HOW DAVID, WHEN HE HAD TWICE THE OPPORTUNITY OF KILLING SAUL DID NOT KILL HIM. ALSO CONCERNING THE DEATH OF SAMUEL AND NABAL. FJAJ 6.83
1. ABOUT this time it was that David heard how the Philistines had made
an inroad into the country of Keilah, and robbed it; so he offered himself
to fight against them, if God, when he should be consulted by the prophet,
would grant him the victory
And when the prophet said that God gave a
signal of victory, he made a sudden onset upon the Philistines with his
companions, and he shed a great deal of their blood, and carried off their
prey, and staid with the inhabitants of Keilah till they had securely gathered
in their corn and their fruits
However, it was told Saul the king that
David was with the men of Keilah; for what had been done and the great
success that had attended him, were not confined among the people where
the things were done, but the fame of it went all abroad, and came to the
hearing of others, and both the fact as it stood, and the author of the
fact, were carried to the king's ears
Then was Saul glad when he heard
David was in Keilah; and he said, "God hath now put him into my hands,
since he hath obliged him to come into a city that hath walls, and gates,
and bars." So he commanded all the people suddenly, and when they
had besieged and taken it to kill David
But when David perceived this,
and learned of God that if he staid there the men of Keilah would deliver
him up to Saul, he took his four hundred men and retired into a desert
that was over against a city called Engedi
So that when the king heard
he was fled away from the men of Keilah, he left off his expedition against
him. FJAJ 6.84
2. Then David removed thence, and came to a certain place called the
New Place, belonging to Ziph; where Jonathan, the son of Saul, came to
him, and saluted him, and exhorted him to be of good courage, and to hope
well as to his condition hereafter, and not to despond at his present circumstances,
for that he should be king, and have all the forces of the Hebrews under
him: he told him that such happiness uses to come with great labor and
pains: they also took oaths, that they would, all their lives long, continue
in good-will and fidelity one to another; and he called God to witness,
as to what execrations he had made upon himself if he should transgress
his covenant, and should change to a contrary behavior
So Jonathan left
him there, having rendered his cares and fears somewhat lighter, and returned
home
Now the men of Ziph, to gratify Saul, informed him that David abode
with them, and [assured him] that if he would come to them, they would
deliver him up, for that if the king would seize on the Straits of Ziph,
David would not escape to any other people
So the king commended them,
and confessed that he had reason to thank them, because they had given
him information of his enemy; and he promised them, that it should not
be long ere he would requite their kindness
He also sent men to seek for
David, and to search the wilderness wherein he was; and he promised that
he himself would follow them
Accordingly they went before the king, to
hunt for and to catch David, and used endeavors, not only to show their
good-will to Saul, by informing him where his enemy was, but to evidence
the same more plainly by delivering him up into his power
But these men
failed of those their unjust and wicked desires, who, while they underwent
no hazard by not discovering such an ambition of revealing this to Saul,
yet did they falsely accuse and promise to deliver up a man beloved of
God, and one that was unjustly sought after to be put to death, and one
that might otherwise have lain concealed, and this out of flattery, and
expectation of gain from the king; for when David was apprized of the malignant
intentions of the men of Ziph, and the approach of Saul, he left the Straits
of that country, and fled to the great rock that was in the wilderness
of Maon. FJAJ 6.85
3. Hereupon Saul made haste to pursue him thither; for, as he was marching,
he learned that David was gone away from the Straits of Ziph, and Saul
removed to the other side of the rock
But the report that the Philistines
had again made an incursion into the country of the Hebrews, called Saul
another way from the pursuit of David, when he was ready to be caught;
for he returned back again to oppose those Philistines, who were naturally
their enemies, as judging it more necessary to avenge himself of them,
than to take a great deal of pains to catch an enemy of his own, and to
overlook the ravage that was made in the land. FJAJ 6.86
4. And by this means David unexpectedly escaped out of the danger he
was in, and came to the Straits of Engedi; and when Saul had driven the
Philistines out of the land, there came some messengers, who told him that
David abode within the bounds of Engedi: so he took three thousand chosen
men that were armed, and made haste to him; and when he was not far from
those places, he saw a deep and hollow cave by the way-side; it was open
to a great length and breadth, and there it was that David with his four
hundred men were concealed
When therefore he had occasion to ease nature,
he entered into it by himself alone; and being seen by one of David's companions,
and he that saw him saying to him, that he had now, by God's providence,
an opportunity of avenging himself of his adversary; and advising him to
cut off his head, and so deliver himself out of that tedious, wandering
condition, and the distress he was in; he rose up, and only cut off the
skirt of that garment which Saul had on: but he soon repented of what he
had done; and said it was not right to kill him that was his master, and
one whom God had thought worthy of the kingdom; "for that although
he were wickedly disposed towards us, yet does it not behoove me to be
so disposed towards him." But when Saul had left the cave, David came
near and cried out aloud, and desired Saul to hear him; whereupon the king
turned his face back, and David, according to custom, fell down on his
face before the king, and bowed to him; and said, "O king, thou oughtest
not to hearken to wicked men, nor to such as forge calumnies, nor to gratify
them so far as to believe what they say, nor to entertain suspicions of
such as are your best friends, but to judge of the dispositions of all
men by their actions; for calumny deludes men, but men's own actions are
a clear demonstration of their kindness
Words indeed, in their own nature,
may be either true or false, but men's actions expose their intentions
nakedly to our view
By these, therefore it will be well for thee to believe
me, as to my regard to thee and to thy house, and not to believe those
that frame such accusations against me as never came into my mind, nor
are possible to be executed, and do this further by pursuing after my life,
and have no concern either day or night, but how to compass my life and
to murder me, which thing I think thou dost unjustly prosecute; for how
comes it about, that thou hast embraced this false opinion about me, as
if I had a desire to kill thee? Or how canst thou escape the crime of impiety
towards God, when thou wishest thou couldst kill, and deemest thine adversary,
a man who had it in his power this day to avenge himself, and to punish
thee, but would not do it? nor make use of such an opportunity, which,
if it had fallen out to thee against me, thou hadst not let it slip, for
when I cut off the skirt of thy garment, I could have done the same to
thy head." So he showed him the piece of his garment, and thereby
made him agree to what he said to be true; and added, "I, for certain,
have abstained from taking a just revenge upon thee, yet art thou not ashamed
to prosecute me with unjust hatred. FJAJ 6.87
(23)
May God do justice, and determine about each of our dispositions."
- But Saul was amazed at the strange delivery he had received; and being
greatly affected with the moderation and the disposition of the young man,
he groaned; and when David had done the same, the king answered that he
had the justest occasion to groan, "for thou hast been the author
of good to me, as I have been the author of calamity to thee; and thou
hast demonstrated this day, that thou possessest the righteousness of the
ancients, who determined that men ought to save their enemies, though they
caught them in a desert place
I am now persuaded that God reserves the
kingdom for thee, and that thou wilt obtain the dominion over all the Hebrews.
Give me then assurances upon oath, That thou wilt not root out my family,
nor, out of remembrance of what evil I have done thee, destroy my posterity,
but save and preserve my house." So David sware as he desired, and
sent back Saul to his own kingdom; but he, and those that were with him,
went up the Straits of Mastheroth. FJAJ 6.88
5. About this time Samuel the prophet died
He was a man whom the Hebrews
honored in an extraordinary degree: for that lamentation which the people
made for him, and this during a long time, manifested his virtue, and the
affection which the people bore for him; as also did the solemnity and
concern that appeared about his funeral, and about the complete observation
of all his funeral rites
They buried him in his own city of Ramah; and
wept for him a very great number of days, not looking on it as a sorrow
for the death of another man, but as that in which they were every one
themselves concerned
He was a righteous man, and gentle in his nature;
and on that account he was very dear to God
Now he governed and presided
over the people alone, after the death of Eli the high priest, twelve years,
and eighteen years together with Saul the king
And thus we have finished
the history of Samuel. FJAJ 6.89
6. There was a man that was a Ziphite, of the city of Maon, who was
rich, and had a vast number of cattle; for he fed a flock of three thousand
sheep, and another flock of a thousand goats
Now David had charged his
associates to keep these flocks without hurt and without damage, and to
do them no mischief, neither out of covetousness, nor because they were
in want, nor because they were in the wilderness, and so could not easily
be discovered, but to esteem freedom from injustice above all other motives,
and to look upon the touching of what belonged to another man as a horrible
crime, and contrary to the will of God
These were the instructions he
gave, thinking that the favors he granted this man were granted to a good
man, and one that deserved to have such care taken of his affairs
This
man was Nabal, for that was his name, - a harsh man, and of a very wicked
life, being like a cynic in the course of his behavior, but still had obtained
for his wife a woman of a good character, wise and handsome
To this Nabal,
therefore, David sent ten men of his attendants at the time when he sheared
his sheep, and by them saluted him; and also wished he might do what he
now did for many years to come, but desired him to make him a present of
what he was able to give him, since he had, to be sure, learned from his
shepherds that we had done them no injury, but had been their guardians
a long time together, while we continued in the wilderness; and he assured
him he should never repent of giving any thing to David
When the messengers
had carried this message to Nabal, he accosted them after an inhuman and
rough manner; for he asked them who David was? and when he heard that he
was the son of Jesse, he said, "Now is the time that fugitives grow
insolent, and make a figure, and leave their masters." When they told
David this, he was wroth, and commanded four hundred armed men to follow
him, and left two hundred to take care of the stuff, (for he had already
six hundred, (24)
The number of men that came first to David, are distinctly in Josephus,
and in our common copies, but four hundred. When he was at Keilah still
but four hundred, both in Josephus and in the LXXX.; but six hundred in
our Hebrew copies, 1 Samuel 23:3; see 30:9, 10. Now the six hundred there
mentioned are here estimated by Josephus to have been so many, only by
an augmentation of two hundred afterward, which I suppose is the true solution
of this seeming disagreement.)
and went against Nabal: he also swore that he would that night utterly
destroy the whole house and possessions of Nabal; for that he was grieved,
not only that he had proved ungrateful to them, without making any return
for the humanity they had shown him, but that he had also reproached them,
and used ill language to them, when he had received no cause of disgust
from them. FJAJ 6.90
7. Hereupon one of those that kept the flocks of Nabal, said to his
mistress, Nabal's wife, that when David sent to her husband he had received
no civil answer at all from him; but that her husband had moreover added
very reproachful language, while yet David had taken extraordinary care
to keep his flocks from harm, and that what had passed would prove very
pernicious to his master
When the servant had said this, Abigail, for
that was his wife's name, saddled her asses, and loaded them with all sorts
of presents; and, without telling her husband any thing of what she was
about, (for he was not sensible on account of his drunkenness,) she went
to David
She was then met by David as she was descending a hill, who was
coming against Nabal with four hundred men
When the woman saw David, she
leaped down from her ass, and fell on her face, and bowed down to the ground;
and entreated him not to bear in mind the words of Nabal, since he knew
that he resembled his name
Now Nabal, in the Hebrew tongue, signifies
folly.So she made her apology, that she did not see the messengers
whom he sent. FJAJ 6.91
"Forgive me, therefore," said she, "and thank God, who hath hindered thee from shedding human blood; for so long as thou keepest thyself innocent, he will avenge thee of wicked men, (25) In this and the two next sections, we may perceive how Josephus, nay, how Abigail herself, would understand, the "not avenging ourselves, but heaping coals of fire on the head of the injurious," Proverbs 25:22; Romans 12:20, not as we do now, of them into but of leaving them to the judgment of God, "to whom vengeance belongeth," Deuteronomy 32:35; Psalms 94:1; Hebrews 10:30, and who will take vengeance on the wicked. And since all God's judgments are just, and all fit to be executed, and all at length for the good of the persons punished, I incline to think that to be the meaning of this phrase of "heaping coals of fire on their heads." for what miseries await Nabal, they will fall upon the heads of thine enemies. Be thou gracious to me, and think me so far worthy as to accept of these presents from me; and, out of regard to me, remit that wrath and that anger which thou hast against my husband and his house, for mildness and humanity become thee, especially as thou art to be our king." Accordingly, David accepted her presents, and said, "Nay, but, O woman, it was no other than God's mercy which brought thee to us today, for, otherwise, thou hadst never seen another day, I having sworn (26) We may note here, that how sacred soever an oath was esteemed among the people of God in old times, they did not think it obligatory where the action was plainly unlawful. For so we see it was in this case of David, who, although he had sworn to destroy Nabal and his family, yet does he here, and 1 Samuel 25:32-41, bless God for preventing his keeping his oath, and shedding of blood, which he had swore to do. to destroy Nabal's house this very night, and to leave alive not one of you who belonged to a man that was wicked and ungrateful to me and my companions; but now hast thou prevented me, and seasonably mollified my anger, as being thyself under the care of God's providence: but as for Nabal, although for thy sake he now escape punishment, he will not always avoid justice; for his evil conduct, on some other occasion, will be his ruin." FJAJ 6.92
8. When David had said this, he dismissed the woman
But when she came
home and found her husband feasting with a great company, and oppressed
with wine, she said nothing to him then about what had happened; but on
the next day, when he was sober, she told him all the particulars, and
made his whole body to appear like that of a dead man by her words, and
by that grief which arose from them; so Nabal survived ten days, and no
more, and then died
And when David heard of his death, he said that God
had justly avenged him of this man, for that Nabal had died by his own
wickedness, and had suffered punishment on his account, while he had kept
his own hands clean
At which time he understood that the wicked are prosecuted
by God; that he does not overlook any man, but bestows on the good what
is suitable to them, and inflicts a deserved punishment on the wicked.
So he sent to Nabal's wife, and invited her to come to him, to live with
him, and to be his wife
Whereupon she replied to those that came, that
she was not worthy to touch his feet; however, she came, with all her servants,
and became his wife, having received that honor on account of her wise
and righteous course of life
She also obtained the same honor partly on
account of her beauty
Now David had a wife before, whom he married from
the city Abesar; for as to Michal, the daughter of king Saul, who had been
David's wife, her father had given her in marriage to Phalti, the son of
Laish, who was of the city of Gallim. FJAJ 6.93
9. After this came certain of the Ziphites, and told Saul that David
was come again into their country, and if he would afford them his assistance,
they could catch him
So he came to them with three thousand armed men;
and upon the approach of night, he pitched his camp at a certain place
called Hachilah
But when David heard that Saul was coming against him,
he sent spies, and bid them let him know to what place of the country Saul
was already come; and when they told him that he was at Hachilah, he concealed
his going away from his companions, and came to Saul's camp, having taken
with him Abishai, his sister Zeruiah's son, and Ahimelech the Hittite.
Now Saul was asleep, and the armed men, with Abner their commander, lay
round about him in a circle
Hereupon David entered into the king's tent;
but he did neither kill Saul, though he knew where he lay, by the spear
that was stuck down by him, nor did he give leave to Abishai, who would
have killed him, and was earnestly bent upon it so to do; for he said it
was a horrid crime to kill one that was ordained king by God, although
he was a wicked man; for that he who gave him the dominion would in time
inflict punishment upon him
So he restrained his eagerness; but that it
might appear to have been in his power to have killed him when he refrained
from it, he took his spear, and the cruse of water which stood by Saul
as he lay asleep, without being perceived by any in the camp, who were
all asleep, and went securely away, having performed every thing among
the king's attendants that the opportunity afforded, and his boldness encouraged
him to do
So when he had passed over a brook, and was gotten up to the
top of a hill, whence he might be sufficiently heard, he cried aloud to
Saul's soldiers, and to Abner their commander, and awaked them out of their
sleep, and called both to him and to the people
Hereupon the commander
heard him, and asked who it was that called him
To whom David replied,
"It is I, the son of Jesse, whom you make a vagabond
But what is
the matter? Dost thou, that art a man of so great dignity, and of the first
rank in the king's court, take so little care of thy master's body? and
is sleep of more consequence to thee than his preservation, and thy care
of him? This negligence of yours deserves death, and punishment to be inflicted
on you, who never perceived when, a little while ago, some of us entered
into your camp, nay, as far as to the king himself, and to all the rest
of you
If thou look for the king's spear and his cruse of water, thou
wilt learn what a mighty misfortune was ready to overtake you in your very
camp without your knowing it." Now when Saul knew David's voice, and
understood that when he had him in his power while he was asleep, and his
guards took no care of him, yet did not he kill him, but spared him, when
he might justly have cut him off, he said that he owed him thanks for his
preservation; and exhorted him to be of good courage, and not be afraid
of suffering any mischief from him any more, and to return to his own home,
for he was now persuaded that he did not love himself so well as he was
loved by him: that he had driven away him that could guard him, and had
given many demonstrations of his good-will to him: that he had forced him
to live so long in a state of banishment, and in great fears of his life,
destitute of his friends and his kindred, while still he was often saved
by him, and frequently received his life again when it was evidently in
danger of perishing
So David bade them send for the spear and the cruse
of water, and take them back; adding this withal, That God would be the
judge of both their dispositions, and of the actions that flowed from the
same, "who knows that then it was this day in my power to have killed
thee I abstained from it." FJAJ 6.94
10. Thus Saul having escaped the hands of David twice, he went his way
to his royal palace, and his own city: but David was afraid, that if he
staid there he should be caught by Saul; so he thought it better to go
up into the land of the Philistines, and abide there
Accordingly, he came
with the six hundred men that were with him to Achish, the king of Gath,
which was one of their five cities
Now the king received both him and
his men, and gave them a place to inhabit in
He had with him also his
two wives, Ahinoam and Abigail, and he dwelt in Gath
But when Saul heard
this, he took no further care about sending to him, or going after him,
because he had been twice, in a manner, caught by him, while he was himself
endeavoring to catch him
However, David had no mind to continue in the
city of Gath, but desired the king, that since he had received him with
such humanity, that he would grant him another favor, and bestow upon him
some place of that country for his habitation, for he was ashamed, by living
in the city, to be grievous and burdensome to him
So Achish gave him a
certain village called Ziklag; which place David and his sons were fond
of when he was king, and reckoned it to be their peculiar inheritance.
But about those matters we shall give the reader further information elsewhere.
Now the time that David dwelt in Ziklag, in the land of the Philistines,
was four months and twenty days
And now he privately attacked those Geshurites
and Amalekites that were neighbors to the Philistines, and laid waste their
country, and took much prey of their beasts and camels, and then returned
home; but David abstained from the men, as fearing they should discover
him to king Achish; yet did he send part of the prey to him as a free gift.
And when the king inquired whom they had attacked when they brought away
the prey, he said, those that lay to the south of the Jews, and inhabited
in the plain; whereby he persuaded Achish to approve of what he had done,
for he hoped that David had fought against his own nation, and that now
he should have him for his servant all his life long, and that he would
stay in his country. FJAJ 6.95