David conquers the Philistines, 1. CHRONICLES. the Moabites, and the Syrians. blessing because God had intimated to him that he || designs, he effects; what he promises, he performs; had blessings in store for him and his family; thou saying and doing are not two things with him. Nay, blessest, O Lord—And therefore unto thee shall all flesh come for a blessing: unto thee do I come for the blessing promised to me. And he is therefore earnest for the blessing, because those whom God blesseth are truly and eternally blessed. Thou blessest, and it shall be blessed-Men can but beg the blessing, it is God that commands it; what he || it shall be blessed for ever-His blessings shall not be revoked from the faithful, and the benefits conferred by them are such as will survive time and days. David's prayer concludes as God's promise did, (verse 14,) with that which is for ever. God's word looks at things eternal, and so should our desires and hopes. CHAPTER XVIII. David conquers the Philistines, the Moabites, the king of Zobah, and the Syrians, 1-8. Makes the king of Hamath and the Edomites pay tribute, 9–13. His court and kingdom flourish, 14–17. b 4 And David took from him a thousand chariots, and seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand footmen: David also houghed all the chariot-horses, but reserved of them a hundred chariots. 5 And when the Syrians of 2 Damascus came to help Hadarezer king of Zobah, David slew of the Syrians two and twenty thousand men. 6 Then David put garrisons in Syria-damascus; and the Syrians became David's servants, a 2 Samuel viii. 1, &c.- Or, Hadadezer, 2 Samuel viii. 3. b 2 Sam. viii. 4, seven hundred.- 2 Heb. Darmesek.- -3 Called in the book of Samuel Betah, and Berothai. NOTES ON CHAPTER XVIII. Verse 1. Now after this David smote the Philistines-After the sweet communion he had had with God by the word and prayer, as is recorded in the foregoing chapter, he went on in his work with an extraordinary vigour and courage, conquering and to conquer. The reader will find all this chapter explained in the notes on 2 Sam. viii. Nevertheless we shall here make two or three short observations upon some parts of it. Verse 3. David smote Hadarezer, as he went to establish his dominion-Such is the uncertainty of this world, that many times men lose their wealth and power, then when they think to confirm them. The meaning of the words, however, may be, that as David went to establish his own dominion, this king of Zobah came out to oppose him, and therefore David smote him. See on 2 Sam. viii. 3. 6 4 10 He sent 5 Hadoram his son to King David, to inquire of his welfare, and 'to congratulate him, because he had fought against Hadarezer, and smitten him; (for Hadarezer had war with Tou;) and with him all manner of vessels of gold, and silver, and brass. 1 Kings vii. 15, 23; 2 Chron. iv. 12, 15. Or, Toi, 2 Sam. Verses 5, 6. When the Syrians came to help Hadarezer, David slew of the Syrians, &c.—Thus the enemies of God's church are often made to ruin themselves by helping one another. The Syrians became David's servants, and brought gifts-For the wealth of the sinner often proves to have been laid up for the just. The Syrians' shields of gold, and their brass, were brought to Jerusalem, verses 7, 8. As the tabernacle was built of the spoils of the Egyptians, so the temple of the spoils of other Gentile nations: a happy presage of the interest the Gentiles should have in the gospel church. Verse 10. He sent Hadoram his son to King David, &c.—It is our interest to make those our friends who have the presence of God with them, as this king of Hamath, hearing of David's great success, sent to congratulate him and to court his favour with a noble present, judging it in vain to oppose one David's kindness to Hanun, B. C. 1040. CHAPTER XIX. A. M. 2964. 11 Them also King David dedicated unto the LORD, with the silver and the gold that he brought from all these nations; from Edom, and from Moab, and from the children of Ammon, and from the Philistines, and from Amalek. 12 Moreover, Abishai the son of Zeruiah king of the Ammonites. B. C. 1040. 14 So David reigned over all A. M. 2964. 15 And Joab the son of Zeruiah was over 16 And Zadok the son of Ahitub, and " Abi slew of the Edomites in the valley of Salt eigh-melech the son of Abiathar, were the priests; 13¶And he put garrisons in Edom; and he went. 'Heb. Abshaid 2 Samuel vii. 13. 2 Sam. vii. 14, &c. 1 Or, remembrancer.- Called Ahimelech, 2 Sam. viii, 17. whose cause God so evidently espoused. And is it not still more in vain to contend with the son of David? Reader, kiss the Son lest he be angry: let the kings and judges of the earth, and all inferior people, be thus wise, thus instructed. The presents which we are to bring to him are not vessels of gold and silver, as here: those shall be welcome to him, who have no such presents to bring: but our hearts and affections; ourselves, our whole selves we must present to him as living sacrifices. Verse 11. Them also King David dedicated to the Lord-Not only the spoils of his enemies, but the presents of his friends, he devoted to God, and laid up toward the building and enriching of the temple. Thus, we must honour God with that wherewith he blesseth us. And, indeed, that is most king. 12 Called Seraiah, 2 Samuel viii. 17, and Shisha, 1 Kings iv. 3. truly and most comfortably our own, which we have Verse 13. The Lord preserved David whitherso- Verse 14. So David reigned, and executed judgment and justice among the people--And therefore answered the end of his elevation; and served the purposes of the kingdom of providence, and of that God who sits in the throne judging right. Thus also he became an eminent type of the Messiah, the sceptre of whose kingdom is a right sceptre. CHAPTER XIX. David's friendly message to King Hanun, 1, 2. Hanun's base usage of his ambassadors, 3-5. The Ammonites prepare for war, 6, 7. David overthrows them and the Syrians, 8-19, Verse 1. Nahash the king of the children of Ammon died-Of the contents of this chapter, see the notes on 2 Sam. x. Verse 2. David said, I will show kindness unto Hanun-Religion teaches us to be civil and obliging to all; to honour all men, and to be ready to do all offices of kindness to those among whom we live: David overthrows the 1 B. C. 1037. A. M. 2967. said to Hanun, 1 Thinkest thou that || set themselves in array against the A. M. 2967. B. C. 1037. David doth honour thy father, that children of Ammon. he hath sent comforters unto thee? are not his servants come unto thee for to search, and to overthrow, and to spy out the land? 4 Wherefore Hanun took David's servants, and shaved them, and cut off their garments in the midst hard by their buttocks, and sent them away. 5 Then there went certain, and told David how the men were served. And he sent to meet them for the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, Tarry at Jericho until your beards be grown, and then return. 6 And when the children of Ammon saw that they had made themselves 2 odious to David, Hanun and the children of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire them chariots and horsemen out of Mesopotamia, and out of || Syria-maachah, band out of Zobah. 7 So they hired thirty and two thousand chariots, and the king of Maachah and his people, who came and pitched before Medeba. And the children of Ammon gathered themselves together from their cities, and came to battle. 12 And he said, If the Syrians be too strong for me, then thou shalt help me but if the children of Ammon be too strong for thee, then I will help thee. 13 Be of good courage, and let us behave ourselves valiantly for our people, and for the cities of our God: and let the LORD do that which is good in his sight. 14 So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh before the Syrians unto the battle; and they fled before him. 15 And when the children of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fled, they likewise fled before Abishai his brother, and entered into the city. Then Joab came to Jerusalem. 16 And when the Syrians saw B. C. 1036. that they were put to the worse before Israel, they sent messengers, and drew forth the Syrians that were beyond the river and Shophach the captain of the host of Hadarezer went before them. 7 6 17 And it was told David; and he gathered all Israel, and passed over Jordan, and came upon them, and set the battle in array against 8 And when David heard of it, he sent Joab, them. So when David had put the battle in array and all the host of the mighty men. 9 And the children of Ammon came out, and put the battle in array before the gate of the city and the kings that were come were by themselves in the field. 10 Now when Joab saw that 3 the battle was set against him before and behind, he chose out of all the choice of Israel, and put them in array against the Syrians. 11 And the rest of the people he delivered unto the hand of 5 Abishai his brother, and they Hebrew, In thine eyes doth David, &c.- -2 Hebrew, to stink. b Chap. xviii. 5, 9.— Heb. the face of the battle was. it from the parents, should return it to the children when the parents are gone. Verse 6. The children of Ammon saw they had made themselves odious to David-It would therefore have been their wisdom to have desired conditions of peace, to have humbled themselves and offered any satisfaction for the injury they had done him; and the rather, because they had made themselves not only odious to David, but obnoxious to the justice of God, who is the king of nations, and will assert the injured rights, and maintain the violated laws of nations. But, instead of this, they prepared against the Syrians, they fought with him. 19 And when the servants of Hadarezer saw that they were put to the worse before Israel, they made peace with David, and became his servants: neither would the Syrians help the children of Ammon any more. Or, young men. for war, - Hebrew, Abshai. That is, Euphrates. 7 Or, Shoback, 2 Sam. x. 16. and so brought upon themselves those desolations which David never intended them. Verse 19. They made peace with David, and became his servants-Those who have meddled with strife that belonged not to them, and have found that they meddled to their own hurt, do well to learn wisdom at length, and meddle no further. Let those who have in vain stood it out against God, be thus wise for themselves, and agree with him quickly while they are in the way with him. Let them become his servants, for they are undone if they remain his enemies. David's treatment of the CHAPTER XXI. CHAPTER XX. inhabitants of Rabbah. A repetition of David's wars with the Ammonites, and the taking of Rabbah, 1-3; with the giants of the Philistines, 4–8. b B. C. 1033. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it. 2 And David took the crown of their king from off his head, and found it to weigh a talent of gold, and there were precious stones in it; and it was set upon David's head: and he brought also exceeding much spoil out of the city. 3 And he brought out the people that were in it, and cut them with saws, and with harrows of iron, and with axes. Even so dealt David with all the cities of the children of Ammon. And David and all the people returned to Jerusalem. he Verse 1. Joab led forth the army, and wasted, &c. -For this verse, see note on 2 Sam. xi. 1; for verses 2,3, on 2 Sam. xii. 30, 31; and for the rest of the chapter, on 2 Sam. xxi. 15, &c. And came and besieged Rabbah-It was at this time, while Joab was besieging Rabbah, that David fell into that great sin in the matter of Uriah. And it is observable, that though the rest of the story be repeated here, that is not. The sacred writer, however, seems to have intended to give a hint of it, when he says, But David tarried at Jerusalem-This gave occasion to his sin. If he had been abroad with his army, would have been out of the way of that temptation; but indulging his ease he fell into sin, and involved himself in many and great calamities, brought upon him and his house by a just and holy God. Now as the recording of his fall, and the circumstances of it in the former history, is an instance of the impartiality and fidelity of the sacred writers; so the avoiding the repetition of it here, when there was a fai occasion to speak of it again, is designed to teach us, that though there may be a just occasion to speak of the faults and miscarriages of others, yet we should not take delight in the repetition of them. Of those persons or actions of which we can say no good, we had best say nothing. Verse 7. When he defied Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea slew him--None are more visibly marked for ruin than those that reproach God and his Israel. God will do great things rather than suffer the enemy to behave themselves proudly, Deut. xxxii. 27. Verse 8. They fell by the hand of David, and of his servants-The servants of David were quite too hard for the giants of Gath in every encounter, because they had God on their side, who takes pleasure in abasing the lofty looks, and humbling the pride and haughtiness of the giants of the earth. Never let the church's friends be disheartened by the power and pride of the church's enemies. We need not fear great men against us, while we have the great God for us. But let it be observed that, as David's victories, so those of the Son of David, are gradual. We do not yet see all things put under him; but we shall see this shortly, and death itself, the last enemy, like these giants, shall be subdued and triumphed over. CHAPTER XXI. His David causes Joab to number the people, 1-6. He repents, 7, 8. God gives him his choice of three judgments, and he chooses the pestilence, 9-13. The havoc made thereby: Jerusalem spared, 14, 15. David's prayer, 16, 17. sacrifice and staying of the plague, 18–30. Satan tempts David to a A. M. 2996. AND Satan stood up against Is- || was four hundred threescore and ten A. M. 2995. rael, and provoked David to num- thousand men that drew sword. C. 1018. ber Israel. 2 And David said to Joab, and to the rulers of the people, Go, number Israel from Beer-sheba even to Dan; band bring the number of them to me, that I may know it. 3 And Joab answered, The LORD make his people a hundred times so many more as they be: but my lord the king, are they not all my lord's servants? why then doth my lord require this thing? why will he be a cause of trespass to Israel? 4 Nevertheless the king's word prevailed against Joab. Wherefore Joab departed, and went throughout all Israel, and came to Jerusalem. 5 And Joab gave the sum of the number of the people unto David. And all they of Israel were a thousand thousand and a hundred thousand men that drew sword: and Judah a1 Sam. xxiv. 1, &c. Chap. xxvii. 23. Chap. xxvii. 24.- Heb. And it was evil in the eyes of the LORD concerning this thing. NOTES ON CHAPTER XXI. Verse 1. Satan stood up against Israel-Before the Lord and his tribunal, to accuse David and Israel, and to ask God's permission to tempt David. Standing is the accuser's posture before men's tribunals; and consequently the Holy Scriptures (which use to speak of the things of God after the manner of men, to bring them down to our capacities) elsewhere represent Satan in this posture. See 1 Kings xxii. 21; Zech. iii. 1. In 2 Sam. xxiv. 1, it is said, The anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel, and he moved David, or rather, there was who moved David; namely, Satan, as is here stated, by God's permission. The righteous judgments of God are to be observed and acknowledged even in the sins and unrighteousness of men. But we are sure God is not the author of sin, and that, strictly speaking, he tempts no man, James i. 13. That passage, therefore, must be explained by this. But of this particular, and of the contents of this whole chapter, and of|| the variations and seeming contradictions between this narrative and that in Samuel, see notes there. Verse 3. Why will he be-Or, why should this be; a cause of trespass—Or, an occasion of punishment; (Hebrew words, which signify sin, being often used for the punishment of sin,) to, or against Israel? Why wilt thou provoke God by this sin to punish Israel? He speaks thus because God commonly punishes the people for the sins of their rulers, the people being for the most part guilty of their rulers' sins, in one kind or other. Verse 6. Levi and Benjamin counted he notPartly for the following reason, and principally by B. C. 1018. God's gracious providence to Levi, because they were devoted to his service; and to Benjamin, because they were the least of all the tribes, having been almost extinct, (Judges xxi.,) and because God foresaw that they would be faithful to the house of David in the division of the tribes, and therefore he would not have them diminished. And Joab also presumed to leave these two tribes unnumbered, because he had specious pretences for it; for Levi, because they were no warriors, and the king's command reached only of those that drew sword; and for Benjamin, because they, being so small a tribe, and bordering upon Jerusalem, might easily be numbered afterward. Verse 7. God was displeased with this thing— Because it was done without any colour of necessity, and out of mere curiosity and ostentation, as David's own conscience afterward told him, which therefore smote him, as is related 2 Sam. xxiv. 10. Therefore he smote Israel-As is particularly related in the following verses. Undoubtedly God did this because Israel concurred with David in the act of numbering the people, and approved of it, as well as because of all their other sins. Verse 8. I have done very foolishly-I see plainly, and acknowledge, that I have been very foolish in thinking to found my security on the number of my people, instead of depending solely on thy almighty power and sovereign help. Verses 12, 13. Either three years of famine-In 2 Sam. xxiv. 13, it is said the prophet propounded to David seven years of famine, concerning which see the note there. Let me fall now into the hand of |