Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on the Whole Bible
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1 Samuel
Book: 1 Samuel
Chapter: 27
Overview:
David retires to
Gath.
(1-7) David deceives
Achish.
(8-12)
1-7 Unbelief is a
Sin that easily besets even good men, when
without are fightings, and within are fears; and it is a hard
matter to get over them.
Lord, increase our
Faith! We may blush
to think that the
Word of a Philistine should go further than
the
Word of an Israelite, and that the
City of
Gath should be a
place of
Refuge for a good
Man, when the cities of
Israel refuse
him a safe abode.
David gained a comfortable settlement, not
only at a distance from
Gath, but bordering upon
Israel, where
he might keep up a correspondence with his own countrymen.
8-12 While
David was in the land of the
Philistines, he
attacked some remains of the devoted nations. The people whom he
cut off were long before doomed to
Destruction. It is often
Wisdom to shun public notice, but we must in
No situation be
idle. We must always try to do somewhat in the cause of
God.
This expedition
David hid from
Achish. But an equivocation which
serves the purpose of a
Lie, is as like to it as a
Hypocrite is
to a profane person, it is only better in appearance, therefore
more dangerous. Yet, though believers often manifest
imperfections, they can never be prevailed upon to renounce the
service of
God, and to unite interests with his enemies, or
finally to become the servants of
Sin and
Satan. But what a
train of evils follow from unbelief! When we forget the
Lord's
past mercies, and his gracious assurances, we shall be
overwhelmed with desponding fears, and probably be led to adopt
some dishonourable method to get rid of our troubles. Nothing
can
So effectually establish us in holy tempers and practices,
and preserve us from perplexities, as firm, unshaken dependence
upon the promises of
God in
Christ Jesus.