L A. M. 2888. A. C. 1116; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4301. A. C. 1110. I SAM. i. TO THE END. matter, that the king, to oblige his nobles, was forced to be very pressing and importunate with him to return to Ziklag; which accordingly he did, and in his march thither, was joined by several of the tribe of Manasseh, as those of Gad and Benjamin had done before, to a considerable augmentation of his forces. And well it so happened; for upon his return to Ziklag, he found that the Amalekites had burned and pillaged the place," and carried away his two wives, and all the people that were therein; and, what was no small accession to this misfortune, his soldiers mutinied against him, as if he had k been the occasion of it. David, however, marching away immediately, and having gained intelligence which way the enemy took, soon came up with them, fell upon them, and cut them to pieces; and not only recovered all the persons and the booty which they had taken, but several rich spoils likewise, that they had robbed others of in this expedition, whereof he made presents to his friends, c resolved to consult some one of this profession, in order to know what the fate of this war would be. At Endor, about three leagues from Mount Gilboa, he was told there lived a g witch or sorceress: and therefore disguising himself, and taking but two servants with him, that he might not be suspected, he came to the woman by night, and desired of her to raise up the ghost of Samuel. h Whether it was the ghost of Samuel, which God, upon this occasion, permitted to appear, or some evil spirit whom the witch, by her enchantments, might raise up; but so it was, that from this spectre the woman learned that it was Saul who had employed her; and Saul, when he saw it, bowed his face to the ground. The apparition spake first, and demanding the reason why he had เ her incantations, and other diabolical arts, was capable of allaying the uneasiness of his mind, or securing him from the apprehensions of danger. It may be observed, however, that he occasion, because he might mention that the weaker sex might more easily be deceived by evil spirits, and were generally more addicted to these unlawful practices.-Calmet's and Patrick's In the mean time, the Philistine army, lay at d Shu-mentions a woman rather than a man to be consulted upon this nen, and Saul and his forces were encamped in Mount Gilboa, from whence having a prospect of the enemy's strength, e his courage failed him, when he saw how much more numerous the Philistines were, and found, at the same time, that God, in this pressing juncture, would not be consulted by him, nor give him any instructions what to do. He had, some time before, banished all the wizards, and such as dealt with familiar spirits, out of the nation; but being now in the utmost perplexity, he was a It may seem a little strange, that the Amalekites, who had so often been cut to pieces by David, should not, upon their success, slay, rather than carry away, the people, which they found in Ziklag: but this may be imputed either to their covetousness, who might keep them for sale, and to make money of them as captives; or to their cruelty, who might reserve them for more lingering and repeated torments, or perhaps for the gratification C of their brutal lusts; though principally it is to be ascribed to God's overruling providence, who restrained and set bounds to their rage.-Poole's Annotations. This he might seem to be, in relinquishing his own country, and coming to Ziklag; in provoking the Amalekites by the slaughter of all that came in his way; and in going with Achish to war, while he left the place, where their wives and children were, unguarded.-Poole's Annotations. e His friends were chiefly those of his own tribe; but besides these, we find he sent to others, namely, to the inhabitants of the city of Bethel, which belonged to the tribe of Ephraim, and this he did, not only in the acknowledgment of the shelter and support which he had received from them in his banishment, but in prospect of their future favour and interest, in case there should happen a vacancy in the throne.-Le Clerc's and Patrick's Commentaries. d Shunem was a city on the borders of the tribe of Issachar, about five miles to the south of Mount Hermon, according to St Jerome and Eusebius, who tells us likewise, that Gilboa was a ridge of mountains, six miles distant from Scythopolis, anciently called Bethshan; and that Endor was a town in the valley of Jezreel, at the foot of Mount Gilboa.-Wells' Geography of the Old Testament; and Le Clerc's Commentary. e The Philistines must have had, on this occasion, several hired forces, otherwise Saul had no reason to have been afraid of them, because the small tract which the Philistines inhabited could not possibly supply them with an army any thing equal to the Hebrews, who, in some of their wars, have carried to the field some hundred thousands of men.-Le Clerc's Commentary. ƒ A strange infatuation this of Saul! He had banished all wizards and sorcerers out of his kingdom, as a dangerous sort of people, who made profession of a wicked and unwarrantable art; and yet he here inquires after one, and puts his whole confidence in what he had so wisely exploded before; as if a witch with Commentaries. h They could not go the direct way; for then they must have passed through the enemy's camp; and therefore they took a compass, and travelled by night, that they might not be discovered; besides that the night was the properest time to consult those that pretended to magical incantations, it being a common opinion among the Greeks, as perhaps now it might be among the Hebrews, that none of the terrestrial demons did appear in the daytime.-Patrick's Commentary. It was a common pretence of magicians, that they could raise up ghosts from below, or make dead persons appear to declare unto them future events. "Gore was poured out into a dish that thereby they might draw out the manes, those spirits of prophecy."-Hor. Sat. b. 1. And therefore Saul addresses the woman, as if he believed her abilities in that way. This however shows, not only the antiquity of necromancy, but the prevailing opinion then, that the soul, after the death of the body, did survive; otherwise it would have been impertinent for Saul to desire the woman to raise up Samuel. Which makes it the greater wonder, that we have nowhere, in the Old Testament, a positive declaration of the soul's immortality.-Calmet's and Le Clerc's Commentaries. k How the woman came to know it to be Samuel, we may thus imagine. She saw an apparition she did not expect; she knew the prophet; she knew the veneration which Saul had for him; she knew that prophets were only sent to kings; and she knew withal, that her art, whatever it was, had never before that time exhibited a person of that figure to her; and from hence she concluded, that the apparition must needs be Samuel, and the person who came to consult her, in all probability was Saul.-The History of the Life of King David. The words of Samuel are, why hast thou disquieted me, and brought me up?' which seem to imply, that Samuel was raised up by the force of this woman's enchantments. But as it is not in the power of witches to disturb the rest of good men, and bring them into the world when they please, it is much more rational to think, that the Scripture here expresses itself in a manner suitable to the prejudice of the vulgar, among whom it was a common notion, that these incantations gave trouble to the souls that were at rest. For which reason, they were either to be appeased by offerings, or constrained by the force of enchantments: for so the tragedian has informed us, "He pours out the magic song, and in a threatening tone hurriedly sings whatever either appeases or constrains the airy spirit."-Seneca in Epid. A. M. 2888. A. C. 1116; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4301. A. C. 1110. 1 SAM. i. TO THE END. b raised him from the dead, was answered by Saul, that [ adab and Malchishua, were killed upon the spot, and the the Philistines, with a powerful army had invaded him, whole army put in confusion. and in his distress, God had forsaken him, and would Saul defended himself as well as man could do; but give no answer a which way soever he consulted him. the small party that remained with him, being entirely To whom the spirit replied, that for his disobedience in broken, and the enemy's archers pressing hard upon not destroying the Amalekites, God had taken away the him, he found himself so weakened with his wounds and kingdom from his family, and given it to David; and as loss of blood, that for fear of falling into their hands, to the fate of the war, the Philistines, the next day, and being insulted, he fell upon his own sword, and so should rout his army, and he and his sons fall in the died. He had requested of his armour-bearer before battle. this to despatch him; but his armour-bearer was startled Saul had no sooner heard his doom, but he fainted at the proposal and refused to do it: however, when he away; and as he had eaten nothing for some consider-saw his master dead, he desperately followed his able time, the woman and his servants, with much ado, example, and in the same manner put an end to his life. prevailed with him to take some refreshment: which The next day, when the Philistines came to take a view when he had done, he went away, and marched all night, of the field of battle, finding the bodies of Saul and his that he might come early enough to the camp next sons among the slain, they stripped them of their ar morning. mour, cut off their heads, and sent expresses to every place of their victory. Their armour they sent to the temple of Ashtaroth, their heads they fixed up in the с h dedition, and so a civil war might have arisen concerning the successor, which, by his dying in this manner, was prevented.Poole's Annotations. armies, or battles, before this, in which they are said to have e There is no mention of archers in any of the Philistines' pressed hard upon Saul, as doubtless they were of great advantage The next morning the two armies met, and engaged; but the Israelites were forced to give way, and maintained a running fight, until they came to mount Gilboa, where, gaining the advantage of the ground, they attempted to rally again, but with as little success as before. Saul and his sons did all that was possible for brave men to do; but the Philistines aiming wholly at them, in a short time, overpowered them with numbers, d so that Jonathan and two others of his brothers, Abin-to the Philistines in making their attack; 1st, because an assault with this kind of weapon was new and surprising, and therefore generally successful; and, 2dly, because the arrows destroying the a The sacred historian has reckoned up three several ways of Israelites at a distance, before they came to close fight, threw inquiring of God, namely, by dreams, by Urim, and by pro-them naturally into terror and confusion. And for this reason phets; and it may not be amiss to observe, that there were the some think, that when David came to the throne, he taught the same methods of consulting their gods among the Gentiles; Israelites the use of the bow, (as we read 2 Sam. i. 18.) that they as it appears by what Achilles says in the council of the might not be inferior to the Philistines, nor fall into the like disGreeks, when met together to consult about the plague which aster that Saul had done; and for this reason it certainly was, Apollo sent among them. "Come now let us address some pro- that when he had made a peace with the Philistines, he took some phet or priest, or interpreter of dreams, for dreams ever are from of their archers, who in the following books are frequently menJove." tioned under the name of Cherethites, to be his body guards.b The phrase wherein Samuel expresses himself, is this, 'to-Patrick's Commentary, and The History of the Life of King morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me.' Where the word to-morrow, as some interpreters imagine, is not to be taken in a strict sense, because, as they conceive, this battle was not fought till some time after; but in the passage before us, there seems to be no reason why to-morrow should not be taken literally. For as Endor was at no great distance from the Israelites' camp, Saul might go that night, consult the witch, stay, and eat with her, and get back to the camp before it was light. The next day the battle begins; Saul is vanquished, and seeing his army routed, despairs, and stabs himself. All this might very well be done in the space of twelve or fourteen hours; and therefore I see no occasion why we should depart from the plain signification of the words-Calmet's Commentary. c Josephus seems to be very warm in his commendation of this woman's generosity to Saul. She received him, treated him, and relieved him; and all this so cheerfully, and so frankly, that she gave him all she had, without any prospect of reward; for she knew that he was doomed to die. And what is more, this she did for the very man whose prohibition had been her ruin.' But he rashly supposes, that in the words of the sacred history, the narration is accurate, and defective in no one circumstance; whereas, for any thing we know, this woman was far from being poor; Saul had amply rewarded her for raising up Samuel, and his attendant might give her a round price for her lamb. And though it must be owned, that her address to the king is tender and respectful enough; yet whether it proceeded from fear or affection, may admit of some debate.-Le Clerc's Commentary. d It was certainly no small grief to David to hear of Jonathan's death, and a trial it might be of his patience and resignation to the divine will; but still there seems to be a direction of providence in suffering him to be slain, that David might more easily come to the throne. For though Jonathan, no doubt, would have made a voluntary dedition of it, yet as he was the people's great favourite, some there might possibly be, who would not allow of the David. f The learned and ingenious author of the Historical Account of the Life of King David, seems to make it evident, that Saul and his armour-bearer died by the same sword, namely, that which belonged to the armour-bearer. Now, it is an established tradition of the Jewish church,' says he, that this armour-bearer was Doeg the Edomite, who, by Saul's command, slew such a number of priests in one day, (1 Sam. xxii. 18.) and if so, then Saul and his executioner fell both by the same weapon wherewith they had before massacred the servants of the Lord. Even as Brutus and Cassius killed themselves with the same swords with which they treacherously murdered Cæsar; I say treacherously murdered, because they lay in his bosom at the same time that they meditated his death.'-Vol. 1. g We have taken notice before, that it was an ancient custom among sundry nations to hang up the arms and other spoils taken from the enemy, in the temples of their gods, as trophies and monuments of their victory; and need only remark here, that the custom prevailed among the Greeks and Romans, as appears from this passage of Virgil:-" In the hallowed halls hang many an instrument of war; battle chariots taken from the foe, shattered axes, helmets, huge bars of gates, javelins, shields, and rostra wrenched from war ships."-Eneid 7. h1 Sam. xxxi. 10. The custom of dedicating to the gods the spoils of a conquered enemy, and placing them in their temples as trophies of victory, is very ancient. Homer represents Hector as promising that, if he should conquer Ajax in single combat, he would dedicate his spoils to Apollo: And if Apollo, in whose aid I trust, On Phœbus' temple I'll his arms bestow. Iliad.-Pope. Pausanias says, the architraves of the temple of Apollo at A. M. 2888. A. C. 1116; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4301. A. C. 1110. 1 SAM. i. TO THE END. 3 temple of Dagon, and their bodies they hung upon gib- | membered the story of the walls of Jericho 3 falling down bets against the walls of Bethshan. But the inhabitants by the power of this ark's seven times surrounding them. of Jabesh-Gilead, hearing of this indignity, and retain- They had heard of the defeat which their forefathers ing a grateful sense of the services Saul had done them, had suffered, when they presumed to march against the sent a party of their best soldiers by night, who took Canaanites without their leader, and without this ark; down their bodies, and brought them away to Jabesh, and were fond, enough to imagine, that God himself where the people first a burned the remains of their flesh; might be looked upon as overcome, if the Philistines next honourably interred their bones and ashes, in a should have the advantage, when the ark of his presence grove that was near their city; and then for the space of was with them. By this means, therefore, they thought to seven days, fasted and made great lamentation for interest his honour in the war, and make him responsible, as it were, for any disaster that should befall them; and upon these motives it was that they sent for the ark. them. CHAP. II.—Difficulties obviated, and Objections answered. In the fourth chapter of this book of Samuel we read, that upon a defeat which the Israelites had received from the Philistines, the elders of Israel advised together in council what might be the occasion of their ill success; 'Wherefore,' say they, 'hath God smitten us to-day, before the Philistines?' The justness of their cause, they thought, was enough to entitle them to God's favour, how wicked soever they were in their lives; and therefore, without any thought of amending these, they devised another expedient that would not fail of securing them victory: Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord,' say they, 'out of Shiloh, that when it comes among us, it may save us out of the hand of our enemies.' They had good reason to look upon the ark of the 2 covenant as a certain token of the presence of God among them, and of his protection over them. They had had frequent experience of battles won by virtue of his presence, and lost in the absence of it; and whenever they had this token of the divine assistance along with them, they always esteemed themselves invincible. They re 11 Sam. iv. 3. 2 Calmet's Commentary. by the Athenians, after the battle of Marathon, and shields taken from the Gauls under Brennus.-Chandler's Travels in Greece, p. 262.-ED. a It is certain that the usage among the Hebrews was not to burn, but to embalm the bodies of their dead with aromatic spices; but in this case the people of Jabesh might act otherwise, either because the bodies of Saul and his sons were, by this time, so dried or corrupted, that they were not fit to be embalmed; or because they were apprehensive, that if they should embalm them, and so bury them, the people of Bethshan might, at one time or other, come and dig them up, and fix them against their walls again; and therefore the Jabeshites thought it advisable to recede from their common practice, and for the greater security, to imitate the heathens in this particular: "Weeping for their gentle companion, they gathered up his whitened bones into a golden urn." (Hom. II. xxiii.)-Calmet's and Le Clerc's Commentary. It seems a little strange, that we nowhere read of any general mourning that was made for Saul and his sons, who died in battle; but the national troubles, which followed upon his death, might perhaps be an obstruction to this. David and his men mourned but one day for Saul: and therefore, when it is said of the Jabeshites, that they fasted seven days, their fasting must not be understood in a strict sense, as if they ate nothing all this time, but in a more large and general signification, as it is used both in sacred and profane writers, namely, that they lived very abstemiously, ate little, and that seldom, and that but mean food, and instead of wine drank water only.-Calmet's Commentary, and Poole's Annotations. But because they presumed to send for it, without ever consulting God, as they used to do upon all momentous affairs; because the iniquities of the people were become so enormous, as not to deserve any longer the divine presence among them; and because the flagitiousness of for a long time, called for some judgment upon them; the priests, who were killed in defending the ark, had that therefore his predictions concerning the sons of Eli might be fulfilled, he permitted the ark to be taken, as thinking it more inconsistent with his honour to afford assistance to the wicked and presumptuous, than to admit of the profanation even of the most sacred things. What an affliction the loss of this ark was to the people of Israel we may learn from the sad fate of Eli, and his daughter-in-law, who both died for grief at the bare hearing of it; and therefore we may suppose that a farther reason for God's permitting it, might be, to bring his own people to a sense of their apostasy and ingratitude to him, when they came to consider what a damage they suffered in the departure of this symbol of his presence, which was deservedly esteemed the glory of Israel. What afflictions the taking or withholding the ark brought upon the Philistines, the fall of their god Dagon, the mice, the emerods, the pestilence, and other sore judgments, do abundantly testify; and therefore we may suppose yet farther, that God's design in permitting this capture of the ark, was to demonstrate his power among the heathens, and to let the Philistines know, that his dominion reached everywhere; that he was equally the Lord both of the conquerors and conquered; and that the pretended deities whom they adored, in comparison of him, were of no avail. It was from an intent, therefore, to illustrate his almighty power, and not from any inability to preserve it; that God suffered this ark of the covenant to be taken;: and though what the Jews call the shechinah, or visible token of God's presence, which abode under the two cherubim upon the propitiatory, or covering of the ark, in the shape of the cloud, might not be so apparent, after it fell into the hands of the Philistines; yet that it had divine and miraculous power attending it, is evident by their own confession, who, upon seeing the destruction that its presence had occasioned, do frankly declare, that the ark of the God of Israel should not abide with them, because his hand was sore upon them, and upon Dagon their god.' 7 It was a particular prohibition, that not only the common people, but even the Levites themselves, should A. M. 2888. A. C. 1116; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4301. A. C. 1110. 1 SAM, i, TO the end. not dare to look into the ark, or any other of the holy | ceremony was performed with the greatest order and utensils, belonging to the service of God, upon pain of solemnity; but why it was not carried to Shiloh, and redeath; and the severity of this law will not seem so un-posited in the tabernacle, the most probable opinion is, reasonable, when it is considered, that in every nation it was always accounted a great profaneness, and frequently attended with exemplary punishments, for such as were not initiated, 'to obtrude into the mysteries of religion; and that, if the Philistines, for their irreverence to the ark, were treated with less rigour than the Bethshemites, it was because the former were not instructed in the laws of God, nor obliged to observe them. It must be acknowledged, indeed, that there is a mistake in our translation, as well as in several others. Bethshemesh is a place of no great note in sacred history, and 2 by Josephus it is called no more than a village; and therefore it is hardly conceivable, how it could contain such a number as fifty thousand and threescore and ten inhabitants, or why God, who is goodness itself, should make such a slaughter among those who received his ark with so much joy, and testified their gladness, by their oblation of sacrifices. To solve this difficulty, therefore, some have observed, that the words in the original, and according to their natural construction, stand thus:-He smote of the people threescore and ten men, fifty thousand men ;' where there is plainly wanted some particle or other, to make the sense complete. They observe further, that if this is to be taken for a total sum, the order of the words is plainly inverted, and that the thousands should go before the inferior numbers, as is usual in all languages; and therefore, since there is a manifest defect in the copy, they think it not amiss to supply it with the particle mem, out of, which in many other instances is known to be omitted, and here makes the sense complete, namely, that of the people of Bethshemesh, for their irreverence to the ark, he smote seventy men out of fifty thousand.' For though fifty thousand men can hardly be supposed in so small a place; yet, upon hearing of the arrival of the ark, the country might flock in from other parts, and in a few days make up that number; and though possibly most of them might be guilty of the same profane rudeness, yet God, in his great clemency, might punish no more than seventy of them, and that on purpose to deter others from the like irreverence. For it is not unlikely, that these people might hold the ark in more contempt, since the time that it had been conquered, as it were, and led captive by their enemies; and for this reason, God might the rather exert his vindictive arm, on purpose to teach them, that this symbol of his presence had lost none of its miraculous power, by the ill usage it had met with in its absence. 3 Upon the removal of the ark from Bethshemesh, it is not unlikely that there was a general assembly of the elders of Israel, and that to prevent the like offence, the 'See Hueti Quæst. Alent, b. 2, c. 12. p. 200. Jewish Antiquities, b. 6. c. 2. Calmet's Commentary. a There is without doubt an interpolation in the Hebrew text here, as fifty thousand is too great a number. Boothroyd and Dr Clark follow the reading of Josephus adopted by the author, and makes the whole number 70 men, while Dr Hales contends for the reading of the Syriac and Arabic versions, which have 5070 men. See Clarke and Boothroyd on the passage, and Hales' Analysis, vol. ii. p. 304. Seventy men out of a small place in a harvest day, was a great slaughter.-ED. that after the death of Eli, the Philistines had destroyed the place, and the tabernacle was removed from thence to Nob, where it continued until the death of Samuel. As Kirjath-jearim therefore stood at no great distance, was a place of considerable strength, and had a remarkable eminence in it, proper for the reception of the ark, thither it was ordered to be removed for the present, with a design, no doubt, to have it restored to its ancient seat, at a convenient season: but through the neglect of religion, as well as the disturbance of the times, its removal was deferred from day to day: so that, though David first brought it to the house of Obededom, and then to his palace at Sion, yet we nowhere read of its being replaced in the tabernacle any more. When Samuel was highly displeased with the elders of Israel for desiring a king, and thereupon applied himself for advice, the answer which God returned him was this: Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them.' These are, no doubt, the words of an angry sovereign, resenting the slight upon his government, and the indignity done to his person; and therefore, to give a full answer to the objection, we shall first consider the nature of the government they were under, and of that which they desired, and from thence deduce the several aggravations of their guilt, in being so importunate for a change. Josephus in his book against Apion has these remarkable words: "Several nations have their several forms of government, and their diversities of customs. Some governments are committed to a single person, others to a certain number of select men, and others again to all the people in general; but our lawgiver," says he, “has declared, that ours shall be a theocracy, 41 Sam. viii. 5 B. 2. The future history of this sacred ark is this. After the building of the temple at Jerusalem, Solomon had it removed it remained with all suitable respect, till the times of the latter from Sion, into a proper place that was consecrated for it, where kings of Judah, who gave themselves up to idolatry, and were not afraid to put the images of their gods in the holy place itself. Hereupon the priests, being unable to endure this profanation, took the ark, and carried it from place to place, that by this Josiah, who was a good man, and restored the true worship of means it might escape the fury of these impious princes but God, commanded them to bring it back to the sanctuary, and forbade them to carry it into the country, as they had done. The Talmudists, however, have a tradition, that Solomon having the temple, which he had lately built, and carry away all the learned by revelation, that the Assyrians would one day burn rich materials which he had placed there, took care to have a private hole made under ground, where in case of necessity, he might conceal the most valuable things belonging to it from the knowledge of any enemies; and that Josiah, having a foresight of the calamities which were coming upon the Jewish nation, pot of manna, the high priest's pectoral, and the holy oil; but here hid the ark of the covenant, together with Aaron's rod, the knowledge of the place where these things were concealed, they that during the Babylonish captivity, the priests having lost all Calmet's Dictionary, under the word Ark. were never seen more, and were not in the second temple. of mankind, was to perpetuate the knowledge of himself, and the c As God's design in separating the Israelites from the rest doctrine of his unity, amidst an idolatrous and polytheistic world; A. M. 2888. A. C. 1116; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, A. M. 4301. A. C. 1110. 1 SAM. i. TO The end. 4 and has ascribed all rule and sovereign power to God | slaves, argues at least a great pitch of folly and indisalone." For though it was necessary, for the due exe-cretion, a baseness of mind, an ingratitude of temper, cution of his commands, that there should be some visible minister between him and his people, such as Moses and Joshua were in the time of their administration; yet it is certain, that they never ordained any thing of moment without a special command from him. The same direction which was given Joshua, that he should stand before Eleazar the priest, who should ask counsel for him, after the judgment of Urim before the Lord,' was required of all other persons that presided in public affairs. In all cases of weighty concern, they were to have recourse to him, who always reserved to himself the sole power of establishing laws, and appointing magistrates, and making war. Nay, so very desirous was God to show himself to be King of the Hebrews, that there was no ensign of royalty belonging to earthly princes that, by his own appointment, was not provided for him, on purpose to engage the people's attention, (as the Commentator on Maimonides speaks,) and to make them perceive, that their King, who was the Lord of hosts, was in the midst of them. a spirit of rebellion, and a secret attachment to the idolatrous practices of those people, whose king they were so eager to imitate. For, make us a king to judge us,' was equivalent in their mouths, as one expresses it, to what their forefathers demanded of Aaron, "make us gods that they may go before us; because in this manner, he who best knew the secrets of their hearts, in his answer to Samuel, has expounded their meaning: They have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them; according to all the works which they have done, since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt, even unto this day, they have forsaken me, and served other gods.' 2 3 What design God Almighty had in constituting himself the King of this people, is evident from the instructions which he gives Moses; Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel, ye have seen what I have done unto the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people; for all the earth is mine, and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.' No government can certainly be imagined more happy, more safe, more free, more honourable, than that wherein the fountain of all wisdom and power, of all justice and goodness, presides; and therefore the least that we can say of the Israelites, in desiring to change this form for such a one as was in use in the nations round about them, that is, for an absolute and despotic government, where the princes were tyrants, and the subjects all 1 Num. xxvii. 21. Patrick's Commentary. 3 Saurin's Dissertation 25. vol. 4; Exod. xix. 3, &c. so was he pleased to stand in two arbitrary relations towards them, in that of a tutelar deity and protector, and in that of a supreme magistrate and lawgiver; besides the natural relation in which he stood towards them and all other nations in common: but how long this theocracy continued among the Jews, the learned are not so well agreed; some thinking, that from the first commencement of regal power, or especially from its settlement in the line of David, it ceased, as God's words to Samuel seem to import, they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them,' 1 Sam. viii. 7. Whilst others imagine, that from God's first espousing the cause of the Israelites, in the time of their tribulation in Egypt, even to the coming of his blessed Son our Saviour Christ in the flesh, it all along subsisted, though with some abatements, sometimes with seeming interruptions; and to this they apply that famous prophecy of Jacob, The sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor the lawgiver from between his feet, until Shiloh come,' Gen. xlix. 10: that is, the theocracy shall continue over the Jews, until Christ come to take possession of his father's kingdorn. For what lawgiver was there ever in Judah, until the coming of Christ, but God, by the ministry of Moses.-Opinions of several Theologians, letter 7. Simon's Critical History of the Old Testament; and Warburton's Divine Legation of Moses, vol. 2. part 2. We have but one thing more to remark upon this subject, and that is, that the manner in which they demanded a king, was no less culpable than the ends they proposed by it: for instead of consulting God upon an affair of this consequence, they went hastily to Samuel, and when, by fair remonstrances, he is attempting to dissuade them from so dangerous an enterprise, they turn impetuously upon him, and say, ' nay, but we will have a king ;' and this may be the reason perhaps why God gave them one in his anger, descended of the meanest tribe in Israel, and of the meanest family in that tribe, to show them, that he himself was not satisfied with their proceedings, nor could be pleased with any thing that was extorted from him by undutiful importunities. The meanness of Saul's family indeed was the reason that some, who were present at his election, openly despised him, and said, "How can this man save us?' And therefore it is not unlikely, that as these seditious men refused to submit to his government, he might leave the public affairs in Samuel's hands, and return to his father's house, and there live privately, until some opportunity of better establishing his authority should happen to present itself. But even in this interval, supposing he did betake himself to some rural employment; yet where is the great disparagement of this, when we find the same done in other nations, by persons of the like rank and quality? When we find your Curii, your Attilii, your Cincinnati, and several other illustrious Romans, leaving the plough to assume the reins of government, and afterwards leaving the government to return to the plough. 7 It must be acknowledged, however, that Saul's external qualifications, namely, the stature and comeliness of his person, was no small recommendation to a people who desired a king, such as their neighbours had. For whatever we may think of the matter, the people of the east had always a regard to these in the choice of their kings; and accordingly Herodotus, having taken a review of Xerxes's whole army, after a short pause declares himself thus; that among such a multitude of people there was not one, who, for tallness and goodliness of person, did deserve the throne so much as he;' and in another place assures us, that the Ethiopians always esteemed him who was of the most advantageous stature, the fittest to be chosen king;' which cannot but remind us of what Samuel says to the people when he 4 Saurin's Dissertation 25. vol. 4; 5 Exod. xxxii. 1, 1 Sam. x. 27. "Ibid. b. vi. c. 20. 8 Exod. xix. 3, &c. 7 Herodotus, b. 6. e. 77. |