CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES—
1 Samuel 22:6. “Abode under a tree,” etc. Rather, was sitting under a tamarisk tree upon the height. (For Ramah see Notes on 1 Samuel 1:1.) “Oriental princes frequently sit with their court under some shady canopy in the open air. A spear was the early sceptre, as we are informed by Justin … Saul’s spear might be distinguished from common spears by its length as well as its decorations; and that this was likely to be the case may be inferred from the relics of Egypt and Assyria.” (Jamieson.) “All his servants.” “It was therefore a full assembly of the personnel of the court.” (Erdmann.)
1 Samuel 22:7. “Ye Benjamites.” “Showing how isolated the tribes still were, and how, for the most part, Saul was surrounded by his own tribesmen only.” (Biblical Commentary.) “In Saul’s words there is the latent sense: Will he, of another tribe, reward you, as I have done to you, my fellow tribesmen? Will he not rather favour his tribesmen, the men of Judah? Will it not be to your interest to stand on my side?” (Erdmann.)
1 Samuel 22:9. “Which was set over the servants,” etc. As this does not agree with the position assigned to Doeg in the former chapter, some render the clause “And he stood with the servants,” etc. Keil thinks that Doeg had been invested with the office of marshal of the court.
1 Samuel 22:10. “He inquired of the Lord,” etc. Some think this was untrue, but the words of Ahimelech in 1 Samuel 22:15 seem to admit the fact.
1 Samuel 22:14. “Faithful,” rather proved, tried. “Goeth at thy bidding.” Probably this should be read, “Has access to thy private audience.” The Hebrew word is so rendered elsewhere. (See 2 Samuel 23:23, and 1 Chronicles 11:25.)
1 Samuel 22:15. “Did I then begin,” etc. The most obvious meaning of these words is, “Was it the first time that I had inquired of the Lord for David concerning enterprises with which the king had entrusted him?” So Keil, Erdmann, and others. Some however (Bib. Commentary, etc.) understand Ahimelech to deny having done such a thing on the ground that this was a duty which he owed to the king only.
1 Samuel 22:17. “Footmen,” i.e., runners, halberdiers.
1 Samuel 22:18. “A linen ephod.” “The allusion to the priestly clothing, like the repetition of the expression, ‘priests of Jehovah,’ serves to bring out into its true light the crime of the bloodthirsty Saul and his executioner Doeg.” (Keil.)
1 Samuel 22:20. “Abiathar.” How he escaped can only be conjectured. Bishop Patrick suggests that he was left in charge of the sanctuary when the other priests obeyed Saul’s summons.
NOTE.—“During this first period of David’s life as outlaw, several incidents occurred which are not mentioned in this narrative. We learn from 2 Samuel 23:13 that three of his chief heroes came to him in the cave of Adullam, one of whom was his nephew Abishai, afterwards a famous general. A little after (1 Chronicles 11:15-19) occurred that noble act of loving daring, when the “three mightiest” broke through the Philistine army and brought their leader water from the well of Bethlehem, for which he longed. This was while he was in the “hold,” and at this time apparently came to him the stout band of lion-faced, gazelle-footed Gadites, who swam the Jordan when its banks overflowed, and scattered all enemies before them (1 Chronicles 12:8-15), and an enthusiastic body of men of Judah and Benjamin, for whose friendship Amasai answered in a passionate speech (1 Chronicles 12:8-15).—(Trans. of Lange’s Commentary).
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— 1 Samuel 22:6-23
THE SLAUGHTER OF THE PRIESTS
I. Jealousy is a medium through which the best friends are transformed into foes. It matters not how beautiful the human face—if looked at through a distorted medium it will present the appearance of deformity and ugliness, and will probably look more like a monster than a man. And the passion of jealousy has the same distorting effect upon human character, and upon human actions and purposes. Elijah was the truest friend that king Ahab possessed, and the most self-denying patriot then living in his kingdom; but Ahab’s jealousy made him appear as his personal enemy, and as the troubler of Israel (2 Kings 18:18; 2 Kings 21:20). Jonathan and David were men of rare nobility of character, and Saul’s faithful sons and servants, yet his unreasoning jealousy transformed them into bitter foes.
II. The vilest purposes will not fail for lack of instruments. Jealousy is a passion which has given birth to some of the darkest purposes which the heart of man has ever conceived; but, alas! the blackest plots rarely, if ever, miscarry for want of instruments. A man bent upon murder can find a weapon of iron or stone to execute the deed, if he cannot lay his hand upon a well-tempered sword or a diamond-hilted dagger; and although the conscience of Saul’s Hebrew servants revolted against his inhuman command, Doeg the Edomite was at hand to do the deed of blood.
III. The noble and ignoble deeds of men unite to fulfil the Divine purposes. The use man makes of his freedom of action seals him as a saint or a sinner; but whether his acts be godlike or devilish, they are used by God to carry out His purposes. Often God’s creatures are the conscious executors of His will, and knowingly and intentionally carry out His designs, but sometimes even His own servants are unconscious instruments of His plans. The terrible incident with which this chapter closes was a fulfilment of the sentence long ago passed upon the house of Eli (1 Samuel 2:31), but the Divine sentence was fulfilled by the united action of men whose lives were governed by very different motives, and whose deeds ranged from the lowest depth of moral depravity to high moral heroism. The inhumanity and devilishness of Doeg and Saul, the lying of David, and the courageous boldness of Ahimelech, united all unconsciously to themselves to fulfil the purpose of God.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
Pictures of human nature.—
1. A man in authority, whose misfortunes, though due to his own fault, make him suspicious and cruelly unjust (1 Samuel 22:8-16).
2. A basely ambitious man, who seeks to build himself up by ruining others (1 Samuel 22:9-10; 1 Samuel 22:18, comp. Psalms 52).
3. An innocent man accused, who defends himself both with forcible argument (1 Samuel 22:14) and with dignified denial (1 Samuel 22:15).
4. A good, but erring man, who mournfully sees that his sin has brought destruction on his friends.—Transr. of Lange’s Commentary.
1 Samuel 22:18-19. Behold in this history how impossible it is to arrest the consequences of our evil actions. David lied to Ahimelech, probably thinking not only to secure his own safety thereby, but also to keep the priest from being involved with him in the displeasure of Saul. But mark what ensued. Eighty-five priests, together with all the inhabitants of Nob, “both men and women, children and sucklings,” were put to death for this sin of which he, and not they, had been guilty. I have no doubt that when David heard of all this he would willingly have given all that he had, ay, even his hopes of one day sitting on the throne of Israel, if he could have recalled the evil which he had spoken, and undone its dismal consequences. But it was impossible. The lie had gone forth from him; and having done so, it was no longer under his control, but would go on producing its diabolical fruits. And so it is yet. We cannot arrest the consequences of the evil which we do. Whether we will or not, it will continue to work on. We may, indeed, repent of our sin; we may even, through the grace of God for Christ’s sake, have the assurance that we are forgiven for it; but the sin itself will go on working its deadly results. You may as soon think of staying an avalanche midway in its descent from the Alpine ridge, and so saving the village in the valley from destruction, or of stopping the bullet midway in its flight from the musket to the heart of him who will be destroyed by it, as think of arresting the consequences of the evil which you once have done.—Dr. W. M. Taylor.
O the wise and deep judgments of the Almighty! God owed a revenge to the house of Eli, and now, by the delation of Doeg, He takes occasion to pay it. It was just in God, which in Doeg was most unjust. Saul’s cruelty, and the treachery of Doeg, do not lose one dram of their guilt by the counsel of God; neither doth the holy counsel of God gather any blemish by their wickedness. If it had pleased God to inflict death upon them sooner, without any pretence of occasion, His justice had been clear from all imputations; now, if Saul and Doeg be instead of a pestilence or fever, who can cavil?—Bp. Hall.