1 Samuel 24:4-6

The men said, “This is the day the LORD spoke of when he said to you, ‘I will give your enemy into your hands for you to deal with as you wish.'” Then David crept up unnoticed and cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. Afterward, David was conscience-stricken for having cut off a corner of his robe. He said to his men, “The LORD forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the LORD’s anointed, or lift my hand against him; for he is the anointed of the LORD.”

Knowing what we do of the depravity of human nature, we would scarcely conceive that men could attain to such heights of virtue as are recorded in the Holy Scriptures, if we did not know that those records are of divine authority. This observation is verified in the history of Abraham, of Moses, and of David also, who, though a very faulty character in some respects, was in other respects a star of the first magnitude. We are called on the present occasion to notice David’s conduct towards Saul; and to consider him under a three-fold relation:

I. As a subject towards his prince.

Never had man more just occasion to withstand his prince than David; the inveteracy with which Saul labored to destroy him was incessant. See the three preceding chapters. Yet how did David act towards him? God had now placed Saul within his power; (for Saul lay down to sleep in a cave where David and his men were concealed,) but David would not touch him; yes, though importuned by his own men, and urged to consider Saul’s exposed situation as an indication of the divine pleasure, he not only would not smite Saul with his own hand, but would not allow anyone else to smite him; and even when, for the fuller discovery of his own innocence, he had cut off the skirt of Saul’s robe, his conscience smote him as having offered an indignity to his sovereign; so tenderly did he regard not only the life, but the honor also, of his king.

In this he was a pattern to all succeeding ages; for though the different governments of the world give different degrees of power to the supreme magistrate, and of liberty to the subjects—yet in every country under Heaven must the magistrate be considered as God’s representative on earth, and must be “obeyed, not only for wrath, but also for conscience sake, Romans 13:1-2; Romans 13:5.” Under circumstances of an unfavorable nature, there should be a readiness in us to palliate, rather than to expose and aggravate, his misconduct; and a willingness rather to submit to evils, than by violent resistance to endanger the welfare of the community. The character of Christian citizens is, that they are “the quiet in the land.”

II. As a saint towards his oppressor.

The injuries done to David were really “for righteousness’ sake.” Like Jesus, of whom he was an eminent type, “he was hated without a cause.” This consideration must have added ten-fold poignancy to all his afflictions. To be conscious that he was continually laboring to cut off all occasion of offence, and yet to find himself persecuted with unrelenting fury, was most distressing to his mind. Yet, as Saul himself confessed, David returned nothing but good for evil, verse 17.

But such is the true line of every Christian’s duty. We should “not render evil for evil to any man, 1 Thessalonians 5:14,” but rather love our enemies, and do good to them, Matthew 5:44. This is the true way to soften the hearts of our enemies, and to ensure a final victory over them. Compare verse 16 with Romans 12:20-21.

III. As a believer towards his God.

As to avenging himself, David knew that God was the Judge of all, and would in due time vindicate his righteous cause, and punish his unrighteous oppressor; to God therefore he left what belonged to God alone, verse 15. Moreover, though God had promised him the kingdom, David left God to fulfill his promise in his own time and way. Doubtless he felt great distress of mind under all his trials; but he committed himself to God in prayer, and looked for deliverance from him alone. The 57th Psalm was written on this very occasion. See the title, and verse 1-6. In verse 6 he seems to refer to the very event in our text; Saul came to destroy David, and inadvertently exposed himself to be destroyed by David.

Thus, however great and complicated our trials are, we should take no hasty step Isaiah 28:16, but “commit ourselves to God as a faithful Creator, 1 Peter 4:19,” and expect assuredly the final accomplishment of all his promises, Psalm 37:5-6.

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

1 Samuel 20:3

“There is only a step between me and death!”

It is justly said, that “oppression destroys a wise man’s reason, Ecclesiastes 7:7.” One there was, who endured it in every form, and to its utmost possible extent; and yet never uttered an unadvised word, or betrayed a temper which his bitterest enemies could condemn. Jesus, after years of persecution, could give this challenge to his enemies, “Who of you convinces me of sin?”

But fallen man, however upheld for a season, has generally betrayed his weakness when his trials have been heavy and of long continuance. We admire the conduct of David in many respects, and think him on the whole a very exalted character; but yet, on some occasions he fainted, and yielded to unworthy apprehensions respecting the final outcome of his troubles. Such was the state of his mind when he uttered the words which we have just read; and which, though containing a general and acknowledged truth, were not such as he would have uttered, if he had not given way to desponding fears.

“There is only a step between me and death!” We shall consider these words in this two-fold view:

I. As a general and acknowledged truth.

The general representations which are given of life in the Scriptures, strongly mark its shortness and uncertainty.

Life is light, and as unsubstantial as “a vapor James 4:14.”

Its length is but as “an hand-breadth, Psalm 39:5.”

The rapidity with which life passes away is compared to “a runner,” or to “an eagle hastening to its prey, Job 9:25-26.”

Such is life’s extreme shortness, that life is like “a dream, Job 20:5,” or “a shadow, Psalm 102:11.”

So short does the whole of life appear in retrospect, that it is “but as yesterday when it is past, Psalm 90:3-6.”

How justly then may it be said, that there is only a step between us and death!

The brevity and uncertainty of life must be regarded in that light by all people without exception.

Old age or sickness may give some additional force to the expression in our text; but neither the youngest nor the most vigorous has any more certainty of life than the feeblest of mankind! Disease or accident may assault one as well as another; so that none can “boast of tomorrow; for we know not what a day may bring forth!” So numerous indeed are the instances of people removed suddenly, or in the very midst of life, that we cannot but acknowledge the truth and solemness of the declaration before us.

But, to obtain a just view of our text, we must regard David’s words:

II. As an assertion arising out of the peculiar circumstances of David at that time.

In this view it was the dictate of unbelief. We blame not David for using with all diligence the means of safety; for if he had neglected to use all just precautions under an expectation that God would fulfill his Word at all events, he would have tempted God; just as our Savior would have tempted him, if he had cast himself from the pinnacle of the temple. But when God had assured him that he would posses the throne of Israel, and had actually confirmed the appointment by a sacred unction, it befit David to give credit to the Word of God, and to rest assured, that neither men nor devils should eventually disannul it.

There was indeed such malignity in the heart of Saul, that nothing but Omnipotence could prevent the execution of his plots against David; but David should have known that “there is no might or power against the Lord,” and that “the counsel of the Lord shall surely stand;” and in the confidence of this, he should have been satisfied that Saul could not prevail against him. However just therefore his expressions were as applied to men in general, we cannot approve of them as applied to his own case; he should not have said, “I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul! 1 Samuel 27:1,” but rather, “Since God is for me, who can be against me? Romans 8:31.”

Having thus obtained a just and accurate view of the words before us, we may enter more largely into the improvement which should be made of them. We may notice from them,

1. How frail the best of men are, when brought into heavy trials!

On the whole, David’s faith was remarkably strong; but here it failed; and, if it had not been strengthened from above, he would utterly have fainted. This he himself acknowledges, after he had recovered from this momentary depression, Psalm 27:1; Psalm 27:3; Psalm 27:5; Psalm 27:13.

It has justly been observed, that all the most eminent saints in Scripture have failed in that very grace for which they were most renowned:

Abraham, the great pattern and example of faith, repeatedly denied his wife through unbelief.

Moses, the meekest of the human race, “spoke unadvisedly with his lips.”

Job, whose patience is proverbial, “cursed the day of his birth.”

Thus all have been left to show that their strength was not in themselves; that if left to themselves, they were as weak as other men; and that it is in God only that any just confidence can be placed, “He who trusts in his own heart is a fool!”

Let us bear this in mind, both for our humiliation and our encouragement. If we have been enabled to maintain a holy and consistent conduct, let us remember that it is “by the grace of God we are what we are!” If we are tempted to look up to the saints of old as soaring to heights that can never be attained by us, let us remember, that the grace which wrought effectually for them, is equally sufficient for us; and that “we also can do all things through Christ strengthening us!”

2. What is the proper use and office of faith.

Faith is not to supersede, but to encourage, our own endeavors, and to assure us of our successful termination of them. When to human appearance the difficulties are insurmountable, then is the season for faith to show itself, and “against hope to believe in hope.”

This was the operation of Abraham’s faith; he considered not the age of himself or of his wife, which precluded all hope of issue in the natural way, but expected that God would effect by miracle what could be effected in no other way. Doubting neither the power nor the veracity of God, he was willing to wait God’s time, and confident that he would not be disappointed of his hope, Romans 4:20-21 and Hebrews 11:17; Hebrews 11:19.

Had David’s faith wrought thus on this occasion, it would have borne him up amidst the waves of trouble that rolled over him in quick succession.

This then is what we recommend to all.

Are you bowed down with a sense of guilt? Lay hold on that promise, that “Christ will never cast out any who come unto him.”

Are you assaulted with grievous temptations? Remember who has said, that “you shall not be tempted above what you are able, but that you shall have a way to escape, or be enabled to bear it.”

Do your corruptions appear invincible? Rely on him who has said, “My grace is sufficient for you.”

If your troubles are of such a magnitude as to threat your immediate destruction, rest yourselves on the promise of Jehovah, that “all things shall work together for your good.”

Be satisfied that “He is faithful who has promised,” and that “not a jot or tittle of his Word can fail.”

3. What is the wisdom of every man.

None of us have any such warrant to expect a continuance of life as David had; and therefore his observation respecting the shortness and uncertainty of life should be admitted in its utmost force. Ignorant then as we are whether the very next step may not carry us into the eternal world, we ought to inquire with ourselves: Whether it would take us to Heaven or to Hell? O what a thought is this! What madness is it not to dwell upon it more than we do, or to delay for a moment our preparation for the eternal state!

We would call on all of you:

the aged, who know for a certainty that their time cannot be long;

the sick, who are warned by the disorders that are yet upon them;

the young, who are in the prime and vigor of life;

we would entreat all without exception, to stand ready for death and judgment!

O beloved, “prepare to meet your God!.” Think of the multitudes that have been summoned to his tribunal unprepared; and be thankful that there is yet one step between you and death. The Lord grant that, whenever that step is taken, you may have an abundant entrance into the realms of bliss! Mark 13:33-37.

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

1 Samuel 18:9

“And from that time on Saul kept a jealous eye on David.”

There is not a baser principle in the human heart than envy! If we notice the connection in which it is usually mentioned in the Scriptures, we shall see at once what a hateful disposition it is. Paul, speaking of the state of mankind by nature, says, “They have become filled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice, Romans 1:29.” Showing what may be the state even of the Christian world, when distracted by contentions and disputes, he says, “lest there be envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings . . . 2 Corinthians 12:20.” In these two passages we behold envy drawn to the very life; in the one, as restrained within certain limits by the mounds of a religious profession; and in the other, as breaking down every restraint, and inundating the whole man.

For an illustration of it in all its most odious characters, we need look no further than to the passage before us; where Saul is represented as giving himself up entirely to the dominion of envy. In order to set it before you in its true colors, we shall consider,

I. The grounds of envy.

Envy is a grudging to another the possession of some good, which we ourselves desire. I say, of some good; for no man wishes evil to himself; the object therefore that excites the passion of envy must be good. It need not indeed be really and intrinsically good; it is sufficient if it is good in the estimation of the person who beholds it.

In Saul, envy was excited by the praises which were bestowed on David on account of his success against Goliath; the women, whose office it was to celebrate great actions with songs and music, ascribed to David the honor of slaying myriads of his enemies, while they spoke of Saul as slaying only thousands. This mark of distinction was painful to the proud heart of Saul, who could not endure that another should be honored above himself.

It is precisely in the same way that envy is called forth by distinctions of every kind. Any endowments, whether natural or acquired, are sufficient to provoke this passion in the bosoms of men. Beauty, courage, genius, though they are the gifts of nature, and therefore not any grounds of glorying to the people who possess them—are yet greatly envied by those who wish to be admired for those qualities. In like manner, the attainments acquired by skill and diligence, together with the wealth or honor consequent upon those attainments, are objects which universally inflame this malignant passion.

It must be observed, however, that this passion is called forth only where some degree of rivalry exists. A physician does not envy the triumphs of a warrior, or the success of a great lawyer; nor do they, on the other hand, envy his advancement to the summit of his profession; it is in their own line only, and towards those with whom there exists some kind of competition, that these feelings are excited; and it is by watching the motions of our hearts in reference to people so circumstanced, that we shall detect the workings of this passion within us.

This passion may exist, not in individuals only, but in bodies of men; as, for instance, in schools, or colleges, or universities, or kingdoms; for, as every one may be said to possess a share of that honor which belongs to his own peculiar party, each one must feel a saving interest in exalting that party, and a proportionable degree of pain when its honors are eclipsed.

As strange as it may appear, religion itself may be made an occasion of bringing into exercise this vile passion; for though no envious person can delight in piety on its own account, he may desire the reputation attached to it, and consequently may envy him who really possesses it. What was it but Abel’s superior piety, and the tokens of God’s favor given to him, that instigated Cain to imbrue his hands in his blood?

We are expressly told also, in the history before us, that when Saul saw that David behaved himself very wisely, and that God was with him, he feared and hated him the more! verse 12, 14, 15, 28, 29.

And why was the Apostle Paul so hated and persecuted, not only by the avowed enemies of Christianity, but by many also who professed to reverence the Christian name? Was it not that his light shone more bright than that of others; and that the success of his labors was proportionably increased? Yes, it was owing to this that the Jews were filled with envy, when they saw the multitudes which sought to avail themselves of his instructions, Acts 13:45; Acts 17:5; and that less popular ministers in the Christian Church labored to undermine his influence, “preaching Christ even out of envy and strife,” that by so doing they might draw over to themselves his converts, and so “add affliction to his bonds, Philippians 1:15-16.”

Having seen the grounds from whence envy springs, let us next consider,

II. The operations of envy.

In the history before us, as contained in this and the two following chapters, we behold envy in as strong a point of view as it can well be placed. From the moment that Saul became enslaved by envy, he was so blinded as not to behold the excellence of David’s character; he was so hardened as to be insensible to all the obligations which he, and the whole nation, owed to him; and he was so infatuated, as to seek incessantly his death. Repeatedly did Saul endeavor to destroy David with his spear. When he had failed in these attempts, he sought to ensnare David by engaging him to marry his eldest daughter, and then giving her to another; and afterwards by inducing him to expose his life to the sword of the Philistines in order to obtain his younger daughter in marriage. When he had failed in this also, he issued an order to Jonathan and to all his sons to kill David; and, when convinced of the injustice of this command, and pledged in a solemn oath to recede from his wicked purpose, he again renewed his attempts to murder David; and sought to gratify himself with seeing the murder effected, if not of perpetrating it with his own hand; and, when he did not succeed in that, he still pursued the fugitive to Naioth, where Samuel dwelt, sending different messengers, and at last going himself, to apprehend him; and even attempting to destroy Jonathan himself for pleading David’s cause.

Now we grant that such efforts as these are very rare; for, in truth, very few have it in their power to pursue the object of their envy with such murderous and unrelenting rancor as Saul. But the tendency of this passion is the same in all; it produces in all a permanent aversion to the person, so that the very sight of him is painful; and occasions a desire, if possible, to bring him down to a level with ourselves. His worth and excellence will be so far from pacifying our wrath, that it will rather augment it; and the brighter his character shines, the more shall we be offended at it. “Envy is” justly said to be “as rottenness in the bones! Proverbs 14:30.” The disease lies deep; it creates uneasy sensations throughout the whole man; and is out of the reach of any common remedy. Though it may not operate so powerfully as to excite a desire to kill him who is the object of it—yet it invariably so affects the mind as to dispose us to detract from his merits, and to rejoice in his misfortunes.

Nay more, we shall be ready, if not by overt act—yet at least by secret connivance, so to lower him in the estimation of others, as to prepare the way for the more easy exercise of their hostility towards him; and then shall rejoice in his fall, pleasing ourselves that it has been accomplished without any intervention on our part; and, if he is removed by death itself, it will excite the feeling of satisfaction rather than of pain and grief!

Well is this represented by Solomon as one of the greatest evils upon earth, and as stamping “vanity and vexation of spirit” upon all things here below, that “for a good work, a man is envied of his neighbor, Ecclesiastes 4:4.” For, however “cruel and outrageous wrath” may be, it may be withstood; but “who,” says Solomon, “can stand before envy! Proverbs 27:4.”

Happy shall we be if, by any prescriptions we may offer, we may be enabled in any degree to promote,

III. The cure for envy.

No conduct on the part of those who are the objects of it can eradicate envy from the hearts of others. They may indeed put a veil, as it were, over their own virtues, so as to give less occasion for the exercise of envy; but nothing that they can do can prevent the disposition from being cherished by those around them. But we may all impede envy’s influence over our own hearts:

1. By contemplating the vanity of earthly distinctions.

How poor and empty are those vanities which men so greatly affect! The satisfaction arising from wealth or honor is far less than people generally imagine. Only let us reflect:

with what difficulty honors are obtained;

with what pain and trouble honors are often accompanied;

how easily honors are blasted;

how little honors can do for us under pain or sickness;

and how soon honors are terminated by death

—and we shall see that honors are unworthy the effort with which they are sought, or the regret with which they are lost!

From such a view of them David exhorts us to look with indifference on the advancement of others, and to content ourselves with the pursuit of honors that shall never fade, and of happiness that shall never disappoint our most optimistic expectations! “Do not fret because of evil men or be envious of those who do wrong; for like the grass they will soon wither, like green plants they will soon die away. Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart! Psalm 37:1-4.”

2. By cultivating the knowledge of our own hearts.

If we envy others, it is from an idea that we ourselves deserve the honor that is conferred on them. But, if we knew the extent of our own demerit, as we are viewed by a holy God, we would rather account the lowest possible degree of honor above our desert; yes, we should rather be filled with wonder and with gratitude, that we are not held up as objects of execration and abhorrence! This would lead us willingly to “take the lowest place;” and consequently would lay the ax to the root of that accursed principle, which makes the elevation of others a ground of our own disquiet.

3. By seeking a thorough conversion unto God.

This alone will be attended with complete success. When the heart itself is renewed after the divine image, these hateful qualities will be banished from it. Hence this is the prescription which the inspired writers give for the first removal of the sin, Romans 13:13-14, and for the subsequent prevention of the return of envy, 1 Peter 2:1-2; Proverbs 23:17; Galatians 5:16.

Address,

1. Those who indulge this malignant spirit.

The natural man is universally in a greater or less degree under the influence of envy, Titus 3:3; James 4:5; and, though lightly considered by the world at large, envy is an evil which will exclude from Heaven every person that is under its dominion, Galatians 5:20-21. O that the guilt and danger of it were more generally and more deeply considered!

But experience proves that even professors of religion may in a very awful degree be led captive by envy. What shall we say of such? what, but that “they are carnal, and walk as men, 1 Corinthians 3:3.” Whence is it that so many dissensions and disputes arise in the Church of God, and are often carried to such a fearful extent? Is there nothing of this principle of envy at work? Is not envy “the root of bitterness that springs up and defiles them?” Yes, James gives us the true account, both of the principle itself, and of its operation in the Church; he tells us also, what will be the bitter consequence of yielding to envy’s influence, “But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, of the devil. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice!” James 3:14-16.

Let those who pretend to piety, look well to their own hearts, and tremble lest, while their “voice is Jacob’s voice, their hands be the hands of Esau.” The true line of conduct for a Christian is that of Jonathan; who, knowing that he would be eclipsed by David—yet sought by all possible means to protect his person and advance his interests. Let Jonathan’s character, as here portrayed, be contrasted with that of Saul, and be ever before our eyes for daily imitation!

2. Those who are the objects of envy.

Marvel not, you holy and circumspect Christians, if your characters be traduced by envy and detraction. “Those who render evil for good will be against you, because you follow that which good, Psalm 38:20.” You must not expect to be treated better than your Lord and Master was. But study the character of David; see how meekly he bore his injuries; see how studiously he rendered good for evil; see how he “walked wisely before God in a perfect way.” This is a conduct worthy to be followed, and shall assuredly bring with it an abundant recompense.

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

1 Samuel 17:45-46

David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel!”

That God acts in a sovereign way in the distribution of his favors, is a truth to which proud man is very averse; yet does it meet us in every part of the Holy Scriptures. We have seen it in the elevation of Saul to the regal office; it appears also in the selection of David, whom Samuel was ordered to anoint as successor to the throne, 1 Samuel 16:1-13. We behold it now again in raising up David, while yet a youth untrained to war, to slay Goliath, from whom all the army of Israel fled. It might rather have been expected that Jonathan, who had already shown a most extraordinary valor, should stand forth as a champion on this occasion; or at least that some valiant man should have been found in the camp to espouse his country’s cause; but God had ordained that David should possess the throne of Saul; and by this means he began to educate, as it were, the youth for his destined office.

In the words before us we have David’s address to his antagonist just on the commencement of his engagement with him; and from them we shall be led to notice,

I. The character of the combatants.

In Goliath we behold a proud, self-confident blasphemer.

He was of gigantic stature, (above eleven feet in height, or, at the lowest possible computation, ten feet,) and possessed strength in proportion to his size. His armor was such as would have almost borne down a man of moderate strength, verse 4-7; and, clad in this, he deemed himself invulnerable and irresistible. Hence, while he stalked in proud defiance between the two hostile armies, he, in mind and spirit, presumed to defy even God himself!

Characters of this description are by no means uncommon in the world; for, though we behold not in these days men of such extraordinary bulk, we behold the same pride of heart in multitudes around us, who, glorying in their own bodily or intellectual powers, use them only as instruments of aggrandizing themselves, and of insulting God, Psalm 12:3-4; Psalm 73:6-9.

David, on the contrary, was humbly dependent on God alone.

Being sent by his father to visit his brethren, he came to them in the ranks just at the time that this proud blasphemer was challenging the hosts of Israel. Filled with indignation at his impiety, and desirous to vindicate the honor of his God, David manifested a wish to accept the challenge; and, when reproved by his eldest brother, he meekly but firmly persisted in his purpose, saying, “Now what have I done? Can’t I even speak? verse 29.”

On being brought to Saul, and warned of his incompetence to contend with such a mighty and experienced warrior, he showed at once what his true motives were, and in whom his confidence was placed. He had before experienced the protection of God, in two conflicts with a lion and a bear, which he had slain, when they rose up against him; and he doubted not but that God would crown him with similar success in his conflict with this uncircumcised Philistine, verse 33-36.

Saul would have lent him his own armor for the combat; but David found it only an encumbrance; and therefore went forth unarmed, except with a sling, and five stones in his shepherd’s bag, confiding, not in any human means, but in the strength of the living God. Hence when Goliath scorned his youthful appearance, and derided his preparations for the conflict, David replied in the words of our text, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty!”

How striking was this contrast! How exemplary was the conduct of David! And how illustrative of the spirit in which the true Christian goes forth against his spiritual enemies, and prepares to combat the world, the flesh, and the devil!

The close of our text leads us to notice,

II. The outcome of the conflict.

According to all human expectations it must be decided in favor of Goliath.

There was, as it should appear, no room for competition between the combatants: David a youth, a shepherd, unused to war, and destitute, as we may say, either of defensive or offensive armor. Goliath, a man of immense strength, trained to war from his very youth, and armed with all that the ingenuity of man could furnish; his armor altogether impenetrable to the stones, with which alone the youth was prepared to oppose him.

But Goliath’s strength was weakness, when opposed to the God of Israel.

The first stone which David cast at him, was directed by an unerring arm, and an almighty power; it pierced the forehead of Goliath, and in a moment realized the youth’s prediction. Thus was the proud boaster “delivered into David’s hand;” and David, unprovided with any sword of his own, took the sword of his adversary, and with it cut off his head. No sooner did the Philistines behold their champion dead, than they fled from Israel with terror, and yielded themselves an easy prey to their pursuers.

We forbear to suggest the various reflections naturally arising in the mind from this event, because God himself has told us,

III. The design of this particular event.

It was intended,

1. For the instruction of the world.

Men in general think but little of God; and because they do not see him, they are ready to suppose that he does not interfere in the affairs of men. They imagine that they may despise his authority, and pour contempt on his people—with impunity; and, if left, like Goliath, to prosper for a season, their presumption is proportionally increased, Ecclesiastes 8:11. But God is no unconcerned spectator of his creatures’ conduct; he marks down everything in the book of his remembrance; and will vindicate his own honor at the appointed season; perhaps in that moment, when his adversary conceives himself most secure.

Think of this, you who abuse your strength and acumen to the purposes of criminal indulgence, and who vaunt of your excesses in debauchery of any kind. Think of this also, you who oppose and deride religion. Remember whom it is that you are insulting! Goliath thought that he was defying Israel; but his defiance was in reality hurled against Jehovah himself.

Just so, you, though probably unconscious of it, are in reality fighting against God himself. And “will you continue to provoke HIM to jealousy? Are you stronger than he?” “Will you be strong in the day that he shall deal with you? Will you thunder with a voice like his?” Ah, cease from this mad warfare, and cast down the weapons of your rebellion, and humble yourselves, while yet God’s sword of vengeance is unsheathed.

Behold Goliath prostrate on the ground, a monument of human folly, and human weakness! Behold him placed for a monument to all succeeding ages, that “God resists the proud;” and that “him who walks in pride, He is able to abase!” God delivered Goliath into David’s hand on purpose that “all the earth might know that there is a God in Israel! verse 46.”

2. For the consolation of God’s Israel.

Great and mighty are the enemies of God’s people; and most unequal is the contest in which they are engaged. They may well say, “We have no power or might against this great company that comes against us.” But in this event God has especially provided for their encouragement; he gave success to David, that “all the assembly of his people might know, that the Lord saves not with sword and spear; for the battle is the Lord’s, verse 47.” In HIM must be our trust; in his strength must we go forth against our enemies; we must “be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.” We must arm ourselves with the weapons which he has provided; and though they appear to the eye of sense to be as useless as a sling and stone—yet shall they be made effectual through his power. Let us “take hope as our helmet, righteousness as our breastplate, truth for our belt, the Gospel of peace for our shoes, faith for our shield, and the Word of God for our sword,” and we need not fear either men or devils; for “He who is in us, is greater than he who is in the world!” “We shall be made more than conquerors through Him who loved us.” Gird yourselves then to the battle, expecting “God to perfect his own strength in your weakness.”

“Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong! 1 Corinthians 16:13,” and soon you shall have cause to say, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

1 Samuel 17:29

“Now what have I done?” said David. “Can’t I even speak?”

It is impossible for any man so to conduct himself in this world, as to avoid censure; but it is desirable so to act, as not to deserve censure. The rule prescribed for us, in Scripture, is this, “Be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom you shine as lights in the world! Philippians 2:15.” Like our blessed Lord, we must expect to have our words and actions misconstrued by wicked men; but we should labor to be able to say, with him, “Which of you can convict me of sin? John 8:46.” The appeal which David makes to his indignant brother, in my text, is precisely that, which, when blamed by anyone for an action that has offended him, we should be prepared to make, “What have I now done” that was deserving of blame? Or what have I done, which was not called for by the circumstances in which I was placed?

Let me,

I. Unfold to you David’s vindication of himself.

Mark:

1. The blame imputed to him.

He had been sent, by his father, to inquire after the welfare of his brethren; and he had executed his office with all practical expedition, verses 20, 22. But, while David was conversing with his brethren, Goliath came in front of the Israelitish army, as he had done both morning and evening for forty successive days, to challenge any individual to single combat. David heard his impious defiance, not of Israel only, but of Israel’s God, and was filled with indignation against him; and, having heard what honors Saul had engaged to confer on anyone who should encounter this giant, he expressed his willingness to undertake the task, and to risk his own life in defense of his king and country. Not that he conceived himself able to cope with this mighty man; but he knew that God was all-sufficient for those who should trust in him; and he doubted not, but that God would give him the victory over this insulting foe.

For this his brother Eliab severely reproved him, imputing his professed zeal to pride and vanity, and a desire to see the battle, which was at that very instant about to commence. He reflected on him, too, as having deserted his proper post, and as neglecting his proper duty; though he knew the end for which he had come there, and by whom he had been sent.

2. His vindication of himself.

Lovely was the spirit of David on this occasion. He did not “render evil for evil, and railing for railing;” but, with meekness and modesty, and yet with a firmness expressive of conscious innocence, he appealed to all around him, “What have I now done? Is there not a cause?” Have I manifested a grief of heart that my nation should be so insulted, and an indignation of mind that Jehovah himself should be thus defied? Have I expressed a willingness to expose my life in the service of my king, my country, and my God; and is evil to be imputed to me for this? Is there anything in this deserving of blame? Besides, “Is there not a cause” for what I have said and done? Does not the insolence of this haughty champion call for it? Does not the dispirited state of my own countrymen require it? Does not, also, the honor of my God demand it? And is there any time to be lost? In the space of another hour this gigantic foe may be out of reach; or the battle may have begun; and the time for honoring my God, and benefitting my country, may be forever lost? Why, then, am I to have all manner of evil imputed to me, for that which is in itself most commendable, and which the occasion so imperatively demands?

David being undoubtedly an example to us in this matter, I shall,

II. Take occasion from it to vindicate those who stand forth as champions in the Christian cause.

They, in their place, must expect to incur censure from an ungodly world.

Their conduct will be condemned, as unfitting in people of their age and station; it will be traced also to pride, and conceit, and vanity, as its real source; and it will be represented as an occasion and a plea for neglecting their proper business in life. The Christian that will serve his Lord and Master with fidelity, shall be sure to meet with some measure of the treatment to which the Savior himself was subjected, “If they call the Master of the house Beelzebub,” then let not those of his household hope that they shall be allowed to escape reproach. Even the friends and relatives of a Christian, and especially if he be young, will be among the first to vent their indignation against him. Why should he be singular, and venture to adopt a conduct not sanctioned by his superiors? Why should he, by his indiscreet forwardness, cast a reflection upon all his brethren as wanting in zeal? Why does he not content himself with discharging his own proper duties, without interfering in matters that are too high for him? What can actuate him in all this, but a vain desire of distinction, or a hypocritical pretension to qualities which he does not possess? In this way shall not his actions only, but his motives also—be judged by those who have not the courage or the piety to follow his example.

But the faithful Christian may adopt the very appeal which David made to those who censured him.

“Now what have I done” that calls for this reproof? to be condemned for manifesting a love to God, and a desire to wipe away the reproach that is cast on Israel? When I see the great adversary of God and man exulting in his might, and putting to flight all the armies of Israel, is it wrong in me to enter the lists against him, and to enroll myself as a soldier of Jesus Christ, to maintain his cause? What, if I am weak and incompetent to the task, is it any evil to confide in God, and to believe that he will “perfect his strength in my weakness?” Methinks, in an undertaking like this, I should meet with encouragement rather than reproof; for in all that I do, in fighting the Lord’s battles, I do only what is the duty of every living man, whether he be old or young, and whether he be rich or poor.

I ask too, “Is there not a cause” for all that I have done? Does not the great enemy of God and man carry, as it were, all before him? Is there not a lack of bold and intrepid soldiers to face him? Do not even the armies of God’s Israel need to be encouraged by some bright example? Does not the king of Israel, by “exceeding great and precious promises,” call us to the conflict? And will not the honor that he will award to us be a rich recompense for our utmost exertions?

As for David, he might have been preserved, though all his brethren had perished; but who shall live, if he forbear to fight the good fight of faith? Surely, if God’s honor be impugned; if his enemies triumph; if we, in our very baptism, engaged ourselves to be soldiers of Jesus Christ, and to fight under his banners; if there be no safety for us but in fighting; and if eternal happiness depend on our maintaining the conflict until we have gained the victory; then “is there a cause” for our most strenuous efforts; and all blame must attach, not to us who fight, but to those who decline and discountenance, the combat.

APPLICATION.

1. Let none be discouraged from engaging in the service of Christ.

You must expect to “endure hardness, as good soldiers of Jesus Christ,” and that your greatest foes will be those of your own household. You know that a martial spirit is infused with care into the minds of those who enlist into the armies of an earthly prince; and shall not the same pervade those who have undertaken to fight the Lord’s battles?

I say then to all of you, Offer yourselves as volunteers in His service; fear no danger to which you may be exposed; and rely altogether upon Him who has called you to this warfare. “Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might;” and fear not but that you shall be “more than conquerors, through Him who loved you!”

2. In maintaining your steadfastness, look well to your own spirit.

Persons do harm when they vindicate themselves in an unfitting temper and spirit. We are to “instruct in meekness them that oppose themselves.” “A soft answer turns away wrath, Proverbs 15:1;” and “he who rules well his own spirit, is greater than he who takes a city, Proverbs 25:28.” It is impossible not to admire the spirit of David on this occasion; let it be transfused into your minds; and, “instead of being overcome of evil, learn, under the most trying circumstances, to overcome evil with good.”

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

1 Samuel 16:7

But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart!”

What a solemn declaration is this! How interesting to every one of us! The generality of professors, it is to be feared, scarcely think of themselves as in the presence of God; whereas his eye is immediately upon our hearts, inspecting the very inmost recesses of them, and marking every imagination of them with a view to a future judgment.

The admonition, though arising out of particular circumstances, is general, and deserves from every one of us the most attentive consideration. The occasion of it was this:

God having determined to reject Saul from being king over Israel, and to place on the throne one who should fulfill all his will, commanded Samuel to take a horn of oil, and to anoint to the kingly office one of the sons of Jesse the Bethlehemite. Samuel, the more effectually to cloak the real object of his mission, was directed to offer a sacrifice at Bethlehem, and to invite to it both Jesse and all his sons. Eliab, the eldest of the sons, came first before him; and Samuel concluded, from his majestic deportment and his stature, that he must be the person whom God had ordained to the office; but God rectified his mistake, and told him, that he did not form his estimate after the manner of men; for “The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart!” A similar intimation was given to Samuel in relation to seven of Jesse’s sons, who passed before him; in consequence of which, David, the youngest, was sent for, and “was anointed in the midst of his brethren.” There was in his heart what God did not see in the heart of any of his brethren. There were in them many external recommendations; but he “was a man after God’s own heart;” and to his internal qualities God had respect, in appointing him to the kingdom. Having thus seen the scope of the words as delivered on that particular occasion, we shall proceed to notice,

I. The truth contained in them.

God does inspect the hearts of men.

1. He is qualified to do so.

“He is light; and with him there is no darkness at all, 1 John 1:5.” “His eyes are in every place, beholding the evil and the good, Proverbs 15:3.” There is no possibility of going from his presence, “if we ascend to Heaven, he is there; if we make our bed in Hell, behold, he is there also. If we say the darkness shall cover us, the darkness and the light to him are both alike, Psalm 139:7-12.” “All things are naked and opened before him,” just as the sacrifices, when flayed and cut open, were to the inspection of the priest, Hebrews 4:13. “Hell and destruction are before him; and much more the hearts of men, Proverbs 15:11.”

2. He does so.

“His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth, 2 Chronicles 16:9.” “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates! Psalm 11:4;” insomuch that he marks with the utmost precision every imagination of the thoughts of their hearts, Deuteronomy 31:21. And, to preclude all possibility of mistake, he represents himself:

as “searching the hearts” of men, Revelation 2:23,

as testing their thoughts, Psalm 7:9,

yes, as “pondering their hearts, Proverbs 21:2,”

and “weighing their spirits, Proverbs 16:2.”

This, I say, he does; and it is his exclusive prerogative to do so; as Solomon has told us, “You, even you alone, know the hearts of all the children of men! 1 Kings 8:39.”

3. He does so with an express reference to a future judgment.

Having ordained a future judgment for the express purpose of manifesting the justice and equity of his procedure, he notes everything in the book of his remembrance, and will “bring every secret thing into judgment, whether it be good or evil, Ecclesiastes 12:14.” There is not a thought or counsel in the heart of any man which he will not then make manifest, in order to pass his judgment upon it, 1 Corinthians 4:5; Romans 2:16. Nay more, as every evil thought brings with it certain consequences, defiling the soul, hardening the heart, grieving the Holy Spirit, and dishonoring God—so he will hold us responsible for these consequences, as well as for the evil from whence they proceed. And of this he has warned us, saying, “I the Lord search the heart; I test the thoughts, even to give to every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings! Jeremiah 17:10.”

Such is the truth declared in our text. Let us now mark,

II. Its aspect on our future destinies.

We have seen that God had respect to the heart of David, when he appointed him to the kingdom. We are not to suppose that David was by nature better than other men; for he himself says, that “he was shaped in iniquity, and that in sin his mother conceived him, Psalm 51:5.” Much less are we to imagine that David was justified before God by any righteousness of his own; for Paul assures us, that he was justified solely by faith in Christ, whose righteousness was imputed to him without any works of his own, Romans 4:5-8. Nor can any of us hope to be exalted to Heaven on account of our own superior goodness; for we are all sinners before God; and, if ever we are accepted by him, we must be “accepted in, and through, his beloved” Son, “being found in him, not having our own righteousness, but the righteousness which is from God by faith in him, Philippians 3:9.” Nevertheless, though none will possess the kingdom on account of their own righteousness, none will possess it who have not previously been made truly righteous in their own souls.

This truth being unquestionable, let me now, like Samuel, summon you all to the Sacrifice which is prepared for you in the Gospel; and let me declare which of you God has ordained to the kingdom of Heaven:

1. Who is this that first presents himself before me? He is one possessed of exemplary morality.

Surely, I say, this is the person whom God has chosen. Behold, how decorous his habit! how amiable his deportment! how unimpeachable his character! Doubtless, I must congratulate you as the happy person to whom I am authorized to declare God’s designs of love and mercy.

No! says God; you have erred in judgment respecting him; you admire him, because of his outward appearance; but I look at the heart; and I command you to pass him by, because “I have refused him.” As blameless as he appears, he is not accepted of me, because he is trusting in his own righteousness, and not in the righteousness of my dear Son, Romans 9:31-32. He has “a form of godliness,” it is true; but he is destitute of “its power, 2 Timothy 3:5.” He is ignorant of his own state before me; he fancies himself “rich, and increased with goods, and in need of nothing; while, in reality he is wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked!” He is lukewarm in all that relates to me; and therefore I loath him, and shall cast him off with abhorrence, Revelation 3:15-17.

“He draws near to me with his lips; but his heart is far from me, Matthew 15:7-9.” I consider him, therefore, as no better than a whited sepulcher, beautiful without, but full of everything that is offensive within. His self-righteousness and self-delight render him odious in my sight; and therefore dismiss him; and proceed.

2. Whom is it that I behold advancing next? He is the man, no doubt; for he is one that loves the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ.

I am in no fear of erring now. Behold, you Believe in Christ! Do you not? And you regard him as “all your salvation, and all your desire.” You are highly valued, too, in the Church of Christ; you have more than mere morality; you “renounce all confidence in the flesh, and rejoice in Christ alone,” I congratulate you.

Pause, says the Lord; you are deceived again. This is not the man whom I have chosen. He has embraced the Gospel, it is true; but “his soul is not upright within him, Habakkuk 2:4.” “He has a name to live, but in reality he is dead, Revelation 3:1.”

He has come into the fold; but he climbed over the wall; and is therefore, in my estimation, no better than a thief and a robber, John 10:7-9.

He never came in at the strait gate.

He was never truly broken-hearted and contrite.

He never fled for refuge to the hope that was set before him.

He has taken up religion lightly, and he will renounce it lightly, “if tribulation should arise to him on account of the word, he will presently be offended; and in the time of temptation he will fall away, Matthew 13:21.” Dismiss him; for “he has not the root of the matter in him, Job 19:28; Matthew 13:6;” and therefore is none of mine.

3. Now then, I trust, I cannot err; for he whom I now see has long made an honorable and consistent profession of religion.

I think I have long seen you a regular attendant on the house and ordinances of God. I have long seen you a supporter of the Gospel, and a friend of all who profess it. You have withstood many a storm of temptation and persecution; and have maintained a good profession before many witnesses. Of you, therefore, I can have no doubt. Draw near, and receive the tokens of God’s favorable acceptance.

But what do I see here? What! Lord, am I deceived again? Yes! You still are attracted too much by the outward appearance. He is not the man whom I have chosen. “He has left his first love, Revelation 2:4;” he is “a backslider in heart,” if not in act; and therefore “shall be filled with his own ways, Proverbs 14:14.” See what a hold the world has upon him; and how all “the seed that has been sown in his heart, is choked, so that he brings forth no fruit to perfection Luke 8:14.” He gives me but a divided heart, and therefore cannot be accepted of me, Hosea 10:2. He once embraced my covenant; but “he was not steadfast in it;” “his heart was never right with me Psalm 78:8; Psalm 78:37;” he never “followed me fully.” He “says he is a Jew; but he lies, Revelation 3:9;” “for he is not a Jew, who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God! Romans 2:28-29.”

Beloved brethren, it is not in the power of man to point out, with certainty, which of you shall inherit the kingdom of God. It is probable enough that there is some obscure David, unthought of by man—yet chosen of God, and through grace endued with that integrity of heart, which many, who make a figure before men, are destitute of, and who, though last in man’s esteem, shall be first in God’s esteem.

But, as the event can be determined ultimately by God alone, let me entreat you all:

1. To examine carefully your own hearts.

This we are commanded to do; and we should do it with all imaginable fidelity and care. We should not, however, rest in our own endeavors, but should “beg of God to search and try us, and to see whether there be, unperceived by ourselves, any wicked way in us, and to lead us in the way everlasting, Psalm 139:23-24.” Desperate is “the deceitfulness of the human heart; who can know it?” There are thousands who “think themselves to be something, when they are nothing, Galatians 6:3.” Remember, I beg you, not to be too confident of your own state; but, after the strictest search, adopt the modest diffidence of Paul, and say, “Though I know nothing against myself—yet am I not thereby justified; but He who judges me is the Lord, 1 Corinthians 4:4.”

2. To give yourselves unreservedly to God.

This is the very improvement which David himself, in his dying counsels to Solomon, teaches us to make of this subject, “You, Solomon, my son, Know the God of your father, and serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind; for the Lord searches all hearts, and understands all the imaginations of the thoughts! 1 Chronicles 28:9.” God “requires truth in the inward parts, Psalm 51:6;” nor will he accept any, who are not, like Nathanael, “Israelites indeed, and without deceit, John 1:47.”

Remember, a kingdom is at stake; and not an earthly kingdom—that shall soon pass away, but a kingdom that shall be possessed forever. Bear in mind, too, that whoever you deceive, you cannot deceive God; and that, whatever you may judge respecting yourselves, or others may judge of you, “God’s sentence, and that alone, will stand! Jeremiah 44:29;” for “not he who commends himself shall be approved; but he whom the Lord commends, 2 Corinthians 10:18.”

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

1 Samuel 15:22-23

But Samuel replied: “Does the LORD delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the LORD? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams. For rebellion is like the sin of divination, and arrogance like the evil of idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, he has rejected you as king.”

The sins of God’s enemies, and especially of those who obstruct his people in their way to Canaan, will certainly be punished; God indeed may bear long with them, even so long as to make them tauntingly exclaim, “Where is the promise of his coming?” but he will surely come at last, to their utter confusion and their eternal condemnation.

The Amalekites had very cruelly attacked the Israelites in the wilderness, and without any just occasion. God therefore gave them up to the sword of Joshua, and commanded that his people should in due time inflict upon them far more extensive judgments, Deuteronomy 25:17-19. The time was now come that their iniquities were full; and therefore God commanded Saul to execute upon them the threatening which had been denounced several hundred years before. This command Saul neglected to execute as he should have done; and thereby brought upon himself the heavy displeasure of his God. We behold in our text,

I. The sin reproved.

It might appear a small thing in Saul to spare Agag and the best of the cattle, when he had been enjoined to destroy all; and his vindication of himself to Samuel has an air of plausibility about it, which might almost reconcile us to this act as not very exceptionable; but Samuel, in the words before us, characterizes the conduct of Saul:

1. As rebellion.

The command which had been given to Saul was exceeding plain and strong.

The solemnity with which it was given, “Hearken!” etc.

The reason assigned for it, “What Amalek did to Israel in the way from Egypt.”

The minuteness to which the command came, “Now go, attack the Amalekites and totally destroy everything that belongs to them. Do not spare them; put to death men and women, children and infants, cattle and sheep, camels and donkeys!”

All of this showed that there was no option left him, no discretion; but that the whole was to be executed according to the command.

Yet behold, through pride and covetousness he departed from the command, sparing Agag, to adorn his triumph; and preserving the best of the flocks and herds, to enrich himself and his people. Thus by executing the command in part, and violating it in part, he showed, that he made his own will—and not the will of God, the rule of his conduct.

And what was this but rebellion against the Most High? It was justly so characterized by Samuel; and such is the interpretation which God will surely put on such conduct, wherever it be found. To be “partial in the law” is, in fact, to set aside the law; and to “offend against it willingly in anyone point, is to be guilty of all! James 2:10.”

2. A stubbornness.

Saul, on meeting Samuel, took credit to himself for having fulfilled the will of God, verse 13. Thus it is that sin blinds the eyes of men, and puffs them up with a conceit of having merited the divine approbation by actions which in their principle and in their measure, have been radically wrong.

Samuel, to convince him of his sin, appealed to “the bleating of the sheep, and the lowing of the oxen;” but Saul, with stubbornness of heart, persisted in avowing his innocence; yes, after the strongest remonstrances on the part of Samuel, authorized as they were, and commanded, by God himself—Saul still maintained, that he had done his duty, and that the people only were to blame; nor were they materially wrong, since they had consulted no interest of their own, but only the honor of their God, verses 14-21.

Here we see how sin hardens the heart also, and disposes men to resist conviction to the uttermost. Thus it was with our first parents at the first introduction of sin into the world; both of them strove to cast off the blame from themselves, the man on his wife, and the woman on the serpent, Genesis 3:12-13; and how ready we are to tread in their steps, every day’s observation and experience will teach us.

Let us next turn our attention to,

II. The reproof administered.

In our eyes perhaps, this act of Saul may appear to have been only a slight and well-intentioned error; but in the sight of God it was a very grievous sin; for “rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.” Whatever we may imagine, the neglecting to serve the true God is but little different, in the estimation of our Judge, from the engaging in the service of a false God. Hence we find that the reproof administered was precisely such as the occasion called for.

We shall consider it in two points of view:

1. As exposing his sin.

We are not to imagine that Samuel intended to disparage the sacrifices which God had commanded. The many testimonies which God had given of his favorable acceptance of them sufficiently showed, that, when offered in a befitting manner, with humility of mind and a view to the Sacrifice which would in due time be offered—they were highly pleasing in his sight. But, if put in competition with moral duties, and substituted for obedience, they are hateful in the sight of God! Isaiah 1:11-16. He “requires truth in the inward parts;” and more values the tribute of a thankful or contrite heart, than the cattle on a thousand hills! Psalm 50:8-14; Psalm 51:16-17. The excuse therefore that was offered by Saul was only a mockery and an insult to his God. And whoever shall attempt a substitution of outward services for inward integrity of heart and life, or shall think to atone for the lack of one by the abundance of the other, will deceive himself to his eternal ruin! Matthew 23:23.

2. As denouncing his punishment.

God had before threatened to deprive him of the kingdom for presuming to offer sacrifices without waiting for Samuel according as he had been enjoined; and now that punishment was irreversibly decreed, verse 26. A sign too was now given him, that it would in due time be executed; as he rent the garment of Samuel, whom he endeavored to detain—so would God rend from him that kingdom, which he was so unworthy to possess verses 27, 28. This itself was indeed but a slight punishment; but it was emblematic of the loss of God’s eternal kingdom; a loss which no finite intellect can appreciate. Yet is that the loss which every creature shall sustain, who by his rebellion offends God, and by stubborn impenitence cuts off himself from all hope of mercy.

We will conclude the subject with some advice arising from it:

1. Learn how to estimate the path of duty.

We are very apt to think that right, which is most agreeable to our own wishes; and to lean rather to that which will gratify our pride or self-interest, than to that which calls for the exercise of self-denial. But we should be aware of the bias that is upon our own minds, and of our proneness to make the law of God bend to our prejudices and our passions. And we may be sure, that if a doubt exists about the path of duty, moral duties must be preferred to ceremonial; and, in general, it will be found safer to lean to that which thwarts our natural inclinations, than to that which gratifies them.

2. Be open to conviction respecting any deviations from it.

There is an extreme aversion in us all to acknowledge that we have done amiss. But to be “stout-hearted is to be far from righteousness;” and wherever God sees such a disposition, he will surely abase it, James 4:6. We all see in others how ready they are to justify what is wrong, and to extenuate what they cannot justify. Let us remember that we also have this propensity; and let us guard against it to the utmost of our power.

Let us rather, if we have erred, desire to find it out, and not rest until we have discovered it. We would not, if an architect were to warn us that our house were likely to fall, go and lie down in our beds without carefully inquiring into the grounds of his apprehension; a sense of danger would make us open to conviction. Let us therefore not be averse to see and acknowledge our guilt before God, lest our conviction of its existence comes too late to avert its punishment.

3. Let your humiliation be honest and complete.

Saul confessed his sin, but still showed his hypocrisy by his concern to be honored before men, verse 30. Hence, though Samuel so far complied as to go with him, and to execute on Agag the judgment that had been denounced, verses 32 and 33—yet he left him immediately afterwards, and never visited him again, verse 35.

Oh, fearful separation! The friend who just before had wept and prayed for him all night, forsook him now forever. From henceforth Saul was given up to sin and misery, until at last the vengeance of an incensed God came upon him to the uttermost!

Would we escape his doom? Then let our humiliation be deep, and our repentance genuine! Let us be willing to take shame to ourselves both before God and man; and be indifferent about the estimation of man, provided we may but obtain the favor of a reconciled God!

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

1 Samuel 15:13-16

When Samuel reached him, Saul said, “The LORD bless you! I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.”

But Samuel said, “What then is this bleating of sheep in my ears? What is this lowing of cattle that I hear?”

Saul answered, “The soldiers brought them from the Amalekites; they spared the best of the sheep and cattle to sacrifice to the LORD your God, but we totally destroyed the rest.”

“Stop!” Samuel said to Saul. “Let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night.”

“Tell me,” Saul replied.

If the Holy Scriptures exhibit to us the most perfect patterns of righteousness, they also bring to our view men devoid of righteousness, and living characters of wickedness under all its diversified forms and operations. In truth, if we read them only as records of past events, without an application of them to our own lives and bosoms—we may be amused and instructed by them, but we shall not be greatly edified. But if we view them as mirrors, in which our own character, and the characters of those around us, are reflected—then, indeed, do we reap from them the benefit which they were intended to convey.

Let us, then, take this view of the history before us, and see in it the state of the ungodly world at this time. Let us see in it,

I. Their presumptuous confidence.

Saul had been commanded to destroy the whole nation of Amalek, and everything belonging to them; but he spared the best of their cattle; and yet boasted to Samuel, that he had “performed the commandment of the Lord.”

In this we see the conduct of multitudes around us. We all have received a commandment to wage war with our spiritual enemies, and to “destroy the whole body of sin, Romans 6:6.”

Not only is “our reigning lust” to be mortified, Romans 6:12, but every sinful disposition, though it be as dear to us as “a right eye,” or apparently necessary to us as “a right hand, Matthew 5:29-30.”

But, while much remains unmodified, we take credit to ourselves as having fulfilled the will of God.

The great majority of men, if not living in very flagrant iniquity, think, and wish others to think, that they have fulfilled the will of God, so far at least as not to leave them any material ground for shame and sorrow on account of their iniquities. See the self-complacent state of all around us. In the habit of their minds, they plainly say, “We have performed the commandment of the Lord,” and have ground for commendation on that account.

But they stand reproved, one and all of them, by,

II. Their glaring inconsistency.

The very beasts which Saul had spared, convicted him of falsehood. It was impossible for him to resist the evidence which the bleating of the sheep and the lowing of the oxen gave of his disobedience.

And is there not equal evidence of the self-deceit of those around us? You say that you have obeyed the voice of the Lord. Let me then ask:

What is this worldliness which is so visible to all who behold you? Is it not clear and manifest, that the great mass of those who take credit to themselves on account of their obedience to God, are as much addicted to the world as any other people whatever? They may be free from its grosser vices; but their cares, their pleasures, their company, their entire lives, show indisputably whose they are, and to whom they belong. They are altogether “of the earth, earthly.”

What is this impenitence, which is as manifest as the sun at noon-day? Who ever sees their tears, or hears their sighs and groans on account of indwelling sin? Who ever beholds them crying to God for mercy; and fleeing, like the man-slayer, with all possible earnestness, to the hope set before him in the Gospel? Does the heart-searching God behold any more of this in the secret chamber, than man beholds in the domestic circle, or in the public assembly?

What is this indifference to heavenly things? It is as clear a demonstration of their disobedience to God, as were “the bleating of the sheep, and the lowing of the oxen,” of Saul’s hypocrisy!

But in the reply of Saul to his reprover, we see,

III. Their vain excuses.

Saul cast the blame of his misconduct upon the people. Not only does he speak of them as the agents whom he could not control, but he declares that they were the authors of his disobedience, inasmuch as he was constrained to sanction their conduct through fear of their displeasure, verses 21 and 24.

This is the very rock on which all self-complacent Pharisees are accustomed to stumble. It is not owing to any lack of inclination in themselves, that they do not serve God more perfectly, they will say—but to their situation and circumstances in life. It would be in vain for them to stem the torrent that carries all before it. Were they to follow the Lord fully, and to carry into effect the commands of God according to their full import, they would be altogether singular; and therefore they conform to the will of others, not from inclination, but necessity.

But let me ask: Are we to obey man in opposition to God? Are we to “follow a multitude to do evil?” Even Saul himself acknowledged, that in such a compliance “he had greatly sinned, verses 21 and 24;” and we may be sure that no such excuses will avail us at the judgment-seat of Christ.

Let me, then, declare to you,

IV. Their impending doom.

Saul was rejected by God.

He might have urged in his behalf, that the command which had been given him, left him a discretion to exercise mercy; and, at all events, his desire had been to honor God with sacrifices which must otherwise have been withheld. But the commands of God leave nothing to our discretion. We are not at liberty to restrict any one of them; but are bound to execute them all in their full extent. And as Saul, in deviating from God’s command, had, in fact, “rejected the word of the Lord; God in righteous indignation, rejected him, verse 23.”

And what better fate awaits us who limit the commands of God?

It is in vain for us to dispute against the commands of God, as too strict, or too difficult. We are not called to dispute, but to obey. Nor is it a partial obedience that will suffice; nor are we at liberty to commute obedience for sacrifice. Nothing is left to us, but to obey; and, if we would please the Lord, we must “follow him fully;” our obedience must be entire and unreserved; and, if it is not unreserved, we are guilty of direct and positive “rebellion, which is declared by God himself to be, in his sight, even as idolatry;” for, whatever we may think to the contrary, there is little to choose between disobedience to the true God, and obedience to a false one, verse 23.

I declare, then, to all of you, my brethren, that, to whatever privileges you have been exalted by God himself, you will have reason to curse the day wherein you ever listened to man in opposition to God, or withheld from God the entire obedience of your souls. By whatever excuses you may palliate such conduct, I declare to you, before God, that it is rebellion against him, and that, as rebels, he will reject you in the day of judgment!

As an application of this subject, there is only one thing which I would say; and that is, Take the Holy Scriptures, in everything, for your guide.

Do not call anything “A hard saying John 6:60.” You may not be able to understand the reasons of God’s commands, or to appreciate his reasons aright, if they were stated to you. Doubtless, to study their real import is your duty; but when that is once ascertained, you have nothing to do but to obey them. You are not to sit in judgment upon them, or to lower their demands. If the whole world urges you to depart from them, you are never to comply. For God you are to live; and, if need be, for God you are to die. It is on these terms alone that you can ever be acknowledged as Christ’s disciples, Matthew 10:38-39. If, then, “you have been called to God’s kingdom and glory,” see that you “walk worthy of your high calling.” “Be faithful unto death, and God will give you the crown of life!”

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

1 Samuel 15:11

“I am grieved that I have made Saul king, because he has turned away from me and has not carried out my instructions.”

Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.”

Never can we be weary of contemplating Scripture history; so diversified are its incidents, and so instructive the examples it sets before us. The whole life of Samuel, from his first dedication to God by his mother to the very hour of his death, was one uniform course of piety. That particular part of it which I propose at present to consider, is his conduct in reference to Saul, when God declared his purpose to rend the kingdom from him, and to transfer it to another who would show himself more worthy of it; we are told, “Samuel was troubled, and he cried out to the LORD all that night.”

In discoursing on these words, we shall notice:

I. The pious grief of Samuel.

Respecting this we shall distinctly consider,

1. The grounds of Samuel’s grief.

Saul had disobeyed the commandment of the Lord, in sparing Agag the king of the Amalekites, together with all the best of the spoil, when he had been strictly enjoined to destroy everything, “man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.”

This, at first sight, might appear a venial fault, inasmuch as he had leaned to the side of mercy, and had acted in conformity with the wishes of his people; and had even consulted, as he thought, the honor of God, to whom he intended to offer all the best of the cattle in sacrifice.

But he had received a specific commission, which it was his duty to execute. He was not left at liberty to act according to circumstances; his path was marked out, and should have been rigidly adhered to.

It does not appear that he stopped short of his purpose, because he thought that the command itself was too severe; for, in the first instance, he set himself to execute it fully; but, if he had felt some reluctance on account of its severity, he had no alternative left him; it was his duty simply to obey.

When Abraham was called to come out from his country and from his kindred, he obeyed, though he knew not which way he was to direct his steps. And, when he was enjoined to offer up his own son Isaac upon an altar, he hesitated not to do it; notwithstanding he knew that on the life of Isaac, to whose lineal descendants all the promises were made, the coming even of the Messiah himself essentially depended. Had he judged it right to listen to carnal reasonings of any kind, or to put his own feelings in competition with his duty—he might have easily found enough to satisfy his own mind. But he knew what the duty of a creature to his Creator was; and he obeyed it without reserve.

And so should Saul have done. We will take for granted that all his excuses were true; (though we doubt much whether covetousness was not the true source of his conduct,) still they carried no real weight; and his listening to them was nothing less than an act of rebellion against God.

And was not this a sufficient ground for grief? Yes, and Samuel did well in that he was grieved with it.

Doubtless Samuel was also grieved on account of the judgment which Saul had brought on himself and on his family, by this act of disobedience. He pitied the man who had subjected himself so grievously to the divine displeasure; and pitied his children also, who were involved both in his guilt and punishment. When Samuel himself, indeed, had been dispossessed of the kingdom, we do not find that he was grieved either for himself or his children; but for Saul and his children he deeply grieved. In his own case, Samuel had nothing to deplore; while he fell a victim to the ingratitude of man, he had a testimony from the whole nation, and from God himself, that he had discharged his duty towards them with fidelity. But in the case of Saul, Samuel saw the man who had been specially called by God to the kingdom, now dispossessed of it by that very God who had appointed him, and under his heavy and merited displeasure. In a word, the sin and the punishment of Saul formed in the mind of Samuel, ground of deep and sincere grief.

2. The expression of Samuel’s grief.

By God the sentence against Saul had been pronounced; and none but God could reverse it. But so often, and in such astonishing instances, had God condescended to the prayers of his servants, yes, to the prayers of Samuel himself, that this holy man did not despair of yet obtaining mercy for his unhappy king. He, therefore, betook himself to prayer, and continued in it all the night, hoping that, like Israel of old, he would at last prevail. With what “strong crying and tears” may we suppose he urged his suit! And what an extraordinary measure of compassion must he have exercised, when he could continue in supplication for a whole night together! Such had been his feelings towards the people at large, after they had rejected him, “God forbid that I should sin against the Lord, in ceasing to pray for you! 1 Samuel 12:23.” And such is the proper expression of love, whether towards God or man; for it honors God as a merciful and gracious God; while it seeks to benefit man, by bringing down upon him the blessing of the Most High.

But, in contemplating his example, we are chiefly called to notice,

II. The instruction to be derived from Samuel’s grief.

In this record we may see what should our conduct be:

1. In reference to the sins of others.

It is amazing with what indifference the universal prevalence of sin is beheld by the generality of mankind. Those evils which tend to the destruction of all social comfort are indeed reprobated by men of considerate minds; but it is in that view alone that they are reprobated. As offending God, sins are scarcely thought of; men may live altogether as “without God in the world,” and no one will lay it to heart, or show the least concern about the dishonor which is done to God.

The eternal interests of men also, it is surprising how little they are thought of. Men are dying all around us, and no one inquires whether they are prepared to die; and, when they are launched into eternity, no one feels any anxiety about their state, or entertains any doubt about their happiness before God. It is taken for granted that all who die are happy. Whether they sought after God or not—all is supposed to be well with them; and to express a doubt respecting it would be deemed the essence of uncharitableness!

But widely different from this should be the state of our minds. We are not indeed called to sit in judgment upon men; but to feel compassion towards them, and to pray for them, is our bounden duty. David tells us that “horror seized hold upon him,” and “rivers of waters ran down his cheeks, because men did not keep God’s Law.” The Prophet Jeremiah exclaimed, “O that my head were waters, and my eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for the slain of the daughter of my people!”

Thus was it also with Samuel, in relation to Saul; and thus should it be with us, in reference to all around us. To see them dishonoring God and ruining their own souls, ought to create in us the same emotions as were felt by the Apostle Paul, when he declared that he had “great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart for his brethren’s sake.” Even though we have no hope of doing them good—yet should we, like our blessed Savior, weep over them, saying, “O that you had known, even you, at least in this your day, the things that belong unto your peace!” Nor should we ever cease to pray for them, in hope that God may be gracious unto them, and make them monuments of his sovereign grace!

2. In reference to our own sins.

Here is reason for the very same complaint. Men can violate every command of God, and feel no fear, no compunction. As for such a sin as Saul’s, it would not even be deemed a sin.

People think: ‘True, they have not strictly adhered to the divine command; but the command itself was too strict; and they complied with the solicitations of their friends; and they meant no harm.’ Hence, in their prayers, if they pray at all, there is no fervor, no importunity, no continuance. A transient petition or two is quite as much as their necessities require.

But did Samuel feel such grief for another, and should not we for ourselves? Did he cry to God all night for another, and should we scarcely offer a petition for ourselves? Should the deposing of another from an earthly kingdom appear a judgment to be deprecated, and shall we not deprecate the loss of Heaven for ourselves? Truly, in neglecting to pray for ourselves, we not only sin against God, but grievously sin also against our own souls!

Let me then address myself,

1. To those who are in a state of careless indifference.

Alas! What a large proportion of every church does this comprise! What then shall I say unto you? To Samuel, whose grief for Saul was inconsolable, God said, “How long will you mourn for Saul? 1 Samuel 16:1.” But to you I must say, How long will you refuse to mourn for yourselves? Has not your impenitence continued long enough? Many, of you have sinned against God, not in one act only, but in the whole course of your lives; and that, too, not in a way of partial obedience only, like Saul, but in direct and willful disobedience!

Will not you, then, weep and pray? Remember, I entreat you, that if you will not humble yourselves before God, you must be humbled before long; and if you will not weep now, you must before long “weep, and wail, and gnash your teeth forever” in that place where redemption can never come, nor one ray of hope can ever enter! I beseech you, brethren, reflect on this; and now, while the sentence that is gone forth against you may be reversed, cease not to cry unto your God for mercy day and night.

2. To those who are desirous of obtaining mercy from God.

As great as was Samuel’s interest with God, he could not prevail for Saul. But you have an Advocate, whose intercessions for you must of necessity prevail, if only you put your cause into his hands. This “Advocate is the Lord Jesus Christ, who is also the atoning sacrifice for your sins.” To him John directs you; and, if you go to him, it is impossible that you should ever perish; for he has expressly said, “Him who comes unto me I will never cast out!” To have a praying friend or minister is a great comfort to one who feels his need of mercy; but to have One who “ever lives on purpose to make intercession for us,” and “whom the Father always hears,” this is a comfort indeed. Commit then your cause, brethren, into the Savior’s hands; and you may rest assured, that, whatever judgments you may have merited at God’s hands, “you shall never perish, but shall have eternal life!”

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

1 Samuel 14:6

Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised fellows. Perhaps the LORD will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.”

So frequent are the wonders recorded in the Scripture, that we scarcely notice them; yet so great are they, that it is rather owing to our inattention, than to any real exercise of faith, that we do not reject them as altogether incredible and fabulous. This account of Jonathan is inferior to few, either in the strangeness of his feats, or the magnitude of their results. That we may have a clear view of the matter, we shall show,

I. The state to which the Israelites were reduced.

The consequences of their choice of a king began now plainly to appear.

They had desired a king, and had persisted in their request, notwithstanding all the expostulations of Samuel; and God had complied with their request. But Saul had not possessed the throne of Israel two years, before his kingdom was overcome by the Philistines, and brought into a state of the basest servitude. The Philistines would not so much as allow the Israelites to have a blacksmith of their own, lest he should make arms for them; so determined were they to keep the Israelites in the lowest state of subjection. Yet while they were in this state, Saul was imprudent enough to smite a garrison of the Philistines, and thereby to give his enemies a plea for utterly destroying the whole nation. Accordingly the Philistines called all their forces together, “thirty thousand chariots, six thousand horsemen, and foot soldiers as the sands on the sea-shore for number;” while Saul had but six hundred men, and not a single sword to be found among them all.

To make their situation still more deplorable, Saul presumed to invade the priestly office, and to offer sacrifices to God without waiting the full time for Samuel that he had been expressly enjoined to wait; and thus he provoked God to take away from him the kingdom, and to transfer it to a person who would prove more worthy of it. Thus speedily was the nation reduced to ruin under that government which they had been so anxious to obtain!

Just so, such consequences may justly be apprehended by all who are bent upon their own wishes, in opposition to the mind and will of God.

There is the same self-will in all of us; we do not like that God should choose for us; we think that we can contrive better for ourselves than he has done. If we feel any evil in existing circumstances, we do not so much consider how we may obtain his favor, as how we may ward off the effects of his displeasure. But inordinate desire of any kind will bring its own punishment along with it; and we shall all find at last, that our truest happiness consists, not in the accomplishment of our own will, or the gratification of our own desires, but in the favor and protection of Almighty God! Perhaps there is not a man to be found, who must not after mature reflection acknowledge, that, if God had allowed him in some particular instance to attain his own wishes, or execute his own desires—he would have rendered himself the most miserable of the human race.

But, if we see God’s hand in their punishment, much more do we in their deliverance. Let us therefore consider,

II. The means by which their deliverance was effected.

When nothing but utter destruction could be expected, God was pleased to interpose for them. He stirred up the minds of Jonathan and his armor-bearer to go and attack a garrison, that, humanly speaking, was invincible even by a considerable force; and that too even in open day. They climbed up the rock in the very sight of their enemies, slew about twenty of them on the spot, spread terror through the whole camp of the Philistines, gave an opportunity for Saul and his adherents to pursue the fugitives, and would have utterly destroyed the whole Philistine army, if the rashness of Saul had not deprived his men of that refreshment which their exhausted strength required.

Wonderful was this victory, and most instructive; in contemplating it we cannot but see,

1. That God can work by the weakest means.

Nothing can be conceived more inadequate to the occasion than the means that were here used. But God delights to magnify his own strength in his people’s weakness, and to interpose for their deliverance in their greatest straits. It is for this very purpose that he often waits, until we are reduced to the lowest extremity, Deuteronomy 32:36. It was for that end that he reduced the hosts of Gideon from thirty-two thousand to three hundred; that the glory of their victory might be all his own! Judges 7:2-8. Whatever straits then or difficulties we maybe in, we should consider that God is all-sufficient; and that “the things which are impossible to man, are possible with him.”

2. That a hope of God’s aid should encourage our exertions.

Two things encouraged Jonathan; the one, “There is no restraint to the Lord to save, whether by many or by few;” and the other, “It may be that the Lord will work for us.” And what greater encouragement can we want? For, “if God is for us, who can be against us?” When therefore we are tempted, from a view of our own weakness, to say, “There is no hope,” we should call to mind “the great and precious promises” which God has given to us in his Word, and the wonderful deliverances he has given to his people in every age. In dependence upon him we should go forth, fearing nothing, Psalm 27:1-3. Being “strong in the Lord and in the power of his might,” we should gird on our armor, or even go forth with a sling and a stone against every enemy, not doubting but that, like Goliath of old, he shall before long fall before us.

3. That faith in God will ensure to us the victory.

“Who ever trusted in him and was confounded?” See what wonders have been wrought by faith in former ages, Hebrews 11:32-35; and shall it have less efficacy now? Will it not still, as formerly, bring Omnipotence to our aid? Only have “faith as a grain of mustard-seed,” and all mountains shall melt before you. While faith is in exercise, we need not be afraid of viewing the obstacles that are in our way. Be it so, the enemy is entrenched on an almost inaccessible rock, and we cannot even get to him but in such a way as must expose us to instant death. Be it so, that we have no one on our side, except perhaps a single companion as helpless as ourselves. Be it so, that our enemy is not only prepared for our reception, but laughing to scorn our feeble attempts against him. All this matters nothing; the victory is ours, if we go forth in faith; and not only “shall the devil flee from us, if we resist him thus in faith,” but all his hosts also shall be put to flight, and “Satan himself shall be bruised under our feet shortly! Romans 16:20.”

Let those then who are ready to give way to desponding fears, remember on what a “Mighty One their help is laid, Psalm 89:19,” and let them “be strong in faith, giving glory to God! Romans 4:20.”

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)