97 lines
7.2 KiB
XML
97 lines
7.2 KiB
XML
<div2 id="iCh.xxi" n="xxi" next="iCh.xxii" prev="iCh.xx" progress="77.20%" title="Chapter XX">
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<h2 id="iCh.xxi-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.xxi-p0.2">CHAP. XX.</h3>
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<p class="intro" id="iCh.xxi-p1">Here is a repetition of the story of David's wars,
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I. With the Ammonites, and the taking of Rabbah, <scripRef id="iCh.xxi-p1.1" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.20.1-1Chr.20.3" parsed="|1Chr|20|1|20|3" passage="1Ch 20:1-3">ver. 1-3</scripRef>. II. With the giants of the
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Philistines, <scripRef id="iCh.xxi-p1.2" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.20.4-1Chr.20.8" parsed="|1Chr|20|4|20|8" passage="1Ch 20:4-8">ver.
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4-8</scripRef>.</p>
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<scripCom id="iCh.xxi-p0.1_1" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.20" parsed="|1Chr|20|0|0|0" passage="1Ch 20" type="Commentary"/>
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<scripCom id="iCh.xxi-p0.2_1" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.20.1-1Chr.20.3" parsed="|1Chr|20|1|20|3" passage="1Ch 20:1-3" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:1Chr.20.1-1Chr.20.3">
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<h4 id="iCh.xxi-p1.5">The Defeat of the Ammonites. (<span class="smallcaps" id="iCh.xxi-p1.6">b. c.</span> 1306.)</h4>
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<p class="passage" id="iCh.xxi-p2">1 And it came to pass, that after the year was
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expired, at the time that kings go out <i>to battle,</i> Joab led
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forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children
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of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at
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Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it. 2 And
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David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it
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to weigh a talent of gold, and <i>there were</i> precious stones in
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it; and it was set upon David's head: and he brought also exceeding
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much spoil out of the city. 3 And he brought out the people
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that <i>were</i> in it, and cut <i>them</i> with saws, and with
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harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the
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cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people
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returned to Jerusalem.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="iCh.xxi-p3">How the army of the Ammonites and their
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allies was routed in the field we read in the foregoing chapters.
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Here we have the destruction of Rabbah, the metropolis of their
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kingdom (<scripRef id="iCh.xxi-p3.1" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.20.1" parsed="|1Chr|20|1|0|0" passage="1Ch 20:1"><i>v.</i> 1</scripRef>), the
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putting of their king's crown upon David's head (<scripRef id="iCh.xxi-p3.2" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.20.2" parsed="|1Chr|20|2|0|0" passage="1Ch 20:2"><i>v.</i> 2</scripRef>), and the great severity that was
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used towards the people, <scripRef id="iCh.xxi-p3.3" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.20.3" parsed="|1Chr|20|3|0|0" passage="1Ch 20:3"><i>v.</i>
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3</scripRef>. Of this we had a more full account in <scripRef id="iCh.xxi-p3.4" osisRef="Bible:2Sam.11.1-2Sam.12.31" parsed="|2Sam|11|1|12|31" passage="2Sa 11:1-12:31">2 Sam. xi., xii.</scripRef>, and cannot
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but remember it by this sad token, that while Joab was besieging
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Rabbah David fell into that great sin in the matter of Uriah. But
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it is observable that, though the rest of the story is repeated,
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that is not: a hint only is given of it, in those words which lie
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here in a parenthesis—<i>But David tarried at Jerusalem.</i> If he
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had been abroad with his army, he would have been out of the way of
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that temptation; but, indulging his ease, he fell into uncleanness.
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Now, as the relating of the sin David fell into is an instance of
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the impartiality and fidelity of the sacred writers, so the
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avoiding of the repetition of it here, when there was a fair
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occasion given to speak of it again, is designed to teach us that,
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though there may be a just occasion to speak of the faults and
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miscarriages of others, yet we should not take delight in the
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repetition of them. That should always be looked upon as an
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unpleasing subject which, though sometimes one cannot help falling
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upon, yet one would not choose to dwell upon, any more than we
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should love to rake in a dunghill. The persons, or actions, we can
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say no good of, we had best say nothing of.</p>
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</div><scripCom id="iCh.xxi-p0.3" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.20.4-1Chr.20.8" parsed="|1Chr|20|4|20|8" passage="1Ch 20:4-8" type="Commentary"/><div class="Commentary" id="Bible:1Chr.20.4-1Chr.20.8">
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<p class="passage" id="iCh.xxi-p4">4 And it came to pass after this, that there
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arose war at Gezer with the Philistines; at which time Sibbechai
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the Hushathite slew Sippai, <i>that was</i> of the children of the
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giant: and they were subdued. 5 And there was war again with
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the Philistines; and Elhanan the son of Jair slew Lahmi the brother
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of Goliath the Gittite, whose spear staff <i>was</i> like a
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weaver's beam. 6 And yet again there was war at Gath, where
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was a man of <i>great</i> stature, whose fingers and toes
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<i>were</i> four and twenty, six <i>on each hand,</i> and six <i>on
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each foot:</i> and he also was the son of the giant. 7 But
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when he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea David's brother
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slew him. 8 These were born unto the giant in Gath; and they
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fell by the hand of David, and by the hand of his servants.</p>
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<p class="indent" id="iCh.xxi-p5">The Philistines were nearly subdued
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(<scripRef id="iCh.xxi-p5.1" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.18.1" parsed="|1Chr|18|1|0|0" passage="1Ch 18:1"><i>ch.</i> xviii. 1</scripRef>); but,
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as in the destruction of the Canaanites by Joshua the sons of Anak
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were last subdued (<scripRef id="iCh.xxi-p5.2" osisRef="Bible:Josh.11.21" parsed="|Josh|11|21|0|0" passage="Jos 11:21">Josh. xi.
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21</scripRef>), so here in the conquest of the Philistines the
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giants of Gath were last brought down. In the conflicts between
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grace and corruption there are some sins which, like these giants,
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keep their ground a great while and are not mastered without much
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difficulty and a long struggle: but judgment will be brought forth
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unto victory at last. Observe, 1. We never read of giants among the
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Israelites as we do of the giants among the Philistines-giants of
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Gath, but not giants of Jerusalem. The growth of God's plants is in
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usefulness, not in bulk. Those who covet to have <i>cubits added to
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their stature</i> do not consider that it will but make then more
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unwieldy. In the balance of the sanctuary David far outweighs
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Goliath. 2. The servants of David, though men of ordinary stature,
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were too hard for the giants of Gath in every encounter, because
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they had God on their side, who takes pleasure in abasing lofty
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looks, and mortifying the giants that are in the earth, as he did
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of old by the deluge, though they were men of renown. Never let the
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church's friends be disheartened by the power and pride of the
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church's enemies. We need not fear great men against us while we
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have the great God for us. What will a finger more on each hand do,
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or a toe more on each foot, in contest with Omnipotence? 3. These
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giants <i>defied Israel</i> (<scripRef id="iCh.xxi-p5.3" osisRef="Bible:1Chr.20.7" parsed="|1Chr|20|7|0|0" passage="1Ch 20:7"><i>v.</i>
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7</scripRef>) and were thus made to pay for their insolence. None
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are more visibly marked for ruin that those who reproach God and
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his Israel. God will do great things rather than suffer the enemy
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to <i>behave themselves proudly,</i> <scripRef id="iCh.xxi-p5.4" osisRef="Bible:Deut.32.27" parsed="|Deut|32|27|0|0" passage="De 32:27">Deut. xxxii. 27</scripRef>. The victories of the Son of
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David, like those of David himself, are gradual. <i>We see not yet
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all things put under him;</i> but it will be seen shortly: and
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death itself, the last enemy, like these giants, will be triumphed
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over.</p>
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</div></div2> |