The Lord therefore be Judge, and judge between me and thee ,.... Signifying he did not desire to be judge in his own cause, but leave it with God to determine it for him in his providence: and see, and plead my cause ; look with pity upon him, take his cause in his hand, plead it, and do him justice: and deliver me out of thine hand : which was a prayer of faith, believing he would do it in due time, see Psalm 7:6 . read more
The Lord therefore be judge - Let God determine who is guilty. read more
Discrimination in relation to men, truth, and vocation. The facts are— 1 . David follows Saul out of the cave and pays him homage. 2 . He remonstrates against Saul heeding the lies of slanderers, and declares to him how he had just spared his life. 3 . Exhibiting the skirt of the robe in evidence of his words, and appealing to God, he protests his innocence of purpose. 4 . He, while admitting his own insignificance, commends his cause to the justice of God, and prays for... read more
Finally, David makes a pathetic appeal to Saul, contrasting him in his grandeur as the king of Israel with the fugitive whom he so relentlessly persecuted. In calling himself a dead dog he implies that he was at once despicable and powerless. Even more insignificant is a flea , Hebrew, "one flea," "a single flea." The point is lost by omitting the numeral. David means that it is unworthy of a king to go forth with 3000 men to hunt a single flea. As the king's conduct is thus both unjust... read more
1 Samuel 24:14-15. After whom is the king of Israel come out? David here employs every persuasive art to move Saul. He represents himself in as contemptible a light as possible; that he might convince Saul it was not for his honour to take so much pains to kill him, if he could do it. The Lord, therefore, be judge He thought he could not repeat this too often, that as he had done hitherto, so he still resolved hereafter, to leave it to God to judge which of them was in the right, and not... read more
Saul’s fierce hunt (23:1-24:22)Since Abiathar had brought with him the high priest’s ephod (containing the Urim and Thummim), David was able to ask and receive God’s direct guidance. God’s first direction was to rescue the Israelite town of Keilah from the raiding Philistines (23:1-6). As soon as he had defeated the Philistines, David withdrew from Keilah. He knew that Saul’s army was larger and better equipped than his. He knew also that he could not trust the people of Keilah to stand with... read more
deliver = judge, or justly deliver. read more
3. David’s goodness to two fools chs. 24-26". . . chapters 24-26 form a discrete literary unit within 1 Samuel. Chapters 24 and 26 are virtually mirror images of each other, beginning with Saul’s receiving a report about David’s latest hiding place (1 Samuel 24:1; 1 Samuel 26:1), focusing on David’s refusal to lift a hand against Saul, ’the Lord’s anointed’ (1 Samuel 24:6; 1 Samuel 24:10; 1 Samuel 26:11), and concluding with the words of a remorseful Saul and his returning home from his pursuit... read more
David’s verbal defense to Saul 24:8-15The object lesson that David presented to Saul had a double application. David proved that he was not trying to kill Saul, because Saul was the Lord’s anointed. Furthermore he showed that it was inappropriate for Saul to seek to kill him because he, too, was the Lord’s anointed, as Saul now knew (1 Samuel 24:20). David modeled for Saul what the king’s dealings with him should have been."Our tendency is to say, ’Oh, just leave it alone. It’ll all work out.’... read more
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Matthew Henry's Complete Commentary - 1 Samuel 24:9-15
We have here David's warm and pathetic speech to Saul, wherein he endeavours to convince him that he did him a great deal of wrong in persecuting him thus and to persuade him therefore to be reconciled. I. He calls him father (1 Sam. 24:11), for he was not only, as king, the father of his country, but he was, in particular, his father-in-law. From a father one may expect compassion and a favourable opinion. For a prince to seek the ruin of any of his good subjects is as unnatural as for a... read more