Sermon 78: 1 Samuel 21:7-15

7. And there was there a certain man of Saul's servants on that day inside the tabernacle of the Lord, and his name was Doeg, an Edomite, the most powerful of Saul's herdsmen. 8. And David said to Ahimelech: If you have here at hand a spear or a sword? For I did not bring my sword and weapons with me, since the king's matter pressed me. 9. And the priest said: Behold, the sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck in the valley of the Terebinth, is wrapped in a cloak behind the ephod: if you wish to take it, take it; for there is no other except this. And David said: There is none other like it; give it to me. 10. David therefore arose, and fled that day from the face of Saul, and came to Achish king of Gath. 11. And the servants of Achish said to him: Is not this David, king of the land? Did not they sing to him in choirs, saying, Saul has struck a thousand, and David ten thousand? 12. And David laid up these words in his heart, and was greatly afraid before Achish king of Gath. 13. And he changed his appearance before Achish, and let himself fall between their hands; and he stumbled at the doors of the gate, and his saliva ran down upon his beard. 14. And Achish said to his servants: You have seen a madman; why have you brought him to me? 15. Are we lacking in fools, that you have brought him in to rage in my presence? Shall this man enter my house?

Into what difficulties David fell, and how grievously he was tempted, we have heard thus far: when no other refuge remained to him except the Lord's sanctuary, and no other food to assuage hunger except those loaves of the Presence, which we saw God had dedicated to the priests alone. Now it follows that he also received from the priest a sword, or some other kind of weapon, and that he received from the priest the sword of Goliath, deposited in the sanctuary as a perpetual memorial of that famous victory which the Israelites had won over the enemies through David. We touched on this above: that Saul, led by a certain ambition, had wished that sword to be deposited as a monument of the victory won over the enemies. For although there was the specious pretext of professing that God by his power and might alone had given that victory with the enemies put to flight, and that the people had been miraculously delivered by the Lord, yet he was more concerned to obscure David's praises and to claim them for himself. Yet divine providence so administered the whole matter that, although that sword would have been useless to David if Saul had kept it at home and had it as his own private property, he caused that Saul, having taken it from David, offered it in his own name to God, as if the victory had been won by his own strength and industry, so that against Saul's own intent that sword was deposited in a safe place and would yield to David's use when necessity demanded; for otherwise David would have been entirely without arms, and reduced to the greatest straits and difficulties. Hence it appears how God often watches for our salvation while we are inattentive and asleep, and directs all things to our advantage, and by his providence supplies us with hidden defenses about which we would never have thought; and so often when great mountains are placed before our eyes by which we are cut off without hope of help, he himself opens and discloses a way; if huge whirlpools are placed before us, he places bridges by which we may cross them without danger. In short, he provides everything necessary for our salvation, so that we may experience in fact that nothing is safer or better than to commit ourselves entirely to him, that we may receive our life from him as gift, and the whole course of our life, persuaded for certain that all created things are in his power, which he uses for our help when there is need, and most easily overcomes all obstacles and difficulties by which we would otherwise easily be terrified. And although the whole world should conspire against us, the providence of God alone is sufficient for us. This therefore very useful teaching is set forth in the words by which David is said to have found Goliath's sword with the priest. We declared earlier that the dedication of that sword in the sanctuary was a good and holy thing, as a perpetual sign of that victory which David had won over Goliath — not indeed by his own strength, but by power sent from heaven, since David, about to engage with so monstrous a giant with strength far inferior, would have been unable, unless God himself had supplied him with strength and courage. Indeed, the arms with which the king had wished him to be armed when hastening to battle he had cast off as more of a hindrance than a help. Therefore if we look simply at that deed of Saul dedicating the sword to God, apart from Saul's perverse mind and intention, it is certain that this offering was a testimony of divine praise and as it were a sacrifice pleasing and acceptable to God. But, as we said before, profane men and hypocrites are accustomed to cover their vices and depraved feelings with the pretext of God's glory. So for example, if fires are lit because of some victory won, if in temples spoils and standards taken from enemies are hung up as a perpetual memorial of the victory, these things seem indeed to be a kind of public testimony of divine benevolence by whose help the victory was won; but in this way men also strive after their own glory, who nevertheless wish to be seen as bearing a great zeal for God's glory. Just as the prophet of old complained about those who loaded the Lord's altar with victims, as if they were referring all their things as accepted from God, and recognizing that they should be acknowledged; but meanwhile they sacrificed to themselves and to their own net, and ascribed it to their own strength and industry, and proclaimed it among the common people. But whatever Saul's mind was, God by his providence willed that sword of Goliath to be reserved for David's use.

Moreover, mention is made in passing of Doeg, who is said to have been the most powerful of Saul's herdsmen. But we shall not delay long in explaining his authority, since not all things can be said in one place. Nevertheless it must be observed in passing why he is called the most powerful or chief among the herdsmen. For it might seem strange to be considered as some grade of dignity to be either a shepherd or herder, although he tends the king's flocks or herds, and is set over others beneath him. But the difference of times and regions must also be observed; for what is common in this region is not so in that. And to this day you may see many noble and prominent men who not only have very ample revenues from flocks and herds, but also a number of servants who are individually in charge of their flocks and herds, so that their wealth is reckoned not in the abundance of gold or silver but in the abundance of herds and flocks; which indeed is not everywhere praiseworthy, but many think it a base and lowly kind of life. Therefore I said the difference of times and regions must be noted. Just as today kings have their stable masters, whose office is to rear horses and mules, from which they have great revenue. By the same reasoning therefore in this passage mention is made of Doeg as some excellent man and of foremost authority among the king's servants. Now Doeg is said to have been on that day inside the tabernacle of the Lord; and it seems that he had come led by some peculiar piety. For if it were said only that he lived there, or that he was in the sanctuary by some accident, that residence could not be referred to the worship of God; but the presence which is here mentioned shows that, led by religion, he had withdrawn to that place to pour out prayers to God, and to dutifully practice the piety of him who in that place which God had chosen for himself, in which his name was invoked: today, however, it must be considered mere superstition and idolatry if anyone has some peculiar religious place for prayer, just as today we see the papists set up some great worship of God in those pilgrimages of theirs, and imagine absolution from all crimes, even if according to a vow they have visited the chapel of James or of Our Lady of Loretto, or what they call the holy sepulcher, or have bound God to themselves by certain ridiculous ceremonies which they have invented for themselves. As long as God ruled his people under the figures and shadows of the law, those exercises were not to be rejected. Just as we see David himself in his great laments complain about this one thing: that it was not allowed him to gather with the Lord's flock and to chant his praises in the assembly of the faithful, and to profess his faith. Therefore that deed of Doeg which is mentioned here was indeed in itself good and holy when Doeg is said to have been in the sanctuary, as in God's presence; but thus hypocrites are accustomed to profess the highest devotion and religion in external rites, while taking little zeal for God's glory in the depths of their heart. This is sufficiently conspicuous in our times in many men of foremost dignity and authority, who feign themselves most desirous to hear one or another mass, and yet they turn over and rehearse their evil desires in their mind, which they could not have entertained at leisure either at home or in their bedchambers or palaces, unless the devotion of the holy mass so held their minds. So you may see most others in the papacy redoubling their little prayers which they call the Our Father and the Hail Mary, mumbling their hours and running from one altar to another, displaying the highest piety. But what, I ask, are their thoughts for the most part? Some think about usury, others meditate murders, others burn with adulteries, others fill their minds with ambition and other such vices. Finally, when we read that Doeg was in the sanctuary, we contemplate as in a living image those who indeed feign great zeal for God outwardly, and yet inwardly nourish the foulest crimes; and they mock God and profane his most holy name. And indeed this dissimulation of Doeg seems to have been far from true piety and reverence for divine worship, since he falsely reported David to Saul, and was, as we shall see later, the cause of the slaughter of the priests; by which crime he was the more detestable before God and men.

Now let us proceed to the rest in this history that is most important, namely that David was forced to flee from the Lord's sanctuary to Achish, one of the kings of the Philistines, and to entrust himself to him. For there were five princes of the Philistines, who held their provinces as kings. Now this Achish is said to have held dominion over Gath. Here first appears how grievous a persecution David suffered, who had no safer protection anywhere than among the most deadly enemies of God's church. For at that time the Israelites were exercised by continuous battles against the Philistines, as we have seen before and shall see hereafter; and David had for some time been in command of certain forces and had obtained successful victories over the Philistines. For Saul had often exposed him to dangers and sent him as it were to slaughter; but God had granted him a happy and easy victory over the enemies, to the great chagrin and indignation of Saul, so that there is no doubt he had stirred up the greatest and most deadly hatred of the Philistines against himself, and especially by that distinguished and memorable deed when he had routed and killed Goliath. Therefore when no other place of safety remained to David except to flee into the hands of his most deadly enemies, it is a sign that he was in the greatest straits and as it were with hope of safety abandoned and his life hanging by a thread, since he seemed deprived of all his strength; and accordingly he was not expecting from himself any reconciliation of the Philistines toward him.

From this it appears that David's faith and patience were tested to the quick by the Lord. This teaching is today all the more necessary for us, the more delicate we are in bearing those calamities which God sends. For struck by even the slightest blow we are immediately cast down, and if God redoubles the blows, we complain that we are dealt with too severely. And although we do not openly and publicly burst forth into complaints, we nevertheless inwardly cook our grief and murmur. Since therefore we are so fragile and so impatient that we cannot bear the testing of calamities and afflictions, with all the greater care and attention must we weigh in our minds the things that are commemorated about David here. For today many proclaim their fortitude, and persuade themselves that they have suffered some marvelous things for God's worship; but who will boast that he has come into such ferocity and fury of persecution for the defense of the Christian religion that he was forced to throw himself into the hands of his enemies as the only refuge of life? Just as if a boar fleeing from dogs rushes upon a hunting spear, or a stag is so pressed by dogs that out of fear he casts himself headlong into a pit — when we see this happened to David, let us learn to compose ourselves to bear patiently the things God sends. And if perhaps our senses become so feeble that we can do nothing, let us solicit God with more ardent prayers that he himself may supply us with strength: which he can do, and in fact even does; which we may behold as in a mirror in David, God's servant.

Moreover, that temptation would have been more grievous and could have affected David more grievously, if he had been mollified by the enemies' enticing words and flatteries; for it could happen that the Philistines, considering David a deserter, and that he was fleeing to escape penalties from king Saul who was hostile to him, would receive him with joy and soothe him unwary with flattering words, thinking it was going well with them and congratulating themselves that such a great man had defected from the Israelites. And these are generally the arts and pursuits of foremost men: that they entice with promises those whom they have seen to have been brave men, and to have endured many dangers, and to have done many distinguished things in war, so that they no longer remember they were enemies. Achish therefore could have congratulated himself on David's coming, and mindful of his courage forgotten that he was an enemy, and tried to make a friend out of an enemy, since he had fled to him in distress. Just as much therefore would David have had to credit to the enemies if he had previously borne himself bravely for fatherland and king; but rather to the favor and goodwill of Achish to be sought out. And these could have been the reasonings of the king which, if they had had a place toward David when he fled to Achish, he would seem to have been preserved by his own industry. But God so had mercy on David that the manifest work of the Lord appeared. For instead of flatteries the Philistines stirred up the king's anger against David and incited him as it were with goads, saying: Who is this fugitive? Is not this David, who killed so many of yours? — to whom if you grant life, you will seem to be doing the same as if you placed burning torches under your house and kingdom. Is not this the one who held dominion in the country, and about whom after our defeat and Goliath's death they sang that David had killed his ten thousands and Saul his thousands? Will he not, if he is at leisure with us and enjoys prosperity, conspire against our destruction? Indeed, when matters had come to this point, there is no doubt at all that God removed from David the common way of safety customary among men, so that God's benevolence toward David might be more manifest, to whom as it were from heaven he had stretched out his hand, and rescued him in a marvelous way from the jaws of death. For it is not customary among men for one feigning foolishness to deceive enemies and to be dismissed unharmed without the fraud being noticed. Or if David had truly been mad, could he not have killed many of that nation, and even the king himself, of whom in his madness he would have taken no greater account than of others? If a rumor of which deed had reached others — that so many Philistines had been killed by that madman — it is certain that he would not only have been held in derision but in the highest hatred and overwhelmed by the rush of all. God therefore willed to demonstrate his power and remove all the obstacles by which his glory might be obscured even in the slightest.

Meanwhile David is said to have feared on his own account from king Achish, and therefore having feigned madness before the king by foaming, and spitting in his own face, and painting certain marks on the walls, and letting himself collapse into the hands of those by whom he was being led, and stumbling at the doors he had simulated; and thought of this method of consulting his life. Here therefore it can rightly be asked whether God approved this simulation of David, or otherwise. Now we have already declared before that God hearing the prayers of his servants did not always look to the perfection of those by whom he was invoked in necessity; even though we shall soon see David protesting that he experienced the Lord's help in extreme necessity, because he had found himself pure and entire. But David's mind was not such that he made himself just before God in everything, as if no sin had been committed by him; therefore it must be confessed that David sinned in feigning madness, no less than when he lied to Ahimelech the priest, when he said that he had some secret command from the king, and asked from him a sword or weapon. And in the next chapter we shall see David not only acknowledging the lie, but also lamenting and groaning that he had given occasion for the death of so many priests; by which things we can conjecture how much he was tempted and tormented. For David seems to have been able to suspect that, but only signs of madness appeared, so that we may judge that not without some divine inspiration David simulated madness; but this simulation is not on that account to be dragged into an example, and similar things permitted to us, abusing David's example and covering our own vice: for God sometimes worked in some special way which others may not imitate. Therefore a distinction must be made between common and general rules and the privileges which God sometimes willed to use, which yet are not to be drawn into law. What therefore we read about David feigning madness, it sufficiently appears was some special privilege. And accordingly it is permitted no one to feign foolishness or madness following his example. Why so? Namely because God by his word teaches us what is lawful and proposes a rule of life, from which one is not to depart rashly. But God could dispense David from the general rule. For God obtains the highest power over all created things. Therefore whatever cases occur, take the utmost care lest we follow rashly whatever reason or whim may have dictated for avoiding some mortal danger; since God, when it pleases him, has reasons unknown to us for protecting his own contrary to all hope and expectation. But we must abstain from all things forbidden by God's word. Finally let us recognize the wonderful work of God in David's deliverance from the power of the Philistines, and meanwhile contemplate here what Paul teaches us, namely that the foolishness of God far surpasses all the wisdom of the world. Indeed Paul certainly speaks of the preaching of the Gospel and its simplicity: for those who try to speculate about evangelical doctrine by the strength of human ingenuity, and to weigh it according to the dictates of their own ingenuity, certainly will laugh at and hold in derision whatever is proclaimed to us in the Gospel: as for example that the Son of God appeared on earth assuming human nature, and suffered for the sins of the world. For it seems absurd and contrary to reason that he who is life should expose himself to death; that he who is the source of all good things should be made poor for us — these things, I say, seem to human senses plainly absurd and contrary to reason; for which cause Paul says that since the world by its wisdom did not know God in God's wisdom, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. Surely when we contemplate heaven and earth and whatever divine works are in them, we have a great argument for applying ourselves entirely to the worship of God, for placing our trust in him, for invoking him in narrow circumstances, and for recognizing that all good things flow from his free goodness. A great argument, I say, men have for recognizing God himself in the contemplation of divine works, and for soliciting him with prayers, especially since so many testimonies of his power and goodness appear in all created things. But men are utterly blind in these matters: who vehemently abuse God's good things to all intemperance, and do not recognize their author, but the more they are filled with good things, the greater ingratitude of mind and the greater their blindness they betray. For this reason therefore Paul says that since in God's wisdom the world did not know God by wisdom, it pleased God by another reasoning, namely by the preaching of the Gospel, to save those who believe; but he says that this Gospel is foolishness.

This very thing now may be observed in this deed of David, who was a figure of our Lord Jesus Christ; for it was ridiculous for David to feign madness, to spit into his beard, to foam, and to collapse into the arms of those by whom he was being led, and to stumble at the doors and walls. But nevertheless God willed to follow this method of saving him; and indeed David, freed from this, gave God so distinguished a thanksgiving that we ought to be persuaded that God willed this work to be attributed to himself. For Psalm 34 was composed by David with the purpose that he might openly profess that not by his own industry, but by the help of God alone, he had been rescued from such great danger and from the very jaws of death. And indeed had matters not been so, Achish would not have dismissed him so suddenly: but rather would have thrown him into chains, and would have taken time to detect his madness. But God so blinded his eyes that immediately on seeing David, feigning madness, he was indignant, and dismissed him, rebuking his men why they had brought a mad and furious man to him. In which matter the manifest providence of God appears, so that there is no doubt that God sent the stupor of mind upon king Achish, and rescued David from his hands as from the claws of bears or lions. For what hatred do we think the whole people had against him, how hostile to him the Philistines were inflamed for vengeance, so that with David suddenly delivered to them they would promise themselves all happy things? Yet however much they burned with hatred, and however much fury they raged with against him, miraculously contrary to everyone's hope and expectation he escaped unharmed from their hands; which great kindness of God David recognizing willed there to remain a perpetual monument in the church, by which he openly professed that by the favor and power of God alone he had been delivered from imminent death. Therefore he gave that Psalm the title: A Psalm of David when he changed his appearance before Ahimelech [Abimelech], and he dismissed him, and he departed. Furthermore that name Achish was common to the kings of the Philistines, just as in Abraham's time the name Abimelech to the kings of the Canaanites — which name was honorable, because by it kings were taught not to exercise cruelty nor violence on their subjects to oppress them, but to be fathers of peoples, ruling them as fathers rule their children. The same was the reason for the name Pharaoh among the Egyptians, which was common to all kings. Furthermore David in that Psalm professes that he wishes to bless the Lord at all times, and to have his praise always in his mouth, whose goodness he had experienced in the greatest straits. By which words David specifically attributes to God this deliverance, the manner of which yet seemed ridiculous; and he also makes mention in that Psalm of the hunger that he had suffered. For not without reason does he say that lions are often hungry and roaring do not find prey, but that nothing will ever be lacking to those who fear God. Indeed David had suffered some hunger when he could find a morsel of bread nowhere except in the sanctuary; but in this God's favor appeared, that the loaves of the Presence, dedicated to God, were given him at the urging of hunger. From this therefore let us learn to value God's good deeds toward us as much as we ought: for the more grievous dangers and pressing necessities by which we will seem to be pressed on every side, if God brings help to those laboring, the greater testimony of his paternal care we shall have, by which we are stirred up more and more to celebrate him with worthy praises.

But how great is the ingratitude of men in failing to proclaim God's grace! For ambitious men, and other wealthy men whose tables are full of all goods, you may see so ungrateful that they do not recognize God as their nourisher nor receive the abundance of goods as gift from him. Why so, I ask? Namely because they do not raise their eyes beyond their riches, and rest in their goods and faculties; but when God throws us into those difficulties from which there is no hope of escape, then even unwilling he forces us to rise up to him, and to recognize in fact that we are nourished and fostered by God alone. Therefore men are too ungrateful, unless they recognize so great a kindness of God, and they can offer no excuse of ignorance, since God reveals his fatherly goodness to us through so many kindnesses, which unless they recognize they are deservedly accused of rebellion and obstinacy and are guilty. So for example, if to a traveler no house occurs for a long time into which he might turn aside, and then by chance he falls into some hut in which he is most kindly received, certainly unless he is utterly stony he will confess that by God's kindness and favor so great a benefit befell him, and although the memory of the benefit will immediately slip away, men are nevertheless rendered inexcusable before God who has helped those laboring by so extraordinary a method. But on the contrary here David, whom we see satisfying himself, because he had given bread to the hungry, from where rightly He concludes that those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing. And yet David himself had suffered hunger; but at the opportune time God had provided him a remedy against hunger, and therefore he denies that there was any true want. For the faithful, relying on God's mercy, will never be destitute of necessary things, nor will God forsake them in their labors. Yet it does not follow from this that God's children will never be tried by any afflictions, or hunger, or thirst, or heat, or cold; but it should be enough for them that they are under the Lord's protection and care, just as the prophet also testifies in Psalm 37: that the righteous will be satisfied in the time of famine, and God will sustain their hand — that is, God will deliver his own people who are laboring and destitute of all human help, and placed in the very jaws of death, from all evils by his goodness. And though they may be pressed by distress for a time, and God may seem to have forgotten them, nevertheless beyond all expectation and hope he will be present with them, and will make manifest by deed the fatherly benevolence with which he embraces them, especially when they seem most forsaken and destitute of all help.

In this Psalm, then, we see David encompassing the whole history of his deliverance, as also appears from those words in which he says the face of the Lord is against those who do evil — by which there is no doubt he wished to point to Doeg. For although he composed a separate Psalm against Doeg, he nonetheless says not without cause that the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to show that he was preserved by the Lord in the midst of dangers against the malice of Doeg, by whom he had been denounced before King Saul. David therefore glories in God's protection, saying not only that the Lord's eyes are upon the righteous and his ears attentive to their prayers, but also that the angels of the Lord are guardians round about those who fear him, and that they are protected by their power when they have recourse to God. He pursues this thought at great length, and finally concludes thus: Who is the man that desires life, and loves to see good days? Flee to God in integrity and sincerity; keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit; turn from evil and do good. By these words we are taught that the faithful are subject to various divine chastisements, from which they are not entirely exempted, but are nevertheless delivered at the opportune time. This is indeed a doctrine most necessary for us in this time, which would deserve a longer treatment, but the summary of which will suffice for us, so that we may apply this present history to our instruction.

If, then, we were to set before ourselves only David gazing upon the threats of the Philistines, by whom he had been seized and brought before the king to be put to death, and the same man struck with great fear, this history would seem very cold and ridiculous to our senses. But if we look to the doctrine which was set forth in the Psalm mentioned above, in which we behold as in a mirror David on the one hand despairing of life and condemned to death, and on the other hand rising up to God, who watches over the righteous and has attentive ears to those who flee to his aid — we will contemplate God's providence and goodness with our whole hearts. Whatever therefore David suffered of human weakness in those great distresses, to the point indeed that he was compelled to feign madness and folly, it is certain that he did not cease to flee to God in prayer.

Indeed, we do not deny that he was greatly terrified with fear; for the faithful are not devoid of all feeling and impassible, but they are affected and moved by present evils. Yet his fear was not so great as to prevent him from calling upon God. For he says he was helped by God who heard his prayers, because he himself had directed his mind to God. This Psalm therefore is for us like a mirror in which we may behold the goodness of God, delivering David from death itself; for when no way of escape from danger appeared, he nevertheless directed the gaze of his mind to God, and from him awaited help.

As for the angels, of whom the prophet makes mention, they are not endowed with a corporeal and visible nature, but a spiritual one, so that they cannot be seen by our bodily eyes. But their guardianship is here set before us, so that we may be firmly persuaded that we, though wretched and daily exposed to six hundred dangers of death, nevertheless have God's angels as guardians who perpetually watch over our salvation. Nor is a particular angel assigned here to each individual believer, but God is said in general to send his angels for the protection of his own. Moreover, God does not need the work of angels, whose power alone suffices for the defense of his own. Nevertheless, he makes his goodness toward the wretched and afflicted more and more manifest by this means. For, I ask, what a great testimony of divine goodness it is that a vile and abject creature, needy and poor, ultimately a worm of the earth and mere corruption, should have not just one angel as minister of its salvation, but several — as our Lord Jesus Christ himself teaches us in the Gospel. There is therefore no doubt that David recognized this deliverance as so excellent and magnificent, as though God seemed to have sent a whole army of angels. Nor should we imagine here any visible vision of angels; it is not likely that David beheld them with his bodily eyes, but rather he perceived the effect of salvation — that he had been delivered by their aid and assistance and rescued from the hands of the Philistines. He wished this Psalm to be a perpetual monument of this deliverance in the church. Therefore let us learn from this passage so to extol and proclaim God's goodness that we not only place our trust in God, but also exhort others to do the same. David here sets an example for us that all ought to imitate, since he not only declares that he was helped by God and rescued from the jaws of death, but also summons all the faithful to be taught by him. We therefore also ought not only to give thanks to God for the benefits received from him, but to exhort others to do the same, and to stimulate them by our example.

Let us now pass to those words in which David says he received the Lord's help because he walked before him in simplicity and integrity, and abstained from fraud and deceit and from all injury to his neighbors. By these words we are taught in what manner we ought in these times to expect God's help and aid, and to be safe under the shadow of his wings. For we would want God, whenever we are pressed and threatened by dangers, to rush to our aid; but what occasion, I ask, do we give him to help? For so far are we from humbling ourselves before him and willingly submitting ourselves to his will, that on the contrary we always resist him and block the way of his mercy. For we always heap evil upon evil, and if we are assailed by deceit or afflicted by injuries, we ourselves desire to avenge private wrongs; and if we cannot do so with arms or hands, we do not cease to press our persecutors at least with our teeth, and meanwhile we seek God as the avenger of our own desire and animosity. But human malice will never make God a liar. For by his inspiration David spoke long ago that if we seek help from the Lord, we must abstain from all malice, fraud, and violence. By this means we will open the way to God's goodness toward us.

But someone may say that by this course we often become prey to our enemies; nevertheless it is certain that God will provide for our ills and bring aid at the opportune time. And therefore all our hope and trust must be placed in him. And this doctrine must be considered by us all the more carefully because we are by nature more impatient and cannot bear evils, and moreover are always driven by distrust and despair — so that even though the examples of David and others whom God helped in his own time are set before us, we always raise some objection, saying that even if David or others were helped, we will not therefore be helped. For this reason, therefore, David commands that we abstain from all fraud and deceit and all injuries against our neighbors, and thus gives hope that we, walking in this way and fleeing to God when pressed by necessity, will be helped. Let David in this very case serve as an example, who had provoked Saul with no injury and had given him no occasion to persecute him, and therefore was delivered from all dangers by God's goodness and mercy.

And indeed it carries great weight with God when our conscience testifies before God that men unjustly and voluntarily persecute us though we have not provoked them, and it provides great occasion for placing hope in God. For God never forgets his own, and our patience achieves a better cause with God. If we have committed God's cause to his own justice, it is most certain that God, the supreme judge of all, will avenge their savagery and cruelty at last. For otherwise God would have to renounce his own nature, or be the author of evil and the companion of wicked and criminal men — which cannot be uttered without great blasphemy, indeed cannot even be thought.

Nor indeed should we imagine some inherent righteousness in ourselves by which we would hold God obligated to us. Rather, it is from his pure goodness and free mercy that he bears with us when we are afflicted. We are therefore righteous when we not only abstain from evil but also freely pray well for our enemies who oppress us though not provoked by us. Moreover, David not only requires integrity and sincerity in us, and a zeal for relieving our neighbors even if we are held in derision by men; he also bids us flee to God's protection at all times, and bear with true humility and modesty whatever yoke he may have imposed upon us. For we see many pagans endowed with a certain remarkable virtue, fortitude, and prudence, who bore injuries inflicted by others, yet lacked the principal foundation — since they did not know the true God, nor did they have anyone whom they might call upon in their difficulties. Indeed, we often hear their blasphemous words when God did not help them as promptly as they wished.

But how would God have helped those who did not pray to him — indeed, who foamed out their rage and venom against him, and who thought God was obligated to bring them help, yet did not call upon him? For this reason, therefore, David expressly joins these two things together: namely, sincerity and integrity, and prayers to God, by which we may recognize that without his help we would be the most wretched of all. For by nature we are in need of all things and have no source of help unless we flee to his goodness, which, when invoked by us, will certainly deliver us from all dangers, since he alone is the one from whom we must expect deliverance from dangers.

Moreover, this also must be considered: that David adds, not casually, that the righteous and humble of heart will come into many difficulties, but will be delivered from them all by divine goodness and power. This doctrine is very necessary, to counter the opinion of those who think that divine help and the guardianship of angels are so readily available to all that they say God, invoked through his only Son, always hears the prayers of his own and never allows them to lack anything. Certainly it is true that God's children, though they may sometimes fear approaching poverty, and many may conspire against them so that their salvation seems desperate, and they are pressed on every side by many calamities and afflictions — they will nevertheless find a remedy against so many evils and dangers by which they would otherwise be overwhelmed, provided they place all their hope in God. Yet on this condition: that we know God, who promises us his help and guardianship and protection, does not wish to coddle us softly, nor to promise some kind of blessedness as though in an earthly paradise. For God's help and goodness does not prevent him from exercising us with many calamities and miseries. Therefore we must be content with this condition: that he will rescue us who call upon him from the heart out of all difficulties, and supply us with those powers by which we may emerge victorious, and never forget us when we are attentive to his word, and regard our obedience as a pleasing sacrifice when we have dedicated ourselves to him, and give thanks for benefits received, and finally lead us into the right way so that we may at last arrive at the happiness promised to us by him.

Now then, let us proceed, etc.

7. Now one of Saul's servants was there that day inside the tabernacle of the Lord — a man named Doeg, an Edomite, who was the chief of Saul's herdsmen. 8. David said to Ahimelech, 'Do you have a spear or sword here? I didn't bring my sword or weapons with me, because the king's matter was urgent.' 9. The priest said, 'The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the valley of Elah, is here — it's wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you want to take it, take it. There is no other here except that one.' David said, 'There is nothing like it; give it to me.' 10. David rose and fled that day from Saul, and he came to Achish king of Gath. 11. The servants of Achish said to him, 'Is this not David, king of the land? Is this not the one they sang about in their dances, saying, Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands?' 12. David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. 13. So he changed his behavior before them and pretended to be insane among them, scratching on the doors of the gate and letting his saliva run down his beard. 14. Achish said to his servants, 'Look at the man — he is acting like a madman. Why did you bring him to me? 15. Am I so short of madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on in front of me? Should this man come into my house?'

We have been hearing how deeply David fell into danger and how severely he was tested — when no other refuge remained to him except the Lord's sanctuary, and no other food to ease his hunger except the bread of the Presence, which God had dedicated to the priests alone. Now we see that he also received from the priest a weapon — specifically Goliath's sword, which had been deposited in the sanctuary as a lasting memorial of the famous victory Israel had won over their enemies through David. We touched on this earlier: Saul, driven by a certain ambition, had wanted that sword placed there as a monument of the victory over the enemies. The stated pretext was to acknowledge that God alone by His power had given that victory, and that the people had been miraculously delivered by the Lord — but in reality Saul was more concerned to obscure David's praise and claim it for himself. Yet divine providence so managed the whole affair that, while that sword would have been useless to David if Saul had kept it at home as his own private possession — because Saul had taken it from David and offered it to God in his own name, as if the victory had been won by his own strength and skill — it ended up being deposited safely for David's future use, contrary to Saul's own intention. For otherwise David would have been completely without weapons, in the most desperate straits. This shows how God often watches over our salvation while we are inattentive and asleep — directing all things to our advantage, supplying hidden provisions through His providence that we would never have thought of. Often when great mountains stand before our eyes blocking every hope of help, He opens a path. When huge chasms appear before us, He builds bridges so we may cross without danger. In short, He provides everything necessary for our salvation — so that we experience in fact that nothing is safer or better than to commit ourselves entirely to Him, receiving our life from Him as a gift, and the whole course of our life as well. We must be fully persuaded that all created things are in His power, which He uses for our help when needed — most easily overcoming all the obstacles and difficulties that would otherwise easily terrify us. Even if the whole world conspired against us, God's providence alone would be sufficient for us. This very useful lesson is set forth in the account of David finding Goliath's sword with the priest. We noted earlier that the dedication of that sword in the sanctuary was a good and holy act — a lasting sign of the victory David had won over Goliath, not by his own strength but by power sent from heaven. David, going out against so monstrous a giant with vastly inferior strength, could not have succeeded unless God Himself had supplied him with strength and courage. Indeed, the armor the king had wanted him to wear when he went out to battle, David had cast off as more hindrance than help. So if we look simply at Saul's act of dedicating the sword to God — setting aside Saul's corrupt mind and intentions — this offering was genuinely a testimony of divine praise, a sacrifice pleasing and acceptable to God. But, as we said before, ungodly men and hypocrites are accustomed to using the pretext of God's glory to cover their vices and corrupt motives. For example, when victory bonfires are lit, or when spoils and standards captured from enemies are hung in temples as a lasting memorial of the victory — these things seem to be a public testimony to God's goodness, by whose help the victory was won. But through all of this, men are also pursuing their own glory, while trying to appear deeply zealous for God's glory. This is what the prophet of old complained about when he described people who loaded the Lord's altar with offerings, as if they were acknowledging that everything they had came from God and should be returned to Him — while in their hearts they were sacrificing to themselves and their own net, crediting their own strength and skill and boasting of it among the people. But whatever Saul's motives, God by His providence willed that Goliath's sword be reserved for David's use.

The text mentions Doeg in passing, describing him as the most powerful of Saul's herdsmen. We need not spend much time on the details of his position, since not everything can be addressed at once. But it is worth noting briefly why being chief among the herdsmen was considered a rank of dignity. It might seem strange to regard overseeing a king's flocks and herds — even with authority over subordinates — as any kind of honor. But we must account for differences of time and place. What is considered lowly in one region or era may be quite different in another. Even today you can find many noble and prominent men whose wealth consists entirely of their flocks and herds, with many servants individually assigned to manage them. Their riches are measured not in gold or silver but in livestock — which, while not universally regarded as honorable, many consider a respectable and dignified way of life. This is why I say: note the difference of times and regions. Think of how today kings have their master of horse — an officer whose entire responsibility is the care and breeding of horses and mules, and from which the crown draws significant revenue. In the same way, Doeg is introduced here as a man of standing and foremost authority among the king's servants. The text says Doeg was in the tabernacle of the Lord that day, and the implication is that he had come there out of some particular devotion. If it had only said he happened to be living there, or had wandered in by accident, his presence could not be attributed to the worship of God. But the way his presence is described suggests he had withdrawn there to pray — to practice the outward forms of piety in the place God had chosen for Himself, where His name was invoked. Today, of course, we must regard as mere superstition and idolatry any practice of setting apart special religious places for prayer in this way — as we see the papists do, treating their pilgrimages as great acts of worship, imagining that by visiting the chapel of James or Our Lady of Loretto, the so-called Holy Sepulcher, or by completing various ridiculous ceremonies they have invented for themselves, they have secured God's favor and absolution from all their crimes. As long as God governed His people under the figures and shadows of the law, those outward exercises were legitimate. We see this in David himself, who in his deepest grief lamented above all that he was not allowed to gather with the Lord's people and sing God's praises in the assembly of the faithful, or publicly confess his faith. So Doeg's act of being in the sanctuary was outwardly good and holy — he appeared to be standing in God's presence. But this is exactly how hypocrites behave: they put on a great show of devotion and religion in outward forms, while their hearts hold little real zeal for God's glory. This pattern is conspicuous in our own time among many men of rank and authority, who make a great display of their eagerness to hear a mass or two — and yet the whole time their minds are churning over evil plans and desires, thoughts they could never have entertained so freely at home or in their private chambers, were it not for the convenient cover of their holy mass. You can see countless others in the papacy counting their prayers — their Our Fathers and Hail Marys — mumbling through their hours, rushing from altar to altar, putting on a great show of piety. But what, I ask, are they actually thinking about? Some are calculating their usury. Others are plotting murders. Others are burning with adulterous desires. Others fill their minds with ambition and similar vices. In Doeg in the sanctuary, then, we see as in a living portrait all those who make an outward show of great zeal for God, while inwardly nurturing the foulest crimes — mocking God and profaning His holy name. Indeed, Doeg's supposed devotion was far from any true piety, as his later actions proved. He falsely reported David to Saul and, as we will see, was the direct cause of the slaughter of the priests — a crime that made him utterly detestable before God and men.

Now let us continue to the most significant part of this account: David was forced to flee from the Lord's sanctuary all the way to Achish, one of the kings of the Philistines, and to put himself in his hands. There were five princes among the Philistines, each holding his own territory as a king. Achish was the one who ruled over Gath. Here we see just how severe David's persecution had become: his only remaining option for safety was to take refuge among the deadliest enemies of God's church. At that time Israel was locked in continuous warfare with the Philistines, as we have seen before and will see again. David had for some time commanded troops against them and won significant victories. Saul had repeatedly exposed David to danger, sending him into situations that amounted to certain death — yet God had given him clear, easy victories over the enemy, which only deepened Saul's resentment and bitterness. There is no doubt that David had stirred up the fiercest and most deadly hatred among the Philistines — above all through that famous and memorable victory when he had routed and killed Goliath. So when David's only remaining option was to flee into the hands of his deadliest enemies, it shows just how desperate his situation had become. He was hanging by a thread, stripped of all his resources, with no reasonable expectation that the Philistines would receive him with anything but hatred.

From this we see that the Lord tested David's faith and patience to the very limit. This lesson is all the more necessary for us today, given how tenderly we respond to the calamities God sends. We are knocked down by even the lightest blow. If God multiplies the strokes, we complain that we are being treated too harshly. And even if we do not burst into open complaint, we nurse our grief inwardly and murmur in our hearts. Because we are so fragile and so impatient — unable to bear testing through hardship and affliction — we need to weigh all the more carefully what this account tells us about David. Many today boast of their courage and convince themselves they have endured remarkable things for the sake of true worship. But who can honestly claim to have faced such savage and relentless persecution for the Christian faith that his only refuge was to throw himself into the hands of his enemies? Think of a wild boar fleeing hounds that runs straight onto a hunting spear — or a stag so pressed by dogs that in his terror he plunges headlong into a pit. When we see that this is what happened to David, let us learn to compose ourselves and bear patiently whatever God sends. And if our strength fails entirely, let us pray all the more urgently to God, asking Him to supply the strength we lack. He can do this, and He does — as we see clearly in the example of His servant David.

That temptation would have been even more dangerous if David had been lulled by the flattering words and promises of the enemy. It was entirely possible that the Philistines, seeing David as a deserter fleeing punishment from Saul, might have welcomed him warmly — soothing him with fine words, congratulating themselves that such a formidable man had defected from Israel. This is the typical strategy of powerful men: when they see someone who has proven himself in battle and survived many dangers, they draw him in with promises and forget he was ever an enemy. Achish could easily have congratulated himself on David's arrival. He might have remembered David's courage and tried to turn an enemy into an ally, since David had come to him in distress. If things had played out that way, David would have had to credit his survival to his own merits and to Achish's goodwill — and it would have appeared that he was saved by his own ingenuity. But God was merciful to David, and made sure His own work was unmistakably visible. Instead of welcoming David with flattery, the Philistines stirred up the king's anger against him, goading Achish with pointed questions: 'Who is this man? Is this not David, who killed so many of our people? If you let him live, it is like setting fire to your own house and kingdom. Is this not the one who ruled in the land — the one they sang about after Goliath's death, saying that David killed his ten thousands and Saul his thousands? If he settles here among us and prospers, will he not conspire against us?' When things came to this point, there is no doubt God was deliberately removing the ordinary human means of escape — so that His goodness toward David would be unmistakable, having stretched His hand down from heaven, as it were, and pulled David free from the jaws of death in a remarkable way. It is not normally possible for a man feigning madness to deceive hardened enemies and walk away unharmed without the deception being discovered. And if David had genuinely been mad, could he not have attacked and killed many of the Philistines — even the king himself — with his madness making him indifferent to everyone around him? If word had spread that so many Philistines had been killed by this madman, David would not merely have been mocked — he would have been hated and overwhelmed by a mob. God therefore chose to display His power by removing every obstacle that might have obscured His glory, even in the slightest degree.

David, fearing for his life before king Achish, feigned madness — foaming, spitting on himself, scratching marks on the walls, collapsing into the arms of those who were leading him, and stumbling at the doors. He adopted this strategy to preserve his life. This raises a legitimate question: did God approve of David's deception, or not? We have already noted that when God answered His servants' prayers in times of extreme need, He did not always wait for their actions to be perfect. We will also see shortly that David himself testified that the Lord helped him in the direst of circumstances because he found himself pure and whole before God. Yet David's frame of mind was not one of claiming total innocence before God, as if he had committed no sin whatsoever. We must therefore acknowledge that David sinned in feigning madness — just as he had sinned earlier when he lied to Ahimelech the priest, claiming to have a secret mission from the king and asking for a weapon. In the next chapter we will see David not only acknowledging that lie but grieving and lamenting that it had occasioned the death of so many priests — which gives us some sense of how deeply he was tormented by the memory. David may have acted with some instinct that the signs of madness alone would be enough to see him through. We might even judge that David's performance of madness was prompted by some form of divine inspiration. But that does not make it a model for others to imitate, or a license to cover our own vices by appealing to David's example — for God sometimes works in unique ways that no one else may repeat. We must therefore distinguish between the general rules that govern everyone and the particular ways God sometimes works in individual cases — ways that are not to be treated as universal laws. What we read about David feigning madness was clearly a special provision for that situation alone. No one therefore has the right to feign foolishness or madness by appealing to David's example. Why? Because God's Word teaches us what is lawful and sets out a rule of life from which we are not to depart rashly. God could make an exception for David from that general rule, because God holds supreme authority over all created things. So in whatever difficult situation you face, take every care not to follow rashly whatever reason or impulse suggests for escaping mortal danger. When it pleases God, He has reasons unknown to us for protecting His own people in ways that go completely against all hope and expectation. What we must do is abstain from everything God's Word forbids. In the end, let us recognize God's remarkable work in delivering David from the power of the Philistines — and as we do, let us reflect on what Paul teaches us: the foolishness of God surpasses all the wisdom of the world. Paul is speaking specifically about the preaching of the Gospel and its apparent simplicity. Those who try to evaluate the Gospel by the power of human intellect — measuring it against their own reasoning — will naturally laugh at and dismiss what the Gospel proclaims. Take this as an example: that the Son of God appeared on earth, taking on human nature, and suffered for the sins of the world. It seems absurd and contrary to reason that the One who is life should submit to death; that the One who is the source of all good things should become poor for our sake. These things strike human sensibility as plainly irrational. That is why Paul says that since the world, through its own wisdom, could not know God in God's wisdom, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. When we contemplate heaven and earth and all God's works in creation, we have strong grounds for devoting ourselves entirely to His worship — for placing our trust in Him, calling on Him in desperate circumstances, and recognizing that all good things flow from His free goodness. There is great reason, I say, in the contemplation of God's works, to seek and know God Himself and to call upon Him with prayer — especially since so many testimonies of His power and goodness appear throughout all created things. And yet men are utterly blind in these matters. They abuse God's good gifts for every kind of excess, failing to recognize their Giver. The more filled with good things they are, the greater ingratitude and the deeper blindness they display. This is precisely why Paul says that since the world, surrounded by God's wisdom, still could not know God through its own wisdom, it pleased God to save those who believe through another means entirely — the preaching of the Gospel. And he calls that Gospel foolishness.

This same principle can be observed in David's act — David, who was a figure of our Lord Jesus Christ. For it was a ridiculous thing: David spitting on himself, foaming, collapsing into the arms of those leading him, stumbling at the doors and walls. Yet God chose this as the means of saving him. And David, once delivered, gave God such remarkable thanksgiving that we ought to be persuaded God intended this entire work to be credited to Himself alone. Psalm 34 was written by David for precisely this purpose — to publicly declare that he had not been rescued from that great danger and from the very jaws of death by his own cleverness, but by God's help alone. Indeed, had things gone the usual way, Achish would not have dismissed David so quickly. He would have thrown him into chains and taken time to verify whether the madness was real. But God blinded Achish's eyes so completely that the moment he saw David's behavior, he was simply annoyed and dismissed him at once, rebuking his men for bringing him a raving lunatic. In this we see God's unmistakable providence at work. There is no doubt that God sent a cloud of confusion over Achish's mind and pulled David out of his hands, as though rescuing him from the claws of bears or lions. Consider what intense hatred the whole Philistine people had for David — how fiercely they burned for vengeance, so that with David suddenly in their hands they would have expected nothing but good news. Yet however furious their hatred, and however violently their rage burned against him, David escaped from them unharmed — miraculously, against everyone's expectation. Recognizing this extraordinary kindness, David wanted to leave a permanent monument in the church that would openly declare he had been delivered from imminent death by God's favor and power alone. He gave Psalm 34 this title: 'A Psalm of David when he changed his appearance before Abimelech, who dismissed him, and he departed.' The name Achish, by the way, was a common title for Philistine kings, just as Abimelech was a common title for Canaanite kings in Abraham's time — a name considered honorable because it reminded kings that they were not to exercise cruelty or oppress their subjects, but to govern them as fathers govern their children. The name Pharaoh served the same role among the Egyptians. In that Psalm, David declares that he will bless the Lord at all times, that His praise will always be in his mouth — because he had experienced God's goodness in the most desperate hour. By these words David specifically attributes to God this deliverance, though its manner seemed ridiculous. He also mentions in that Psalm the hunger he had suffered. It is not without reason that he says lions sometimes roar and go hungry, finding no prey — but those who fear God will never lack anything. David had indeed suffered hunger, finding no food anywhere except in the sanctuary. But even there God's goodness was visible: the bread of the Presence, set apart for God, was given to him to relieve his hunger. From this let us learn to recognize God's kindness toward us as it truly deserves. The more grievous the dangers and the more pressing the needs that close in on us from every side, the greater the testimony of God's fatherly care we will have when He brings help — and the more deeply we will be moved to praise Him with worthy thanksgiving.

And yet how great is human ingratitude in failing to declare God's grace! Ambitious men, and wealthy men whose tables are loaded with every good thing — you can see how ungrateful they are. They do not recognize God as the one who feeds them, nor do they receive their abundance as a gift from Him. Why? Because they never lift their eyes beyond their wealth. They rest in their possessions and their own resources. But when God throws us into difficulties from which there is no hope of escape, He forces us — even against our will — to look up to Him and recognize in practice that it is God alone who nourishes and sustains us. Men are too ungrateful unless they recognize so great a kindness from God. They have no excuse of ignorance, because God reveals His fatherly goodness through so many acts of kindness. Those who refuse to acknowledge this are rightly charged with rebellion and stubbornness and stand guilty before Him. Consider a traveler who walks for a long time without finding shelter, and then stumbles by chance upon a little hut where he is warmly received. Unless he is utterly cold-hearted, he will confess that this blessing came to him by God's kindness and provision. Even if the memory of the benefit quickly fades, men are still left without excuse before God, who helped them in such an extraordinary way. David, by contrast, was satisfied — he had been given bread when he was hungry — and from this he rightly concludes that those who seek the Lord will lack no good thing. David himself had suffered hunger, but at just the right moment God provided a remedy. He therefore says there was no true want. Those who rely on God's mercy will never ultimately be destitute of what they need, and God will not abandon them in their struggles. This does not mean God's children will never be tested by affliction, or hunger, or thirst, or heat, or cold. But it should be enough for them that they are under the Lord's protection and care — just as the prophet says in Psalm 37: that the righteous will be fed in times of famine, and God will sustain their hand. That is, God will deliver His own people — laboring, stripped of all human help, standing at the very edge of death — from all evils by His goodness. And though they may be pressed by distress for a time, and God may seem to have forgotten them, He will nevertheless show up beyond all expectation and make clear in deed the fatherly love with which He holds them — most of all at the moment when they seem most abandoned and most stripped of every source of help.

In Psalm 34, David encompasses the whole story of his deliverance — which is also clear from the words where he says the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. There is no doubt he was pointing to Doeg by this. Although David wrote a separate Psalm against Doeg, he here declares with good reason that the Lord's face is set against evildoers — showing that the Lord had preserved him in the midst of danger, protecting him against Doeg's treachery after Doeg had denounced him before King Saul. David therefore glories in God's protection. He declares not only that the Lord's eyes are upon the righteous and His ears open to their prayers, but that the angels of the Lord stand guard around those who fear Him, protecting them by their power when they take refuge in God. David develops this at length, and finally concludes: 'Who is the man who desires life, and loves to see good days? Flee to God in integrity and sincerity; keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking deceit; turn from evil and do good.' These words teach us that the faithful are subject to various trials and disciplines from God. They are not entirely exempt from these — but they are delivered from them at the right time. This is a teaching especially necessary for us today, and it deserves extended treatment. But the summary will serve our purposes here, so that we may apply this present account to our own instruction.

If we were to look only at David standing before the threats of the Philistines — seized, brought before the king to be executed, and struck with great fear — this account would seem cold and hollow to our senses. But if we look to the teaching set out in the Psalm, where we see David at once despairing of his life, condemned to death, and at the same time rising up to God who watches over the righteous and has attentive ears toward those who cry out for help — then we will behold God's providence and goodness with our whole hearts. Whatever David suffered through human weakness in those desperate straits — even to the point of feigning madness — it is certain he never stopped fleeing to God in prayer.

We do not deny that David was seized with great fear. The faithful are not without feelings or emotions — they are moved and affected by present evils. But his fear was not great enough to keep him from calling on God. He says he was helped by God who heard his prayers, because he had directed his mind to God. Psalm 34 is therefore a mirror for us, in which we behold God's goodness delivering David from death itself. When no way of escape appeared, David still turned the gaze of his heart toward God and waited on Him for help.

As for the angels the Psalm mentions — they are spiritual beings, not physical or visible, and cannot be seen by bodily eyes. But their protection is set before us so that we may be firmly persuaded of this: though we are weak and exposed daily to countless dangers of death, God's angels serve as our guardians, perpetually watching over our salvation. The Psalm does not assign one particular angel to each individual believer — it speaks in general terms of God sending His angels for the protection of His own. God does not need the help of angels; His own power alone is more than sufficient to defend His people. Nevertheless, He makes His goodness toward the weak and suffering even more visible through this means. Think about what a remarkable testimony of divine goodness this is: that a lowly, frail creature — needy and poor, nothing but a worm of the earth and a vessel of decay — should have not just one angel as a guardian of its salvation, but many, as our Lord Jesus Christ Himself teaches us in the Gospel. There is therefore no doubt that David recognized this deliverance as something magnificent — as though God had sent an entire army of angels. We should not imagine a visible appearance of angels here. It is not likely David saw them with his physical eyes. Rather, he perceived the effect of their work — that he had been delivered by their aid and rescued from the hands of the Philistines. He wrote Psalm 34 as a permanent memorial of this deliverance in the church. From this passage let us learn so to proclaim and magnify God's goodness that we not only place our own trust in Him, but urge others to do the same. David sets us an example that everyone should follow. He did not merely give thanks for being helped by God and rescued from the jaws of death — he also summoned all the faithful to be taught by his experience. We too ought not only to thank God for the benefits we have received from Him, but to encourage others to do the same and to stir them on by our example.

Now let us turn to David's words where he says he received the Lord's help because he had walked before Him in simplicity and integrity, abstaining from fraud, deceit, and all injury to his neighbors. These words teach us how we ought to seek God's help and aid in our own times, and how to rest safely under the shadow of His wings. We want God to rush to our aid the moment we are threatened and pressed by danger. But what grounds do we actually give Him to help us? Far from humbling ourselves before Him and willingly submitting to His will, we resist Him at every turn and block the path of His mercy. We heap evil upon evil. When we are deceived or injured, we immediately want to avenge ourselves. And if we cannot do so with weapons or force, we do not stop pressing our persecutors at least with bitter words — all while calling on God to vindicate our own grievances and personal resentments. But human malice will never make God a liar. By His inspiration, David declared long ago that if we want to receive help from the Lord, we must abstain from all malice, fraud, and violence. By doing this, we open the way for God's goodness to reach us.

Someone might object that by this approach we often become prey to our enemies. But it is certain that God will attend to our situation and bring help at the right time. All our hope and trust must therefore be placed in Him. We need to take this teaching all the more seriously because we are by nature impatient and cannot bear hardship well. We are also constantly driven by distrust and despair — so that even when the examples of David and others whom God helped in His own time are set before us, we always raise some objection. We say: even if David was helped, that does not mean I will be helped. This is precisely why David calls us to abstain from all fraud, deceit, and injury to our neighbors — and on that basis gives us hope that those who walk this way and flee to God when pressed by necessity will be helped. Let David himself in this very situation serve as the example. He had provoked Saul with no injury and given him no cause to persecute him — and therefore God's goodness and mercy delivered him from all dangers.

It carries great weight with God when our conscience bears witness before Him that we are being persecuted unjustly and without cause — and this gives us powerful grounds for placing our hope in God. God never forgets His own people, and patient endurance pleads a better case before Him. If we have committed our cause to God's own justice, we can be absolutely certain that God, the supreme judge of all, will in the end avenge the savagery and cruelty of those who have wronged us. For God to do otherwise, He would have to renounce His own nature, or become the patron of evil and the partner of wicked men — which cannot be said without great blasphemy, and cannot even be thought.

We should not imagine, however, that there is some inherent righteousness within us that places God under obligation to us. Rather, it is from His pure goodness and free mercy that He upholds us when we are afflicted. We are righteous in this sense: when we not only abstain from evil, but freely pray well for the enemies who oppress us without any provocation from our side. Furthermore, David requires more than just integrity and sincerity, and a zeal for helping our neighbors even when it brings us scorn. He also calls us to take refuge in God's protection at all times and to bear with true humility and submission whatever yoke He has placed on us. We see many among the pagans who were endowed with remarkable virtue, courage, and prudence, and who bore injuries inflicted by others. But they lacked the one essential foundation — they did not know the true God, and had no one to call upon in their difficulties. Indeed, we often hear their bitter words on record, complaining against the gods when help did not come as quickly as they wanted.

But how would God have helped those who never prayed to Him — who in fact raged and vented their fury against Him, and who thought God owed them help while never actually calling on Him? This is why David deliberately joins two things together: sincerity and integrity, and prayer to God — through which we acknowledge that without His help we would be the most wretched of all. By nature we are in need of everything and have no source of help unless we flee to His goodness. When we do call on that goodness, it will certainly deliver us from all dangers — for He alone is the one from whom deliverance must be expected.

There is one more thing to notice: David deliberately adds that the righteous and the humble of heart will face many difficulties — but will be delivered from them all by God's goodness and power. This teaching is very necessary, to push back against those who think God's help and the protection of angels are so readily available that they say God, called upon through His only Son, always hears His people's prayers and never lets them go without anything. It is certainly true that God's children — even when they fear that poverty is approaching, that many are conspiring against them, that their situation seems hopeless, and that calamities press in on them from every side — will find a remedy against all these dangers that would otherwise overwhelm them, provided they place all their hope in God. But this comes with a condition we must understand: God, who promises us His help and protection, does not intend to coddle us softly or promise some kind of earthly paradise. God's help and goodness do not prevent Him from exercising us through many hardships and trials. We must therefore be content with this: that He will rescue those who call on Him from the heart out of every difficulty, supply them with the strength to emerge victorious, never forget them when they attend to His Word, accept their obedience as a pleasing offering when they have dedicated themselves to Him, receive their thanks for benefits received, and finally lead them in the right way so that they arrive at last at the happiness He has promised.

Now then, let us proceed, etc.