roving robbers, and murderers; they were not, as Mr. Henry observes, wicked men, of a restless spirit; they might be good, and were glad to escape Saul's fury. We find, 1 Chron. xii. 18. that they were brave men. David never enterBained them till he was an outlaw and in danger of his life; he never oppressed with them, nor loved to plunder, except upon the enemies of Israel. They cultivated the wilderness, were of service to their country, and, no doubt, many Israelites who loved David, sent them supplies."

3 And David went thence to Mizpeh of Moab : and he said unto the king of Moab, who was Saul's enemy, but Ruth's great grandson, and allied to the house of Jesse,* Let my father and my mother, I pray thee, come forth, [and be] with you, till I know what God will do for me. His father and mother were aged, and could not bear the confinement of a cave; and were unable to 4 wander about with him from place to place. And he brought them before the king of Moab : and they dwelt with him all the while that David was in the hold, so long as he was forced to wander from place to place to secure himself.

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And the prophet Gad said unto David, Abide not in the hold; depart, and get thee into the land of Judah.† Then David departed, and came into the forest of Hareth.

When Saul heard that David was discovered, and the men that [were] with him, that he appeared openly in the land of Judah; (now Saul abode in Gibeah under a tree in Ramah, having his spear in his hand, and all his servants [were] standing about him; he had left every other business to pursue David; kept a flying camp, and a spear in his hand, ready to rush upon 7 him in a moment; he hunted for his precious life ;) Then Saul said unto his servants that stood about him, Hear now, ye Ben jamites; will the son of Jesse give every one of you fields and vineyards, [and] make you all captains of thousands, and cap. tains of hundreds? will he promote, advance, and enrich you all, as I have done? He will rather reward those of his own tribe ; 8 That all of you have conspired against me, to conceal David's design, and [there is] none that showeth me that my son hath made a league with the son of Jesse, and [there is] none of you that is sorry for me, or showeth unto me that my son hath stirred up my servant against me, to lie in wait, as at this day. If this was true, one would be sorry for him, but there was no 9 ground for this suspicion. Then answered Doeg the Edomite, which was set over the servants of Saul, and said, I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob, to Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10 And he inquired of the LORD for him, and gave him victuals, and gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.||

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Then the king sent to call Ahimelech the priest, the son of Ahitub, and all his father's house, the priests that [were] in 12 Nob and they came readily all of them to the king. And Saul said, with the utmost contempt, Hear now, thou son of Ahi

It was at this time that David composed the twenty seventh psalm.

Gad was a young prophet out of Samuel's academy. It was a great comfort and support to David to have such a one wich him at this time. He advised David to go to the land of Ju dah, and appear publicly, as one that was conscious of his own innocence, and trusted in God.

It appears that he suspected there was a league between them, and carried his jealousy so far, as to imagine that Jonathan encouraged David to appear in arins.

Doeg thought it was the best way to pay his court to Saul, and therefore charged Ahimelech with aiding and abetting the king's enemies; and intimates, that there was a confederacy between him and the priests. David justly stiles him in Psalm lii. a false tongue. He did not tell what pretence David made, which would have been to Ahimelech's honour, for assisting one that he supposed was going about the king's business; he gave him the victuals and sword innocently.