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The text reads on, "With my holy oil have I anointed him," and right down to ver. 37 we have the repeated declarations of God's favour towards him. Now, this has seemed to many a choice most strange, and sorely needing vindication. The statement concerning David - that he was "a man after God's own heart" (1 Samuel 13:14; Acts 13:22) - has perplexed not a few. And we unreservedly admit that -

I. GOD'S CHOICE OF DAVID DOES APPEAR STRANGE. For what a category of crimes his career as recorded in the Scriptures declares! In cold blood he slays two hundred Philistines (1 Samuel 18:20-27). He leaves his wife Michal to face her father's rage, when she had risked her own life to save his (1 Samuel 19:11-17). He bids Jonathan lie to his father (1 Samuel 20:5, 6). He lies cruelly to Abimelech and the priests at Nob, and then left them to Saul's vengeance (1 Samuel 21:1, 2; 1 Samuel 22:9-19). He deceives Achish (1 Samuel 21:10-15). He would, in revenge, have slain Nabal and all his house (1 Samuel 25:2-38). He lies to King Achish, who had given him Ziklag, by pretending that he had fought against Judah; and, to conceal his lie, he cruelly slaughters the Geshurites and others (1 Samuel 27.). He takes terrible revenge on Amalek (1 Samuel 30:1-17). Instead of punishing Joab, as he ought to have done, he utters terrible imprecations against him (2 Samuel 3:28, 29). He tortures the Ammonites (2 Samuel 12:27-31). He deals cruelly with Mephibosheth, stripping him of all his property, and giving it to Ziba (2 Samuel 16:1-4; 2 Samuel 19:24-30). He violates his oath to Saul, that he would not slay his children; nevertheless, he afterwards gave them up to the Gibeonites, who hanged them (1 Samuel 24:21; 2 Samuel 21:1-9). And then his great sin in the matter of Uriah - a sin in which no element of baseness, treachery, cruelty, and lust was wanting; and yet all the while he was a great psalm singer (2 Samuel 11:2-17). He piously exhorts Solomon to walk in the ways of the Lord; and yet he himself kept his harem crowded with ever more women (2 Samuel 5:13; 1 Kings 2:3). His terrible death bed charge to Solomon to slay Joab and Shimei. His imprecatory psalms (see Psalm 109.). And we have no record of any great good deeds to set off against these other terrible ones. Yes; it must be admitted that the choice of David needs vindication. A loud professor of religion, and yet, etc.

II. BUT IT CAN BE VINDICATED.

1. Because the expression so much complained of - David's being "a man offer God's own heart - refers, not to his personal character, but to his official conduct. He was called of God to restore the kingdom which Saul had destroyed, to subdue the Philistines, etc. These purposes he accomplished. So far he was a man after God's own heart. His moral delinquencies are recorded that we may know where the Divine approbation stops short" (F.D. Maurice). But we confess we do not lay much stress upon this. 1 Kings 15:1-5 does not bear it out. We prefer to vindicate the Divine choice of David in another manner.

2. He was worthy when the words were spoken of him, and for a long while after. Had he been always what he afterwards became, such high commendation would not have been given. Then:

3. He knew no better than to do as did all others. As to his life as an outlaw, a kind of Oriental Robin Hood, he was driven to it by the jealousy and hate of Saul; and as to his lies and stratagems, his ferocities and tortures, all such things were held lawful in his day; and, though they shock us as we read of them, they were held as altogether right by his contemporaries. We must distinguish between the vitia temporis and the vitia hominis (Farrar), and not condemn the man for not tieing altogether different from and beyond the public sentiment of his age.

4. What he did know of right he mainly did. See his patriotism, his courage, his military ability, the salvation of his country from ruin. See his delight and his trust in God, and his deep penitence for his sin. And see the unbounded honour and love of his people which he won and kept. Is all this to go for nothing?

5. And remember how he was punished for his sins. In his family. His sons had seen their father indulge himself: why shouldn't they? (Kingsley). And in his nature he was punished; Its bent and bias became horribly sensual. Indulgence increased the evil, and so came about the shameful tragedy of his adultery and Uriah's murder. It was not a sudden fall, he had long been tending that way. And in his character. He never really recovered. He shuffles shamefully to his grave; his courage, his self-control, his nobleness, well nigh all gone. One is reminded of King Lear -

Vex not his ghost; oh, let him pass; He hates him, That would upon the rack of this rough world Stretch him out longer." He dies a miserable and pitiful man, his last words being his charge to Solomon about Shimei: "His hoary head bring thou down to the grave with blood." Think of that as the last words of the David of the twenty-third psalm! What a melancholy failing away! There is no favouritism in God. If his children sin, they suffer, and that supremely. God loves them too much to let it be otherwise.

III. AND IS FULL OF INSTRUCTION FOR OURSELVES. We learn:

1. Thankfulness that we are born in a more enlightened age; that there would be shame now where there was then no shame.

2. Strong religious feeling and profession are no certain safeguards against sin, but only heighten its guilt.

3. Repentance may be real, yet the results of sin not be recalled.

4. We dare never remit even for one day the waiting of our soul upon God in watchfulness and prayer.

5. The judgments of God against our sin are his mercy to our soul.

6. He who forgave the contrite David forgives still. - S.C.

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Parallel Verses

KJV: I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:

WEB: I have found David, my servant. I have anointed him with my holy oil,