133 lines
10 KiB
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133 lines
10 KiB
XML
<div2 id="iCh.xi" n="xi" next="iCh.xii" prev="iCh.x" progress="75.22%" title="Chapter X">
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<h2 id="iCh.xi-p0.1">F I R S T C H R O N I C L E
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S</h2>
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<h3 id="iCh.xi-p0.2">CHAP. X.</h3>
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<p class="intro" id="iCh.xi-p1">The design of Ezra, in these books of the
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Chronicles, was to preserve the records of the house of David,
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which, though much sunk and lessened in a common eye by the
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captivity, yet grew more and more illustrious in the eyes of those
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that lived by faith by the nearer approach of the Son of David. And
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therefore he repeats, not the history of Saul's reign, but only of
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his death, by which way was made for David to the throne. In this
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chapter we have, I. The fatal rout which the Philistines gave to
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Saul's army, and the fatal stroke which he gave himself, <scripRef id="iCh.xi-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.10.1-1Chr.10.7" parsed="|1Chr|10|1|10|7" passage="1Ch 10:1-7">ver. 1-7</scripRef>. II. The Philistines'
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triumph therein, <scripRef id="iCh.xi-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.10.8-1Chr.10.10" parsed="|1Chr|10|8|10|10" passage="1Ch 10:8-10">ver.
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8-10</scripRef>. III. The respect which the men of Jabesh-Gilead
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showed the royal corpse, <scripRef id="iCh.xi-p1.3" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.10.11-1Chr.10.12" parsed="|1Chr|10|11|10|12" passage="1Ch 10:11,12">ver. 11,
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12</scripRef>. IV. The reason of Saul's rejection, <scripRef id="iCh.xi-p1.4" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.10.13-1Chr.10.14" parsed="|1Chr|10|13|10|14" passage="1Ch 10:13,14">ver. 13, 14</scripRef>.</p>
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<scripCom id="iCh.xi-p0.1_1" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.10" parsed="|1Chr|10|0|0|0" passage="1Ch 10" type="Commentary"/>
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<scripCom id="iCh.xi-p0.2_1" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.10.1-1Chr.10.7" parsed="|1Chr|10|1|10|7" passage="1Ch 10:1-7" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:1Chr.10.1-1Chr.10.7">
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<h4 id="iCh.xi-p1.7">The Death of Saul. (<span class="smallcaps" id="iCh.xi-p1.8">b. c.</span> 1400.)</h4>
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<p class="passage" id="iCh.xi-p2">1 Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and
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the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down
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slain in mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines followed hard
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after Saul, and after his sons; and the Philistines slew Jonathan,
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and Abinadab, and Malchishua, the sons of Saul. 3 And the
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battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was
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wounded of the archers. 4 Then said Saul to his
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armourbearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest
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these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armourbearer would
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not; for he was sore afraid. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon
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it. 5 And when his armourbearer saw that Saul was dead, he
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fell likewise on the sword, and died. 6 So Saul died, and
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his three sons, and all his house died together. 7 And when
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all the men of Israel that <i>were</i> in the valley saw that they
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fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, then they forsook their
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cities, and fled: and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="iCh.xi-p3">This account of Saul's death is the same
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with that which we had, <scripRef id="iCh.xi-p3.1" osisRef="Bible:1Sam.31.1-1Sam.31.13" parsed="|1Sam|31|1|31|13" passage="1Sa 31:1-13">1 Sam.
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xxxi. 1</scripRef>, &c. We need not repeat the exposition of
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it. Only let us observe, 1. Princes sin and the people suffer for
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it. It was a bad time with Israel when they <i>fled before the
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Philistines</i> and <i>fell down slain</i> (<scripRef id="iCh.xi-p3.2" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.10.1" parsed="|1Chr|10|1|0|0" passage="1Ch 10:1"><i>v.</i> 1</scripRef>), when they quitted their cities,
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and <i>the Philistines came and dwelt in them,</i> <scripRef id="iCh.xi-p3.3" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.10.7" parsed="|1Chr|10|7|0|0" passage="1Ch 10:7"><i>v.</i> 7</scripRef>. We do not find that they
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were at this time guilty of idolatry, as they had been before, in
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the days of the judges, and were afterwards, in the days of the
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kings. Samuel had reformed them, and they were reformed: and yet
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they are thus <i>given to the spoil and to the robbers.</i> No
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doubt there was enough in them to deserve this judgment; but that
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which divine Justice had chiefly an eye to was the sin of Saul.
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Note, Princes and great men should in a special manner take heed of
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provoking God's wrath; for, if they kindle that fire, they know not
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how many may be consumed by it for their sakes. 2. Parents sin and
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the children suffer for it. When the measure of Saul's iniquity was
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full, and his day came to fall (which David foresaw, <scripRef id="iCh.xi-p3.4" osisRef="Bible:1Sam.26.10" parsed="|1Sam|26|10|0|0" passage="1Sa 26:10">1 Sam. xxvi. 10</scripRef>), he not only
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descended into battle and perished himself, but his sons (all but
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Ishbosheth) perished with him, and Jonathan among the rest, that
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gracious, generous man; for <i>all things come alike to all.</i>
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Thus was the iniquity of the fathers visited upon the children, and
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they fell as parts of the condemned father. Note, Those that love
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their seed must leave their sins, lest they perish not alone in
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their iniquity, but bring ruin on their families with themselves,
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or entail a curse upon them when they are gone. 3. Sinners sin and
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at length suffer for it themselves, though they be long reprieved;
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for, although sentence be not executed speedily, it will be
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executed. It was so upon Saul; and the manner of his fall was such
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as, in various particulars, answered to his sin. (1.) He had thrown
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a javelin more than once at David, and missed him; but the archers
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hit him, and he was wounded of the archers. (2.) He had commanded
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Doeg to slay the priests of the Lord; and now, in despair, he
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commands his armour-bearer to <i>draw his sword and thrust him
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through.</i> (3.) He had disobeyed the command of God in not
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destroying the Amalekites, and his armour-bearer disobeys him in
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not destroying him. (4.) He that was the murderer of the priests is
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justly left to himself to be his own murderer; and his family is
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cut off who cut off the city of the priests. See, and say, <i>The
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Lord is righteous.</i></p>
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</div><scripCom id="iCh.xi-p0.3" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.10.8-1Chr.10.14" parsed="|1Chr|10|8|10|14" passage="1Ch 10:8-14" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:1Chr.10.8-1Chr.10.14">
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<p class="passage" id="iCh.xi-p4">8 And it came to pass on the morrow, when the
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Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his
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sons fallen in mount Gilboa. 9 And when they had stripped
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him, they took his head, and his armour, and sent into the land of
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the Philistines round about, to carry tidings unto their idols, and
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to the people. 10 And they put his armour in the house of
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their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon. 11
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And when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done
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to Saul, 12 They arose, all the valiant men, and took away
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the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to
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Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted
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seven days. 13 So Saul died for his transgression which he
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committed against the <span class="smallcaps" id="iCh.xi-p4.1">Lord</span>,
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<i>even</i> against the word of the <span class="smallcaps" id="iCh.xi-p4.2">Lord</span>, which he kept not, and also for asking
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<i>counsel</i> of <i>one that had</i> a familiar spirit, to enquire
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<i>of it;</i> 14 And enquired not of the <span class="smallcaps" id="iCh.xi-p4.3">Lord</span>: therefore he slew him, and turned the
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kingdom unto David the son of Jesse.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="iCh.xi-p5">Here, I. From the triumph of the
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Philistines over the body of Saul we may learn, 1. That the greater
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dignity men are advanced to the greater disgrace they are in danger
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of falling into. Saul's dead body, because he was king, was abused
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more than any other of the slain. Advancement makes men a mark for
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malice. 2. That, if we give not to God the glory of our successes,
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even the Philistines will rise up in judgment against us and
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condemn us; for, when they had obtained a victory over Saul, they
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<i>sent tidings to their idols</i>—poor idols, that knew not what
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was done a few miles off till the tidings were brought to them, nor
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then either! They also put Saul's armour <i>in the house of their
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gods,</i> <scripRef id="iCh.xi-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.10.10" parsed="|1Chr|10|10|0|0" passage="1Ch 10:10"><i>v.</i> 10</scripRef>.
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Shall Dagon have so honourable a share in their triumphs and the
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true and living God be forgotten in ours?</p>
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<p class="indent" id="iCh.xi-p6">II. From the triumph of the men of
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Jabesh-Gilead in the rescue of the bodies of Saul and his sons we
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learn that there is a respect due to the remains of the deceased,
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especially of deceased princes. We are not to enquire concerning
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the eternal state; that must be left to God: but we must treat the
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dead body as those who remember it has been united to an immortal
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soul and must be so again.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="iCh.xi-p7">III. From the triumphs of divine Justice in
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the ruin of Saul we may learn, 1. That the sin of sinners will
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certainly find them out, sooner or later: <i>Saul died for his
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transgression.</i> 2. That no man's greatness can exempt him from
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the judgments of God. 3. Disobedience is a killing thing. Saul died
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for <i>not keeping the word of the Lord,</i> by which he was
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ordered to destroy the Amalekites. 4. Consulting with witches is a
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sin that fills the measure of iniquity as soon as any thing. Saul
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enquired of one that <i>had a familiar spirit,</i> and <i>enquired
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not of the Lord, therefore he slew him,</i> <scripRef id="iCh.xi-p7.1" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.10.13-1Chr.10.14" parsed="|1Chr|10|13|10|14" passage="1Ch 10:13,14"><i>v.</i> 13, 14</scripRef>. Saul slew himself, and
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yet it is said, <i>God slew him.</i> What is done by wicked hands
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is yet done <i>by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
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God.</i> Those that abandon themselves to the devil shall be
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abandoned to him; so shall their doom be. It is said (<scripRef id="iCh.xi-p7.2" osisRef="Bible:1Sam.28.6" parsed="|1Sam|28|6|0|0" passage="1Sa 28:6">1 Sam. xxviii. 6</scripRef>) that Saul did
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<i>enquire of the Lord</i> and he <i>answered him not:</i> but here
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it is said, <i>Saul did not enquire of God;</i> for he did not till
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he was brought to the last extremity, and then it was too late.</p>
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</div></div2> |