CRITICAL AND EXPOSITORY NOTES
2 Samuel 22:20. “Large place.” Lit. the broad, a condition of freedom and safety in contrast with the straits and dangers of the past.
2 Samuel 22:21. The Lord rewarded, or, requited. Alexander in Psalms 18 translates the verbs of this clause into the future tense: “They have reference,” he says, “to the condition of the Psalmist under his afflictions, and the hopes which he was even then enabled to cherish.” “Cleanness of hands.” Dr. Jamieson sees here a special reference to David’s refusal to injure Saul, or to free himself by any unrighteous act.
2 Samuel 22:22. “Ways of the Lord.” “The rules of human conduct given in His law.” (Erdmann.) “Wickedly departed,” etc. Literally, “wicked from God.” “The combination of the verb and preposition shows clearly that the essential idea in the writer’s mind was that of apostasy or total abjuration of God’s service.” (Alexander.)
2 Samuel 22:23. “Judgments.” Rights. (Keil.) Judicial decisions. (Alexander.) The verbs here are in the present tense.
2 Samuel 22:24. “Mine iniquity.” “That to which I am naturally prone, An undoubted confession of corruption.” (Alexander.) “An indirect testimony to indwelling sinfulness.” (Erdmann.)
2 Samuel 22:25. “Therefore,” etc. “This verse shows clearly that the futures in 2 Samuel 22:21 must be strictly understood.” (Alexander.)
2 Samuel 22:26. “Merciful,” or gracious.
2 Samuel 22:27. “Pure,” or genuine. (Keil.) “Unsavoury.” Better, perverse, or crooked. “The resemblance of the last clause of this verse to Leviticus 26:23-24, makes it highly probable that the whole form of this singular dictum was suggested by that passage, the rather as this Psalm abounds in allusions to the Pentateuch and imitations of it.” (Alexander.)
2 Samuel 22:28. “Thou.” This word is emphatic. “However men may despise thy afflicted people, I know that thou wilt save them.” (Alexander)
MAIN HOMILETICS OF THE PARAGRAPH.— 2 Samuel 22:20-28
DAVID’S SONG.—PART II
I. Men are to be judged by the spirit of their lives, and not by isolated actions. It is evident that we must read David’s words here concerning himself in the light of others found elsewhere, and then we shall understand that he does not claim to have been faultless even in his outward life, or to have merited the distinguishing marks of divine favour that he had received. (See Suggestive Comments.) He can only be recording his consciousuess of a generally faithful discharge of his public duties and of a life which had, upon the whole, been governed by pure and holy motives. If a man holds a fort against an enemy for many years, and is upon one occasion overpowered and taken prisoner, even if it be by his own negligence, he cannot be classed with him who treacherously parleys with the foe and betrays his trust for selfish ends. He must be regarded as blameworthy, but if he make every possible effort to retrieve his failure he cannot be treated as a deserter. David’s reputation was sadly tarnished by his being surprised through being found morally asleep by the tempter when he ought to have been awake and standing upon his watch-tower. But though he was at that time captured by the devil at his will, and remained for some time tied and bound in the camp of the enemy, the 51st Psalm reveals his efforts to escape, and his desire, so far as it was possible, to regain his old position and again serve God in serving his people. God’s subsequent treatment of David reveals that He did not judge him by this fall, or even by repeated false steps, but by the general spirit and intent of his whole life, and the heart and conscience of every upright man testify to the justice of the divine verdict. It has been remarked that the disobedience of Saul in the matter of the sacrifice (1 Samuel 13) bears no comparison in itself to the crimes of David in relation to Uriah, yet it seems to have been visited by a far heavier penalty. We can only explain the different treatment of the two offenders upon the principle just considered. (See also on this subject, page 360.)
II. The character of man influences the conduct of God. David here teaches this truth by connecting his own faithfulness and integrity with the gracious dealings of God towards him, making, in fact, the one dependent on the other. Valuable possessions of any kind give a man worth and importance in the eyes of others. Even material wealth increases a man’s worth in the estimation of his fellow men—because such an addition to his existence enables him to do what poorer men cannot do, he is treated with more consideration, and his life is regarded as more precious. The gifts and possessions of the intellect more justly give value to him to whom they belong—great knowledge and mental ability can be so beneficial to the community at large that he who has them is held in high estimation, and men who can appreciate such a person delight to honour him. But much more does moral excellence make a man precious in the sight of other good men. They look upon character as the real and personal and eternal possession, and value human creatures only in proportion as they are holy and true. This they do, not only because of the sympathy which must exist between all who are united in desire and aim, but because of the beneficial influence of such a character—because of the blessed use of such a life in the world and in the universe. It would be strange indeed if we found this rule reversed as we ascended in the moral scale—if the infinitely good God did not set a high price upon human character, and deal with men accordingly. True is it that he can discern flaws and imperfections in the best of human creatures, but His moral perfection does not prevent Him from looking with approval upon those who love and seek after righteousness, however morally weak they may be. He not only loves them for all that is God-like within them, but for the efforts they make to uphold and advance His kingdom in the world. Such being the regard in which they are held by God, it must be that His dealings with them are in accordance with His gracious approval of them, and there must, therefore, be a special and intimate connection between human character and Divine conduct.
III. Upon the character and conduct of men depends their view of the character and conduct of God. Many commentators do not think this idea is expressed in 2 Samuel 22:26-27, but that they only express the truth just dwelt upon, viz., “that God’s objective, real conduct towards men, according to His retributive justice, corresponds exactly to man’s ethical conduct towards God” (Erdmann). But David may also here refer to the undoubted fact that every man’s conception of God depends upon his own condition of heart and conscience. Men see each other through the same medium. The face that looks into the mirror is the same that is seen reflected; there are laws which forbid that distorted or unlovely features should give back a beautiful and pleasing reflection. And there are also laws which make all other men appear morally unattractive and even disagreeable to a wicked or even an unloving man. He who lives for self thinks everybody whom he meets is a selfish being, and the proud and angry man is always complaining of the pride and bad temper of those around him. There is some objective foundation for these conceptions, inasmuch as evil passions in ourselves call forth and foster the same in others and the reverse; and there is a sense in which even the unchanging and righteous God, as we have already seen, must really manifest a side of His perfect character to the unholy and rebellious which differs from that which is seen by those who love Him and desire to serve Him. But apart from the actual fact, all the ways of the Almighty seem hard and often unjust to those who will not fall in with His methods of blessing them, and the more they rebel under the yoke the heavier it must really become. The old statute is still in force:—“If ye will not be reformed by me in these things, but will walk contrary unto me, then will I walk contrary unto you” (Leviticus 26:23-24), but every man who is unreconciled to God regards even His most merciful dispensations and laws from a false standpoint, and often transfers his own unrighteousness to the spotless character of his Maker.
OUTLINES AND SUGGESTIVE COMMENTS
2 Samuel 22:21. Albeit the dispensations of Divine grace are to the fullest degree sovereign and irrespective of human merit, yet in the dealings of Providence there is often discernible a rule of justice by which the injured are avenged and the righteous ultimately triumph. David’s early troubles arose from the wicked malice of envious Saul, who, no doubt, prosecuted his persecutions under cover of charges brought against the character of the man after God’s own heart. These charges David declares to have been utterly false, and asserts that he possessed a grace-given righteousness which the Lord had graciously rewarded in defiance of all his calumniators. Before God, the man after God’s own heart was a humble sinner; but before his slanderers he could, with unblushing face, speak of the cleanness of his hands and the righteousness of his life. He knows little of the sanctifying power of Divine grace who is not, at the bar of human equity, able to plead innocence. There is no self-righteousness in an honest man knowing that he is honest, nor even in his believing that God rewarded him in Providence because of his honesty, for such is often a most evident matter of fact. It is not at all an opposition to the doctrine of salvation by grace, and no sort of evidence of a Pharisaic spirit, when a gracious man, having been slandered, stoutly maintains his own integrity and vigorously defends his character. A godly man has a clear conscience, and knows himself to be upright. Is he to deny his own consciousness, and to despise the work of the Holy Ghost, by hypocritically making himself out to be worse than he is? A godly man prizes his integrity very highly, or else he would not be a godly man at all; is he to be called proud because he would not readily lose the jewel of a reputable character? A godly man can see that in the long run uprightness and truth are sure to bring their own reward; may he not, when he sees that reward bestowed in his own case, praise the Lord for it? Yea, rather must he not show forth the faithfulness and goodness of his God? Read the cluster of expressions in this and the following verses as the song of a good conscience, after having safely outridden a storm of obloquy, persecution, and abuse, and there will be no fear of our upbraiding the writer as one who set too high a price upon his own moral character.—Spurgeon.
2 Samuel 22:22. That is, with a purpose and resolution to continue in the way of sinning, and that is the property of sincerity. A man indeed may be overtaken and surprised in a temptation, but it is not with a resolution to forsake God and to cleave unto the sin, or rest in it. He will not sleep in it, spare it, or favour it; that is, to do wickedly against God, to have a double heart and a double eye; to look upon two objects, partly at God and partly at sin; so to keep God as to keep some sin also, as it is with all false-hearted men in the world. They look not upon God alone, let them pretend to religion never so much, but upon something else together with God; as Herod regarded John, but regarded his Herodias more; and the young man in the gospel, comes to Christ, yet he looks after his estate; and Judas followed Christ, yet looks after the bag; this is to depart wickedly from God.—W. Strong.
2 Samuel 22:24. Keep himself! Who made man his own keeper? ’Tis the Lord that is his keeper; He is the keeper of Israel and the preserver of men. If a man cannot keep himself from sorrow, how can he keep himself from sin? God indeed in our first conversion works upon us as He works upon the earth, or Adam’s body in paradise, before He breathed a soul into it, or made a living creature; such a power as Christ put forth on Lazarus in his grave, for we are dead in trespasses and sins; but yet, being living, he must walk and act of himself, the Lord will have us to co-operate together with Him, for we are built upon Christ, not as dead, but as “living stones.” (1 Peter 2:5).—W. Strong.
There is “I have” and “I have not,” both of which must be blended in a truly sanctified life; constraining and restraining grace must each take its share.—Spurgeon.
Mark “from mine iniquity.” The godless man, though he do much, will be sure to fail here, and the godly man will strike home here wherever he be favourable. A horse that is not sound, but foundered, will favour one foot, if not more; the lapwing, some observe, will cry and make a great noise, but it is when she is farthest from her nest; the hypocrite may keep a great stir about many sins, but there is one sin which he meddleth not with. There is, says a learned divine, no greater argument of unsound repentance than indulgent thoughts and reserved delight and complacency in a master-sin. As some grounds are most proper soils to breed and nourish some particular weeds, so are some men’s hearts for some particular sins, and the devil holds them as fast by this sin as by ten thousand.… The creature may do much by the command of God, but there is old stir and pulling before this sin be separated from him. If this be once done thoroughly the man is converted truly.—Swinnock.
2 Samuel 22:25. God first gives us holiness and then rewards us for it. We are His workmanship—vessels made unto honour, and when made the honour is not withheld from the vessel; though, in fact, it all belongs to the Potter upon whose wheel it was fashioned. The prize is awarded to the flower at the show, but the gardener reared it; the child wins the prize from the school master, but the real honour of his schooling lies with the master, although, instead of receiving, he gives the reward.—Spurgeon.
2 Samuel 22:26. Note that even the merciful need mercy. No amount of generosity to the poor or forgiveness to enemies can set us beyond the need of mercy.—Spurgeon.
2 Samuel 22:22-25. What David here extols is not the ground upon which he personally, as a sinner, obtained the favour of God, but the ground on which he, as the public champion of a great cause, enjoyed God’s countenance, while he was honestly and faithfully maintaining that cause. There could be no self-praise in the lieutenant of a ship saying to his captain, “I adhered to your instructions in every point, and my success was complete.” There would have been no self-righteousness in such a man as Luther saying, “I constantly maintained the principles of the Bible—God crowned my labours with success;” for the honour in such cases is not claimed by the person acting, it is given to his superior, by whose instructions he has acted.… No other spirit than this can with consistency be claimed for David.—Blaikie.
The current of his moral being flowed on in the channel of everlasting right. His sins were only wavelets on the stream, which the winds of temptation occasionally dashed over the embankments.—Dr. David Thomas.
As you may see a proportion between sins and punishments which are the rewards of them, so that you can say, such a sin brought forth this affliction, it is so like its father; so you might see the like proportions between your prayers and your walking with God and God’s answers to you and His dealings with you. So did David. According to the cleanness, etc. His speech denotes some similitude or likeness, as, for example, the more by ends or carnal desires you had in praying, and the more you mingled of these with your holy desires, and the more want of zeal, fervency, etc., were found in your prayers, the more you shall, it may be, find of bitterness mingled with the mercy, when it is granted, and so much imperfection, and want of comfort in it. So says David in this psalm, “With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure.” Pure prayers have pure blessing, and è contra, “With the froward thou wilt show Thyself froward.” And, again, as you in prayer sometimes slackened and grew cold, so you might see the business in like manner to cool and cast backward, as, when Moses hands were down Amalek prevailed, and when they were lifted up Israel had the better. A man finds in praying that his suit sometimes sticks, and goes not on as he expected; but, on the contrary, when he was stirred up to pray, then still he found things to go well. By this a man may clearly see that it was the prayer which God did hear and regarded. Thus, likewise, when a man sees hills and dales in a business, fair hopes often, and then all dashed again, and the thing in the end brought to pass, let him look back upon his prayers. Didst thou not in like manner just thus deal with God? When thou hadst prayed earnestly, and thought thou hadst even carried it, then dash all again by interposing some sin, and thus again and again. Herein God would have you observe a proportion, and it may help you to discern how and when they are obtained by prayer, because God deals thus with you therein in such a proportion to your prayers.—T. Goodwin.
2 Samuel 22:26-27. If men will deal plainly with God, He will deal plainly with them. He that is upright in performing his duty shall find God upright in performing His promises. It is God’s way to carry to men as they carry to Him. If thou hast a design to please Him, He will have a design to please thee; if thou wilt echo to Him when He calls, He will echo to thee when thou callest.—R. Steele.
Even as the sun which, unto eyes being sound and without disease, is very pleasant and wholesome, but unto the same eyes, when they are feeble, sore, and weak, is very troublesome and hurtful, yet the sun is ever all one and the self-same that it was before; so God, who hath ever shown Himself benign and bountiful to those who are kind and tender-hearted towards His saints, is merciful to those who show mercy. But unto the same men, when they fall into wickedness and show themselves full of beastly cruelty, the Lord showeth Himself to be very wrathful and angry, and yet is one and the same immutable God from everlasting to everlasting.—Cawdray.
But doth the Lord take colour from everyone He meets, or change His temper as the company changes? That’s the weakness of sinful man. He cannot do so with whom is no variableness nor shadow of changing. God is pure and upright with the unclean and hypocritical, as well as with the pure and upright, and His actions show Him to be so. God shows Himself froward with the froward, when He deals with them as He has said He will deal with the froward—deny them and reject them. God shows Himself pure with the pure when He deals with them as He has said He will—hear them and accept them. Though there be nothing in purity and sincerity which deserveth mercy, yet we cannot expect mercy without them. Our comforts are not grounded upon our graces, but they are the fruits or consequences of our graces.—Caryl.