Sermon 95: 1 Samuel 26:19-25

19. Now therefore hear, my lord the king, the words of your servant: If the Lord is stirring you up against me, let him smell a sacrifice. But if the sons of men are accursed in the sight of the Lord, because they have driven me out today, that I should not dwell in the inheritance of the Lord, saying: Go, serve other gods. 20. And now let not my blood be poured out on the earth before the Lord: for the king of Israel has come forth to seek a single flea, as a partridge is hunted in the mountains. 21. And Saul said: I have sinned: return, my son David, for I will no longer do you harm, because my soul has been precious in your eyes today: it appears that I have acted foolishly, and have been ignorant in very many things. 22. And David answering said: Behold the king's spear; let one of the king's servants come over and take it. 23. And let the Lord recompense each one according to his justice and faithfulness, for the Lord has today delivered you into my hand, and I would not stretch out my hand against the Lord's anointed. 24. And as your soul has been magnified today in my eyes, so let my soul be magnified in the eyes of the Lord, and let him deliver me from all distress. 25. Saul therefore said to David: Blessed are you, my son David, and indeed in doing you shall do, and in being able you shall be able. And David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.

In yesterday's sermon we heard that God sometimes afflicts us as if with his own hand, and sometimes also uses other means; but as often as we recognize his hand and perceive that the evil proceeds from him, we have learned that this one remedy remains for us, that with our mouth stopped, acknowledging our sins, we cast ourselves down before him. But if the work and will of men is added, that is, if God uses their work, just as one who is about to strike another with his hand seizes a staff, then let us know there is a twofold consideration. For often those whom God uses as it were as executors and ministers of his judgments are wicked and criminal, and their will most strongly resists God's will, men whom avarice, ambition, and cruelty drive on. So for example we see that the Assyrians were ministers of God in slaughtering the Israelite people, who thought of nothing less than of God and his judgments, so that they nonetheless deserve condemnation, even though God uses their work, who can use evil instruments to advance his work; and he is so great a craftsman that he is always just in all his works, and yet those whose work he uses are guilty and condemnable. Therefore if anyone with an evil mind attacks us and afflicts us in various ways without any lawful cause, let us not on that account suppose that God is not at work, but let us know that he is calling us back to repentance and instructing us to salvation. Although, therefore, we may rightly complain about the injury done to us, and put forward our innocence before God, and defend ourselves with a good conscience, that our enemies are hostile and injurious to us willingly and without cause, nevertheless we ought also to recognize the hand of God, and to say with David: 'You, Lord, have done it, and therefore I will be silent.' For we see that David rightly complained openly about the injury inflicted on him by men, and yet was silent before the Lord, before whose tribunal he fell mute; and so in one and the same act, with different respect, he was silent and complained. Therefore the sense of David's words is this, that he, if he were openly afflicted by the hand of God himself, having confessed within himself that he was a wretched sinner before [God], would cast himself down before him and would beg pardon for his fault, since men accomplish nothing by contending against God. But on the contrary, if unjust men persecute him, he will rightly condemn them, and will summon them to be cursed by the judgment of God. Finally, let us recognize that God is a just judge, when he chastises his own through unjust men and uses them to execute his just judgments.

Furthermore, David's complaints against his enemies are chiefly contained in these words: 'Because they drive me out today, lest as one chosen I cling to the possession of Jehovah, saying: Go, worship strange gods.' For it is certain that David's enemies were not accustomed to use these very words, but David attends rather to the deed than to the words. Therefore as often as we approach God, not only those things which appear outwardly are to be looked at, but those things which lie hidden within are to be searched out. For God judges not from the face of external things, but from the truth of the matter itself. For otherwise hypocrites and dissembling men would obtain their case before God, if judgment were passed concerning them from the external face of things, since they always defend their deeds with specious reasons and never condemn themselves with their own mouth, but rather perpetually shuffle and seek out various evasions by which they put a false coloring on things to men; but God looks not at their specious speech, but at their fault. So David in this place attributes to his enemies, not what they pronounced with their mouth, but what they were contriving and trying to accomplish against him. For that what he says is true appears from this, that Judea alone retained the pure worship of God, while the rest of the world polluted the name of God with superstitions and idolatry. Therefore when no place was given to David in Judea where he could safely dwell, and he was compelled to associate with idolaters because of the violence of Saul and his courtiers, was he not compelled like a ridiculous little fellow to come into the reproach of all, and as one profane and rejected from the church of God to flee to strange gods and to become a companion of pagan and idolatrous men? Behold why David rightly complains about his enemies, because he is driven from the inheritance of the Lord. Where it must be observed that David did not value his house, his wife, his family, and whatever precious thing he could have in the world, as much as the church of God, in which they worshiped God in his sanctuary and he might become partaker and enjoyer of all the gifts and benefits which God bestowed on the Israelite people. For the tabernacle had been erected so that God might show that he dwelt in the midst of Israel, and that those sacrificing there might recognize God as savior, just as today the baptism instituted by Christ is a sign by which we are made more certain that God cleanses us from every stain of sin and receives us into his grace, and the supper by which we are taught that we are spiritually fed by the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. So in those ancient times by sacrifices offered in the sanctuary they were made certain that they were received into grace by God, and all their sins were forgiven them; moreover, in addition to those sacrifices, certain washings were added, whose use was the same as that of baptism today. To which also add the preaching of the law, without which all that legal worship and the rite of sacrifices and washings would have been wholly useless. Rightly therefore David testifies his sorrow that he cannot enjoy this benefit of God because of the unjust persecution of his enemies, and cannot venerate God in his tabernacle, and cannot enjoy those means which God had given to his people for salvation. Just as we also see frequent complaints of his in the Psalms, as when he exclaims: 'How lovely are your tabernacles, O Jehovah of hosts. My soul is filled with longing, and even faints, to come to the courts of Jehovah; my heart and my flesh cry out to the strong living God.' And in another Psalm, redoubling his complaints, he says: 'My soul is thirsting for God, the strong living God, saying: When shall I come and appear in the sight of God? My tears have been bread to me by day and night, while it is said to me daily, Where is your God? Recalling these things, I pour out my soul within me, that I would have crossed over in the throng, that I would have walked with them as far as the house of God with the voice of singing and the multitude of festal praise. Why do you cast yourself down, my soul, and roar within me?' Finally, we see that David, although adorned with excellent virtues, and distinguished by the very gift of prophecy, so that he could instruct others, nevertheless desired to be joined to the church and subject to its order, and to confirm his faith both by sacrifices and by other exercises prescribed by God for his people. Therefore let us learn that, since God wills his word to be preached to us and we to be invited daily to hear it, this benefit is offered to us by him, that we may invoke his most holy name and sincerely profess that we are his people, and moreover that God offers us testimony of his goodness in those most holy sacraments, and that therefore greater diligence ought to be shown by us, not only in frequenting those assemblies in which God is invoked, but in venerating God without dissimulation, and profiting daily in the hearing of his word, indeed in being more and more stirred up by the reception of the sacraments to true and sincere worship and love of him, and to desire, having followed David's example, to be received by God and admitted into the number of sons, the more so as we see that God performs the office of a good father toward us. Therefore since we know that this order has been instituted by God in his church, so much the more must we be confirmed by David's example, indeed to such a degree that, if it should befall us to be exiles and to live in foreign places where God is not sincerely worshiped, we should bear this more grievously and bitterly than the loss of all goods, possessions, honors, and finally of all things desirable in the world. For David had lost his wife, had been stripped of all his fortunes, was a fugitive from home, stripped of all dignity and honor, and yet he did not value the loss of wife, family, dignity, and all honors as much as the absence from the house of God and the deprivation of so excellent a privilege of meeting in the assembly of the faithful and of praising God in the rest of the throng. And this is the sense of those words of David, that he is driven from the possession of Jehovah, namely from the assembly of those whom God had admitted into his people, and had vowed to be his peculiar treasure and his inheritance, which he would retain and which they would enjoy, as men are accustomed to enjoy their possession not by sight alone, but also by inhabiting and enjoying its fruits. Thus God also professes both to dwell in our midst and to delight in us no otherwise than as some rich man delights in his goods which he enjoys by sight and use. But as for the fact that David complains that he is cast out of the possession of the Lord, that he is driven to worship strange gods, from this let us learn not only to flee idolatrous corruptions and not to give them credence, but also let us diligently take care that we do not depart even a finger's breadth from the purity of divine worship, and that we do nothing of those things which God commands in pretense, since there will be no place for excuse for us before God. David complained that he was forced to be exiled from his Judean homeland and to flee into profane regions where idolatry held sway, and to live among the enemies of the truth, retaining a pure mind and persevering in the confession of faith and prepared to confirm it at the peril of his life. For he held it well that, if he should feign assent to their religion, he would be guilty before the Lord of having neglected God and accepted the worship of foreign gods, even though in his heart he abhorred it. What then will be the case for those who willingly cast themselves into this danger and call evil upon themselves? Therefore first let us take pains to remain in those places in which liberty of purely calling upon God is granted. Secondly, let us take care that for no necessity whatever we cling to those things which are repugnant to divine worship. For there will be no legitimate excuse before God if we feign to worship idols, but say that our heart is far from them. Nor indeed must it be doubted that this dissimulation is reckoned by God as the worship of strange gods.

It is certain that David, if he had been cast into such necessity, would have abominated such a wickedness from his heart, since he recognizes that this is to serve other gods, since indeed the one God is the true one, who therefore wills to be worshiped in spirit and truth. Let us therefore observe that God cannot endure these dissimulations of men, since indeed it is the most true saying of the Son of God, repeated in so many places in the sacred [scriptures], as experience itself proves, that men cannot serve two masters, but will love the one and hate the other; men, I say, cannot serve God and the devil. So David in this place professes that it is not lawful for him to imitate the manners of men, that he should accommodate himself to them and gratify them. But he says: God must be served purely and sincerely, that we may truly profess that we are his and that due reverence is owed to him alone. And so far concerning these things.

Let us proceed in the exposition of these words: 'Why does the king of Israel come forth to seek a single flea, as if he were pursuing a partridge in the mountains?' By which words David says how abject and lowly his condition is reckoned. But what nevertheless is honorable for him is that he casts down the pride and arrogance of his enemy. By which words we are taught how we ought to rejoice in the midst of distresses, when we are unjustly afflicted by the great ones of this world and men of the foremost dignity. David therefore compares himself to a flea, as if to say: What honor and glory at last will accrue to a king who can wage war against great armies, if he now exerts his strength against a dead dog and a flea? For it is plain to anyone that it turns to great shame for a powerful man and a man of foremost dignity, if he attacks a wretched little fellow, or for a strong man if he rushes upon a weak one; for what glory is there to him from this? For if anyone for example should rush upon some sick man so weakened by disease that he cannot even move his foot, and tear him with blows, will not all judge it an unworthy and utterly intolerable deed of a man? Or if any man of the foremost dignity should quarrel with some abject and worthless rascal, will he not be held in mockery and judged to have nothing brave or great-souled in himself? Or if any strong man should attack an infant, will he not be held as a monstrous beast? Thus David warns Saul that it cannot redound to his honor that he persecutes so abject a little man. Nor let us think that David speaks only of his external condition, but especially of the abjection of his soul, in order to cast down Saul's pride. Therefore, when we are about to cast down the rage of proud and arrogant men, let us not be carried away, for this is the cause of contentions and complaints; these are the bellows of slaughters and quarrels, when men, having no modest opinion of themselves, break out into rage, when they wish to be made and held great, and leave no room any longer for reason. David on the contrary professes that he had not been led by any ambition, but had been content with what God granted, and indeed had patiently borne being cast down and humbled by God, and had easily forgotten that dignity and power to which he had previously been raised. Truly a worthy example for us to imitate, and from which we may learn to cut off the cause of all quarrels and complaints by modesty and humility, that we may prefer rather to be cast down and despised than to be made great. For, as Paul says, the source and origin of all contentions, and a pestilent plague, is the desire to lord it over others. Therefore we ought to be cast down and made little of, but not by force, but willingly: when we shall thus have known the will of God; and we must beware lest we be carried away by our own authority. And if God has raised us to some grade of dignity and honor, let us always be ready with sincere will to resign ourselves and our dignity to him, that if he wishes to cast us down, we may obey his will, nor take it ill that we do not grow daily until we have been raised above the clouds. But let us let ourselves be ruled by God, who knows well enough what is expedient for us. This therefore is to be diligently observed from this conclusion of David, that his blood may be poured out only before the Lord; by which words he insinuates to Saul both rashness and arrogance, as if to say: his blood cannot be poured out without God not only seeing it, since all things are present to him, but also showing in fact that the complaints of his sons lifting up their eyes to him are a care to him, since he guards them. From which word it is permitted to draw also another doctrine, namely that although the impious think that they pour out our blood with impunity like water, and make nothing of it because of their arrogance and cruelty, nevertheless not a little drop of it shall fall except in the presence of the Lord, and they shall one day render account of it before him. For if, as is said in the Psalm, our tears are precious to him, and he keeps them hidden in a flask, will not much more our blood? From this therefore let us learn to be firmly persuaded that God is our protector, and will not allow a hair to fall from our head without his will, and will vindicate us from our enemies, and that even when they will try to slaughter us and destroy us with utter ruin, God will not turn his eyes from us, nor be blind to our evils. And accordingly although he allows us to be vexed for a time, and our enemies to be superior to us, nevertheless each evil with which they will afflict us shall come before God, and they will at last be compelled to render account of all those things before his tribunal. This therefore is the first thing for us to note, that we may console ourselves against all temptations and persecutions by which we are oppressed by the satellites of the devil. Then we are taught to abstain from all reproaches against our neighbors. For this must be impressed deeply into our minds, that God notices each deed and word of men, and although we may flee the presence of men, nevertheless God is always a just judge: which we also recognize from the very effects. For who was a witness present then, when Cain killed his brother Abel? Yet his blood did not cease to demand vengeance from the Lord. So therefore, even if our evil deeds and crimes flee the sight of men, and we cannot be accused of any injustice before them, yet it is necessary that our hearts be tested by God and that we be justified before him, that he himself may rule us, and breathe upon us with his Holy Spirit, that we may abstain from all violence and all injuries, if we desire to render an account of our good conscience before him, and to be pleasing and acceptable to him. Let us learn moreover to be consoled when [we know] that we are of such great care to God, and that he deigns to direct our steps and to extend his hand to guard and protect us.

Let us pass to Saul's confession: 'I have sinned: return, my son David, for I will no longer do you harm, because my life has appeared precious in your eyes this very day; behold, I have acted foolishly and have erred very greatly.' Saul not only acknowledges his folly, but even exaggerates it, when he says that he has acted foolishly and has erred most greatly. From which it appears that Saul did not acknowledge his fault only superficially and perfunctorily, as men for the most part are accustomed, but had judged himself, as if he had received against himself a sentence pronounced by the Lord. Saul was a king, but yet he confesses himself a fool. Nor does he say only that he was foolish in pursuing David, but also that he had erred very greatly. Surely it must not be doubted that one who was carried with such pride and impotence of mind against an innocent man, how could he have voluntarily confessed his fault and acknowledged his crime, unless God had extorted the confession from him unwilling, for the favor and grace of David. From which it appears how greatly God valued David's patience and the humanity which he had used toward Saul. For if David had defiled himself with the king's blood, he would have been overwhelmed with perpetual disgrace and infamy, and would have been rightly hateful and abominable to all on account of his inhumanity. And so although David did not fail to know that he would never have a tranquil life as long as Saul lived, yet he preferred to spare his life rather than defile his hands with his blood. But God rewards this patience of David when he drives Saul to the acknowledgment of his fault. Nor indeed is there any doubt that this confession of Saul became known to all, made not before one or two witnesses, but before the whole army. For he was surrounded by three thousand men, in whose presence he confessed his iniquity, and did not seek evasions or vain excuses, since he not only did not lessen the fault, but more and more increased it. And so it is certain that Saul, like a public herald, in the presence of the whole army proclaimed David's innocence, so that it might reach to all. From this therefore let us observe that with however great ingratitude men may labor, if we patiently bear whatever has been sent upon us by God, we shall at last be richly rewarded by him, who will easily turn all the injuries done to us by enemies to our advantage and benefit. Although at first sight and in the opinion of men it may seem that it is over with us, and that our affairs are placed in the worst position: yet God will turn all things to our salvation, if we shall have followed David's example. Moreover let us observe that God, by driving wicked men to the acknowledgment of their sins, makes their condemnation the heavier. Surely it appears that Saul did not confess his fault by way of mockery, but had been so affected that he said he was foolish and insane and had erred grievously, although nevertheless afterwards he did not return to better fruit. Therefore his condemnation was so much greater because his own conscience accused him. Therefore when afterwards against the bite of conscience he persecuted David, we are taught from this that it is not enough, as we said before, if we confess our fault with the mouth and the bite of conscience accuses us, but that something more is required. I confess indeed that the beginning of repentance is sadness and grief, without which there can never be any conversion to God in us, but rather a hardening in evils. Therefore the beginning, by which we return to better fruit and are led back into the way from which we had wandered, is placed in this, that we should be affected by a certain grief of mind on account of sin which displeases us; but we must proceed further: lest we imitate Saul, who, although affected by a sense of his sin, was nevertheless reprobate before God. Therefore we must proceed to this, that to that grief of mind there should also be added the zeal of conforming ourselves to the good will of God, and so to hold evil in hatred that we may seek the good. Finally, if we confess our sins and are inclined to the same, let us know that we are thereby rendered the more inexcusable before God; for he who has condemned himself, if he afterwards continues in evils, draws upon himself a heavier punishment, since he testifies in fact that he is a despiser of the divine goodness, and by his rebellion calls down upon himself a more grievous judgment of God. So therefore let us learn to confess our fault and to be affected with grief, that we may be turned to God and renounce ourselves, devoting ourselves wholly to the worship of God. Furthermore, that Saul did not wish to deceive David, nor to lie to him, appears from his words when he says: 'I will no longer do you harm,' and yet nevertheless if David had fallen into his hands he would have taken his life, there is no doubt, since we see that he afterwards sought occasions to crush David, and from what follows we can easily conjecture that as long as David dwelt in Judea and lay hidden in caves and dens, he was hateful to Saul and new snares were always being laid for him. How then without dissimulation does he promise David that he will no longer do him harm? Surely so are accustomed those who do not have the roots of true fear of God propagated deeply in themselves, whose faith is always changeable, whom although we sometimes see led by good affection, it is certain nevertheless that they are so possessed and confined by Satan that they soon return to their former state and malice, imitating rabid dogs which, if they are not aroused while lying down, are quiet, but coming near tear with their teeth. Thus the mind of a man in which the fear of God has not taken root, after it has been infected with the poison of malice for a time, has its affections as it were lulled to sleep. But by the slightest occasion presented they are aroused and boil over. Therefore let us observe that, in order that we may converse sincerely and faithfully among men and keep faith, we must be empty of all dissimulation and hypocrisy, and that God works in us so that we may not promise ourselves anything from ourselves, but rise up to God the parent of all things, who himself supplies us with the ability to fulfill what we have promised.

And so much concerning Saul's false promise, in which David did not greatly trust, as appears from his response, and from those things which followed next; for he says: 'Jehovah will render to each his own justice and his faithfulness. And therefore behold, just as your life was great in my eyes, so my life shall be great in the eyes of Jehovah.' If David had exacted recompense from Saul, he would have demanded that the like favor be returned to him and that he be restored to his former dignity; but since he did not trust Saul, and observed in him an incorrigible malice, therefore he flees to God himself. For he did not wish to cast himself voluntarily into the danger of death after Saul was placated, but, perceiving the peril, avoided it lest he seem to tempt God. And yet it is difficult to keep measure in these things. For the passions of men are for the most part so fervent and boiling that they cannot restrain wrath. And then if perhaps they are enticed by flatteries, they are easily imposed upon. But God always protects his own from the snares of enemies, an example of which thing is here set before us to be regarded in David, who neither wished himself to avenge his enemy, and yet did not commit himself to him. Let us therefore, having experienced the ingratitude of our enemies and their hardening in malice, so beware of their frauds, that we may be ready to do them good and to wish them good, and to overcome their wickedness with all the offices of humanity, just as we see David did toward Saul in the following words: 'Behold the king's spear, let one of those servants of the king now come over and take it.' So far is it that David should seek any new vengeance from Saul, whom he acknowledges as his king, that on the contrary he willingly returns to him the spear over which he could have triumphed, together with the cup in which Saul had water for drinking. But meanwhile nevertheless he fears and takes care of himself from him whose mind he had sufficiently known and his evil will toward himself. For otherwise he would have given credit to his words and committed himself to him, for charity, as the apostle warns, is not suspicious. But when the frauds of enemies are known, and there are many examples of their faithlessness and perfidy, they are no longer to be trusted, and when their mind is such that it is always borne to evil, it is not to be called suspicion if we take care for ourselves. For when Paul says that charity does not suspect evil, he speaks of unknown and hidden evil; but where iniquity is detected, it would be rash for us to commit ourselves to those whom we ought to hold suspect. Meanwhile, however, let us learn so to take care, that we do not foster an evil mind against our enemies, but always wish them well, even if they are most ungrateful. That is difficult, I confess, but easy, as we said by David's example, provided God shall rule us by his Spirit. Finally, where the frauds of enemies and their faithlessness are known, so that there is no faith, no constancy of promises, [we must take care] that we do not cast ourselves into their snares, but know that prudence is to be applied which God himself bestows, and let us imitate the precept of our Lord, who commands us to be prudent as serpents and simple as doves. This precept indeed seems ridiculous, I confess: for it does not seem that we can avoid the deceits of enemies with prudence unless guile is added. But on the contrary our Lord Jesus Christ commands us to be prudent in such a way that we may be wholly removed from all guile and fraud, content to have escaped the deceits of our enemies as far as God has granted, and as he has opened our mind with his light, and has uncovered the dangers threatening from our enemies: thus our prudence ought to depend on God, joined with the simplicity of the dove; and we ought to be certainly persuaded that we are under God's protection, and accordingly that whatever men contrive against us, whatever snares they weave, our life will be in God's hand and protection. And let so much be said about David's moderation and prudence in fleeing from Saul's malice. As for what concerns the discourse itself, we shall defer it to the following day. But come now, etc.

## HOMILIA XCVI.

(Verses 22-25. See above.)

In yesterday's sermon we began to teach why David returned to Saul the spear and the cup which he had taken: namely, because he did not have it in mind to triumph over Saul, but it was enough for him to be delivered from the persecution which he was suffering. For he did indeed afterward fight against his enemies, and triumphed when victory was obtained; but at that time he resolved that he must keep quiet, until God himself should remove Saul. Therefore we must establish that in open war, provided it be just and approved by the Lord, we may use the right of war, yet in such a way that human blood be spared as far as possible: but if that condition is not present, that caution must be employed, and that equity preserved, that we should venture nothing except what is lawful. For if, for example, certain wicked men should rise up against the Church of God, and accordingly should seem to be destroyed by utter slaughter, even if they are not foreigners but domestic enemies, since we have taken up arms against them by divine authority, it is certain that it is permitted to strike them in battle and to shed their blood. But if on the contrary some criminal convicted of a wicked deed falls into our hands, of whose punishment we have neither the authority nor the power, although he may seem to have been delivered to us by God's own providence, and the occasion of restraining him offered to us, nevertheless it is certain that he must be handed over to the public judge, and that nothing must be ventured against him by private authority, but the order prescribed by God must be diligently observed. Finally, from this we gather that it was enough for David if he were delivered by the Lord from the hands of Saul, from whom such great danger threatened him, since he knew that it was not yet permitted to him to test his strength against that enemy, but it must be reserved for another time, just as we shall afterwards see that David did not refuse, after Saul's death, to defend his authority by his strength. But it was necessary for him to await the opportune time, in which afterwards it would be permitted him to defend himself in war.

Now indeed he turns to prayers, and flees to God, in whom he rests, awaiting until God should repay each one according to his merits. For there is in this place a verb of future tense, which from the usage of the sacred language is so taken that it either denotes future time, or is used in prayers as a wish that God may answer. Either of these meanings is suitable to this place. For what has greater force to restrain men than when they expect the reward of their deeds from God? For by what are we more impelled to many wicked deeds than that we think God is not mindful of us? Therefore when we wish to be armed with patience and to restrain violent affections, let us resolve that God at length will accomplish his work, and accordingly that we ought calmly and quietly to wait until in actual fact God testifies that he has care of us. But since that hope cannot fail to be nourished by prayer, therefore we can also so interpret these words of David, that resting in God's good pleasure, he implores his justice against the perfidy of men, who leave no place for reason or equity. Let us learn from this, when we are sure of the goodness and justice of our cause, and yet men, preoccupied by their passions, have brought unjust sentences against us and condemned us by their vote, to appeal to God and to present ourselves to his judgment: meanwhile bearing patiently the contumelies and injuries of men, and walking intrepidly through the midst of those darknesses, until the day of salvation arrives. Furthermore, when David here mentions justice and faith, he better expresses what kind of justice he is speaking about: for if he had only mentioned justice, it would not have appeared so clearly what he understood by it, as when he adds faith. Now the word "faith" which he used properly signifies fidelity, integrity, and perseverance in the good; but in this place David has regard to the Lord's commandment by which we are commanded to deal with our neighbors without fraud and malice. Just as when Paul prescribes the rule of living well and justly among men, he commands each one to speak in truth with his neighbor. But words must agree with deeds. Therefore David, relying on God in the goodness of his cause, asks that since he has striven for integrity and sincerity, and has borne himself candidly toward Saul, who became his enemy of his own accord, nor sought crooked ways of doing harm, so God may bless and prosper him. But here a certain question arises: whether we can call upon God to repay us according to our merits: since this might seem too much arrogance, because even if we are held to be most just before men, and irreproachable, yet if we should stand before God's tribunal, we would be charged and condemned in many things. What therefore is to be done? Surely that we should acknowledge our guilt and fault, and each one should examine himself, and listen to his accusing conscience. But, I beseech you, how few accuse themselves? Scarcely one in a thousand will you find who does not put forward some excuse and defend his cause as good. But suppose -- let us grant that we have done all things without dissimulation and hypocrisy, and have lived with candor and integrity with our neighbors -- who, even so, will dare to assert his justice before God and to profess himself just? For God looks far more deeply into men's deeds than men do. Therefore it seems too impudent arrogance, if anyone should dare to profess his justice before God, and to demand that it be repaid to him according to his merits. Surely this must be deeply fixed in our minds: that when we have business with God, he alone is our justice, before whom we cannot stand without his mercy, since being conscious to ourselves of one crime, we may be charged by him with a thousand. And although we ourselves are blind to our vices, God yet well knows what we are, and our conscience is greater, as Paul speaks, and John in his first canonical epistle. Therefore let us know that by nothing can we more be justified than if we frankly confess that all our works are of no value or weight before God: and that our justice will be approved before God when we have acknowledged that it is placed in his mercy. Therefore his mercy and goodness must always be proclaimed by us, and so we must hope for reward from him: since if he should look upon us and the dignity of our works, it is certain that we cannot stand long before him. Therefore David in Psalm 143 prays the Lord not to enter into judgment with his servant, because before him no living one is just. Nor indeed was he contradictory to himself. Therefore when in this place he prays God to render to each his justice, he is not proclaiming his merits before God, but comparing himself with his adversary Saul. For when we have to do with unjust adversaries, relying on the equity of our cause, we may address God and defend ourselves by our integrity, and pray that he repay each one according to his justice; provided we are not proclaiming our justice or perfection before God, but complaining of injury about contumelies and injuries inflicted on us. Therefore when we shall institute a comparison of our cause with the cause of an adversary, we shall be able to use the same speech which David here uses. For it is far otherwise to speak of some private deed, than of his whole life and integrity. For if we should bring before God's tribunal one or another, indeed if many virtues by which we wish to defend ourselves, God would set against us a thousand offenses and convict us of them. Therefore there is no account of one or another virtue, in respect of so many vices whose number before God is almost infinite: not otherwise than if some debtor should partially satisfy a creditor, and for one or two hundred crowns should pay six or seven, and should say on this account that he had satisfied his creditor. But there is no proportion of those five or seven crowns to the hundred or two hundred for which he was bound, so that he would unjustly say that he had satisfied his creditor who had paid so small a sum for so great. Not otherwise is our account before God, that we owe him much and are unequal to paying: unless he himself, in his immense mercy and clemency, have pity on us and freely remit our debts. For let us suppose that in this or that deed we satisfy God; if yet we should come to the examination of our whole life, we must confess we are unequal to paying. Therefore let us know that David in this place did not wish to proclaim himself before God so as to boast of some perfection and integrity of life in which nothing is lacking: but only to institute a comparison of his cause with Saul's cause, who was undeservedly persecuting him, and to ask God that, since Saul with hostile and cruel mind was pursuing him to death, God might judge and repay each one according to his merits. Behold by what right David begs the Lord to repay each according to his justice, and in what sense he himself in Psalm 18 says that God has rendered to him according to his justice and restored him according to the cleanness of his hands. In which place David is surely not proclaiming his praises, that he may come to men's admiration: but rather to commend the twofold grace of God toward him, namely that on the one part he has so ruled and governed him by his Holy Spirit that he has lived with the highest integrity and candor of mind with his neighbors, and has been injurious to no one; then that on the other part he has so blessed him as to grant him a happy outcome from afflictions, and although he has permitted him to be afflicted for a time, this was only that exploration which has turned out to his salvation: since God at length, having delivered him from all dangers, helped him at the opportune time. And this passage is the more notable, and to be more diligently considered by us, because we see many too bold in appealing to God's judgment, whom all, even infants themselves, well know to be unjust men and contumelious: but yet who are led by no reverence of God, as if they thought God did not know what kind they are and what kind of life they have led. But we must take the greatest care not so impudently to abuse God's name: but rather we should give effort, that when we have appealed to his judgment, we have a sure and undoubted testimony of our equity and sincerity, of which even our adversaries themselves are conscious, and which they are compelled to confess. For with God neither flowers of speech nor eloquence avail anything; but virtue alone defends us before God's judgment, who can neither be deceived nor misled as men can.

19. Now therefore hear, my lord the king, the words of your servant. If the Lord has stirred you up against me, let Him accept an offering. But if it is the sons of men, may they be cursed before the Lord, because they have driven me out today so that I cannot remain in the inheritance of the Lord, saying: Go, serve other gods. 20. Now therefore, do not let my blood fall to the ground away from the presence of the Lord. For the king of Israel has come out to search for a single flea, as one hunts a partridge in the mountains. 21. Then Saul said: I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will not harm you again, because my life was precious in your eyes today. I have acted foolishly and have been very wrong. 22. David answered and said: Here is the king's spear. Let one of the king's servants come over and take it. 23. And may the Lord repay each man for his righteousness and faithfulness, for the Lord delivered you into my hand today, and I was not willing to stretch out my hand against the Lord's anointed. 24. And as your life was precious in my eyes today, so may my life be precious in the eyes of the Lord, and may He deliver me from all distress. 25. Then Saul said to David: Blessed are you, my son David. You will do great things and will surely prevail. And David went on his way, and Saul returned to his place.

In yesterday's sermon we heard that God sometimes afflicts us as if directly by His own hand, and sometimes uses other means. But as often as we recognize His hand and perceive that the trouble comes from Him, we learned that one remedy remains: with our mouths stopped, acknowledging our sins, we bow before Him. But when human will and action are added — when God uses people as instruments, as one about to strike another might pick up a staff — there is a twofold consideration. Often those God uses as executors and agents of His judgments are themselves wicked and guilty, driven by greed, ambition, and cruelty — their will strongly resisting God's will, thinking nothing of God or His judgments. Yet they still deserve condemnation, even though God uses their work. He is such a master craftsman that He is always just in all His works — and yet those whose work He uses are guilty and condemnable. Therefore if someone with an evil mind attacks us and harms us in various ways without any just cause, let us not conclude that God is therefore not at work. Let us understand that He is calling us back to repentance and guiding us toward our salvation. Although we may rightly complain about the injury done to us, set forth our innocence before God, and defend ourselves with a clear conscience — testifying that our enemies are hostile and harmful to us willingly and without cause — we must still recognize God's hand in it and say with David: 'You, Lord, have done it, and therefore I will be silent.' We see David doing exactly this: he rightly and openly complained about the injury men had inflicted on him — yet was silent before the Lord, falling mute at His tribunal. In one and the same situation, from different angles, he both complained and was silent. The sense of David's words is this: if he were afflicted directly by God's own hand, confessing himself a miserable sinner before God, he would bow before Him and beg pardon for his fault — because nothing is accomplished by contending against God. But if unjust men persecute him, he will rightly condemn them and summon them before God's judgment to be cursed. Finally, let us recognize that God is a just judge even when He chastises His own through unjust people — using them to execute His righteous judgments.

David's complaints against his enemies center especially on these words: 'Because they have driven me out today, so that I cannot hold to the inheritance of the Lord as one chosen, saying: Go, worship foreign gods.' His enemies were certainly not using these exact words. David is looking at what they were actually doing, not what they were saying. Whenever we bring our case before God, we must examine not only what appears outwardly but what lies hidden within. God does not judge by the external face of things but by the truth of the matter itself. If God judged by outward appearances, hypocrites and deceivers would win their case before Him — for they always defend their actions with plausible reasons, never condemning themselves with their own mouths, but continually shifting and finding new excuses to paint their deeds in a good light. But God does not look at their plausible speech; He looks at their fault. So David attributes to his enemies not what they said with their mouths, but what they were working and trying to accomplish against him. That his charge is true becomes clear from this: Judah alone retained the pure worship of God, while the rest of the world had corrupted God's name with superstitions and idolatry. When no place was left for David in Judah where he could live safely, and Saul's violence drove him to associate with idolaters — was he not then compelled, like a man rejected and cast out, to flee to foreign gods and become a companion of pagan and idolatrous people? That is why David rightly complains that he is driven from the inheritance of the Lord. Notice what this shows: David did not value his house, his wife, his family, or any precious thing in the world as much as the church of God — where God was worshiped in His sanctuary, and where he could share in all the gifts and benefits God bestowed on the Israelite people. The tabernacle had been erected so that God might show He was dwelling in the midst of Israel, and so that those who sacrificed there might know God as their Savior — just as today the baptism Christ instituted is a sign by which we are made more certain that God cleanses us from every stain of sin and receives us into His grace, and the Lord's Supper teaches us that we are spiritually nourished by the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. So in those ancient times, through sacrifices offered in the sanctuary, the people were made certain that God had received them into grace and forgiven all their sins. To those sacrifices were added certain washings, serving the same purpose as baptism today. Add to these the preaching of the law — without which all that ceremonial worship, all those rites of sacrifice and washing, would have been entirely useless. David therefore rightly testifies his grief at being unable to enjoy this benefit of God — at being prevented by unjust persecution from worshiping God at His tabernacle and from sharing in the means God had given His people for salvation. We see these complaints repeatedly in the Psalms, as when he cries out: 'How lovely are Your dwelling places, O Lord of hosts. My soul longs, yes, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.' And in another psalm he doubles his complaints: 'My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night, while they say to me all day long, Where is your God? These things I remember as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the throng, leading the procession to the house of God, with the sound of songs of praise and thanksgiving. Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why do you groan within me?' We see that David, though adorned with excellent virtues and gifted with prophecy so that he could instruct others, still longed to be joined to the church and subject to its order — to confirm his faith both through sacrifices and through the other exercises God had prescribed for His people. Let us therefore learn this: since God wills His Word to be preached to us and invites us daily to hear it, He is offering us the gift of calling on His holy name and sincerely confessing that we are His people. He also offers testimony of His goodness through the holy sacraments. Therefore we ought to show greater diligence — not only in attending those assemblies where God is called upon, but in worshiping God without pretense, profiting daily from hearing His Word, and being stirred more and more by receiving the sacraments to true and sincere worship and love of Him. Following David's example, let us desire to be received by God and admitted among His children — all the more because we see God fulfilling the role of a good Father toward us. Since we know that this order has been established by God in His church, let us be strengthened all the more by David's example — to such a degree that if we were ever in exile, living in foreign places where God is not sincerely worshiped, we should feel this loss more grievously and bitterly than the loss of all possessions, honors, and everything else desirable in the world. David had lost his wife, been stripped of all his goods, was a fugitive from home, stripped of all dignity and honor — and yet he did not grieve the loss of wife, family, dignity, and all honors as much as he grieved being absent from God's house and deprived of the excellent privilege of gathering with the faithful and praising God in their company. That is the sense of David's words about being driven from the possession of the Lord — from the assembly of those whom God had admitted into His people, vowed to be His special treasure and inheritance, whom He would keep and who would enjoy Him as people enjoy a possession not merely by sight but by living in it and enjoying its fruit. So God also declares both that He dwells in our midst and that He delights in us — just as a wealthy man delights in his goods by both seeing and using them. When David complains that he is cast out from the Lord's possession and driven to worship foreign gods, let us learn not only to flee idolatrous corruptions and refuse to accept them, but also to take careful care that we do not depart even a finger's breadth from the purity of divine worship — doing nothing that God commands in a merely outward way, since there will be no excuse before God. David grieved that he was exiled from his homeland of Judah and compelled to flee into godless regions where idolatry held sway — to live among enemies of the truth, maintaining a pure heart, persevering in the confession of faith, and prepared to confirm it at the risk of his life. For he understood that if he merely pretended to go along with their religion, he would be guilty before the Lord of abandoning God and accepting the worship of foreign gods — even if his heart inwardly rejected it. What then of those who willingly throw themselves into such danger and call this evil upon themselves? Therefore let us first take care to remain in those places where the freedom to call on God purely is granted. Second, let us take care that for no reason whatever we cling to things repugnant to divine worship. There will be no legitimate excuse before God if we pretend to worship idols while claiming our heart is far from them. And there should be no doubt that God reckons this kind of pretense as the actual worship of foreign gods.

David, had he been forced into such a necessity, would have abhorred pretense from his heart — for he knew that going through the motions of worshiping other gods is exactly what it is: serving other gods. The one God is the true God, and He therefore wills to be worshiped in spirit and truth. Let us therefore observe that God cannot endure human pretense. The Son of God's repeated teaching — confirmed everywhere in Scripture and in experience — stands absolutely true: people cannot serve two masters; they will love the one and hate the other. People cannot serve both God and the devil. David therefore declares in this place that it is not lawful for him to imitate other people's ways, accommodate himself to them, and try to please them. He says: God must be served purely and sincerely, so that we may truly confess that we are His and that due reverence belongs to Him alone. So much for that.

Let us proceed to these words: 'Why does the king of Israel come out to search for a single flea, as one hunts a partridge in the mountains?' David is describing how lowly and insignificant his condition appears. But at the same time he is doing something honorable: cutting down the pride and arrogance of his enemy. These words teach us how to respond when we are unjustly oppressed by the powerful and prominent of this world. David compares himself to a flea — as if to say: what honor and glory will come to a king who commands great armies, if he now spends his strength against a dead dog and a flea? It is obvious to everyone that it brings great shame to a man of power and rank if he attacks a wretched weakling. What glory is there in that? If someone were to rush at a man so weakened by illness he cannot even move his foot and beat him, would anyone not judge it a shameful and intolerable deed? Or if a man of the highest dignity were to quarrel with some abject nobody — would he not be mocked and judged to have nothing brave or honorable about him? Or if a strong man were to attack an infant — would he not be regarded as a monster? David is warning Saul that persecuting so insignificant a man can bring him no honor. And do not think David speaks only of his outward condition — he speaks especially of the lowliness of his soul, to bring Saul's pride down. Therefore, when we want to disarm the rage of proud and arrogant men, let us not be carried away — for that feeds contention and complaint. Quarrels and bloodshed are fanned when people, having no modest opinion of themselves, break into fury, desperate to be regarded as great, leaving no room for reason. David by contrast declares he had been driven by no ambition — he was content with what God granted, had patiently borne being humbled and brought low by God, and had readily let go of the dignity and power to which he had previously been raised. A truly worthy example for us to imitate. From it we learn to cut off the root of all quarrels and complaints through modesty and humility — preferring to be brought low and despised rather than to be made great. As Paul says, the source and origin of all contention — a pestilent plague — is the desire to lord it over others. We ought therefore to be brought low and made small — but not by force; willingly, when we know God's will. And we must beware of being swept away by self-importance. If God has raised us to some degree of dignity and honor, let us always be ready with a sincere will to yield ourselves and our dignity back to Him — so that if He chooses to bring us low, we obey His will without resentment, not insisting on growing every day until we are raised above the clouds. Let us allow God to govern us, for He knows well enough what is best for us. There is another important point in David's closing words — that his blood may be poured out only before the Lord. By this he implies to Saul both rashness and arrogance, as if to say: his blood cannot be poured out without God not only seeing it — for all things are present to Him — but also showing in fact that He cares for the complaints of those who lift their eyes to Him, since He guards them. From this another lesson may be drawn: even when the wicked think they are shedding our blood like water with impunity, treating it as nothing in their arrogance and cruelty — not one drop of it will fall except in the presence of the Lord, and they will one day give account of it before Him. If, as the psalmist says, our tears are precious to God and He keeps them in a flask — how much more our blood? Let us therefore be firmly persuaded that God is our protector, that He will not allow a single hair to fall from our head without His will, and that He will vindicate us from our enemies. Even when they try to slaughter us and destroy us utterly, God will not turn His eyes away or be blind to our suffering. Therefore, even when He allows us to be troubled for a time and our enemies to get the upper hand, every evil they inflict on us comes before God — and they will at last be compelled to answer for all of it before His tribunal. This is the first thing for us to note, that we may find comfort against every temptation and persecution the devil's agents bring against us. We are also taught to abstain from all contemptuous treatment of our neighbors. This must be pressed deeply into our minds: God notices every deed and word of people. Though we may hide from human eyes, God is always a just judge — and we see this confirmed in events. Who was present as a witness when Cain killed his brother Abel? Yet his blood did not stop crying out to the Lord for vengeance. So even if our evil deeds and crimes escape human sight, and no one can accuse us of injustice before people — our hearts must still be tested by God. We must be justified before Him. He must rule us and breathe on us with His Holy Spirit, that we may abstain from all violence and all injury, if we desire to render an account of a good conscience before Him and to be pleasing and acceptable to Him. Let us also learn to find comfort in knowing we are of such great concern to God — that He condescends to direct our steps and extends His hand to guard and protect us.

Let us turn to Saul's confession: 'I have sinned. Return, my son David, for I will no longer do you harm, because my life was precious in your eyes this very day. I have acted foolishly and have been very wrong.' Saul not only acknowledges his fault but magnifies it — saying he has acted foolishly and erred very greatly. This shows Saul did not acknowledge his fault in a superficial or perfunctory way, as people usually do, but had judged himself as if he had received against himself a sentence pronounced by the Lord. Saul was a king — yet he confessed himself a fool. Nor does he say only that he was foolish in pursuing David, but that he had erred very greatly. There is no doubt that a man driven with such pride and reckless fury against an innocent person could not have voluntarily confessed his fault and acknowledged his crime unless God had wrested the confession from him against his will — for David's sake and in honor of his grace. This shows how greatly God valued David's patience and the kindness he had shown to Saul. Had David defiled himself with the king's blood, he would have been covered in perpetual shame and disgrace, and rightly hated and despised by all for his inhumanity. So, although David knew that as long as Saul lived he would never have a peaceful life, he chose to spare his life rather than defile his hands with his blood. God rewarded this patience of David by driving Saul to acknowledge his fault. This confession was not made before one or two witnesses — it was made before the whole army, all three thousand men, in whose presence Saul confessed his wrongdoing without seeking evasions or excuses, indeed making his fault seem greater rather than smaller. So Saul, like a public herald, proclaimed David's innocence before the entire army, so that it would reach everyone. Let us therefore observe this: however great the ingratitude people show us, if we patiently bear whatever God has sent upon us, God will at last richly reward us — easily turning all the injuries enemies did to us into advantage and benefit. Although at first sight and by human reckoning it may seem that all is over for us and our affairs are in the worst state — God will turn all things to our salvation if we follow David's example. Notice also that God, by driving wicked people to acknowledge their sins, makes their condemnation heavier. Saul clearly did not confess his fault as a formality — he was deeply affected, calling himself foolish and insane and saying he had erred gravely. Yet afterward he did not return to better fruit. His condemnation was therefore all the greater because his own conscience accused him. When afterward he went on persecuting David despite the bite of his conscience, we learn that it is not enough — as we said before — merely to confess one's fault and feel its sting. Something more is required. I grant that the beginning of repentance is grief and sorrow — without which there can be no genuine turning to God, only a hardening in evil. The beginning of returning to good fruit — being led back onto the path from which we had wandered — consists in being struck by genuine sorrow over sin that we know displeases God. But we must go further, lest we imitate Saul, who was affected by the sense of his sin yet was reprobate before God. We must therefore go on to add to that sorrow of mind an earnest desire to conform ourselves to God's good will — holding evil in such hatred that we seek the good. If we confess our sins but then continue in them, we render ourselves all the more inexcusable before God. Whoever has condemned himself and then continues in evil draws a heavier punishment on himself — for he testifies by his actions that he despises God's goodness, and by his rebellion calls down a more severe judgment upon himself. So let us learn to confess our fault with genuine grief — in such a way that we are turned to God and deny ourselves, devoting ourselves wholly to His worship. As for whether Saul was sincere when he said 'I will no longer do you harm' — there is no doubt that had David fallen into his hands, Saul would have taken his life. We can see that he afterward looked for opportunities to destroy David, and from what follows it is clear that as long as David lived in Judah hiding in caves and dens, Saul hated him and was always laying new traps for him. How then can he promise without deceit that he will no longer harm David? This is the nature of those in whom the roots of true fear of God have not gone deep. Their faith is always changeable. We may sometimes see them moved by a good impulse, yet they are so held and bound by Satan that they quickly return to their former malice — like rabid dogs that are quiet while lying still but tear with their teeth the moment someone comes near. So the mind in which fear of God has not taken root, after being infected for a time with the poison of malice, has its passions lulled as if to sleep. But at the slightest provocation they are roused and boil over. Let us therefore observe that in order to deal honestly and faithfully with people and to keep our word, we must be emptied of all pretense and hypocrisy — and we must not trust in ourselves, but look up to God, the Father of all things, who Himself supplies us with the ability to fulfill what we have promised.

So much for Saul's hollow promise, in which David placed little trust — as his response makes plain. He says: 'The Lord will render to each according to his righteousness and his faithfulness. And so, just as your life was precious in my eyes today, so may my life be precious in the eyes of the Lord.' Had David asked Saul to repay him, he would have demanded that the same favor be returned and that he be restored to his former dignity. But since he did not trust Saul and recognized an incorrigible malice in him, he fled to God Himself. He did not wish to put himself voluntarily in harm's way now that Saul seemed pacified — perceiving the danger, he kept his distance, lest he be seen as tempting God. Yet it is difficult to maintain this balance. People's passions are usually so fervent and boiling that they cannot hold back their anger. And then if they are flattered, they are easily deceived. But God always protects His own from the snares of enemies — and David is a striking example of this here: he neither took personal revenge on his enemy, nor committed himself carelessly to him. Let us therefore, having experienced the ingratitude of enemies and their hardening in malice, guard against their deceit — while remaining ready to do them good, wish them well, and overcome their wickedness with every act of kindness. We see David do exactly this in the following words: 'Behold the king's spear — let one of the king's servants come over and take it.' So far from seeking any new advantage over Saul, whom he acknowledges as his king, David willingly returns the spear — over which he could have triumphed — together with the cup. Yet at the same time he kept his distance and took precautions against a man whose mind and malicious will he knew all too well. For otherwise he would have simply taken Saul at his word and committed himself to him — since charity, as the apostle warns, is not suspicious. But when an enemy's deceit is well known, and there are many proofs of their faithlessness and treachery, they are no longer to be trusted. When a person's character is so bent that it is always carried toward evil, it is not called suspicion when we protect ourselves. When Paul says charity does not suspect evil, he speaks of unknown and hidden evil. But where wickedness has already been exposed, it would be reckless to commit ourselves to those we rightly should not trust. Meanwhile, let us take care not to harbor an evil mind against our enemies, but always wish them well — even if they are completely ungrateful. That is difficult, I admit. But it becomes possible, as David's example shows, when God rules us by His Spirit. Finally, where an enemy's deceit and faithlessness are known — where there is no reliability, no constancy in their promises — let us not throw ourselves into their traps. We must apply the prudence that God Himself supplies. Let us follow our Lord's command to be as shrewd as serpents and as innocent as doves. That command might seem contradictory, I admit — it may seem we cannot avoid the tricks of enemies without using tricks of our own. But our Lord Jesus Christ commands us to be shrewd in a way entirely free from guile and fraud — content to escape the traps of enemies insofar as God has allowed it, as He has opened our eyes and revealed the dangers threatening us from enemies. Our prudence must depend on God, joined with the simplicity of the dove. We must be fully persuaded that we are under God's protection, and that therefore whatever people contrive against us and whatever snares they weave, our lives are in God's hand. Enough said about David's moderation and prudence in avoiding Saul's malice. As for what concerns the speech itself — we will take that up the following day. But come now, etc.

## HOMILIA XCVI.

(Verses 22-25. See above.)

In yesterday's sermon we began to explain why David returned to Saul the spear and cup he had taken: he had no intention of triumphing over Saul — it was enough for him to be delivered from the persecution he was suffering. He did fight against his enemies afterward and triumphed when victory came; but at this time he resolved that he must keep still until God Himself removed Saul. We must therefore establish this principle: in open war, provided it is just and approved by the Lord, we may use the rights of warfare — yet always sparing human blood as much as possible. But when those conditions are absent, caution must be used and the bounds of right observed, so that nothing is ventured except what is lawful. For example, if wicked men rise up against the Church of God in a way that seems to call for decisive action against them — even if they are not foreign enemies but internal ones — and we have taken up arms by divine authority, then it is certain we may strike them in battle and shed blood if necessary. But on the other hand, if some criminal guilty of a wicked deed falls into our hands — and we have neither the authority nor the right to punish him — then even if it seems as though God's providence has delivered him to us and placed the opportunity in our hands, we must still hand him over to the civil judge. Nothing must be done against him by private authority; God's established order must be carefully observed. From this we gather that it was enough for David to be delivered by the Lord from Saul's hands and from the great danger threatening him there. He knew it was not yet time for him to test his strength against this enemy — that time had to be reserved for later. As we will see, after Saul's death David did not hesitate to defend his claim by force. But he had to await the right time, when it would be permitted to him to defend himself in war.

Now David turns to prayer and flees to God, in whom he rests, waiting for God to repay each person according to what they have done. The verb in this passage is in the future tense and, by the usage of the sacred language, can either denote future time or be used as a prayer — a wish that God would act. Either meaning fits here. What has greater power to restrain people than the expectation of receiving from God the outcome their deeds deserve? What drives us toward wicked deeds more than the thought that God is not paying attention to us? So when we want to arm ourselves with patience and restrain violent impulses, let us settle it in our minds that God will in due time accomplish His work — and therefore we ought to wait calmly and quietly until in actual fact God shows that He cares for us. And since that hope cannot be nourished without prayer, we can also understand David's words this way: resting in God's good pleasure, he calls on God's justice against the treachery of people who leave no room for reason or fairness. Let us learn from this: when we are confident that our cause is just and right, yet people — controlled by their passions — have pronounced unjust verdicts against us and condemned us by their vote, we should appeal to God and submit to His judgment. Meanwhile let us patiently bear the insults and injuries of people, walking without fear through those dark times until the day of salvation arrives. Furthermore, when David mentions justice and faithfulness together, he expresses more clearly what kind of justice he has in mind. If he had mentioned justice alone, it would not have been as clear what he meant — but by adding 'faithfulness' it becomes clearer. The word 'faithfulness' as David uses it properly means integrity, reliability, and perseverance in what is good. In this context David has in view the Lord's commandment that we are to deal with our neighbors without fraud or deceit — just as when Paul prescribes the rule for living justly among people, he commands each person to speak truthfully with their neighbor. And words must match deeds. So David, relying on God in the goodness of his cause, asks that since he has striven for integrity and sincerity — dealing honestly with Saul, who became his enemy on his own initiative, and seeking no crooked means of doing harm — God would bless and prosper him. But a question arises here: whether we can call on God to repay us according to our merits. This might seem too arrogant, because even if we appear most just before others and are above reproach in human eyes, if we were to stand before God's judgment seat, we would be charged and condemned in many things. What then are we to do? We must acknowledge our guilt and fault, and each person must examine himself and listen to the voice of an accusing conscience. But how few actually accuse themselves? Scarcely one in a thousand will you find who does not offer some excuse and argue that his cause is good. But suppose — let us grant — that we have done everything without pretense and hypocrisy, and have lived honestly and with integrity toward our neighbors. Even so, who would dare to assert their righteousness before God and claim to be just? For God looks far more deeply into people's deeds than other people do. It would therefore seem the height of impudence for anyone to assert their righteousness before God and demand to be repaid according to their merits. This must be firmly fixed in our minds: when we deal with God, He alone is our righteousness. Before Him we cannot stand without His mercy, since being aware of one sin, we could be charged with a thousand by Him. And though we ourselves are blind to our own vices, God knows very well what we are. Our conscience condemns us even more than we know, as Paul says, and John in his first epistle. So let us understand this: nothing will justify us more than frankly confessing that all our works are of no value or weight before God. Our righteousness will be approved before God when we acknowledge that it rests entirely in His mercy. Therefore His mercy and goodness must always be what we proclaim, and from them we must expect our reward. For if God were to look at us and the worthiness of our works, it is certain we could not stand long before Him. This is why David prays in Psalm 143 that the Lord would not enter into judgment with His servant, because before Him no living person is righteous. David was not contradicting himself. So when here he prays that God would render to each person according to their justice, he is not proclaiming his own merits before God — he is comparing his cause with the cause of his adversary Saul. When we have to deal with unjust adversaries, we may appeal to God on the basis of the fairness of our cause, defend ourselves by our integrity, and ask that He repay each person according to their deserts — provided we are not proclaiming our own righteousness or perfection before God, but rather complaining about the injustices and injuries inflicted on us. So when we set our cause beside our adversary's cause in that comparison, we will be able to use the same kind of language David uses here. For it is very different to speak of one particular deed than of a person's entire life and character. If we were to bring before God's judgment seat one or several virtues by which we sought to defend ourselves, God could set against us a thousand offenses and convict us of them. There is no accounting for one or two virtues against so many vices whose number before God is almost infinite — not unlike a debtor who owes a creditor two hundred crowns but pays only five or six or seven, and then claims he has satisfied the debt. There is no proportion between those five or seven crowns and the full two hundred he owed — so it would be wrong to claim the debt settled by such a small payment against so great an obligation. Our account before God is the same: we owe Him far more than we can pay. Unless He Himself in His immense mercy and grace has compassion on us and freely forgives our debts — even if we satisfy God in this deed or that, when the full accounting of our whole life comes, we must confess we are unable to pay. Let us understand, then, that David in this passage was not proclaiming himself before God to boast of some perfection and spotless integrity. He was only comparing his cause with Saul's — Saul who was persecuting him without cause — and asking God, since Saul with hostile and cruel intent was pursuing him to the death, to judge and repay each one according to what they deserve. This is the sense in which David asks the Lord to repay each according to their justice, and in which he says in Psalm 18 that God has rendered to him according to his righteousness and restored him according to the cleanness of his hands. In that psalm David is not proclaiming his own praises to win admiration. Rather he is commending God's twofold grace toward him: first, that God has governed and guided him by His Holy Spirit, so that he lived with the highest integrity toward his neighbors and did harm to no one; and second, that God blessed him with a happy outcome from his afflictions — and though He permitted him to be afflicted for a time, it was only a testing that worked toward his salvation. For in the end, God delivered him from all dangers and helped him at just the right time. This passage calls for our closest attention, because we see many people who appeal far too boldly to God's judgment — people everyone, even children, knows to be unjust and insolent — yet who are moved by no reverence for God, as if they thought He did not know what kind of people they are and what kind of lives they have led. We must take the greatest care not to abuse God's name so impudently. Instead we should take pains that when we appeal to His judgment, we have a clear and unquestionable testimony of our honesty and integrity — something even our adversaries themselves are aware of and are compelled to acknowledge. For with God, fine words and eloquence count for nothing. Virtue alone defends us before God's judgment — He who can neither be deceived nor misled as people can.