Sermon 80: 1 Samuel 22:6-10

6. And Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had appeared. Now Saul was staying in Gibeah, sitting in the grove that is in Ramah, with his spear in hand, and all his servants were standing around him. 7. And he said to his servants who stood about him: Hear me now, sons of Benjamin: will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards, and make all of you tribunes and centurions? 8. For you have all conspired against me, and there is no one who informs me, especially since my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse. There is no one among you who grieves for me or who tells me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, lying in wait to this day. 9. Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing by and was first among Saul's servants, answered and said: I saw the son of Jesse in Nob, with Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10. He consulted the Lord for him and gave him provisions, and also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

What follows, which we must explain, contains the outcome of those things David could have feared, so that his trials were greatly increased. For at the time the prophet commanded David to come to the land of Judah, there was some hope that Saul's fury might be mitigated by God and some way might be found for David to be reconciled with Saul and return to his former position and rank — a change that was not difficult for the Lord. And therefore David cut short all the difficulties by which he might have been moved from obedience to God's commands. But when Saul, having heard the news of David's coming into Judea, raged more than before and bitterly complained to his servants about their treachery, it is certain that this was a severe trial — that David had so readily believed the simple prophet's word and thrown himself into present danger. For we commonly see that many submit themselves to God with a courageous spirit for a moment of time, but if things turn out contrary to their expectation and God does not help them in the way they had imagined, they become greatly indignant and enraged, and speak against God who delays his help and murmur. Thus many, though they begin well, suddenly fail so that the end does not correspond to the beginning, because they persuade themselves that God is not helping them nor making their affairs prosper as they wished.

With such thoughts David could have been agitated — namely, that things had gone badly for him because he had so quickly obeyed the prophet's words, and that God seemed to have dragged him to the slaughter. Nevertheless, as appears from Psalm 34, which we said in the previous sermon was composed about this history, these thoughts never moved David from his duty or prostrated his spirit. For although he knew he had been denounced to Saul by Doeg and saw death apparently imminent before him, he did not cease to rise up to God and place his trust in him — as is clear enough from the beginning of Psalm 52, where he inveighs against Doeg with these words: Why do you boast in malice, you who are mighty in iniquity? Shortly after he adds: But I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God; I have trusted in the mercy of God forever. By these words David acknowledges that he was often lifted up by God's own hand and rescued from imminent dangers. For the conclusion is this — and those words must be carefully noted — that he hopes for God's mercy forever and ever. Therefore, though David was battered by hard blows, by which his faith seemed not only to be shaken but completely overthrown, yet he leaned upon God with such great trust and faith that he was persuaded that God's favor and protection would never fail him; and therefore, though he was exercised by various trials for a time, he trusted that he would be sustained by God's hand when necessary.

But before we proceed further, we must consider those words that describe Saul, after hearing that David had appeared, standing in the grove that is in Ramah and summoning his servants to deliberate with them about great matters — just as we see kings, when some emergency has arisen or some disturbance has been stirred up, convene their counselors. That place was well-known, so it is not surprising that Saul and his men gathered there. Saul's bearing is described as that of a man fearing an enemy — namely, holding his spear in hand, for it was not customary for kings to go about in this posture unless they feared some great imminent danger.

Finally, Saul, having convened his council, shows that he is pressed by the greatest difficulties and fears his enemies. And therefore he began to complain about everyone, as though he were being betrayed by them and their pledged loyalty was being broken. Hear me, therefore, he says, sons of Benjamin — directing his speech specifically to that family as the one most closely bound to him, as if to say: I, sons of Benjamin, have always placed my trust in you and expected help from you in uncertain times; but you betray me and deal treacherously with me. To whom then shall I turn? For I thought the world would fail me sooner than you who are bound to me by blood; but I see there is no loyalty in you. When therefore he calls them sons of Benjamin, he does it as a reproach, as a king addressing those joined to him by blood and most closely connected, casting their disloyalty in their faces.

He adds to the foregoing: Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards, and make all of you tribunes and centurions? For you have all conspired against me, and there is no one who informs me, especially since my son has made a covenant

with the son of Jesse, nor is there anyone among you who grieves for me or tells me about it. By these complaints Saul severely reproached them all as traitors.

Next follows that Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul's flocks, declared to Saul that he had seen David in Nob with Ahimelech the priest, who had provided him with food and had given him a sword and arms, and had consulted God for him, whether his journey would be successful and prosperous. By this report from Doeg, Saul's fury was vehemently inflamed against the priests, even to the point that he handed them all over to death.

Here we can behold as in a mirror the custom of earthly princes, who want loyalty maintained to them by their subjects, whom they entice with the hope of riches — because kings have the power to enrich and make wealthy their attendants and servants. But if friendship and the loyalty owed to them rests on this foundation alone, their condition is most miserable. Yet kings and princes are accustomed to be intoxicated by their own power and do not recognize that their condition would be better if they were in a moderate station of life and knew well what true friendship is. For kings and princes can hardly find a friend for themselves, and they cannot bear friends. Rather, they hate those who love them sincerely, and strip them of all their possessions, not allowing anyone to think he has such standing with them as to be called a friend of the king. Kings are said to love certain people, but they are completely ignorant of what true friendship is, retaining this principle of Saul's: that they have the power to enrich their ministers and to acquire their friendship by the obligation of benefits. But as I said before, this is a very weak foundation. For the one who seeks only riches and wealth can change from hour to hour, and he tends to keep faith only as long as it suits his interests; but if a better opportunity for making money comes along, he suddenly changes, since he sets only this goal before himself: to acquire wealth, favor, and honors.

Finally, we see that earthly princes cannot be at ease in their minds and rest securely in their attendants, some of whom they always suspect will be their enemies. Yet this condition, however miserable, pleases them and they delight in it, no differently than if a sick man were nurturing and voluntarily increasing his own ailment. For earthly princes are accustomed not only to seek friends through lavish gifts and great wealth, but also to fill up their appetite, and to make no end of enriching them, lest their friendship should ever grow cold. And so they must always throw some morsel into their mouths, as to famished dogs, lest they bite. And this is the custom of princes — though if you ask them whether they approve of such friendships sought by utility alone, they would vehemently deny it, and if you ask whether they wish this vice corrected, they would affirm it. But nevertheless, intoxicated by their authority and power, they persist in their ways.

Moreover, such as are the princes, such also are their attendants — men whose sole concern is to covet the wealth of the wretched and always to have their nets spread for plunder, though often they are disappointed in their hope and their expectations are frustrated. For it often happens that many consume themselves and squander their resources on the mere hope of obtaining some position at court, from where the proverb arose: Fortune reigns in the courts of princes — because in them there is usually great confusion, with some arriving at the highest rank of dignity while others are pressed down to the lowest. The cause of these changes is unknown to men, but it proceeds from the wonderful counsel of God, who laughs at the ambition of those who bear many hardships and many labors to win favor with princes, when they could be happy at home and enjoy the goods they have acquired.

God, I say, laughs at the ambition and desire for honors of these people, when he permits them to suffer many losses, endure reproaches, be tormented as though wretched men in chains, and consume their resources — so that God may instruct them by such examples. But others God promotes to the highest honors and increases with the greatest riches and wealth, only to be cast down afterward and reduced to poverty. This does not happen by some turn of blind fortune, but because these men burn with ambition and desire for honors. God fills them with honors, and because they labor with insatiable greed, he also supplies them with an abundance and plenty of all things — so that as their arrogance grows and their thirst and desire for expanding their wealth blazes more fiercely, they may find in those things their greater ruin. Hence it comes about that such great confusion reigns everywhere in the courts of princes; when some are elevated to honors without merit, while others who have long sought these honors through many services are rejected and despised. These reversals are such that someone among the pagans seems rightly to have said that courtiers are very similar to the counters used in reckoning accounts, which now represent a great sum — say a thousand or ten thousand crowns — and now a small one, say a single penny. The situation of courtiers seeking ranks and honors is the same, in order to wield much influence and authority.

In short, as I said, princes and kings hope to retain their ministers in loyalty because they have bound them to themselves by many favors; and in turn the courtly ministers are always intent on plunder and set this as the sole goal of their labors, and this is their sole pursuit. Therefore they neither embrace their princes and lords with sincere love, nor do they keep faith with them for the sake of duty, but out of the hope and desire of amassing wealth and resources.

And this is represented to us in those words of Saul, in which he reproaches his attendants with treachery, when he says: Will the son of Jesse give you fields and vineyards? Will he make you tribunes and centurions? But if he had considered within himself where the authority and dignity of kings comes from, he would have risen up all the way to God, by whose action and consent kings and princes obtain dominion over peoples and are held in honor and esteem. For when Holy Scripture urges us to submit to kings, princes, and all other magistrates — indeed to all who administer justice — it does not give as the reason that we can be increased in honors and wealth by them, or that we can obtain houses, fields, and vineyards from them, but that God has raised them to such authority and dignity and wills them to be recognized and honored as his ministers and ambassadors. This therefore is the sole goal — namely, God's ordinance — at which all subjects ought to aim. And for this reason the wise man says that kings do not reign by chance or fortune, but that God wills the world to be governed in this way, lest confusion and disorder of affairs should break apart human society — as we see in the book of Judges that there was everywhere a horrible confusion among the Israelite people when there was no king or judge in Israel. We must therefore recognize it as a singular benefit of God when he gives good magistrates, so that we may willingly submit to his ordinance.

Therefore it is evident that Saul here brings great disgrace upon himself and greatly detracts from his own dignity and authority when he mentions fields, vineyards, and courtly ranks, by the bestowal of which alone he thinks he has bound his ministers to himself, and for that reason wants to be honored by them. For how would his kingdom stand, sustained only by the goodwill of a few men bound to him by gifts and handouts? Indeed, if someone thinks he can retain royal authority by binding thirty, sixty, or even a hundred men to himself with gifts and handouts, he is greatly mistaken — since he incurs the hatred and ill will of far more people whom he has despoiled of their goods or treated harshly in order to stuff those hungry men and fatten them like pigs with others' wealth. But suppose he satisfies everyone, elevating some to high positions and heaping benefits on others — even so his kingdom will not be established on a firm foundation unless it rests on God. Indeed, if any king or prince wishes to have God as his protector and defender, he is admonished in Scripture to pursue piety and clemency above all. For Solomon teaches that the thrones and scepters of kings are established by this means. Therefore let us recognize that those words of Saul were the ravings of a madman: Will David give you fields or vineyards, or make you tribunes and centurions? For the anointing he had received by divine command through Samuel never came to his mind — in which he betrays his ingratitude. For he did not need to look far for an example of God's grace, which stood out so clearly and conspicuously in himself. For when had he been designated king by Samuel's ministry? Was he not a rustic cattle-herder, so that there was no hope that either he or anyone of his family would ever attain the royal dignity? By what reasoning, I ask, can that be ascribed to men? Was it not a conspicuous benefit of God and an extraordinary work?

And yet here he mentions only fields, vineyards, and dignities, as if he had never experienced God's goodness except through the benefit of men — and indeed of those whom he had bound to himself by favors. But if he had made any comparison of men, to whom, I ask, was he more indebted and obligated by a multitude of services than to David? For who saved his life and fortunes except David? Had he perhaps given David vineyards and fields as a reward that prompted him to render faithful service to the king? Since therefore he now sees that David was designated and anointed as king by God's command through Samuel, ought he not to have adored that sacred anointing and recognized that — since it was done by the decree of the One who rules the entire world and chooses the men whom he places over nations — he must not resist his will but rather willingly acquiesce? For this reason Scripture says that princes and kings are in God's hand, and that they receive from the Lord as much dominion as he wills, because dominions and kingdoms are placed in the power of God alone.

Therefore Saul's ungrateful spirit is all the more exposed in this matter — he who measures the loyalty of his servants solely by compensation. But where, I ask, did Saul get so many fields and vineyards, except from the taxes and tributes that he imposed on the people? Yet he had not been elected king on that condition. God had indeed forewarned the people who demanded a king that the king would take away their fields and possessions and give them to his household servants. Indeed, the king would take their children by force and make them his servants and slaves. God had indeed predicted this would happen, but he had not thereby given Saul the power to exercise such tyranny. For kings had received from Moses instructions about what their duty was, which he had left recorded in his writings. For the king, Moses says, shall not exalt himself above his brothers; he shall be modest and humane toward the people; he shall contain himself within his limits, lest the people be oppressed. Should not Saul, elevated to royal dignity, have meditated on those precepts of the Lord? Indeed, when he sins against them, he is insulting God himself and as it were deliberately provokes God, when he says he has fields, vineyards, and various possessions with which to reward those who render him faithful service. He clearly boasts of many plunderings and despoliations of the people; and when, having stripped the skin from the wretched sheep whose shepherd he ought to have been, he wants to clothe whomever he pleases, he shows that he has converted his kingdom into sheer tyranny and has introduced a slaughter in place of pastoral care, of which he himself is the leader, while the rest, like robbers, lust after plunder and thirst for human blood. For he could not bestow so many things on his own people and reward his attendants without overwhelming the people with extortions and plunderings — when royal dignity ought to preserve to each his own.

But such is the blindness of earthly princes and kings that they think everything is permitted to them, and consider their own will to be a law to which all must submit. Indeed, if they were not devoid of all sense, they would, looking at their own life and condition, be the first to condemn themselves by their own vote. For tolerable is the condition of private men, who content with their own goods lead a modest life. But the condition of the rich is far different — although if any of them seek goods so as to despoil their neighbors and distribute according to their will to others, they are immediately condemned by the vote of all. But princes and kings abuse their authority and dignity to plunder others' goods and think that the distinction between right and good is removed by their own caprice. If therefore they oppress some innocent person, they want the deed to be passed over in silence. Indeed, this is how the princes of this world generally act. But they ought to remember what the prophet records about their condition in Psalm 82: You princes shall die, he says, and shall fall like one of the common people. But besides this, the prophet teaches in that Psalm that God sits in the midst of the princes and presides among them, and reckons in his accounts all their reproaches and insults toward the common people. But of these things, he says, they do not think.

And why? Because they are designated by such distinguished titles, being called sons of God and his ambassadors here on earth, and therefore do not remember that they are mortal creatures and are forgetful of their own frailty. And therefore they think they are not subject to any laws and are not bound. But the prophet ridicules the foolish arrogance of these men when he says: Nevertheless you shall die like one of the common people, and though you be princes, you shall yet one day be compelled to render an account of your deeds to the supreme Emperor. For this world is only a kind of pilgrimage, and earthly power contributes nothing to heavenly life. Therefore those who are raised to the heights of honors and dignities should consider that they have been called by God to perform their duty toward the peoples over whom they have been set by God; and that principalities and dominions have been ordained by God not for the benefit of a few, but for the welfare of all — namely, of the people, not of the courtiers alone. These therefore should be the concerns of kings and princes.

But if God does not spare princes and men of the highest dignity, whose empire extends far and wide, what do we suppose will happen to lesser magistrates who are in a moderate position? Will they enjoy some special privilege above the rest? Indeed, those whom God wills to be in a moderate state ought to recognize that this is done for their highest good and benefit. For ambition so blinds many that they would rather allow themselves to be oppressed with taxes, tributes, and every tyranny — provided that they are subject to the name of some great king or emperor — than to live in some humble apparent station. We see that the Jews seriously sinned against God in this vice; for though they had endured many hardships and grievous things from kings, in the time of Hezekiah they nevertheless desired to come into the protection and obedience of the Assyrians, because their empire stretched far and wide and spread their fame into distant regions. But God severely rebuked them through the prophet, saying: You are not content with the brook of Siloam — for that brook flowed past Jerusalem — and you desire rapid rivers, but in them you will finally be drowned, and you will experience deep whirlpools when you are overwhelmed by them. Therefore let us learn that when God does not wish us to be ruled by these great monarchies but to live in some humble station, he is sparing us — that he has mercy on us and lifts us up in gentler waters as if by chin so that we may swim out. And let us thank him for so great a benefit and pray with petitions that he would perpetuate it.

Moreover, this doctrine must be applied more broadly to our use — namely, that when God calls us to some office, we should not consider what reward will be paid us, but follow alacritously God who calls. For although mercenaries advertise their deeds and seek glory from them, they will not be pleasing and acceptable to God. Indeed, the diligence of many is well known, and their labors in their office are noted; but for what end, I ask, do they propose their labors? Namely, the highest abundance of riches and resources. But where ambition, where greed is the goal set for one's labors, nothing can be done rightly, nothing sincerely. And if there are any virtues, they are nevertheless overwhelmed by these vices and are an abomination to God. What therefore must be done? Let us alacritously follow God who calls and render him faithful service, imitating him as sons their father — for he wills us to be conformed to himself and as his children to imitate his deeds. Therefore we must compose ourselves quietly to his service, and follow willingly wherever he leads, intent only on his will and decree.

And yet he, mindful of our frailty, even invites us with the proposal of a reward; and Holy Scripture expressly teaches us that God is not worshiped in vain. In this matter the highest goodness of God appears, in pardoning our weakness and inviting us to his worship by setting forth a reward, knowing that otherwise we would be too sluggish and lazy. So therefore God draws us to himself even with a promised reward, but he does not wish it to be our goal and end. For those who labor until they have proceeded in his worship through various dangers and the risks of death, and have hoped against hope in him in the midst of the surging tempests — God has indeed made promises to those who walk in his fear and obedience, not only of obtaining eternal life, but also of the present life as Paul himself teaches in 1 Timothy 4, that piety is profitable for all things, having promise of the present life and of that to come. To this also the promise made to Abraham by the Lord looked: I am your great reward.

But although the faithful have this promise from God — that he who is the source and fountain of every good will give them a great reward if they persist in his worship — nevertheless they ought to prepare themselves to bear many afflictions. Indeed, even if God should wish to test them so that he seems to want to overthrow them and completely confound them, they should never lose heart but always worship him from the heart. For, as Paul says, the condition of Christians would be most miserable if they had no other expectation than that of the present life. But God exercises them with various calamities and miseries, lest they become like the unbelieving wretches who always gape for these earthly things with open mouths, intent like hungry dogs upon prey. Therefore, lest the faithful be tempted by these earthly cares to seek their reward in this world, God does not allow them to abound in riches in it or to indulge themselves in pleasures, but keeps them in a moderate state, or even exercises them with various trials. Therefore we must take care lest we measure even the promised reward by the course of earthly happiness and the abundance of things in this earth and by leisure.

As for eternal life, it is certain that the reward is promised to us there. Yet if we devote ourselves to his worship and the divine honor only in the hope of that reward, whatever we accomplish for that end will be unpleasing to him and rejected by him. For God must be loved for his own sake and worshiped with a sincere heart, since he is our Creator and the Father of souls. Therefore the reward set before us must indeed be like a spur to stir us up to perform our duty more eagerly. But it must not be the principal goal at which we are to aim. Therefore those words of the Lord to Abraham which we touched on above must be diligently observed: I am your great reward. By these words we are taught that God promises us many things — since he is the fount of all good things — but meanwhile he wills that we look upon him alone and rest in him alone, considering our condition the best because we are pleasing and acceptable to him and depend on him alone. Therefore we are not to seek or expect a reward in this earth, nor to entangle our minds with earthly affections, but to proceed bravely and uprightly in God's worship through the midst of afflictions.

Moreover, we must consider that although we strive with a brave spirit and to the utmost of our ability to perform our duty, we can never perfectly fulfill all its parts, as we are obligated. And therefore the reward promised by God is not paid for our merits, but since we are unprofitable servants, it is given to us out of God's mere liberality, not as a debt. Indeed, if from the heart we acknowledge our weakness and confess it, it is certain that our humility will be pleasing and acceptable to God and will be exalted in due time. Therefore, though in everyone's opinion we may be most miserable, let it suffice for us to be pleasing and acceptable to God, and let us await the promised reward — not as something owed to our merits, but as flowing from God's free liberality, in that he spares us and bears with our weaknesses. Therefore the fact that he promises a reward let us think to be done from his free adoption, by which he has chosen us and called us to the inheritance of the heavenly kingdom.

And enough of these matters. Now let us return to Saul's complaints. He says therefore: There is no one who grieves for me on your account, because my son has stirred up my servant against me. By these words he speaks like those who would obtain favor from men against God's will. For those who are led by true repentance flee to prayers to God, and if he wishes to chastise them for their sins, they willingly submit themselves to him; nor do they consider as enemies those whom God will exalt to the rejection of others, but they will expect from them the offices of humanity. But on the contrary, the obstinate and arrogant are agitated by fierce fury and rage, and leap beyond the bounds of reason, and want every distinction between right and good removed.

Saul therefore is here set before us as an example of those whom no repentance for evil deeds touches, and who against God's chastisements desire shields to be held up by men, and think no account is taken of them unless one rises up against God and against all equity. Therefore this doctrine must be diligently impressed upon our hearts: that if God wishes to chastise us, we should not implore the help and favor of men in such a way that, in our favor, they pollute themselves with inhumanity and injustice and against right and equity bring help to us, and God is offended and provoked to anger. But let us be content with those being affected by our evils who desire our salvation and procure it as far as possible. Let us not, I say, desire that men in our favor undertake the defense of an unjust cause and rise up obstinately against God; but let us calmly submit our necks to the divine judgments.

Indeed, Saul's fury appears most of all in those words when he says that his son Jonathan has conspired against him. But I ask, why did God move Jonathan? And I ask, was Jonathan treacherous? What was his conspiracy against his father? By what factions did he try to depose his father from the kingdom? He certainly helped David in his labors and provided for his life and head, whose loyalty and innocence he sufficiently knew, and how much he was owed by all he was aware of. Furthermore, he was not unaware that David had been designated king by God, and therefore he knew that he could not and should not contradict God's decree. Willingly therefore he submits himself to God's judgments and freely yields to David the dignity of the crown which he could have obtained by succession.

and as it were places it in God's hands. Saul's evil mind therefore appears from these things — he who would gladly have wished his men to be carried rashly and with closed eyes against God's will and to dare anything, provided that he himself retained his royal authority. But truly we have no occasion to complain about men if they are unwilling, on our behalf, to undertake anything against God; rather, we ought to praise their piety and religion. Therefore let us diligently meditate on this doctrine, and not attribute it to cruelty or inhumanity if we are not aided by twisted favors and not exempted from divine judgments — which no created thing can or ought to undertake. But on the contrary, let us glorify God if men do their duty as they ought, and God by his power directs their counsels, so that without regard for friendship, dignity, or persons, he wills account to be taken of right and equity.

Now as for Doeg's denouncing the priests to Saul, there is no doubt that he was enticed by those words of Saul in which he had said he had fields, vineyards, and possessions to reward those who had rendered him faithful service. Therefore that Doeg, like a dog gaping for prey, is carried away by his greed and, in order to satisfy Saul's fury, does not spare the priests. Indeed, there is no doubt that since he was an Edomite — though long resident among the Israelites — he retained an Edomite, that is, hostile, mind. The Edomites indeed retained the sign of circumcision, being descended from Esau, but they had been cut off from the church. Doeg therefore, although himself circumcised, was nevertheless a pretender and a hypocrite in the church, conducting himself among the Jews so that he held the first place among the royal shepherds. But he made little of pure and sincere religion and the worship of God; therefore he plotted against the lives of God's priests. David exposes his fraud and evil will more fully in the Psalm cited above, and as a prophet describes God's judgment against him. For David did not, carried away by his own emotions, attack Doeg in those things, but pronounced sentence against him by the inspiration of God's Spirit, so that his wickedness and baseness might be manifested to all and rendered detestable, and we might have instruction in his case.

David therefore pronounces that, although Doeg with that venomous tongue had sharpened Saul's fury, God's kindness will nevertheless remain forever, and he will destroy the dwelling of wicked men and the false and deceitful tongue, and will uproot it from the land of the living — which the righteous, seeing, will revere God and laugh at this man, for they will receive consolation. These words are worthy of careful consideration, so that we may recognize that God's judgments differ greatly from the opinions of men. For someone might perhaps say Doeg deserved to be excused, even though he expected some prey and some spoils from David, because he simply answered the king's questions and feigned nothing but narrated what he had seen and what had happened. Furthermore, if he had been entirely silent and afterward it had been brought to the king's ears that he knew where David was, he would have been in danger of his life. Thus many are accustomed to color over their deeds with specious reasonings, so that no distinction appears between black and white. But when the Holy Spirit has interposed his judgment, the decree is unchangeable; one must stand by his sentence and judgment. And therefore it must be held above all that Doeg had no trust in God, from which as from a fountain his other crimes flowed. For if he had had a single drop of true religion, certainly he would have preferred to die a thousand deaths rather than to so treacherously denounce David and the priest, in whom the testimonies of divine grace shone forth so openly. But the sole hope of gain and of attaining dignity caused him to proceed in his malice — which we shall pursue further in the following homilies, with God's grace.

Now then, let us proceed, etc.

6. And Saul heard that David and the men who were with him had appeared. Now Saul was staying in Gibeah, sitting in the grove that is in Ramah, with his spear in hand, and all his servants were standing around him. 7. And he said to his servants who stood about him: Hear me now, sons of Benjamin: will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards, and make all of you tribunes and centurions? 8. For you have all conspired against me, and there is no one who informs me, especially since my son has made a covenant with the son of Jesse. There is no one among you who grieves for me or who tells me that my son has stirred up my servant against me, lying in wait to this day. 9. Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing by and was first among Saul's servants, answered and said: I saw the son of Jesse in Nob, with Ahimelech the son of Ahitub. 10. He consulted the Lord for him and gave him provisions, and also gave him the sword of Goliath the Philistine.

What follows tells us the outcome of the very things David had reason to fear — and his trials were greatly increased as a result. When the prophet commanded David to come to the land of Judah, there was still some hope that God might soften Saul's fury and open a way for David to be reconciled with him and restored to his former position — a change that was not beyond the Lord's power. So David pushed past all the objections that might have kept him from obeying God's command. But when Saul heard that David had come into Judah and raged more furiously than before — bitterly accusing his servants of treachery — it was certainly a severe trial for David to have so readily trusted a simple prophet's word and walked straight into present danger. We commonly see that many people submit themselves to God with great courage for a moment, but when things turn out contrary to their expectations and God does not help them in the way they had imagined, they become furious and begin to speak against God for delaying His help. So many who begin well suddenly fail, because they persuade themselves that God is not helping them or making their situation prosper as they wished, and the end does not match the beginning.

David could easily have been driven by such thoughts — convinced that things had gone badly because he had obeyed the prophet too quickly and that God had dragged him to the slaughter. Yet as Psalm 34 makes clear — which we said in the previous sermon was composed about this very history — these thoughts never moved David from his duty or crushed his spirit. Even though he knew Doeg had denounced him to Saul and saw death apparently standing before him, he did not stop turning to God and placing his trust in Him. This is evident from the beginning of Psalm 52, where he confronts Doeg with these words: 'Why do you boast in malice, you who are mighty in iniquity?' A little further on he adds: 'But I am like a fruitful olive tree in the house of God; I have trusted in the mercy of God forever.' By these words David acknowledges that he was repeatedly lifted up by God's own hand and rescued from imminent danger. And the conclusion of the Psalm — those words that must be carefully noted — is that he hopes in God's mercy forever and ever. So though David was beaten by blow after blow, trials that seemed not only to shake his faith but to overthrow it entirely, he leaned on God with such great trust that he was persuaded God's favor and protection would never fail him. And though he was exercised by various trials for a time, he was confident that God's hand would sustain him when it truly mattered.

Before we proceed further, we should consider the scene where Saul, having heard that David had appeared, stands in the grove in Ramah and gathers his servants to deliberate — just as kings do when an emergency or crisis arises and they convene their counselors. That place was well known, so it is not surprising that Saul and his men gathered there. The detail that Saul held his spear in his hand is significant — kings did not typically walk around in that posture unless they feared a great and imminent danger. Saul is portrayed as a man bracing for an enemy.

Having gathered his council, Saul shows himself pressed by the greatest fears and anxieties. He begins by complaining about everyone around him, as though they were all betraying him and breaking their sworn loyalty. 'Hear me now, sons of Benjamin' — he addresses them specifically as members of his own tribe, those bound to him most closely, as if to say: I have always placed my trust in you above all others, expecting your support in uncertain times. But you betray me. Who else can I turn to? I thought the whole world would let me down before you would — you who are bound to me by blood. And yet I see there is no loyalty in you. When he calls them 'sons of Benjamin,' he speaks it as a rebuke — a king confronting those of his own blood and closest kin, throwing their betrayal back in their faces.

He adds: 'Will the son of Jesse give all of you fields and vineyards, and make all of you commanders and officers? For you have all conspired against me, and not one of you has told me, especially since my son has made a covenant

with the son of Jesse — and not one of you is troubled by this or has told me anything about it.' With these complaints Saul denounced them all as traitors.

Then Doeg the Edomite, who was in charge of Saul's flocks, told Saul that he had seen David in Nob with Ahimelech the priest, who had provided him with food, given him a sword and weapons, and consulted God on his behalf to determine whether his journey would succeed. Doeg's report poured fuel on Saul's fury against the priests — so fiercely that Saul handed them all over to death.

In Saul's words we see as in a mirror the typical pattern of earthly princes, who want their subjects to be loyal — and who try to secure that loyalty by offering wealth, since kings have the power to enrich those around them. But if friendship and loyalty rest on nothing more than that foundation, the prince's condition is most miserable. Kings and princes tend to be blinded by their own power, not realizing that their situation would actually be much better if they lived more modestly and understood what genuine friendship really is. Kings can hardly find a true friend — and they cannot tolerate those who are truly friends. They are suspicious of those who love them sincerely, stripping them of their possessions and refusing to let anyone have a standing close enough to be called a friend of the king. Kings may speak of loving certain people, but they have no real understanding of friendship. They operate on Saul's principle: that loyalty is bought by enriching servants through favors. But as I said, this is a very weak foundation. Someone who is loyal only for the sake of wealth can change from hour to hour. He keeps faith only as long as it serves his interests — and the moment a better opportunity for personal gain appears, he shifts allegiance, because his only real goal has always been to acquire wealth, influence, and position.

In the end, earthly princes cannot rest easy in their minds or trust the people around them — they always suspect that some of them are secretly their enemies. And yet this miserable condition suits them and they thrive in it, like a sick man who nurses and deliberately worsens his own illness. Earthly princes are not only accustomed to seeking friends through lavish gifts and great wealth — they must keep feeding those appetites endlessly, enriching their attendants without limit, lest any loyalty grow cold. They must constantly throw a scrap into the mouths of their servants, like starving dogs, to keep them from biting. This is the way of princes — and yet if you asked them directly whether they approve of friendships based solely on usefulness, they would hotly deny it. Ask them whether they wish this vice corrected, and they would say yes. But blinded by their authority and power, they keep doing exactly what they always have.

And the servants are no different from their masters. Their sole concern is to covet others' wealth and to keep their nets spread for plunder — though often their hopes are disappointed and their expectations frustrated. It frequently happens that men consume themselves and waste their resources on the mere hope of landing a position at court. From this comes the old saying: Fortune reigns in the courts of princes — because within those courts there is usually great upheaval. Some rise to the highest positions while others are pressed down to nothing. The reasons behind these reversals are hidden from men, but they flow from God's remarkable counsel — God who laughs at the ambition of those who bear great hardships and exhaust themselves chasing royal favor, when they could have been living contentedly at home, enjoying what they already had.

God laughs, I say, at the ambition and hunger for honors of such men — permitting them to suffer great losses, endure reproaches, be tormented like prisoners in chains, and drain their resources — so that He may instruct them through these very outcomes. Other men God raises to the highest honors and fills with the greatest wealth — only to see them cast down and reduced to poverty afterward. This does not happen by some turn of blind fortune, but because these men are consumed by ambition and the craving for honors. God fills them with honors, and because they burn with insatiable greed, He supplies them with an abundance of everything — so that as their arrogance swells and their thirst for more blazes hotter, the very things they craved become the instruments of their ruin. This is why such great upheaval reigns throughout the courts of princes: some are lifted to honors without merit, while others who have spent years earning them through faithful service are passed over and despised. These reversals are so dramatic that someone among the ancients rightly compared courtiers to counting-tokens used in accounting — tokens that one moment represent a thousand or ten thousand, and the next moment represent a single penny. The position of courtiers striving for rank and influence is exactly the same.

In short, as I said, princes hope to keep their servants loyal because they have bound them through many favors. And in return, those servants are always looking for opportunity — plunder is their sole aim, and this is their sole pursuit. They do not embrace their lords with genuine love, nor do they keep faith out of any sense of duty — only out of the hope and desire of accumulating wealth.

All of this is on display in Saul's words where he reproaches his servants for treachery, asking: 'Will the son of Jesse give you fields and vineyards? Will he make you commanders and officers?' But if Saul had truly reflected on where the authority and dignity of kings comes from, he would have traced it all the way up to God — from whom kings and princes receive dominion over peoples, and by whose will they are held in honor and esteem. When Holy Scripture commands us to submit to kings, princes, and all other magistrates — to all who administer justice — the reason it gives is not that they can advance us in honor and wealth, or that we can obtain houses, fields, and vineyards from them. The reason is that God has raised them to that authority and dignity and wills them to be recognized and honored as His ministers and representatives. This therefore is the only reason subjects ought to submit: God's ordinance. This is why the wise man says that kings do not reign by chance or fortune, but because God wills the world to be governed in this way — so that confusion and disorder do not tear apart human society. We see what that disorder looks like in the book of Judges, where there was terrible chaos among the Israelite people whenever there was no king or judge in Israel. We must therefore recognize it as a singular gift of God when He provides good rulers — and submit willingly to His ordinance.

It is clear that Saul brings great shame on himself and deeply undermines his own authority when all he can talk about is fields, vineyards, and positions at court — as if these handouts are the only bond holding his servants to him, and the only reason he deserves their loyalty. How could his kingdom possibly stand, upheld only by the goodwill of a few men he has bought with gifts? If someone thinks he can hold onto royal authority by bribing thirty, sixty, or even a hundred men with favors and rewards, he is gravely mistaken — because in doing so he creates far more enemies than friends. He strips others of their goods or treats them harshly in order to fatten these men with other people's wealth, and those stripped bear him deep hatred. And even if he managed to satisfy everyone — elevating some and heaping benefits on others — his kingdom would still not stand on a firm foundation unless it rested on God. If any king or prince truly wants God as his protector and defender, Scripture instructs him to pursue godliness and clemency above all else. Solomon teaches that it is by these means that the thrones and scepters of kings are established. So let us see Saul's words for what they are — the ravings of a madman: 'Will David give you fields or vineyards, or make you commanders and officers?' The sacred anointing he had received through Samuel by God's command never even crossed his mind — and in this his ingratitude stands fully exposed. He did not have to look far for an example of God's grace. It was most clearly and conspicuously visible in himself. What had he been when Samuel anointed him king? Nothing but a common farmer. There was no reason to expect that he or anyone from his family would ever attain the royal dignity. By what logic, I ask, can such a thing be credited to human beings? Was this not a clear act of God's goodness — an extraordinary work of divine grace?

And yet Saul mentions only fields, vineyards, and positions — as if he had never experienced God's goodness at all, only the favors of men he had bound to himself through rewards. But if he were comparing men honestly, to whom did he owe the greatest debt? Who had served him more faithfully than David? Who had saved his life and his kingdom if not David? Had he perhaps rewarded David with vineyards and fields as payment for that faithful service? And now that Saul could see with his own eyes that David had been designated and anointed king by God's command through Samuel — should he not have bowed before that sacred anointing? Should he not have recognized that since it was done by the decree of the One who governs the entire world and chooses the men He places over nations, he had no right to resist God's will, but only to yield to it? This is exactly why Scripture says that princes and kings are in God's hand — that they receive from the Lord whatever dominion He chooses to give, because all dominion and all kingdoms are in God's power alone.

Saul's ungrateful spirit is therefore all the more exposed here — a man who measures his servants' loyalty purely by what he pays them. But where did Saul get all those fields and vineyards in the first place, except from the taxes and tributes he imposed on the people? And yet he had not been made king on those terms. God had indeed warned the people who demanded a king that the king would take their fields and possessions and give them to his own household servants. He would take their children by force and make them his servants and slaves. God had predicted this would happen — but He had not thereby authorized Saul to exercise that kind of tyranny. Kings had received from Moses clear instructions about their duties, which Moses left recorded in writing. The king, Moses said, shall not exalt himself above his brothers. He shall be modest and humane toward the people. He shall keep himself within his proper limits so that the people are not oppressed. Should not Saul, elevated to royal dignity, have meditated on those commands of the Lord? When he violates them, he insults God Himself — as if deliberately provoking Him — by boasting that he has fields, vineyards, and various possessions to reward those who serve him faithfully. He is essentially boasting of his plundering and despoiling of the people. Having stripped the fleece from the very sheep he was supposed to shepherd, he wants to give it to whoever pleases him. He has turned his kingdom into outright tyranny and replaced pastoral care with slaughter — with himself as the lead predator, and the rest of his men like robbers, lusting for plunder and thirsting for blood. He could not distribute so many things to his own people and reward his attendants without crushing the people beneath extortion and robbery — when royal authority is supposed to protect every person in the security of what is theirs.

But such is the blindness of earthly kings and princes that they think everything is permitted to them and regard their own will as a law to which all must bow. And yet if they were not completely stripped of all good sense, they would, looking honestly at their own lives, be the first to condemn themselves. The condition of ordinary men is tolerable — content with what they have, they lead a modest life. The condition of the wealthy is already quite different — and yet even among the wealthy, anyone who seizes others' goods to distribute according to his own fancy is immediately condemned by everyone. But kings and princes abuse their authority and dignity to plunder others' goods, imagining that their own caprice has abolished the distinction between right and wrong. If they harm an innocent person, they expect it to pass without comment. This is how the princes of this world generally conduct themselves. But they ought to remember what the prophet declares about their condition in Psalm 82: 'You princes shall die, and shall fall like any common man.' Moreover, the prophet teaches in that Psalm that God sits in the midst of princes and presides over them, keeping a full account of every reproach and injustice they commit against the common people. All of this, the prophet says, they never stop to think about.

Why do princes never stop to think about these things? Because they are given such grand titles — called sons of God and His ambassadors on earth — and therefore forget that they are mortal creatures, losing sight of their own frailty. They conclude that they are not subject to any laws and are bound by nothing. But the prophet mocks the foolish arrogance of these men when he says: 'Nevertheless, you will die like any common man — and though you are princes, one day you will be compelled to give an account of your deeds to the supreme Emperor.' This world is only a kind of pilgrimage, and earthly power contributes nothing to the life that awaits. Therefore those who are elevated to high honors and positions should understand that they have been called by God to perform their duty toward the peoples over whom God has set them — and that kingdoms and dominions were ordained by God not for the benefit of a few, but for the welfare of all, namely the people, not just the courtiers. These are the things kings and princes ought to be thinking about.

But if God does not spare even princes and men of the highest dignity, whose empires extend far and wide, what do we suppose awaits lesser magistrates who hold a more modest position? Will they enjoy some special privilege beyond what others receive? Indeed, those whom God places in a moderate station ought to recognize this as a great good and benefit done for them. Ambition so blinds many that they would rather suffer under heavy taxes, tributes, and every form of tyranny — provided they belong to some great king or empire — than live in a humbler but more secure situation. We see that the Jews committed a serious sin against God in exactly this way. Even after enduring great hardships and suffering under their own kings, in the time of Hezekiah they sought the protection of the Assyrians, because their empire was vast and their fame stretched into distant lands. But God rebuked them sharply through the prophet, saying: 'You are not content with the gentle brook of Siloam' — for that stream flowed past Jerusalem — 'and you long for great rushing rivers. But in those rivers you will be drowned, swallowed up by their deep whirlpools.' Let us therefore learn that when God does not place us under these great empires but keeps us in a more humble situation, He is being kind to us — He is showing us mercy, guiding us through gentler waters so that we can swim safely. Let us thank Him for so great a blessing and pray that He will continue it.

This teaching must also be applied broadly to our own lives: when God calls us to some office or duty, we should not think first about what reward we will receive, but eagerly follow the God who calls. Mercenaries who advertise their services and seek glory from their work will not be pleasing or acceptable to God. The diligence of many people is well known, and their hard work in their positions is noted. But what, I ask, is the goal they set before all their labor? The greatest possible abundance of wealth and resources. But where ambition or greed is the goal of one's work, nothing can be done rightly or sincerely. Whatever virtues such people may have are overwhelmed by these vices and become an abomination to God. What then must we do? We must eagerly follow God who calls us and render Him faithful service, imitating Him as children imitate their father — for He wills us to be shaped in His likeness and to imitate His works as His children. We must therefore settle into His service quietly and follow willingly wherever He leads, with our eyes fixed on His will alone.

And yet God, mindful of our weakness, even graciously invites us with the promise of a reward. Holy Scripture explicitly teaches that God is not worshipped in vain. In this we see the greatest goodness of God — He pardons our weakness and draws us to His worship by setting a reward before us, knowing that otherwise we would be far too sluggish and slow. So God does draw us to Himself with a promised reward — but He does not want that reward to be our final goal and end. For those who have pressed forward in His worship through various dangers and the threat of death, and have hoped in Him against all hope in the midst of surging storms — to those who walk in His fear and obedience God has made promises not only of eternal life, but also of the present life. As Paul himself teaches in 1 Timothy 4: godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the present life and of the life to come. To this same truth points the promise the Lord made to Abraham: 'I am your great reward.'

But although the faithful have this promise from God — that He who is the source of every good will give a great reward to those who persist in His worship — they must still prepare themselves to bear many afflictions. Even if God seems to want to throw them down and overwhelm them completely, they must never lose heart but continue to worship Him from the heart. As Paul says, the condition of Christians would be the most miserable of all if their only hope were in this present life. But God exercises His people through various calamities and hardships, so that they do not become like the unbelieving who are always gaping for earthly things with wide-open mouths, fixed like hungry dogs on prey. So that the faithful are not tempted by earthly cares to seek their reward in this world, God does not allow them to accumulate great wealth or to indulge themselves in pleasures, but keeps them in a moderate condition — or even tests them through various trials. We must therefore be careful not to measure even God's promised reward by earthly happiness, the abundance of material things, and a life of ease.

As for eternal life — the reward is certainly promised to us there. But if we devote ourselves to God's worship and honor only in the hope of that reward, whatever we do with that motive will be displeasing to Him and rejected. God must be loved for His own sake and worshipped with a sincere heart, since He is our Creator and the Father of our souls. The reward set before us should therefore serve as a spur, stirring us up to perform our duty more eagerly. But it must not be the primary goal toward which we aim. This is why we should take careful note of those words the Lord spoke to Abraham, which we touched on earlier: 'I am your great reward.' By these words we are taught that God promises us many things — since He is the fountain of all good — but at the same time He wants us to look to Him alone and rest in Him alone. Our situation is best when we are pleasing and acceptable to Him and depend on Him alone. We are not to seek or expect a reward in this earth, or entangle our hearts with earthly desires, but to press on courageously and uprightly in God's worship through the midst of afflictions.

Furthermore, we must recognize that even when we strive with our best effort and all our strength to fulfill our duty, we can never perfectly meet all its demands as we are required to. Therefore the reward God promises is not paid out because of our merits. Since we are unprofitable servants, it is given to us purely out of God's generosity — not as something owed, but as a free gift. If from the heart we acknowledge our weakness and confess it honestly, our humility will be pleasing and acceptable to God and will be lifted up in due time. So, though in everyone else's eyes we may appear most wretched, let it be enough for us to be pleasing and acceptable to God. Let us await the promised reward — not as something our merits have earned, but as flowing from God's free generosity, in that He bears patiently with us and overlooks our weaknesses. The very fact that He promises us a reward we should understand as an act of His free adoption — by which He has chosen us and called us to the inheritance of the heavenly kingdom.

But enough of that. Let us return to Saul's complaints. He says: 'There is no one who grieves for me on your account, because my son has stirred up my servant against me.' By these words he reveals the spirit of those who want to gain men's favor against God's will. Those who are led by genuine repentance flee to God in prayer. If He wants to discipline them for their sins, they willingly submit to Him. They do not regard as enemies those whom God is exalting by setting aside others — they wait on God and expect from those people only acts of kindness. But the stubborn and arrogant do the opposite — they burn with fierce fury and rage, leaping beyond all reason, wanting every distinction between right and wrong removed.

Saul is therefore set before us here as an example of those who are untouched by any repentance for their evil deeds, and who, when faced with God's discipline, want men to shield them — thinking no one truly cares for them unless someone is willing to rise up against God and against all justice on their behalf. This teaching must therefore be deeply fixed in our hearts: if God wishes to discipline us, we must not seek men's help and favor in such a way that, on our behalf, they defile themselves with cruelty and injustice — bringing help against all right and equity and so provoking God to greater anger. Let us be content with those who are moved by our troubles and seek our welfare as far as they honestly can. We must not desire men to take up an unjust cause on our behalf and set themselves stubbornly against God. Let us instead calmly bow our necks to God's judgments.

Saul's fury appears most clearly in his charge that his son Jonathan conspired against him. But I ask: what was God's purpose in moving Jonathan? And was Jonathan actually a traitor? What was his conspiracy against his father? By what plotting did he try to remove his father from the throne? Jonathan simply helped David in his time of need and preserved his life — being fully aware of David's loyalty and innocence, and knowing how much was owed to him. Furthermore, Jonathan knew full well that David had been designated king by God, and therefore understood that he could not and should not oppose God's decree. He willingly submitted himself to God's judgment and freely yielded to David the royal dignity he could have claimed by succession.

In doing so, Jonathan placed the crown, as it were, in God's hands. Saul's corrupt heart is therefore fully exposed: he would have been glad to see his men rush blindly against God's will and dare anything at all, provided that he himself kept his royal authority. But we have no grounds to complain about people who refuse to act against God on our behalf. We ought instead to praise their faithfulness and their fear of God. Let us therefore take this teaching deeply to heart, and not call it cruelty or indifference when people refuse to help us through unjust favors or shield us from God's judgment — which no created thing can or ought to do. On the contrary, let us glorify God when men do their duty as they should, and when God by His power directs their counsels — so that, without regard for friendship, status, or persons, He ensures that right and justice are honored.

As for Doeg's denouncing of the priests to Saul, there is no doubt he was stirred up by Saul's words promising fields, vineyards, and rewards to those who served him faithfully. Doeg, like a dog gaping for prey, let his greed drive him — and in order to please Saul's rage, he did not spare the priests. And since he was an Edomite — though he had lived among the Israelites for a long time — there is no doubt he retained an Edomite heart, that is, a hostile one. The Edomites did carry the mark of circumcision, being descended from Esau, but they had been cut off from the church. Doeg, though circumcised, was a pretender and a hypocrite in the congregation — living among the Jews and holding the first rank among the royal herdsmen. But he cared little for pure and sincere religion and the true worship of God, and so he was willing to plot against the lives of God's priests. David exposes Doeg's fraud and evil intent more fully in the Psalm cited earlier, pronouncing God's judgment against him as a prophet. David was not acting out of personal anger when he wrote against Doeg — he pronounced sentence by the inspiration of God's Spirit, so that Doeg's wickedness and baseness would be made plain to all, held up as something detestable, and serve as a lesson for us.

David therefore declares that, though Doeg had used his poisonous tongue to sharpen Saul's fury, God's kindness will nevertheless remain forever. God will destroy the dwelling of the wicked and the false and deceitful tongue, uprooting it from the land of the living — which the righteous, seeing this, will fear God and rejoice over, finding consolation. These words deserve careful attention, so that we may understand how greatly God's judgment differs from human opinion. Someone might argue that Doeg deserved to be excused — after all, he was hoping for some reward and simply answered the king's questions. He made nothing up; he only reported what he had seen and what had happened. And if he had stayed silent and Saul had later discovered that Doeg had known David's location all along, his life would have been at risk. Many people cover their deeds with exactly these kinds of plausible-sounding reasons, until no distinction between right and wrong can be seen. But when the Holy Spirit has rendered His judgment, that verdict is final and must stand. Above all, it must be established that Doeg had no trust in God whatsoever — and from that lack, all his other crimes flowed as from a spring. Had he possessed even a drop of true religion, he would certainly have preferred to die a thousand deaths rather than to so treacherously betray David and the priest, in whom the marks of God's grace shone so clearly. It was the hope of gain and of advancing his own position that drove him forward in his malice — which we will pursue further in the following sermons, with God's help.

Now then, let us proceed, etc.