And David spake unto the LORD when he saw the angel that smote the people, and said, Lo, I have sinned, and I have done wickedly: but these sheep, what have they done? let thine hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house.
Ver. 17. The angel that smote the people.] For the king's offence. Great men's sins do more hurt than others; (1.) By imitation; (2.) By imputation; for plectuntur Achivi. Howbeit, the people also had deserved destruction for their many foul enormities; especially for the abuse of their peace, and contempt of God's word, as Bede noteth of the Britons, anne Christi 420, who were therefore visited with such a contagious plague, that the living were scarce able to bury the dead.
And said, Lo, I have sinned.] Hitherto he offered not himself to the plague, saith Chrysostom, because he still expected and made account to be taken away by it. Now, seeing it was God's will to spare him, he crieth out, Ecce ego peccavi, En ego qui feci, in me convertito ferrum. Mr Bradford, martyr, in a certain holy letter of his, writeth thus: - Let the anger and plagues of God, most justly fallen upon us, be applied to every one of our deserts, that from the bottom of our hearts every one of us may say, It is I, Lord, that have sinned against thee; it is mine hypocrisy, vain glory, covetousness, uncleanness, carnality, security, idleness unthankfulness self-love, and such like, which have deserved the taking away of our good king, of thy word and true religion, of thy good ministry, by exile, imprisonment, and death, &c. a
But these sheep, what have they done?] They had done enough to draw upon them this destruction; but he, as a good Shepherd (ποιμην, q.d., οιμην), b offereth himself to punishment, that they may go free. Chrysostom writeth, that the Capadocian shepherds, and the Lydian likewiss suffer much hardship by heat and cold, for the good of their flocks. c Jacob did so for the good of Laban; Gen 31:6 but never any like Jesus Christ, the great Shepherd, who not only offered, but freely gave his life for his sheep. Joh 10:11
a Act. and Mon, 1477.
b Ab οις, ovis, et μαω, desidero.
c Hom. xv. Epist. ad Rom.