Sermon 93: 1 Samuel 26:1-6

1. And the Ziphites came to Saul in Gibeah, saying: Behold, David is hidden in the hill of Hachilah, which is over against the wilderness. 2. And Saul arose, and went down into the wilderness of Ziph, and with him three thousand men chosen of Israel, that he might seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3. And Saul encamped in Gibeah Hachilah, which was over against the trackless wilderness; but David was dwelling in the wilderness. And seeing that Saul had come after him into the wilderness, 4. He sent spies, and learned most certainly that he had come. 5. And David arose, and came to the place where Saul was; and when he had seen the place in which Saul was sleeping, and Abner the son of Ner, the prince of his army, and Saul sleeping in the tent, and the rest of the people round about him, 6. David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, saying: Who will go down with me to Saul into the camp? And Abishai said: I will go down with you.

In this history there return to us for consideration the various temptations and various trials by which David was harassed before he came into possession of the crown — at which time indeed he was not on every side at peace, but yet experienced a better condition than before, in that he was not so cruelly driven from the company of men. Nevertheless God wished to exercise him in various ways, until his enemies were utterly extinguished. But how he himself bore himself in such great difficulties is to be observed: awaiting the opportunity of taking possession of the royal dignity which God had decreed, undertaking nothing against Saul, content to defend himself against his violence.

Here therefore in the first place this comes up: that it is likely that Saul, unless he had been incited, would not have pursued one whom he had known to be innocent and to whom he had been forced to give the testimony of integrity. For what had hindered David from killing him when he had fallen into his hands, except an upright conscience, of which Saul himself was witness? Although therefore he was driven by fury, yet he could have let David go, even though it would not have been done without contempt of him. For he knew that David would devise nothing against him, would stir up no war, but would be content with a slender and obscure life, until God should have fulfilled the promise made to him. But behold, the Ziphites a second time, like fans, kindle Saul's malice already lulled. He indeed hated David with an inveterate hatred, and desired by every means to have him destroyed, although he well knew him to be the king elected by God; but yet nowhere do we read that he sent satellites to lay snares for David or to spy out his deeds. But the Ziphites of their own accord betray David hidden in their region. Here in the first place it is to be observed that the devil stirred up as many servants as he had in Judaea, that he might hinder David from reigning. And it had to happen this way in the Jewish kingdom, which was a figure of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore David did not have one or another enemy, but they hated him without cause, who had been provoked by him with no injury or occasion, and they laid snares for his life, that what the prophet writes elsewhere of himself might be fulfilled: They hated me without cause. From which a twofold benefit is to be gathered by us. The first, that we should injure no one, and give no occasion of stirring up troubles for ourselves; but, abstaining from all injury and violence, let us live uprightly and sincerely with each one, that no one can rightly complain of us, or say that he was provoked by us. The second, that when those persecute us and rise up against us without cause and seek our death — those who hate us gratuitously and undeservedly — let it not seem to us a new and strange thing, since we see the same to have happened to David, who was a figure of our Lord Jesus Christ, who set himself before us as an example to be imitated. For the individual members of the church must be conformed to him. Yet meanwhile, the heavier the hatreds with which they shall pursue us, the greater ought our hope to be that God will have mercy on us. So David, in the passage we mentioned, fortifies himself against temptations with this hope — namely, that the greater the hatreds of his enemies against him, the greater their force, the greater the help of God he will experience. Therefore every effort must be given that we may bring before God the testimony of an upright conscience; and the greater the adversity of enemies...

the rage and fury of those rising up against us, and of the devil himself inciting them, the greater spirits we should have, and the more ardent the prayers with which we entreat God, persuaded with certainty that he will never fail us; but the greater the wickedness of the enemies, the nearer his help will be at hand.

Furthermore, Saul pursued David with three thousand chosen men out of Israel, while David was accompanied by only six hundred soldiers, as we have seen before. Indeed, if we compare these armies with one another, the proportion of each was far unequal. For David's companions, needy and afflicted men who had fled to him, were not trained in arms, as those whom Saul had selected from Israel were. And Saul could have armed far more, and conscripted an army of thirty or forty thousand men; but he was content with those three thousand, lest he stir up a greater tumult in the region, and lest he bring disgrace upon himself by pursuing a wretched fugitive accompanied by few soldiers. David's companions therefore appeared as little sheep set in the jaws of lions, and he himself a wretched little sheep soon to be torn apart: for how could those six hundred unarmed and inexperienced men have withstood so many thousands? Therefore David sought safety for himself in flight, and placed his protection in hiding-places, content with this condition, if Saul would leave him in peace; although he was prepared to resist force brought against him, but in such a way that he would resist by yielding rather than by fighting. The condition of David in human estimation was wretched, since no place was given him for escaping danger, and he struggled with many other difficulties as well. For, as is likely, he was not very well supplied with necessities, since he led his life in the desert, and was destitute of all aid. Indeed, if God had willed, he would have stirred up the minds of many to bring help to David, and to defend him against Saul's fury, just as we shall see was done afterward, when suddenly the minds of the greatest part of the people were changed, and those who before had pursued him with hostile minds calmly submitted themselves to him. But it pleased God thus to exercise David, and to reduce him to such great straits, and not without lawful causes. For he wishes to humble and abase him, that he may be more ardently invoked by him, and that he may experience that his salvation depends on the hand of God the avenger alone and on his free goodness. Finally, God shows that the salvation of the faithful, both of body and of soul, depends not on earthly means but on the power of God alone. These examples of David therefore must be meditated upon by us, since we see he was not only unequal in strength to his enemies, but also destitute of all aid by which he might escape the danger threatening his head. For this history is written for us and for our use and instruction. For, as we have often said before, David was the image of our Lord Jesus Christ, and of the whole church. For the Head has nothing of his own, but everything in common with the members. Therefore, when God has willed that we be infirm and abject,

and that the enemies should much prevail over us, by whom we may seem about to be torn apart, and as it were to be devoured, let this not seem new and unusual to us, since the example of David here set forth is striking. But let us learn, when God casts us down and exercises us with various calamities, not to murmur, nor to be carried away by insolence and arrogance: but let us willingly cast ourselves down before God, and let us not doubt that God in our weakness will exert and reveal his strength and power: and that he will raise up those cast down by afflictions and stirred up to invoke him and implore his help, and will lift up our infirmity once it is recognized; that he has his own ways of helping us unknown to us, and impossible by our judgment. Therefore, although he does not crush our enemies in the very moment we would wish, nevertheless it is certain that they will dare nothing against us except what he himself has permitted: and even when God gives them power to prevail against us, this happens for our benefit, since he wishes by this means to instruct us through chastisement. And this reason alone ought to suffice for us. Therefore when today we see the wretched church everywhere oppressed by the forces of enemies, and them promising themselves triumph over the wretched, as if they were going to bring all their plans to completion, since they are well equipped both with troops and with counsels, let us not lose heart: but rather let us console ourselves with this meditation, that nothing new and unusual is happening: but that this is the condition of the church of all ages, which God has exercised in various ways, so that as many of the faithful as have bravely endured all misfortunes may be examples to us of patience and fortitude, and let us willingly follow and imitate them: and although we may seem to be pressed by a thousand dangers of death, nevertheless let each one in his calling proceed bravely and undaunted, relying on the goodness and power of our God, who in due time will restore us delivered from all dangers. For we know that those who have placed their hope in God have never been disappointed in their hope. Let us not therefore be reluctant to be conformed to them, that we may not hesitate to place our hope in him by whom they were aided: who, since he is unchangeable, is also our helper, and the helper of all those who in narrow and afflicted circumstances flee to him, and place their hope in him.

Furthermore, that we may be the better stirred up by David's example, let us weigh the psalm which he composed about this matter: for the example would be cold without doctrine, since we are for the most part of so dull a wit that we grasp nothing except what strikes our eyes. David therefore also set forth doctrine, that we may diligently consider the things which happened to him, and apply them to our use and salvation. In Psalm 54 therefore David declares that he composed the prayer which is contained there at the time when the Ziphites came to Saul, and stirred him up to pursue David. With what afflictions therefore David was exercised he commemorates in that place, then with what spirit he implored God with prayers, and with what words he addressed him, saying: O Lord God, save me for your name's sake, and judge my cause by your strength. O God, hear my prayer, give ear to the words of my mouth. For strangers rise up against me, and the violent seek my life. Behold, God helps me: the Lord is among those who sustain my life. At length, however, David declares that having been delivered by the Lord's power, he will speak praises to him with a grateful mind, and will sacrifice not sparingly but liberally: and that in this thanksgiving he will persevere because he has tasted the goodness of God, by whom his prayers have been heard. Therefore when we observe that the condition of the church is the same as that of David, namely that it is pressed on all sides by the troops of enemies, and overwhelmed by their forces, and has no strength of its own, but is as it were already in the very jaws of the enemies, so that they already sing triumph as if victory had been won over us, and are puffed up with pride, let us know that we must flee all the more ardently to God. For it is not enough, in order to break the strength of the enemies, to proclaim the goodness of our cause and to praise our innocence: but we must flee to God himself, lest we seem to have despised his help. Nor does this hinder us from defending ourselves by our right, and from openly exposing the malice and wickedness of those who pursue us without cause: lest we be a stumbling block to those ignorant of our cause, and lest we be oppressed unheard by unjust judgments. Yet let us know that in the first place we must flee to God: and let us hold it as a settled persuasion, that we, though oppressed by the judgments and hatreds of all, can be helped by God without human means, and freed from their hands. Let us therefore, since God grants us such easy access to himself, and bestows upon us this privilege, that we may dare to press him with prayers in our straits, learn to place confidence in him, awaiting his help at the opportune time. And this in general is the doctrine of the psalm to be meditated by us: and besides, the words also are to be observed, when he mentions God, and his name of strength and truth. About to pray to God therefore by the example of David, let us be protected by the name of God as by a shield: not indeed pretendedly as hypocrites are accustomed for the most part to do, but invoking the most sacred majesty of God with reverence, and placing confidence in him. But how shall this be done, unless before God and his angels we have a good testimony, that we are intent on his worship and veneration alone: and willing so to converse with our neighbors that we be insulting to no one, nor even injurious. Let us therefore, relying on this good conscience, and free from all dissimulation and cruelty, when invoking God, take up the name of God with confidence, and we shall be covered by it as by a shield and bulwark. Since therefore God is omnipotent, and has joined us to himself, and indeed by an inseparable bond, we ought to be content with this one thing.

And concerning the name of God by which David has hitherto defended himself in adversities: let us also weigh that word "strength" which, having been delivered from dangers, he uses not without reason. For he employs it because, as we are prone to distrust, when certain dangers press in, we are suddenly shaken by terror, and are afflicted as though our affairs were in despair. But we must learn by David's example to lift our eyes to God, that we may grasp his power and strength toward us, which is inestimable, and that in our various afflictions and temptations we may flee to it: and although God may not supply us with the means for routing the enemies, nevertheless let us rise to that strength of God of which David speaks: lest, if we seem to be furnished with the strength by which we may match our adversaries in resisting, we perish through our arrogance, forgetful of divine help, since we shall have forgotten the invocation of the divine majesty, which is the one ratio of obtaining victory. Therefore, whether we are equipped with troops and forces equal to resisting our enemies, or destitute of all means, let us learn to invoke God, and with ardent prayers to entreat him, that he may exert his power and mercy in defending and protecting us, and that we may in fact perceive that whatever good we have remains from his goodness alone.

Further, David, invoking God, says: O Lord, judge me in your strength: by which word "to judge" he uses not rashly. For thus he confirms what I touched upon above, that one ought from the heart and sincerely to be able to testify before him as judge, that we sincerely act before him, and that our cause is good and just, and is approved by him. For it usually happens that those who plead a bad cause nevertheless proclaim his goodness: for it is easy to impose upon men: and very often the most clear-sighted are blinded. Therefore let us learn diligently to weigh not only external deeds, but also our very thoughts and affections, that fleeing to God we may be able truly to testify that we, with right conscience and relying on the goodness of our cause, approach him, and implore his aid, that he may judge our cause. Nor indeed must it be supposed that God is moved by our worth and merit, as mortals are accustomed to be: but only it is fitting to confess that we act candidly and sincerely, and flee to him as judge, and implore his mercy and aid. With strength and power David also calls upon God's truth, which is also worthy of observation. For it would not be enough to have conceived in the mind God's power for helping us with his aid, and to be persuaded that we are received into his patronage, that we are his people, and that he conducts and promotes our salvation: unless we also chiefly relied on his promises, without which we should always fluctuate uncertain, and anxiously doubt about his help, and be overwhelmed with many difficulties. Therefore, that we may be more certain about God's power, and rest in it, and oppose his most sacred name to all dangers, we must rely on his promises: especially when our salvation seems by human opinion to be lost. For then we truly perceive the strength and efficacy of the divine promises, when their reason is hidden from us, and nevertheless by faith we overcome all difficulties. For as long as God shows us in fact the signs of his favor, and grants our prayers, we scarcely feel that strength of his divine promises: because it is easy then, in prosperous circumstances, so to speak, to boast of confidence in God. But the divine promises chiefly exert their strength in us when, destitute of all human help, wherever we turn our eyes no hope of aid appears, and all created things deny their help, and we are placed in the highest crisis, as though we were in the very jaws of hell itself, then, I say, the divine promises exert their strength in us: and indeed they ought to be taken up by us against all temptations, as the best and safest of all weapons. Let us therefore, following David's example, look to God's promises, and cleave wholly to them: persuaded that, purely invoking him, and worshiping him from the heart, and obeying his word, we shall never be forsaken, but be aided by his help, and that our cause will be defended against our enemies. Therefore when our enemies arrogantly and insolently lift themselves up, and threaten dire things, so that at their threats and terror we scarcely dare to open our mouths, if this is fixed in our heart, that God is nevertheless truthful, surely that thought of divine truth will be the safest shield for receiving and beating back all the blows of the enemies, since we know that God is faithful and never fails those who invoke him, and never disappoints their hope. Then follows David's thanksgiving, for his prayers having been heard by God: by which what I taught before is confirmed, namely that, although relying on the goodness of our cause, we must nevertheless flee to God with humility: which is part of that worship which we owe to him. Let us therefore, although we plead a just cause and are rejected by men, flee to God, and pray to him with ardent vows, that he may hear our prayers. For he is not to be invoked perfunctorily, but from the vehemence and ardor of the soul: which David proclaims of himself, when he says that his words were heard by God: that he had not perfunctorily, or by custom, once or twice invoked God, but had pressed him with assiduous prayers, and with ardent zeal of soul, until God had in fact made manifest that he had heard his prayers. This doctrine therefore is to be employed, and our hope and confidence are to be placed in God, that we may know that he receives us into his patronage, and is our savior: but in turn wills to be invoked by us, and to have this honor rendered to him, that we deposit our life into his hands, and feel ourselves to be in need of his mercy. For although the cause we defend is just, nevertheless we are wretched sinners, and defiled with many vices before God, and accordingly

our only protection lies in prayers and intercessions.

But as for the fact that David complains in that place that strangers had risen up against him, and that violent men were seeking his life, this is not to be understood of the Philistines, or of other enemies conspiring against the people of God by whom he was then sought: but of the Israelites. How then does he call them strangers? Indeed they were unworthy to be called the people of God, those, I say, of the Jews who with Saul were pursuing David: nor could they glory in the name of children of Abraham, because they had degenerated from him by their own cruelty, and by foul crimes had rendered themselves unworthy to be reckoned among his posterity. David therefore calls them strangers whose ferocity and cruelty against himself he had felt. Therefore against those who today rise up against us, who boast the Christian name, and persecute more cruelly than the Turks themselves or other savage nations, let us remember what David's condition was, that we may tread in his footsteps, and that our condition may not be burdensome to us: but following the footsteps of God's most faithful servant, who was the figure and image of God's only Son, let us constantly persevere in the purpose of our calling. Moreover let us also learn not to be disturbed nor too vehemently moved when those who profess the Christian name, and were initiated by the same baptism with us, conspire as savage beasts to our destruction, and drag us to the slaughter, thirsting for our blood: but let us bravely fight against their rage with that confidence with which David fought, when in difficulties of this kind he fled to God. Furthermore, David calls the Ziphites strangers, not only because of their cruelty and inhumanity, but because of their immense multitude, so that he seemed rightly disturbed. For what were David's forces, which he might oppose to Saul's troops? Surely the encounter was unequal. Let us therefore, when our enemies, besides that brutish fury and savage inhumanity by which they are carried against us, also prevail in strength, against which we seem unequal in resisting, because we are far inferior to them in strength, we may rightly be disturbed and shaken, unless we hold it as a persuasion that God will overthrow them, although they boast in their immense multitude and are savage in cruelty, and will make manifest how terrifying his majesty is to them. Let us therefore fear God, and cast ourselves down before him, and submit ourselves to him, since we know that the power and might of God suffice to terrify the enemies: whose wrath and fury are of such force that even the shadow of him utterly terrifies the enemies themselves, with no one pursuing or threatening, so that as though routed they are scattered: and they are so held by divine power and majesty that, even if we seek their salvation and strive to recall them to a better mind, God nevertheless casts such terror upon their minds that of their own accord they are borne headlong to their own destruction, with none pursuing. David adds that God is among those who sustain his life: by which words he does not make God a companion of those who were defending his cause, but shows that he rests in the help of God, although he cannot with his few soldiers give battle against Saul's army. Finally there is a kind of opposition of contraries: as if he were saying, that although among men he finds no aid, but the whole people stand on Saul's side, nevertheless he relies on his good conscience. Why so? Because he holds it persuaded that God stands on his side. Therefore he does not place God among the number of creatures, but shows that he relies on his power alone. Let us then so imitate David's example, that, agitated by many dangers, we may set God up as our patron in heaven: and accordingly let us know that material for rejoicing has been offered us, and let us be content with his patronage: and let us boldly insult all the fortifications of the enemies, their forces, their warlike apparatuses, and their troops conspiring against us, provided only we have it settled in our soul, that God is among those who will defend our cause. For surely if God defends our side, he will declare himself the enemy of our enemies, and will exert his strength and power for their destruction and final ruin, especially when they have most exalted themselves with fury. Let us therefore be confident that the outcome of all our afflictions will be good, so that we may always be able truly to say, that God stands on our side, and procures our salvation. How necessary this doctrine is for us today there is no need to say; since it is sufficiently apparent how wretched is the face and condition of the church today: and accordingly we, if hitherto we have been blinded or asleep, ought to be roused. Indeed we can despise whatever the devil contrives against us, relying on this confidence, that God is our defender, and covers us under the shadow of his wings. But faith and negligence are far apart. For if, believing ourselves to be protected by God, in the meantime we sit idle and do not fear the dangers, by the fear of which, struck, we should beg pardon for our sins and invoke his mercy, it is certain that we sin just as much as if we cast him far away from us, and showed in fact that what he has promised to those who invoke him does not pertain to us. For the eye of the Lord is said to be over the just, and his ear nigh to those who invoke him. Therefore although our enemies are wicked and unjust, let us not doubt that our cause is just and approved by God, provided we flee to him with prayers: for it is not enough that the eye of the Lord is upon us: but it is necessary also that his ear be attentive to our prayers: and accordingly David joins his prayers and orisons with faith, as inseparable. But we cannot pray ardently and from the heart, so great is the slothfulness and sluggishness of men, unless we are stirred up by the fear of urgent dangers. Therefore, since such is the sluggishness and slowness of men,

and so great a stupor that they are most like donkeys, who never advance unless urged by sticks, let us think that we should perish a hundred thousand times unless God protected us from on high, and had mercy on us: and accordingly let us look to God, and entrust ourselves to his protection, commending the justice of our cause without fraud and dissimulation. And if perchance God has given us means by which we may ward off injury, let us not glory in them and be carried away, presuming to dare anything from ourselves beyond measure: nor let us trust in them and lean upon them, lest we seem to cast away God's power from ourselves, and to despise the help that has been prepared. For we must rely on God's mercy alone, and on confidence in the divine goodness and promises: and we must beware lest we acquiesce in men or in any human strength, since they are nothing but smoke and shadow. Therefore if God has given any means, let us ask that they be made fortunate by him. Meanwhile, however, although we should regard our salvation as if from afar, and our enemies, equipped most fully with all the necessities, troops, arms, fortifications, and counsels, should attack us, let us not on that account lose heart as if despairing, with our salvation already given up. For the more arrogant they are, and the more they are puffed up, it is certain that they are nearer to their own destruction, with God blinding them by his just judgment.

Therefore when today we hear the blasphemous voices, attempts, counsels, and threats of wicked men and the conspired enemies of the church striving to abolish and destroy the church, let us know that God's truth and dearness will stand firm against them, that all their attempts will go up in smoke, even though they threaten nothing but lightnings and storms: and that God will hand them headlong over, whom he has permitted to be armed for their own confusion. Therefore although placed in the greatest straits, we ought to take courage, and with more ardent vows invoke God, pouring out our complaints before him: Alas, O Lord God, those who ought to have been faithful worshipers of your majesty, the same who profess the Christian name with us, strive to trample down your most sacred name, and to ruin and abolish the church which you hast established: therefore you who knowest their frauds, counsels, and attempts, help us in uncertain affairs, look upon your wretched ones, and according to your mercy lift them up: and crush those who profane and trample under foot the most sacred name of your only Son, and destroy and consign to final destruction those striving to remove us from the one hope of salvation, kindly admit our prayers, O God, strengthen our hearts in fear and obedience to you, that by no impediments we may be called away from invoking and glorifying your name as long as life remains, be propitious to those who invoke your name, and bring help in the opportune time. Behold with what vows we ought to be confirmed, and our faith strengthened and to receive greater strength, the more savage we see the attempts and counsels and threats of our adversaries: who, it is not to be doubted, God has blinded, that he may exert against them the vengeance prepared for all who are borne with so great pride and arrogance against him, and lifting themselves above the clouds and spitting against heaven, he envelops in perpetual disgrace and ignominy.

Come therefore, let us so imitate David, that we may retain the name of God as a most firm shield, and relying on it alone may invoke him, just as the prophet sings in another place: Our enemies trusted in their chariots, in horses, and in lances, but we shall invoke the name of God. But truly we ought also to recall to memory that Pauline precept: Let everyone who invokes the name of God depart from iniquity. Therefore, against wicked men conspired for our destruction, let us oppose this shield, the sincere worship of God, and the voluntary obedience which by his word he requires of us: relying on which shield let us boldly despise all the strength of all men, their vain speculations, counsels, and machinations, persuaded that God can in a moment overthrow all the arrogant and the despisers of his name: and since we know that the name of God has been invoked over us, and that we have obtained from him the grace to be instructed by his word, by which sign we are made more certain of his presence, and of his care and solicitude with which he protects us and defends our side, let this be our confidence, this our bulwark, by which we shall be unconquered and in the midst of temptations undaunted shall despise the devil himself, the world, sin, and whatever is contrary to us, and shall insult them as conquered, and offer to God sacrifices of praise, composing ourselves to his will and obedience: and patiently awaiting the outcome of whatever calamities have rushed in. For that saying must be recalled to memory, that our souls are to be possessed in hope and silence. With these arms therefore we shall be most safe, and we shall never by any attempts of the enemies be able to be moved from our purpose: and God will exert his arm to protect us, if remaining in obedience to him we shall have dared nothing from ourselves, and we shall reap the fruit of our prayers, provided in hope and silence we await God's help, and whatever storms arise here and there, we never lose heart: but recalling to memory by what wonderful ways he has often defended us, we may hope that even in the present he will not reject us: but will display his mercies and all his strength, that as once his church, so also us, he may deliver from all dangers. Therefore come, let us peacefully submit ourselves to God, and bend our necks under his yoke, and rejecting all vain thoughts and human inventions, by which we might seem to be able to ward off the violence of the enemies, let us know that nothing will be lacking to us when God has stood on our side, and we have acknowledged him as our savior. Let us therefore strive with all our strength to follow him as he calls, and with ardent prayers ask that his Holy Spirit be given to us, with whom as guide through the various crises of affairs we may at length come to God, resting in this benefit of his,

that he has admitted us into his people, and embraces us as sons with paternal love.

Now then come, etc.

## HOMILIA XCIV.

1. And the Ziphites came to Saul in Gibeah, saying: Behold, David is hidden in the hill of Hachilah, which is over against the wilderness. 2. And Saul arose and went down into the wilderness of Ziph, and with him three thousand men chosen from Israel, to seek David in the wilderness of Ziph. 3. And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which was over against the open desert. But David was staying in the wilderness. And when he saw that Saul had come after him into the wilderness, 4. He sent out spies and learned with certainty that Saul had come. 5. And David arose and came to the place where Saul was encamped. He saw the place where Saul lay sleeping, with Abner the son of Ner, the commander of his army, sleeping beside him. Saul lay in the tent, and all the people were encamped around him. 6. Then David said to Ahimelech the Hittite and to Abishai the son of Zeruiah, brother of Joab: Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp? And Abishai said: I will go down with you.

In this account we again see the many different temptations and trials that pressed on David before he came into possession of the crown. At this point he was not at peace on every side — but his situation was better than before, in that he was no longer so ruthlessly driven out from the company of men. Still, God chose to exercise him in various ways until his enemies were completely destroyed. What stands out is how he conducted himself through such great difficulties: waiting for the right time to take possession of the royal dignity God had decreed for him, taking no action against Saul, content simply to defend himself against Saul's violence.

Notice first that Saul likely would not have pursued David on his own — for he knew David to be innocent and had been forced to give him the public testimony of a blameless conscience. What had stopped David from killing Saul when Saul fell into his hands, if not a clear conscience? And Saul himself was witness to that. Though driven by fury, Saul could have left David alone — even if doing so required swallowing his pride. He knew David would devise nothing against him, stir up no war, and would be content with a quiet and obscure life until God fulfilled the promise He had made to David. But look — the Ziphites appear a second time, like bellows fanning a fire, stirring up Saul's malice that had grown quiet. Saul hated David with a deep-seated hatred and wanted him destroyed by any means — even knowing David was God's chosen king. Yet we read nowhere that Saul sent agents to lay traps for David or spy on his movements. The Ziphites, on their own initiative, betray David, who was hiding in their territory. Notice first that the devil stirred up as many servants as he had in Judah to prevent David from reigning. This had to happen in the Jewish kingdom, which was a picture of the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. David did not have just one or two enemies — people hated him without cause, provoked by no injury or offense from him, and they plotted against his life. This fulfilled what the psalmist writes elsewhere: 'They hated me without cause.' Two lessons follow from this for us. First, we should harm no one and give no reason for trouble. Abstaining from all injury and violence, let us live honestly and sincerely with everyone, so that no one has just cause to complain of us or say we provoked them. Second, when people persecute us, rise up against us without cause, and seek our harm — hating us for no reason at all — let us not regard it as something new and strange. The same thing happened to David, who was a figure of our Lord Jesus Christ, who set Himself before us as our example to follow. Every member of the church must be conformed to Him. Meanwhile, the heavier the hatred with which enemies pursue us, the greater our hope should be that God will show us mercy. David fortifies himself against temptation in exactly this way in the psalm we mentioned — the greater his enemies' hatred, the greater their force, the greater the help he expects from God. Therefore every effort must be made to bring before God the testimony of a clear conscience. And the greater the adversity of enemies...

...the rage and fury of those rising up against us, and of the devil himself inciting them — the greater courage we should have, and the more earnest the prayers with which we cry to God. We must be fully convinced that He will never fail us, and that the greater the wickedness of our enemies, the nearer His help will be.

Saul pursued David with three thousand chosen men from Israel, while David had only six hundred soldiers with him, as we have seen. If we compare the two forces, the difference was enormous. David's companions were needy and distressed men who had fled to him — not the trained and seasoned soldiers Saul had selected from Israel. Saul could have raised a far larger army — thirty or forty thousand men — but he chose only three thousand, not wanting to stir up greater disorder in the region or look foolish by chasing a miserable fugitive with an overwhelming force. David's companions looked like helpless lambs set in the jaws of lions — and David himself like a helpless lamb about to be torn apart. How could six hundred unarmed and inexperienced men have stood against thousands? David therefore sought safety in flight and looked for refuge in hiding places, content with simply being left in peace by Saul. When force came against him, he was prepared to resist — but by yielding rather than by fighting. By human reckoning, David's situation was desperate — no clear escape from danger, and many other difficulties pressing in besides. He was probably not well supplied with necessities either, living in the wilderness with no resources. God could have stirred up many hearts to come to David's aid and defend him against Saul's fury — and we will see that happen later, when suddenly the minds of most of the people were changed and those who had formerly pursued him with hostility submitted to him quietly. But it pleased God to press David in this way and bring him to such extremity — and not without good reason. God's purpose was to humble and bring him low, so that David would call on Him more ardently and come to understand that his salvation rested on God's avenging hand and His free grace alone. Above all, God was showing that the salvation of the faithful — in body and soul — depends not on earthly means but on His power alone. We must meditate on David's examples, since he was not only outmatched in strength by his enemies but also stripped of every human resource that might have helped him escape the danger threatening his life. This account was written for us, for our use and instruction. As we have often said, David was the image of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the whole church. The Head has nothing of His own — everything is shared with the members. Therefore, when God has chosen that we be weak and lowly,

and that enemies prevail over us greatly — so that we seem about to be torn apart and devoured — let us not regard this as something new and strange. The example of David set before us here is striking. When God casts us down and exercises us through various troubles, let us not grumble or give way to self-pity and pride. Let us willingly bow low before God, with no doubt that He will in our weakness display and reveal His strength and power. He will lift up those brought low by affliction who cry out to Him for help — He will raise up our weakness once we have acknowledged it. He has His own ways of helping us, unknown to us and impossible by our reckoning. Though He does not crush our enemies at the very moment we wish, they will dare nothing against us beyond what He has permitted. And even when God allows them to prevail over us, this happens for our benefit — He is using it to instruct us through discipline. That reason alone ought to be enough for us. When we today see the struggling church pressed on every side by enemy forces, and those enemies promising themselves triumph over the helpless — confident their plans will succeed since they have both troops and strategy — let us not lose heart. Instead, let us take comfort in this: nothing new or unusual is happening. This has been the condition of the church in every age. God has exercised His people in various ways, and those faithful believers who bravely endured all misfortune have become our examples of patience and courage. Let us willingly follow and imitate them. Though we may seem surrounded by a thousand mortal dangers, let each person press on bravely in their calling, undaunted, relying on the goodness and power of our God, who in due time will restore us and deliver us from all dangers. Those who have placed their hope in God have never been put to shame. Let us not hesitate to be conformed to them — and to place our hope in the same God who helped them. Since He does not change, He is also our helper and the helper of all who in narrow and desperate circumstances flee to Him and put their hope in Him.

To stir ourselves more fully by David's example, let us consider the psalm he composed about this event. An example without teaching is cold — most of us are so slow of understanding that we grasp little unless it is set clearly before our eyes. So David added teaching, that we might carefully consider what happened to him and apply it to our own lives and salvation. In Psalm 54, David declares that he composed the prayer contained there at the time when the Ziphites came to Saul and stirred him up to pursue David. He recalls what trials pressed on him, then with what spirit he called on God in prayer and with what words he addressed Him: 'O Lord God, save me by Your name, and vindicate me by Your strength. O God, hear my prayer; listen to the words of my mouth. For strangers rise up against me, and violent men seek my life. But behold, God is my helper; the Lord is among those who uphold my life.' At the end, David declares that when delivered by the Lord's power he will offer praises with a grateful heart — sacrificing not sparingly but generously — and will persist in this thanksgiving because he has tasted God's goodness in answered prayer. When we see that the church's condition is the same as David's — pressed on every side by enemy forces, overwhelmed, with no strength of its own, already seemingly in the very jaws of its enemies while they sing victory and boast in their pride — let us know that we must flee to God all the more urgently. It is not enough, to break the strength of enemies, to proclaim the goodness of our cause and praise our innocence. We must flee to God Himself — otherwise we seem to have despised His help. This does not stop us from defending ourselves by right, or from openly exposing the wickedness of those who pursue us without cause — so that those ignorant of our situation do not stumble, and so that we are not crushed unheard by unjust judgments. Yet let us know that our first move must be to flee to God. Let us settle it in our minds that even if we are condemned by the judgments and hatred of everyone, God can help us without any human means and free us from their hands. Since God grants us such easy access to Himself — giving us the privilege of pressing Him with prayers in our desperate moments — let us learn to place our confidence in Him and await His help at the right time. This is the general teaching of the psalm for our meditation. The words also deserve attention: when David calls on God by His name of strength and truth. Following David's example in prayer, let us take shelter in God's name as in a shield — not pretending, as hypocrites so often do, but invoking the most holy majesty of God with genuine reverence and real confidence. But how can this be done unless we have a good testimony before God and His angels: that we are intent on His worship and service alone, and that in our dealings with our neighbors we have been insulting to no one and harmful to none. Resting on this clear conscience, free from all pretense and cruelty, let us take up God's name in prayer with confidence — and it will cover us as a shield and fortress. Since God is almighty and has joined Himself to us by a bond that cannot be broken, this one truth should be enough for us.

Consider also that word 'strength' which David uses, having been delivered from dangers — he uses it deliberately. He uses it because we are so prone to distrust that when dangers press in, we are suddenly shaken by terror and act as though everything were lost. We must learn from David's example to lift our eyes to God, to grasp His power and strength toward us — which is beyond all measure — and to flee to it in every kind of affliction and temptation. Even when God does not supply us with the means to defeat our enemies, let us still rise to the strength of God that David speaks of. If we happen to have forces strong enough to match our enemies, beware of arrogance — if we forget divine help, we forget the invocation of God's majesty, which is the one ground of victory. Therefore, whether we are equipped with forces capable of resisting our enemies or stripped of every resource, let us learn to call on God. With earnest prayer let us entreat Him to exert His power and mercy in defending and protecting us — so that in practice we may see that whatever good we have flows from His goodness alone.

When David calls on God, he says: 'O Lord, judge me in Your strength.' He uses the word 'judge' deliberately. By it he confirms what I touched on above: one must be able to testify honestly and from the heart before God as judge that we act sincerely before Him and that our cause is good, just, and approved by Him. People who plead a bad cause often still proclaim their innocence — it is easy to deceive human beings, and even the most discerning are sometimes blinded. Let us therefore carefully examine not only our outward deeds but also our very thoughts and affections, so that when we flee to God we can truly testify that we come to Him with a clear conscience and a just cause, imploring His aid that He would judge our case. This does not mean we think God is moved by our worthiness and merit, as people often are. We need only confess honestly that we act sincerely and openly, that we flee to Him as judge, and that we implore His mercy and help. Along with God's strength and power, David also calls on God's truth — and this also deserves attention. It would not be enough to hold in our minds the thought that God is powerful enough to help us, or even to be persuaded that we are received into His care, that we are His people, and that He promotes our salvation — unless we also rested chiefly on His promises. Without them we would always be wavering and anxiously uncertain about His help, overwhelmed by every difficulty. To be more sure of God's power, to rest in it, and to hold His most holy name up against all dangers — we must lean on His promises, especially when our salvation seems lost by all human reckoning. For we truly feel the strength and power of God's promises precisely when their fulfillment is hidden from us — and yet faith overcomes every obstacle. As long as God visibly shows us signs of His favor and grants our prayers, we barely feel the strength of His promises, because it is easy in good times to boast of confidence in God. But God's promises display their full power in us when we are stripped of all human help, when no hope of rescue appears wherever we look, when all created things refuse us their aid, and we are in the deepest crisis — as though in the very jaws of hell. That is when God's promises exert their strength in us — and we must take them up as the best and safest of all weapons against every temptation. Following David's example, then, let us look to God's promises and cling to them entirely — convinced that if we call on Him with a pure heart, worship Him sincerely, and obey His Word, we will never be forsaken but will be helped by Him and have our cause defended against our enemies. When enemies lift themselves up with arrogance and issue terrible threats — so that at their menace we barely dare to open our mouths — if the truth of God is fixed in our heart, that thought of God's faithfulness will be the safest shield against every blow the enemies bring. God is faithful: He never fails those who call on Him and never disappoints their hope. Then comes David's thanksgiving for having his prayers heard — which confirms what I said before: even when we are relying on the justice of our cause, we must still flee to God with humility. That humility is part of the worship we owe Him. Let us therefore, even when our cause is just and we have been rejected by people, flee to God and pray to Him with earnest longing that He would hear our prayers. He must not be invoked carelessly or as a mere formality, but from the depth and heat of the soul. David himself declares this when he says his words were heard by God — he had not casually invoked God once or twice out of habit, but had pressed Him with constant prayer and burning zeal of soul until God showed in fact that He had heard. This teaching must be put to use: place our hope and confidence in God, knowing that He receives us into His care and is our Savior — but in return He wishes to be called on by us and to have this honor rendered to Him, that we deposit our lives into His hands and feel our need of His mercy. For although the cause we defend is just, we are still miserable sinners, stained before God with many failures, and therefore

our only protection lies in prayers and intercessions.

When David in that psalm says that strangers had risen against him and violent men were seeking his life, he is not speaking of the Philistines or other foreign enemies conspiring against God's people — he is speaking of Israelites. How then does he call them strangers? Because they were unworthy to bear the name of God's people. These Jews who were pursuing David alongside Saul had no right to boast of being Abraham's children — they had degenerated from his example through their own cruelty and disqualified themselves from being counted among his descendants. David therefore calls them strangers because of the ferocity and cruelty he had experienced from them. When those today who boast the Christian name rise up against us and persecute more brutally than Turks or other hostile nations, let us remember David's situation and walk in his footsteps. Let our condition not weigh us down, but following the example of God's most faithful servant — who was the figure and image of God's only Son — let us persevere steadily in the purpose of our calling. Let us also learn not to be thrown into confusion or too deeply shaken when those who profess the Christian name, who were baptized with the same baptism as we, conspire like savage beasts against us and drag us to slaughter, thirsting for our blood. Let us fight bravely against their rage with the same confidence David used — fleeing to God when troubles like these came on him. David also calls the Ziphites strangers not only because of their cruelty and inhumanity but because of their overwhelming number, which made his situation feel rightly alarming. What forces did David have to set against Saul's army? The match was clearly unequal. When our enemies — beyond their savage fury and brutal inhumanity — also far surpass us in strength so that we seem unable to resist, we may rightly be shaken and troubled. But let us hold firmly to this persuasion: God will overthrow them, however greatly they boast in their numbers and however savage their cruelty. He will show how terrifying His majesty is to them. Let us therefore fear God, bow down before Him, and submit to Him — knowing that God's power and might are more than enough to terrify enemies. His wrath and fury are so great that even His shadow utterly terrifies them with no one pursuing or threatening. They are held by divine power and majesty in such a way that, even when we seek their good and try to call them to a better mind, God casts such terror on their hearts that of their own accord they rush headlong to their own destruction, with none pursuing. When David adds that God is among those who sustain his life, he does not make God a companion in arms alongside his defenders. He is showing that he rests entirely in God's help — though his small band of soldiers could not give battle against Saul's army. There is a kind of contrast here: as though David is saying that although he finds no human aid, and the whole people stand with Saul — he still rests on his good conscience. Why? Because he is persuaded that God stands on his side. He does not rank God among creatures but shows he rests on God's power alone. Let us therefore imitate David's example: tossed by many dangers, let us set God up as our patron in heaven. Let us know that grounds for rejoicing have been given us, be content with His patronage, and boldly look down on all enemy fortifications, their forces, their war machinery, their conspiring armies — provided only it is settled in our soul that God is among those who will defend our cause. If God defends our side, He will declare Himself the enemy of our enemies and will exert His strength and power for their destruction and final ruin — especially when they have risen to the height of their fury. Let us therefore be confident that the outcome of all our afflictions will be good, so that we may always be able to say truly that God stands on our side and procures our salvation. How necessary this teaching is for us today needs no explanation — the desperate face and condition of the church is plain enough. Those of us who have until now been blinded or asleep must wake up. We can indeed despise whatever the devil contrives against us, resting in this confidence: God is our defender and covers us under the shadow of His wings. But faith and negligence are poles apart. If we believe ourselves protected by God and then sit idle — not fearing the dangers that should drive us to beg pardon for our sins and cry out for His mercy — we sin just as surely as if we had pushed God away entirely and shown in practice that His promises to those who call on Him do not apply to us. The eye of the Lord is said to be over the righteous, and His ear near to those who call on Him. Therefore, though our enemies are wicked and unjust, do not doubt that our cause is just and approved by God — provided we flee to Him in prayer. The eye of the Lord being upon us is not enough; His ear must also be attentive to our prayers. And so David links his prayers and supplications with faith as inseparable. But we cannot pray earnestly and from the heart — so great is human sluggishness — unless we are stirred up by the pressure of urgent dangers. Therefore, since such is the laziness and slowness of people,

and so great a numbness that people are most like donkeys who never move without being struck — let us think that we would perish a hundred thousand times if God did not protect us from above and have mercy on us. Let us therefore look to God, entrust ourselves to His protection, and commit our just cause to Him without pretense or deceit. If God happens to give us means by which to ward off harm, let us not glory in them or be swept away by presumption, daring anything from our own resources beyond measure. Let us not trust in them and lean on them as though God's power were something we could set aside — for that would be despising the help that has been prepared. We must rest on God's mercy alone, on confidence in His goodness and promises — and beware of leaning on people or on any human strength, for they are nothing but smoke and shadow. If God has provided resources, let us ask that He make them useful. Meanwhile, even if our salvation seems far off, and our enemies are equipped on every side with troops, weapons, fortifications, and strategy — let us not lose heart and despair as though our salvation were already given up. The more arrogant they are and the more puffed up, the more certain it is that they are nearer to their own destruction, for God blinds them by His just judgment.

When today we hear the blasphemous words, schemes, threats, and counsels of wicked men and conspiring enemies of the church striving to destroy it, let us know that God's truth and faithfulness will stand firm against them. All their attempts will turn to smoke, however fiercely they threaten with lightning and storm. God will cast headlong those He has permitted to arm themselves for their own ruin. Though placed in the greatest danger, let us take courage and call on God with more earnest prayer, pouring out our complaints before Him: 'Alas, O Lord God — those who should have been faithful worshipers of Your majesty, those who profess the Christian name alongside us, are striving to trample Your holy name underfoot and to ruin and abolish the church You have established. Therefore You who know their deceits, plans, and attempts — help us in this uncertainty. Look on Your suffering people and in Your mercy lift them up. Crush those who profane and trample the most holy name of Your only Son. Destroy those who strive to remove us from the one hope of salvation. Receive our prayers, O God. Strengthen our hearts in fear and obedience to You, so that by no obstacle may we be drawn away from calling on and glorifying Your name for as long as life remains. Be gracious to those who call on Your name, and bring help in the right time.' These are the prayers with which we ought to be strengthened, and our faith built up and made stronger — the more savage we see the attempts, plans, and threats of our adversaries. God has no doubt blinded them so that He may carry out against them the vengeance prepared for all who are carried with such pride and arrogance against Him. Those who lift themselves above the clouds and spit at heaven He wraps in perpetual shame and disgrace.

Come then — let us so imitate David that we may hold God's name as an unconquerable shield and, resting on it alone, call on Him — as the prophet sings elsewhere: 'Our enemies trusted in their chariots, in horses, and in spears, but we will call on the name of God.' We must also keep in mind Paul's command: 'Let everyone who calls on the name of God depart from iniquity.' Against wicked men who conspire for our destruction, let us oppose this shield: the sincere worship of God and the willing obedience He requires of us by His Word. Resting on this shield, let us boldly despise all human strength, their empty speculations, plans, and schemes — convinced that God can in a moment overturn all the arrogant and the despisers of His name. And since we know that God's name has been called over us, and that we have received from Him the grace to be taught by His Word — by which sign we are made more certain of His presence and of the care and watchfulness with which He protects us and defends our cause — let this be our confidence, this our fortress. By it we will be unconquered and undaunted in the midst of temptations. We will despise the devil himself, the world, sin, and everything that opposes us — looking down on them as already conquered — and we will offer God sacrifices of praise, shaping ourselves to His will and obedience, and patiently awaiting the outcome of whatever troubles have rushed in. For that saying must be called to mind: our souls are to be possessed in hope and silence. Armed with these weapons we will be completely safe and no attempt of the enemies will be able to move us from our purpose. God will stretch out His arm to protect us if, remaining in obedience to Him, we dare nothing from ourselves. We will reap the fruit of our prayers, provided we await God's help in hope and silence, and whatever storms arise, we never lose heart. Calling to mind by what remarkable ways He has often defended us, let us hope that even now He will not reject us — but will display His mercies and all His strength, and as He once delivered His church, so also deliver us from all dangers. Therefore come — let us peacefully submit ourselves to God, bow our necks under His yoke, and rejecting all empty thoughts and human plans by which we might think to ward off the enemies' violence, let us know that nothing will be lacking to us when God has stood on our side and we have acknowledged Him as our Savior. Let us strive with all our strength to follow Him as He calls, and with earnest prayer ask that His Holy Spirit be given to us — with that Spirit as our guide through the varying crises of life, we may at last come to God, resting in this gift of His,

that He has received us into His people and embraces us as sons with fatherly love.

Now then come, etc.

## HOMILIA XCIV.