1 Samuel 26:4

John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible. 1 Samuel 26:1 INTRODUCTION TO FIRST SAMUEL 26 This chapter relates that Saul, upon the information of the Ziphites, went out again with an armed force to seek David, 1 Samuel 26:1; of which David having intelligence, and of the place where he pitched, came with one of his men and reconnoitred his camp, and finding Saul and his men asleep, took away his spear, and the cruse of water at his head, and departed, without taking away his life, though solicited to it by his servant, 1 Samuel 26:4; which spear and cruse of water he produced to the reproach of Abner, Saul's general, and as a testimony of his sincere regard to Saul, and that he had no design upon his life, 1 Samuel 26:13; of which Saul being convinced, blessed David, and returned home again, 1 Samuel 26:21. Ver. 1. And the Ziphites came unto Saul to Gibeah,....

26:1-12 How soon do unholy hearts lose the good impressions convictions have made upon them! How helpless were Saul and all his men! All as though disarmed and chained, yet nothing is done to them; they are only asleep. How easily can God weaken the strongest, befool the wisest, and baffle the most watchful! David still resolved to wait till God thought fit to avenge him on Saul. He will by no means force his way to the promised crown by any wrong methods. The temptation was very strong; but if he yielded, he would sin against God, therefore he resisted the temptation, and trusted God with the event.

David therefore sent out spies,.... To observe if he was coming or come, and where he was, that he might not be surprised by him; for though David knew the Lord was and would be his protection, he thought proper to be upon his guard, and to make use of means for his safety: and understood that Saul was come in very deed; that he was most certainly come, and come to some certain place; which he himself went to reconnoitre, as in 1 Samuel 26:5.

The incident related in this chapter of the meeting between Saul and David bears a strong general resemblance to that recorded in 1 Samuel 24 , and is of a nature unlikely to have occurred more than once. Existing discrepancies are explained by the supposition that one narrative relates fully some incidents on which the other is silent. On the whole the most probable conclusion is that the two narratives relate to one and the same event. (Compare the two narratives of the Creation, Genesis 1 ; Genesis 2:4 ff; the two narratives of David's war, 2 Samuel 8 ; and 2 Samuel 10 ; and those of the death of Ahaziah, 2 Kings 9:27 ff; and 2 Chronicles 22:9 .)

4, 5. David … sent out spies … and David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched—Having obtained certain information of the locality, he seems, accompanied by his nephew (1Sa 26:6), to have hid himself, perhaps disguised, in a neighboring wood, or hill, on the skirts of the royal camp towards night, and waited to approach it under covert of the darkness.

26–31. The presents sent to the elders of Judah 26 . he sent of the spoil , &c.] In gratitude for the assistance he had received from them during his wanderings, and to secure their good will when Saul’s death should open the way for him to the throne. On the elders see at 1 Samuel 8:4 . a present ] Lit. a blessing , as in 1 Samuel 25:27 . the spoil of the enemies of the Lord ] Since Israel was Jehovah’s people, the enemies of Israel were the enemies of His kingdom and His cause, and every war against them was a holy war. Cp. 1 Samuel 18:17 , 1 Samuel 25:28 .

14 . the Lord’s anointed ] The person of the king, consecrated to the service of Jehovah by anointing, was inviolable. Compare David’s reiterated expressions on this point in 1 Samuel 24:6 ; 1 Samuel 26:9 ; 1 Samuel 26:11 ; 1 Samuel 26:16 ; and the armourbearer’s reverence in 1 Samuel 31:4 . 2 Samuel 1:14

These were ordinary forms of earnest asseveration with the Israelites, generally used separately ( Judges 8:19 ; Ruth 3:13 ; 1 Samuel 1:26 ; 1 Samuel 14:39 ; 1 Samuel 17:55 ; 1 Samuel 19:6 ; 1 Samuel 20:21 ; 2 Samuel 4:9 ; 2 Samuel 11:11 , etc.); but on occasions of special solemnity united, as here and in 1 Samuel 20:3 ; 1 Samuel 25:26 ; 2 Kings 4:30 ). The prophet is not to be blamed for using them, since the command, "Swear not at all," had not yet been given. I will not leave thee. The resolve indicates strong attachment, deep fidelity, combined, perhaps, with a reasonable curiosity to see how the end would be brought about. So they went down to Bethel. The expression, "went down," shows that the Gilgal of ver. 1 is not that of the Jordan valley, but the mountain-city between Sichem and Bethel. 2 Kings 2:2