THE DEATH OF KING SAUL AND GIVING THE THRONE TO DAVID The revival of hope for rebuilding the fallen down tabernacle of David (Acts 15: 16). The previous nine chapters revealed the following facts: 1- The essence of the Old Testament is God’s plan for salvation for man; namely for bringing man back to how he was before falling; to restore the image of God in him; regardless of his race, culture, possibilities, and country. God longs for gathering together all mankind from all peoples and nations, in unity and harmony, that bears the reflection of God on it. This could not be realized except by the Word of God descending incarnate to our world; offering Himself a sacrifice of love and atonement; and setting His kingdom in the hearts, being the Savior, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. That made the author record the genealogies from Adam down to after the Babylonian captivity. The Jewish people have been anticipating the coming of the Messiah, to reign forever; but owing to the long period of captivity, the loss of hope of setting a king of the descendants of David, and the return to the destroyed temple in Jerusalem, the records of the house of David were lost from the minds of many, despite the attempts of some prophets, even during captivity, to open the door of hope in the realization of God’s promises of the divine Messianic salvation. 2- Although humanity was characterized with corruption since the fall of Adam and Eve; yet, in every generation there was a few who longed to be attached to God; concentrated in one individual, or one little family in the whole world. There was a time when only one person – Abel -- walked along the way of God; then only one – Seth -- in the following generation; the Enoch, etc. And there was time when the whole world was corrupt; with the exception of one family of eight persons – that of Noah. God cherishes such few; and makes covenants with them; as He did with Noah and Abraham. Yet, at the same time, not despising the corrupt majority, God set a plan for the salvation of the world, by delivering His only begotten Son, who incarnated in the fullness of time; to embrace, from all peoples and nations, a holy church which partakes of the eternal exultation of the heavenly hosts.. 3- If there was one person (Enoch), or two (Enoch and Elijah), qualified to be taken temporarily to heaven; yet they will eventually come back to earth to martyred in the days of the antichrist at the end of times. All humanity submitted to death; and on its behalf, the apostle Paul says: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me of this body of death?” (Romans 7: 24). And in the name of all nations and people with no exception, the apostle says: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this death?” (Romans 7: 24) .It is as though those genealogies since Adam, cries out saying: [Who is the Physician who is able to raise us from death? And when will He come?!]. 4- He ends the genealogies with the genealogy of king Saul; yet he mentions only one thing about him, namely, the episode of his death or suicide, which he quoted from the first book of Samuel, chapter 31, a word by word; adding only two phrases: ”So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord; and also because he consulted a medium for guidance; but he did not inquire of he Lord, therefore He killed him” (13, 14). That is what dwelt upon us, we sinners, to be called “sons of disobedience; … without God in the world” (2 Ephesians 2, 12). 5- The kingdom of Saul came to an end with complete failure; And God, with His grace, intervened to transfer the kingdom to David the son of Jesse. The author of the book, mentions the sudden death of Saul, after being rejected by God, and makes it an introduction to the episode of David that occupies all the remainder of the book. 6- Now, starting the history of David and his descendants of kings, the two books of the chronicles concentrate on the house of the Lord, and not on the royal throne. As a consummation of what came in the books of Samuel and kings, the two books of the chronicles are preoccupied with bringing us forth into the experience of eternity; namely, the attachment to God, and singing His praise, without ceasing, together with the heavenly hosts, Why is the talk about Saul’s death? After parading the genealogies in the nine chapters, to reveal that the Almighty God records the names even of those whom time wiped out from the memory of the earth; the author of the two books of the Chronicles intend to talk about the prophet David, the man of God, who had set everything to establish the worship, which is the shadow of the heavenlies. Hence, he had to talk about the death of Saul, to confirm the following facts: 1- That God who sent Samuel to anoint the young man David a king, will enthrone him in the previously assigned time. 2- David’s hand did not stretch to destroy the kingdom of Saul, despite the intense and persistent attempts of Saul to get rid of him in every possible way. 3- David did not stretch his hands to harm the man anointed by God; but it was the pagans who did; For evil destroys itself by itself; The evil Saul and his family was destroyed by the evil enemies. 4- God allowed for Saul’s sons to be killed, so there would be no struggle between David and any of them after the death of their father; especially that he loved Jonathan the son of Saul as himself. 5- Saul’s life ended by committing suicide; It was his evil will that destroyed his own life, and that of his family. 6- Saul committed suicide, together with his armor-bearer so that neither his own strength, nor leaning upon the human arm, had rescued him. 7- The .Palestinians bared Saul and his sons naked; as though he came out of the world naked in shame and disgrace. 8- Having disobeyed God, and resorted to the devil to seek his counsel, his weapons were put in the house of the devil, as though to let him have his heart’s desire. 9- For his eyes were not raised up to the God of heaven ; His head was nailed in the house of Dagon; as though in the lower pit. 10- As Saul had done good to the people of Jabesh Gilead, God allowed them to do good to his bones. 11-The throne was taken away from Saul and His sons, for he disobeyed God and resorted to the devil; to be delivered to David, the man of God, who loved the Word of God, and did not endure the devil and his worship. The first event in the book: In the first nine previous chapters, the author of the first book of the chronicles, did not mention a specific event; but he was preoccupied with mentioning in some detail, at the beginning of the tenth chapter, the serious battle that occurred between the Israelites and the Philistines; which ended with the following results: 1- The Israelites fled before the Palestinians (1) 2- Many were killed in Mount Gilboa (2) 3- King Saul was wounded, and his sons were killed (3-4) 4- The king and his armor-bearer committed suicide. 5- The Palestinians occupied the cities if Israel )7) 6- The corpses of Saul and his sons were bared naked, and the enemies took the head of the king and his sword away. 7- The head of Saul was nailed in a pagan temple. 8- The reason for what happened was shown as Saul’s treason to the Lord, and his resort to seek the counsel of the devil. 9- The episode came to an end by delivering the kingdom to David. So the author begins by that episode of the death of Saul despite the existence of many others that touched the life of the fathers patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, beside other men of faith before them. For the mind of the author was only preoccupied with the battle between God and the devil; and with that, if man attaches himself to the devil, he would become a refugee, will lose his honor as a king, will fall into a condition of despair, will get naked of the grace of God , will lose the weapon of faith, and will become ridiculed by the devil himself, to whom he resorted, to fulfill his pleasures and needs. But the Wholly Goodness, turns even the evils into a chance to grant us goodness and sets the Son and the Lord of David a king in our depths (Luke 17: 21); which preoccupies the whole book. The death of Saul and his sons: The talk about the death of Saul and his sons came in (1 Samuel 31: 1 – 13). The author concentrated on the death of Saul the first king of Israel, whose beginning was good, while his end was a tragedy; on account of that he was unfaithful and disobedient to the Lord (13-14). . (1 Samuel 13-31) give us an account of how Saul gradually perverted; how he dared to offer a sacrifice, taking on himself the priestly task by force; How he envied David and attempted to kill him; How he did not make use of the several chances presented to him by God to repent; how he resorted to the devil to help him; and finally, how he ended his own life by committing the sin of suicide. If Saul’s armor-bearer was faithful even to death, and preferred to die rather than to see his master in disgrace; how could we betray our Lord Jesus Christ who died for our sake?! Here we see the distinction made by the divine inspiration between the books of Samuel and the kings, on the one hand, and the two books of the Chronicles on the other hand; How, In the books of Samuel and the kings we find many things about king Saul; narrating his whole history; While in the first book of the Chronicles, we see the point of view of God, presenting only one chapter on Saul, then dedicating the remainder of the first book of the Chronicles and a part of the second one to the history of the house of David. David was the subject of the two books of the Chronicles, and not Saul. As a matter of fact, because the author of the Chronicles was interested in the reign of David, in Jerusalem, and the temple, as the chosen tools of God for salvation; he quickly passed through Saul’s life, only mentioning his shameful end, to open the door before the enthronement of David. For Saul’s death, the book revealed the following two main reasons: 1- His disobedience of the words of God. 2- Resorting to the medium, and not to the Lord to seek His counsel; God allowed for his death, and gave the kingdom to David, the son of Jesse (13, 14). But by going back to (1 Samuel 13: 8, 14), we find that the main disobedience, for which Saul was rejected, was daring to offer a burnt offering, and an offering of peace, by himself, not waiting for the prophet Samuel or for a priest to do it. Saul did not seek God’s counsel before the battle of Gilboa; With two years since the death of the prophet Samuel, and the absence of any indication of setting another prophet in his place, the only way for Saul to ask the counsel of God was through the high priest; by offering a sacrifice or the Orim and the Thummim (Exodus 29); Hence Ezra the scribe and priest stated that the reason for the divine punishment on Saul was his disobedience of the priestly system put by God; to which the king, as well as his subjects should be bound and submitted. A comparison between (1 Chronicles 10) and (1 Samuel 31): a- In 1 Samuel 31: 1, it came that the Palestinians nailed the body of Saul to the wall of Beth Shan And here it is said that they nailed his head in the house of Dagon; Both narratives consummate one another. b- Here the author did not mention that the people of Jabesh Gilead have burned the corpses of Saul and his sons before burying their bones. c- In the book of Samuel it came that they buried their bones underneath a tamarisk tree, while in the book of the Chronicles, it came that they buried them underneath the terebinth tree. It is probable that people in those days called that tree by either names. 1- The sons of Saul killed on Mount Gilboa 1 -- 2 2- Saul commits suicide on Mount Gilboa. 3 -- 7 3- Defaming and ridiculing Saul and his sons 8 -- 10 4- Men of Jabesh Gilead bury the bones of Saul and his sons 11 -- 12 5- The reasons behind Saul’s death 13 – 14 1- SAUL’S SON KILLED ON MOUNT GILBOA: “Now the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa” (1) After parading in the previous chapters the genealogies of the children of Israel from the beginning of creation to the Babylonian captivity (586 BC), the author returned to the beginning of the kingdom of Israel. He did not start by the enthronement of Saul, but by his death; to bring us forth to the era of David, being the king chosen by God, and whom God promised to make his descendants reign forever. That was realized by the coming of the King of kings, the son of David, who reigns over our hearts forever, and sets His church a queen who sits on his right hand. Commenting on what came in this chapter, the Jewish historian Josephus says that, by beginning his talk about Saul by that battle, the author intends to say that nothing in Saul’s life was worth mentioning; he reigned for twenty years without any good fruit; and ended his life by his own hands, yet by the allowance of God; as though He killed him. That period was among the darkest in the history of Israel; The people insisted on having a king, which saddened the heart of the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 8: 6). Despite some conquests over surrounding nations, yet the king sinned, and instead of repenting his sins, he was only preoccupied with his own personal honor before the people. His life ended by the fall of the people, together with their king before the Philistines. Namely, the ultimate result of the people’s persistence of having a king, and Saul’s persistence on his personal honor, was destruction of both the king and the people. + What folly?! Could that proud man not perceive that his glory will eventually go away and evaporate like a dream? And that greatness and authority are nothing but deceptive mirage?! + The (Pharisee) prayed to himself, and not to God; for the sin of pride closed him shut on himself. + He is committed not to glorify himself, nor to utter what commends it, or to find pleasure in hearing the commendation of others; but to do everything in secret, not for the sake of appearance before people, but only seeking God’s commendation; meditating in the Lord’s glorified and awesome coming; as well as meditating in his own exit from this world, and in the blessings set for the righteous, and the fire set for the devil and his angels (Matthew 25: 41). (St. Basil the Great) As the people’s heart was only preoccupied with temporal things, and not with the kingdom of God; they have got a king according to their heart’s desire; a lover of the temporal things, who, accordingly lost, together with his people, both the temporal and the eternals According to St. Basil the Great, the work of the serpent (the devil), is to corrupt our nature, to keep us from looking upward, but to bow down like animals toward the dust, seeking the earthly things He counsels us, saying: [As the head of animals look down toward the earth, but the head and eyes of man are created to look up toward heaven; It is therefore befitting of us to seek what is up; and with our insight go beyond the earthly things]]. “Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons; and the Philistines killed Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchshua, Saul’s sons” (2) Saul sinned, and the catastrophe dwelt upon his people; and upon his own sons who reaped the fruit of their father’s works. People often wonder, saying: [What is the people’s fault? And what is the crime of the sons?! …. God allows this, not to punish the people on the sins of their leader, nor the sons on those of their father, but to keep the people, as well as the sons, from perversion behind the sins of the leaders and the parents. That was confirmed by the words uttered by the Lord Christ, saying: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matthew 10: 37) + Yes, the Holy Book exhorts us to obey our parents; but says that whoever loves them more than Christ will lose Himself. Behold! The enemy who persecutes me to deny Christ, carries a sword to kill me; Shall I think about the tears of my mother?! …. Shall I despise the ministry of Christ for the sake of my father; to whom I am not even bound to bury, if I am a minister of Christ (Luke 9: 59-60); although, as a true minister of Christ, I am indebted to do that (the burial) for all. (St. Jerome) 2- SAUL COMMITS SUICIDE ON MOUNT GILBOA: “The battle became intense against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers” (3) Misunderstanding the longsuffering of God, Saul assumed that, being the king, he is the one with authority, submit to no law, nor is responsible before anyone; But the divine justice caught up with him, and confronted him in the proper time, to take his authority away, to deny his family their honor as a royal house; and to deliver the throne to David whom he persecuted. + Many of the extremely slothful men abuse God’s compassion to increase the weight of their sins, and of their slothfulness, saying: [There is neither hell nor punishment to come. God will eventually forgive all our sins]. To close up their mouths, the wise Ben Sirach says: “Do not say His mercy is great; He will forgive the multitude of my sins” (Sirach 5: 6); and, “Great as is His mercy, so also is His chastisement” (Sirach 16: 12). + Now, if the laws of men are elaborately observed, how much more are those of God?! Someone may say: “But God is Good” … For how long shall we utter such folly? … Listen to the holy Book, say: “Do not say His mercy is great; He will forgive the multitude of my sins” (Sirach 5: 6). He rather counsels us to say “His mercy is great”, perpetually; with the goal stirred by the apostle Paul with all kinds of evidences; meaning: Do not marvel at God’s compassion, while you go on committing sin, saying “His mercies will take away my sins”; …. But be motivated not to despair because of your sins, and to repent; as “the goodness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2: 4); and not to a greater evil! (St. John Chrysostom) + The Lord, on the tongue of His prophet says: “My son, do not add a sin to another, by saying ‘God’s mercy is great” (Sirach 5: 5-6); not knowing that “the goodness of God leads you to repentance” (Romans 2: 4). Who is merciful like God who forgives all the sins of those who return to Him; who makes the wild olive tree partake of the fat of the natural olive tree into which it is grafted? Yet, who is firm like Him, to cut off even the natural branches for their lack of faith? (Romans 11: 17-24). (St. Augustine) Saul often aimed his spear toward David to kill him but the spear never reached David, for the Lord kept him safe for the sake of his pure heart. king Saul, on the other hand, a spear of an enemy soldier aimed at him, inflicted him instantly with a serious wound; He drank from the same cup he filled for David to drink. “Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, ‘Draw your sword and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me’. But his armor-bearer would not for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it” (4) a- Here we notice how, as much as Saul diligently sought to get temporal honors, he perceived that if he falls into the hands of his enemies, he would be bitterly abused and disgraced. That is how the lovers of great honors usually end up being subject to ridicule and reproach! b- He who does not give glory to God in his success, the non-believers would submit him in his life, and abuse his corpse after is death. c- Having disobeyed the divine command many times, In the last moments of his life, he gave his armor-bearer a command to draw his sword and thrust him through with it; lest the enemy would come and abuse him; but his armor-bearer disobeyed him. “And when his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died” (5) “So Saul and his three sons died; and all his house died together” (6) Saul and his sons, assuming that, being a royal family, they would never be touched, they all fell under the same verdict in one day. “And when the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that, they had fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; then the Philistines came and dwelt in them” (7) By faith, the children of Israel enjoyed the promised land, with the spirit of conquest, power, and success; And by sin, they have lost much, and destruction dwelt upon them. 3- DEFAMING AND RIDICULING SAUL AND HIS SONS: “So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa” (8) “They stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among the people” (9) That was a custom followed also by the Hindos Indians; who following their conquests on their enemies, they carry the good news to their idols in a great procession and celebration. “Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon” (20) “Dagon”; Of the most prominent gods who, according to the belief of its worshippers, was the one who sends to them the abundant harvests. Accordingly, they used to build for it temples wherever they settle down in agricultural lands in Canaan. When draught happen to dwell, they would cry out to him, seeking rain; and in case of more affliction, they would offer him their children as sacrifices to please him. They also used the temples to humiliate their captives with every possible way, for amusement, counting that as a way of glorifying their gods, and of proclaiming their power.(Judges 16: 23-30) . 3- MEN OF JABESH GILEAD BURY THE BONES OF SAUL AND HIS SONS: “And when all Jabesh Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul (11) “All the valiant men arose and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and they brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days” (12) The valiant men of Jabesh, not forgetting how Saul had rescued their city (1 Samuel 11), they intended to pay his good deed back after his death. If God allowed for the chastisement of Saul, even in the way he died; yet He also allowed the valiant men of Jabesh Gilead to take the bodies of Saul and his sons and to carry them to Jabesh. Despite their knowledge of the evil deeds of Saul, yet they felt a commitment to give him and his sons their due of honor, having been their leaders and rulers. … So it is befitting of the believer to give honor to whom honor is due, whether in the church, the nation, the work, or in the army (1 Thessalonians 5: 12-13; Romans 13: 1-7). The prophet David, as well, did not bear any feelings of gloat or revenge toward Saul, despite the bitter hatred that the later felt against him. 4- THE REASONS BEHIND SAUL’S DEATH: “So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and because he consulted a medium for guidance” (13) The two reasons for his death were: 1- His unfaithfulness against the Lord; He disobeyed; and did not keep the word of God (1 Samuel 13, 15). This denial was unfortunately the common feature of all the kings of Israel (the northern kingdom), and of some of the kings of Judah 2- He sought the counsel of a medium for guidance, instead of inquiring it of the Lord (1 Samuel 28).According to the author, an action that corrupted all the aspects of his life. “But he did not inquire of the Lord; therefore He killed him and turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse” (14) Although Saul sought the counsel of God before (1 Samuel 28: 5-6); here he did not. This contradiction reveals the actual intention of his heart. For he sought the counsel of God, when he had no other way; and so did it in deadly literality, without true trust in God; for Saul, well known for his selfishness, sought his own honor and popularity, rather than the glory of God; and was perpetually characterized by the spirit of arrogance and rebellion. “God killed him” although he was the one who destroyed his own life (1 Samuel 31: 3-4), by his persistent stubbornness and rebellion (1 Samuel 15: 22, 23). When the grace of God forsook him to realize his evil will, he committed suicide. Despite the numerous chances to get rid of Saul (1 Samuel 31: 3-4), yet David did not stretch his hand against the Lord’s anointed, although he had the promise of God to get the throne. And when Saul died, he lamented him with every love and faithfulness, with no haste to replace him on the throne. In faith, he did not rush the events, but anticipated the proper time according to the will of God. Saul’s death and the setting of the new man: The end of king Saul represents the end of ‘the old carnal man’, who had to die, to be replaced by David, the representative of ‘the new spiritual man’ who carries the image of his Creator. As according to the apostle Paul: “That you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in righteousness and true holiness” (Ephesians 4: 22-24). + “The royal daughter is all glorious from within” (Psalm 45: 14) … The man who prays to “the Father who sees in secret” (Matthew 6: 6); and who works, without the goal of getting the glory of men, but for the sake of that of God (Matthew 6: 10), will, like the royal daughter, be “all glorious from within”; he would not seek the clothes befitting of him who has the image of his Creator; according to the words of the apostle: “Since you have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him” (Colossians 3: 9-10); “Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, and longsuffering” (Colossians 3: 12). Such a man would be adorned within in his inner man. The apostle exhorts us to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Romans 13: 14), not on our outer man, but that God’s mind would have an utter authority over our minds. Yet I believe that the clothes are weaved by the edifying word, specially if it is accompanied with positive work. The way the twines are weaved; it will be with the word accompanied with positive work; it will be like the twines of the holy fabric of the soul, weaved with the words of virtue and the work according to it. + “Sing to the Lord a new song; play skillfully with a shout of joy” (Psalm 33: 3); Namely, worship the Lord, “ in the newness of the spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter” (Romans 7: 6). He who understands the law, nut according to the oldness of the letter, but perceive it with a spiritual concept, can sing a new song; The old covenant has grown old; and a new song appeared to us, with the new instructions from the Lord; who “renews our youth like an eagle’s” (Psalm 103: 5); “Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day” (2 Corinthians 4: 16); “reaching forward to those things which are ahead” (Philippians 3: 13); to be renewed more and more; and to pray perpetually to God a truly new song. By the word “new”, is described an exceptionally new thing. When we describe the incarnation of the Lord that surpasses all nature; you sing a new song. And when you describe the birth of the world and its overall renewal, after getting old with sin; you sing a new song. The same way when you talk about the resurrection; you truly sing a new song. (St. Basil the Great) ---------------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM 1 CHRONICLES 10 LET MY OLD MAN DIE, AND SET MY NEW MAN ACCORDING TO YOUR IMAGE + In the water of baptism, You crucified my old man with all his lusts; And You granted me the new man according to Your image. With every day my old man is crucified with all its work; Make sin bitter in my mouth, so I would not desire it, nor be enslaved by it; Let me, every morning be attached to You more and more; To have Your splendor transfigure in my mind, heart, and all my senses; To be truly counted as a member in Your body, O Son of David + Let Saul, his sons, and all his household die; Destroy every corruption in me; Let David live and reign in my heart; Set Your kingdom in me; To enjoy a royal authority even on my thoughts; Take away from me everything foreign from You; Grant me to become truly Your holy Jerusalem. + Come, O Son and Lord of David; Proclaim Your glory in me; To turn my depths into a new heaven; Into which no corruption nor sin can crawl; Being renewed every morning, my soul will exult by You. ---------------------------- ANNEX # 1 TO CHAPTER 10 BETWEEN DAVID AND SAUL By ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM According to St. Jerome, the two books of the Chronicles are a summary of the whole Old Testament; to redirect our sight, by the Holy Spirit of God, to the holy history from Adam to the fall under captivity, with a divine promise of the return from captivity; to reveal the need for the Son of David, the incarnate word of God, the Savior of the world, who, alone, is capable of setting the kingdom of God within us. (Luke 17: 21). We should not marvel that the two books of the Chronicles, out of 65 chapters, have dedicated only one chapter (10) for Saul, the first king of Israel; in which he talked about his death; while it dedicated 19 chapters for the reign of David (1 Chronicles 11-29); and mentioned his name more than 220 times in the two books; which reveals the interest of the two books in the person of David. They are not, though, defensive chapters of the Davidian royal throne; but they set us forth to that of the Son of David, the King of kings; to let us enjoy an exalted royal spiritual life. What preoccupied the first book of the Chronicles in Saul’s history, was his death, so that his evil thoughts would have no place in our hearts, but to let us follow the lead of the person of David the righteous king That is what motivated me to present the main views about the persons of the two kings, as mentioned in the three sermons (of the statues) by St. John Chrysostom.. To understand what St. John Chrysostom presented concerning David and Saul, we have to recognize the circumstances in which he gave those sermons: THE SERMONS OF THE STATUTES: The sermons of St. John Chrysostom were bound to what were called “the event of the statutes”, directly after which he most probably gave his sermons. In the year 378 BC, the central government of the Eastern Roman empire was preparing to celebrate the tenth anniversary of the reign of Emperor Theodoseus, and the fifth anniversary of the partnership of his young son Arcadius on the throne. And as such kind of celebration needs a voluminous financing, an imperial decree was issued to collect a new extra tax from the people, that so seemed too high to cause a popular rage all over the country, but no one dared to protest; Yet in Antioch (the capital), while reading the decree in the common square, although some verbally expressed their feeling of protest, yet the governor refrained from giving the order to attack an unarmed crowd. In the midst of such huge crowd of all kinds of people, the situation exploded out of control, to turn into a revolution in an instant, during which some set forth to break down the statutes of the emperor, the empress, and their son, and to cast them in the mire and trash. Once that instant out-cry subsided, and the mob waked up from their drunkenness, and realized the enormity of what they have done, intense fear came upon all in anticipation of the punishment sure to come upon the entire city and its population. Hearing about what took place, the emperor dispatched two eminent leaders: Allebichus and Caesarius, who, arriving to the city, they declared the annulment of all the special privileges of the city; moving the capital to Latakia; closing down all the theaters and clubs; putting a number of the elites under arrest, confiscating their possessions, and expelling their families out of their houses; The two leaders intended, as well to burn down the whole city, and to kill all the population, if it was not for the intervention of some monks and hermits, among whom was the hermit Macdonius, who came down from the mountains and monasteries, to meet the two leaders and to seek a delay of the execution of their order pending their intervention with the emperor. According to ‘Baur’, St. John Chrysostom, who was ordained in the 26 of February 381 AD; namely, one year before those events; out of his feeling of fatherhood toward the whole world, believers and nonbelievers, exhorted Father Flavian, Patriarch of Antioch to go to Constantinople, to seek amnesty on everyone from the emperor. While Father Flavian felt his commitment to intervene, to appease the wrath of the emperor upon the city, the pagan elites were so scared to do anything, which was something against their reputation in the population. While the father Patriarch hastened to Constantinople, despite his old age and his frailty because of fasting during the holy lent; the monks and hermits were appealing to the leaders in Antioch. The whole population, scared stiff in anticipation of what will come upon them, hastened to the church, where the priest John Chrysostom poured upon them the pearls of his heart and mouth, to appease their hearts, torn off with scare, and to provoke them to repent and return to God; not for fear of death or of losing their earthly possession, as much as for longing for the eternal light through the limitless divine mercies. At the beginning of his ministry, St. John Chrysostom gave a series o of 21 sermons; that drew the popular attention to him in Antioch and out of it; by which he made use of the horrible situation as a chance for preaching and teaching. And, instead of fear that prevailed on the hearts of all, many pagans converted to Christianity; and the Christians tasted God’s love and peace through the true repentance; hence the catastrophe turned into a blessing for many. Once in Constantinople, the Patriarch hastened to the imperial court, despite his utter exhaustion, encountered the emperor, and said to him: [I come to you, not only as an ambassador of the people of Antioch, but an ambassador of God, as well. In His name I come to tell you: If you forgive the wrong done by your people, Your heavenly Father will forgive your sins and transgressions. … Remember the awesome day of God to come, when all of us are committed to give an account of our deeds…. All the ambassadors who come to your presence, come with gold, precious gifts, and enormous wealth; As for me, I have nothing to present to you other than the holy statute of Jesus Christ; and the example He gave us on the cross, when He forgave those who crucified Him] Here, the heart of the emperor was so filled with the fear of God, to say: [If our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, for our sake, became a slave, and delivered Himself to be crucified on the cross; If He sought from His Father to forgive those who crucified Him, How can I dare hesitate to forgive my enemies?! Returning to Antioch with the good news of amnesty, the population came out to receive their patriarch with cheers and exultation; and they all celebrated the glorious feast of the Resurrection. As for St. John Chrysostom, he recited the verses of thanksgiving and praise to God; for the people of Antioch were dead and came back to life; and were lost, and are now found; and in his sermon # 21, he did not forget to describe Father Flavian as a Christian hero, who endured labor, and risked his own life for the sake of his children. Yet much of the favor was referred to St. John Chrysostom, whose “sermons of the statutes” have drawn both Christians and pagans to God; Sermons on David And Saul by St. John Chrysostom: If the famous sermons of the statutes have drawn the sight of the Christian world to St. John Chrysostom, as a luminous star; We should not forget his three sermons on David and Saul, he gave on the same occasion, either before or after the return of the Patriarch with the good news. In those three sermons, St. John Chrysostom concentrated on what came in (1 Samuel 24) concerning Saul, who, together with three thousand men, chosen from all Israel, chased David to kill him; And when Saul unknowingly entered alone into a cave where David was hiding, and could easily killed him; David’s men counseled him, saying: “This is the day of which the lord said to you: ‘Behold, I will deliver your enemy into your hand, that you may do to him as it seems good to you’. Refusing their counsel, David arose and secretly cut off a corner of Saul’s robe. Now it happened afterwards that David’s heart troubled him because he cut Saul’s robe” (1 Samuel 24: 4, 5) Those sermons came to reveal the exaltation of the person of David, and his role in turning Saul who persisted on getting rid of him, to come to acknowledge his righteousness, and to confirm the deliverance of the throne to him. Those three sermons present to us several aspects of the person of David. Why did St. John Chrysostom talk about David and Saul? Some may wonder: why did St. John Chrysostom talk about David and Saul in that specific occasion, when all were anxiously waiting for the return of the father Patriarch carrying, either a decree of amnesty, or a verdict of death! … What was going on in the mind of the Patriarch? … Who represented David, and who represented Saul? 1- The priest St. John Chrysostom’s mind was only preoccupied with the enjoyment by both the emperor and the people of the living fellowship with God; that all would care for the purity of their heart, for the perpetual growth of their Christian practical faith; and that no party would ever fall into anger or self-righteousness. 2- In his three sermons, St. John Chrysostom confirms the work of the divine grace in the life of believers. For it was not possible for David to pay evil back with good; hatred with love, and Saul’s haughtiness with humility, unless the grace of God works in him. 3- St. John Chrysostom was preoccupied with showing the power of the gentle word in the heart of both the speaker and the listener; and the possibilities of man to change the life of the wicked, however cruel there hearts are, and however corrupt their thoughts. Those three sermons will remain a spring from which the believer draws the water of knowledge, as long as he is still in the body, seeing in the darkness of this world, and the sorrowful events confronting the church, as well as the believer, a chance for the life of the church as a whole, and the believer as a member, to glitter like a star that reflects the splendor of the light of the Sun of Righteousness; and for the believer to set forth from glory to glory, drawing many with him to the heavenly glories. 4- The saint also referred to the concept of leadership in the life of the prophet David; who had an active role in the life of the military leaders around him, and led them by the spirit of meekness, turning the battle fields into centers of worship and testimony, where tolerance and compassion are practiced even toward the enemies. The prophet David and emperor Theodoceus: According to some, although emperor Theodoceus was wrong to order too high a tax on the people, to cover the expenses of the celebration of his enthronement and the partnership of his son therein, yet he likened the prophet David in certain aspects, of which are the following: 1- The people of Antioch, in their wrong reaction to the high tax, breaking down the statutes of the king and his household, liken what Saul and his men did in dealing with David, intending to kill him and his men for the sake of nothing wrong on their part. 2- The way David was under the pressure of his men who sought from him to get rid of Saul who persisted on killing him; So did the counselors of the emperor, who sought from him to burn the city down, so as not to lose control over the whole empire. 3- Preparing his men to adopt his good measures through their company with him; turning the cave as though into a church; in which he, as a leader, turned as though into a priest or a bishop; The same way, the emperor committed himself to forgiveness, to teach his people by the good example, to forgive their brethren, 4- Saul slandered David, in spite of the fact that he saved him from many risks with faithfulness and courage; and here David spares the life of him who intended to kill him, It was befitting of Saul to recognize his shameful attitude, and to repent. The same way, as the emperor forgave his people, it was befitting of them to repent and return to God. 5- David’s heart troubled him, because he felt that cutting Saul’s robe proves that he bears in his depths some grudge against Saul; which is against the purity of his heart, and his hope for eternity. By telling his men that it is not befitting of him to stretch his hand toward God’s anointed, he rebukes himself, and seeks from God not to allow him to have in the depths of his heart and mind, any trace of grudge or hatred. The same way with the emperor, although he forgave the city, he was committed to search his own depths lest there would be some traces of grudge against his people, that might corrupt the salvation of his soul. A practical cure, and A deep thought: 1- The writings of St. Chrysostom, as a godly father, a shepherd, and a man of the Holy Book, were characterized by concentration upon the practical aspects of the life of believers, together with deep interpretation of the Word of God. He was known for binding between the practical behavior in Jesus Christ, and the trust in the work of the free divine grace. He saw in the gospel of Christ, the practical guide to all aspects of his daily life, together with the meditation in the heavenlies, and the enjoyment of the knowledge of the divine secrets. 2- The saint calls on us, in our practical life, to follow the lead of the blessed prophet David; which would not be possible to realize, except by a close study of David’s life, of his thoughts, and secrets in the Lord. 3- In his three sermons, St. John Chrysostom deals with some seemingly difficult issues. 4- Being a living leader, St. John believes that a faithful and an honest believer in the Lord, would never cease to stir up the spirit of leadership into those under his care, and into those around him. 5- The saint is keen on provoking the perpetual spirit of repentance, and of continuous growth in the life of believers. 6- The main line in the three sermons is revealing the features of the personality of the prophet David, and his upright or “sound values”; Yet, every now and then, he presents, certain positive and negative training steps, for the believer to enjoy a living and integral personality. He, sometimes deals with certain well known popular illnesses; and some other times, he talks about the sanctification of the tongue and its activity in the inner life; or deals with some faulty social phenomena, like going to immoral theaters that are against the proper edification; Or deals with certain familial problems. He is preoccupied with the integral life of man on all aspects. THE FIRST SERMON 1- David’s care for “the sound values”; St. John Chrysostom often repeats the expression: “sound values”. What does he mean by it? + When the body of man has a painful infection that lasts long, and is difficult to get rid of, he would be in need of a high professional help from an able physician to treat him, to uproot the cause of the infection. You can see the same way with the soul, when you have to uproot certain ailments that have run deep and settled for long in it; which one or two days would not be enough to reform. (St. John Chrysostom) Choosing the expression “sound values” reveals St. John’s care for entering into the depths of the soul, mind, and heart. Although man could practice some good works, yet they may not come out of sound values, nor emerge from his emotions, and senses; namely from his inner man, set upon true and growing knowledge. By His incarnation, our Christ, becoming a complete man, seeks from us to sanctify our whole inner and outer being. His gospel does not disregard the human mind which He gave us, but His Holy Spirit sanctifies and leads it, to be always exalted. In the introduction to his first sermon on ‘David and Saul’, St. John intends to show the difference between the two personalities; namely, that, although both bear the same human nature, prone to weakness, yet the prophet David cared much for the soundness of his spiritual well being; unceasingly crying out to the heavenly physician, capable of healing that nature; but, at the same time, he was keen on caring for the salvation of his soul, on the persistent strife, depending upon the grace of God. Although David had his own faults, yet he cared for uprooting them by the divine help, by his own strife, by his desire for the continual growth, and by holding fast to the holy sound values. Saul, on the other hand, although he had some seemingly good works, yet he did not care for the purity of his heart, and for the glory of God in him; he was only preoccupied with his popularity and outer appearance before men. 2- David’s pure heart: If St. John Chrysostom, at the beginning of his talk, revealed the need for a spiritual Physician, capable of healing the soul, together with our commitment to continuous strife; Now he presents to us as a role model, a righteous man, to whom God Himself testifies to the purity of his heart, namely, the prophet David. It is befitting of us, while imitating this righteous man, to be preoccupied with the testimony of the One who searches the heart and mind, When God testifies to the purity of heart of someone, he would not fear how men see him, nor even how he sees himself; The apostle says: “For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things” (1 John 3: 20). And St. Clement of Alexandria says: [God’s authority is greater than the conscience that belongs to the soul; for God’s love knows every thing]. The purity of our hearts does not depend on the judgment of our consciences, that could deceive us, but we should seek the judgment of God Himself, before whom nothing is hidden; and sing: [“Darkness is not dark to You … To You it is like the light”; it hides nothing from You]. + Let us now present to you a role model of a righteous man, to imitate and to follow his lead. Who is that man to whom we refer when talking about mercy, but him who has got a testimony from up high; about whom the Holy Book, on the tongue of the Lord, says: “I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart” (Acts 13: 23; 1 Samuel 13: 14; Psalm 89: 20). Now, as this is the testimony of God Himself, there is no need for further discussion; for God does not judge out of partiality, nor of hatred, but bases His judgment upon the actual purity of the soul. (St. John Chrysostom) 3- David exalts to the values of the new covenant, while still under the shadow of the law: in the introduction to his sermon, St. John Chrysostom referred to that we are in need to perceive the seriousness of the illnesses of our souls, and our need for the expertise and possibilities of the divine Physician, to resort to Him with persistence. The sign of the soundness of our soul, goes farther than our outer behavior; but touches the purity of our hearts, as testified by the One who searches the heart and mind, and testified to David the son of Jesse; and revealed the level reached by that righteous man under the shadow of the Mosaic law. The highest desire of the men of God under the shadow of the law was to walk according to the Mosaic statute that forbids them to unjustly oppress anyone; then to go to a higher level of tolerance, which is to pay back the oppression of someone against them, not by greater oppression, but by one of equal volume, without going far in vengeance; something that was very hard to commit themselves; for their desire was to avenge themselves with a harsher reaction, so that the aggressor would not oppress them again. The righteous David, through the grace of God, could even surpass that level, to ascend to a higher level. He did not pay back Saul’s evil against him with an equal evil, nor with a lesser one, and not even with forgiveness, but exalted to pay him back with good; by which he ascended to the commandment of the new covenant. He believed that by so doing, he will not only annul Saul’s evil, but will turn his heart’s eyes to long for practicing good instead of evil, love instead of hatred, and mercy instead of violence. It is befitting of us, in the era of grace, to follow the lead of the righteous David, who could not endure to feel offended against Saul, who did his utmost best to kill him; but, in the purity of his heart, intended to love him, and give him good instead of evil, to which Saul himself testified (1 Samuel 24: 17). + Behold, you can see, being in the era of grace, how marvelous it is to be liberated from even the feeling of grudge against the oppressors and their corrupt ways; after the amazing example given to us by the Lord Christ who forgave His crucifiers while on His cross; When, in the old covenant, on the contrary, the statutes allowed for plucking an eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth (Leviticus 24: 20); and for paying the oppressor back with what is equal to his oppression. Who among the listener does not marvel for the presence of such a righteous man – David, who exalts himself beyond the Mosaic statutes, to reach up to the measures of the new covenant?! (St. John Chrysostom) 4- David never went astray from his goal: What is amazing in the personality of the righteous David, is that his exaltation to the values of the new covenant, while living in the old covenant, was not just a mental philosophy that he may debate and defend, but rather a practical way of life. That exaltation cost him much, a price he paid with joy and pleasure, in the following ways: a-The perseverance and longsuffering he put in his heart to endure with pleasure and without grumbling, set him a king of authority over his mind, heart, senses, and emotions; by which, according to St. John Chrysostom, he was worthy of being crowned with the crown of perseverance. b- Revealing those exalted values, not by idiotic debates, but by practicing the forgiveness in a way that surpasses human nature. c- Holding fast to his position, with no diversion to the right nor to the left. It was impossible for the military leaders, the chosen mighty men of valor around David, who were fugitives fleeing from Saul from one place to another, to see a chance to get rid of him, and not to use it. Seeing Saul enter the cave alone, they hastened to give David the good news of the golden chance to kill the evil Saul, and to receive the throne according to the promise of God .But they were shocked to hear David refuse to stretch a hand against Saul, or to allow any of them to do. According to their military logic, and even to human one, Saul the aggressive will never change his position, and the only way is to get rid of him by killing him. They revealed their thoughts to David, yet he, in the purity of his heart, rejected their logic, and did not pervert from his exalted life in the Lord, to the right or to the left. According to St. John Chrysostom, David alone had the conviction of confronting evil with good; while all those around him, the military leaders who have for long, suffered the oppression of Saul, and were longing to have rest from their suffering; specially when they perceived the extent of his envy, jealousy, and evil desire to get rid of David. The only solution according to them was to kill him once and for all; and that the chance within their reach is unique and will never happen again. They tried to convince David that killing Saul, will not only save him and all of them from their troubles, but will rather realize God’s plan, by delivering Saul to their hands.. But David, with his godliness, could confirm to them that God, by delivering Saul to their hands, has granted them a chance, not to kill him and save themselves from his oppression, but rather to exalt their life by forgiving him. David, believing that goodness is stronger and greater than evil; and that light scatters darkness; could convince them to forgive Saul, and not to touch his life. By that David never diverted from his goal under all circumstances. + That godly man concentrated on one thing, which is to get the crown of perseverance, and of the high values of the amazing supernatural forgiveness. That godly man, was not only unmoved by the counsel of those around him, but succeeded in drawing them to his side … particularly when they were, not regular people, but military leaders who were totally exhausted, and who lost every hope of having comfort because of the many troubles Saul caused them; and who were completely convinced that they could end all their troubles in an instant by killing their enemy. Nevertheless, under such an enormous pressure, that noble man could overcome all of them, and could even convince them to follow his lead and forgive their enemy. Notice that they did not try to remind him of all the evil deeds that Saul did against him, and that he persist on having him killed; for they knew for sure that David did not care for all that; but they resorted to remind him of the decree granted to him by the Most High; and that it is God Himself who delivered him to his hands. They tried to convince that by killing Saul, he would serve the will of God, and consummate His ordinances. Yet the more they say, the more was his persistence on forgiving him; being convinced that by delivering his enemy to his hand, God grants him a chance to prove how he could walk in perfection. He was not preoccupied with getting the throne, and enjoying royalty; Although he perceived that by forgiving Saul, he would, most probably go back to his old tricks, which would for sure subject him to greater risks, yet he did not intend to destroy him.. (St. John Chrysostom) 5- David was very particulate concerning his spiritual behavior: Although David did not stretch his hand to kill Saul, who did his best to kill David and his men; but he only cut off the corner of his robe; yet his heart troubled him (1 Samuel 24: 4, 5). He felt that, although he did not cause Saul any harm, yet what he dared to do was as a sign that he had a grudge against Saul in the depths of his heart, for which he was truly sorry. According to St. John Chrysostom, David, feeling that a tempest of grudge had blown within his depths; that threatened to sink the (ship) of his heart; he hastened to wake up and to resort to God to grant him tranquility and peace in his depths. Although no one around him felt that David’s heart troubled him; yet he, himself, felt as though he is a captain of a chariot, and he was about to lose control of the horses pulling it, that would end up by his perdition. Being an alert and watching leader he had to hasten up regain control over the horses before it is too late. Even though no one around him felt anything that went on in his heart, to judge him; but he was keen not to distort the image of his Creator which he bears, by any unbecoming behavior. + What David did was what any of the saintly men of God would normally do; who, being watchful and alert, they stand aright before they fall, and control themselves before committing any sin “His heart troubled him”, for cutting the corner of Saul’s robe, and said to his men: “The Lord forbid that I should do this thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed”. Namely; even if I happen to have the inner intention, I wish the Lord would have mercy on me; and does not allow me to consummate such a sin. Knowing for sure that such sound measure surpasses the possibility of human nature, he sought the grace from up high to keep his hands pure of defilement. (St. John Chrysostom) 6- David’s amazing view of Saul who intends to kill him: Despite the fact that Saul had the intention of killing David with any possible way, yet David did not see him as an enemy, but as a little son, who acts in ignorance. Hence his reaction was to try to save Saul from the feelings of envy, hatred, and anger, that prevailed upon his depths. + The righteous man directed his prayers to a direction, contrary to what his men sought; he prayed to God not to allow him to avenge himself; saying: “The Lord forbids that I stretch my hand to the Lord’s anointed”; talking about his enemy as though a son to him. It was a great chance for Saul to embrace David as a son, and not as a competitor; even though the women sang for him as being the conqueror of tens of thousands, while describing Saul as the conqueror of thousands. Yet Saul’s evil eye made him, instead of embracing David as a son, to consider him a serious threat to his throne. While David, much junior to Saul in age, and much less in position and possibilities, with his simple eye, dealt with Saul like a father toward his son. The young man became a father, and the grown up man became like a son. 7- David and his simple pure eye: The first time king Saul came to know the young man David, and to perceive his exalted possibilities, has been through David’s living faith in the Lord of hosts, on the battle field before the mighty Goliath; an encounter from which David came back victorious, and presented the sword of Goliath to the tabernacle of meeting, as a sign of his thanksgiving to God, and confessing that it Was God who actually conquered. David, although much younger than Saul, and less than him in position and possibilities, with his pure eye, he dealt with Saul like a father toward his son. The young became a father, and the older one became a son. That fatherhood that seems contrary to nature and tradition, poured in David’s heart, and mind, understanding and wisdom. Forgiving Saul, not killing him, and forbidding his men to kill him, David dealt with Saul like a father dealing with his son. Admonishing Saul, but not intending to hurt his feeling, he provided him with excuses that his attempts to kill him came as a result of the counsel of those around him. Speaking to Saul, like his son, he intended to take reproach away from him, by not referring his actions to an evil heart, nor a corrupt will, but to a bad counsel. That is how wise fathers should do with their children, to open before them a way to reconsider their behavior, and to change their unbecoming actions, to think instead with the spirit of friendship and love. David presented two basis for forgiving Saul: a-The first is that what he did was because the bad counsel of wicked men around him; proclaiming that he wishes to save him of them. b-That even if Saul has done what he did on his own; being the Lord’s anointed, no one has the right to stretch his hand to him; For the sake of the Lord Himself, Saul should be honored. + He not only forgave Saul, but he provided him, as well, with excuses for his actions. See how David was understanding and wise. Despite knowing for sure that there was nothing good in Saul’s life, yet he would not allow himself to accuse him of doing him anything wrong; although the mighty men around him were convinced of what is contrary to this, having actual experience of his evil actions. Taking another direction as a basis for his forgiveness, Saul referred to Saul’s legal position as “the Lord’s anointed”. It is as though he said to those around him: Well! He may be repulsive, he may be all bad; he may embrace an intense feeling of hate and jealousy against me and all of you. Yes! But he is the king, appointed by God to rule over us; Above everything he is “the Lord’s anointed”; he got his honor, not from here on earth, but from up high. You, therefore should fear Him who gave him his authority. If we fear the officers appointed by the king, even though they may be corrupt, greedy, and oppressors, and if we do not despise them for their evil, but honor them for the sake of him who set them on us, It is befitting of us to do the same in what concerns God. (St. John Chrysostom) 8- David and his wide heart: Comparing between Saul with his narrow and closed heart, and David with his wide heart, even toward him who insults him; Saul with his narrow mind and dark heart, did never utter David’s name on his lips, but said to his son Jonathan: “Why has the son of Jesse not come to eat?” (1 Samuel 20: 27); he called him “the son of Jesse” to show his despise of his origin, having a simple and poor father, a shepherd of sheep. David, on the other hand, when his men sought his permission to kill Saul, did not call Saul by name, nor called him “the son of Kish” to despise him, or even “the king”, but called him by a more honorable title: “the Lord’s anointed”. How far is Saul’s heart from David’s heart! According to St. John Chrysostom, the gentle words and nice expressions, even of those who oppress us, would actually appease the anger in our hearts, and would change our feelings from grudge to love. The best healing for the spirit of anger in our hearts toward our oppressors, is to sanctify our words, + Saul could not call that saint (David0 by his name; because of his intense animosity toward him. On a certain celebration of a feast, he asked: “Where is the son of Jesse?” (1 Samuel 20: 27), out of his hate of his name, and in an attempt to destroy the reputation of that righteous young man, by referring to his poor father; not perceiving that , it is not the status of the parents, but the exultation of the soul, that make man famous and righteous. Anyway, David, on the contrary, did not treat Saul likewise, despite his father’s poor and humble status; and he even, in complete innocence, did not call his name without his title as the king, and his high authority. My beloved, I wish you follow the lead of that righteous man; and learn from this lesson; I wish you never call your enemies by bad names, but refer to them with honor. I wish your mouths get used to utter the good words, that the soul itself would accordingly change; for words themselves are the best remedy for the anger of the heart. (St. John Chrysostom) THE SECOND SERMON A call to cherish the prophet David: With wisdom, St. John Chrysostom began his second sermon on :David and Saul”, by blessing those who listen tio him, for the sake of their cherishing the person of David. Quoting the words of the apostle St. Paul: “who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1: 32); St. John Chrysostom comments on this phrase, saying, that those who approve of those who practice evil are worse than those who practice them. He probably means that those who practice evil, may fall into it, probably out of ignorance or weakness; whereas those who approve of them, persist on commending evil by an evil will and intention. Commending those who practice evil is worse than practicing it. That is why St. John does not bless David alone on his sound values, but he blesses, as well, his listeners, for commending those sound values. According to St. Clement of Alexandria: God says that whoever does such things, and whoever approves those who do them, are hated by Him. + You see that, not only practicing virtue, but also approving and admiring those who practice it, will earn a valuable reward. And likewise, not only practicing evil, but also approving those who practice it, are worthy of punishment After presenting a list of every kind of evil, accusing all those who disobey the statutes of God, Paul goes on to say about those who practice them: “Therefore you are inexcusable, O man, whoever you are who judge, for in whatever you judge another you condemn yourself, for you who judge practice the same things” (See Romans 1: 32; 2: 1). You see that he shows that those who commend the sinners are worthy of a greater punishment, on account of that their commendation comes from a corrupt mind, and an incurable defiled soul.. He who shows remorse after committing a sin, will be healed from it; whereas he who commends evil and those who practice it, denies himself the healing that is realized by repentance. The way those who approve will partake of the same punishment, and probably more, those who commend and admire the good will partake of the crowns they earn. You can see in the Holy Book how God said to Abraham: “I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse” (Genesis 12: 3); The same you see in the Olympic games; that it is not only the winner for the sake of his strife and effort, who is adorned with the crown, but even those who admires and encourage him, will enjoy satisfaction and pride. That is why I bless, not only the righteous David for his sound values, but I, as well, bless you all for the sake of cherishing him. He fought, conquered, and was crowned, and you, who were glad for his conquest, will earn a great deal of his crown. (St. John Chrysostom) Here, St. John Chrysostom reveals the reason behind the care of the church to celebrate and cherish the feasts of the saints, by which she intends to exhort the believers to cherish those who walk in the Lord Jesus Christ, to admire the work of God in and with them, to imitate them, and to partake of their heavenly crown; She intends, as well, to exhort the believers not to commend those who practice evil, lest they would partake of their eternal punishment. He who seeks the intercession of the saints, following their good example, would truly partake of their glories and their crowns; and by following their lead, would become a living icon of the Lord Christ. 9- Is David, a leader of a battle, or a guardian and a keeper of his enemies? Seeing how David tried hard to convince his men of the necessity to forgive Saul, and not to harm him in any way, whatever the consequence are, St. John Chrysostom stood confuses how could he judge his amazing position: Is he a leader of a battle, or a guardian and a keeper of his enemies: How, while caring for the salvation of his military companions, he counted himself a guardian of Saul, not to protect him of being killed by his military aids, but of the eternal perdition. + According to the historian, David, courageously “restrained his servants with these words, and did not allow them to rise against Saul” (1 Samuel 24: 7); with the intention of taking away their longing to shed his blood; By refraining from stretching his hands toward his enemy, and forbidding those around him to do it, he acted as a guardian and a protector of his enemy.. You can say that, in that moment, it was David himself, and not Saul, who was in danger. Actually, there was no chance for controversy; for while David was preoccupied with his efforts to save Saul from their intentions; he did not fear for his own safely from his military aids; he managed to appease their anger and their longing to shed blood; while the accused (Saul) was sleeping all the time. And while David was defending him, God decided to reward him. (St. John Chrysostom) 10- Is David, a leader of a battle, or a teacher, a priest, a bishop, or an altar of the Lord? Again, the St. John Chrysostom stands in awe, marveling in his depths. He sees David as “a good teacher”, who was preoccupied, not only to refrain from stretching his hands to harm Saul, but, as a godly teacher, he cared, as well, not to let any of his disciples in the Lord, stretch his hand to evil. If his military aids accompanied David to defend him against the evil attempts of Saul to kill him, he, as well, accompanied them to keep them from committing or even thinking of any evil. The way he cared for fis own salvation, he also cared for that of his beloved disciples. He saw the godly David as a priest or a bishop. Wherever he was he counted himself in the presence of the Lord, and in a holy temple. The cave in Daid’s eyes was like a holy church, where he practiced teaching as a priest or a bishop to his congregation; And he also talked later to Saul, to guide him to the way of his salvation; he preached the truth, and cared for the salvation of all. David practiced teaching, not only by works, but also by talking to his aids, as well as to his opponent. In the eyes of St. John Chrysostom, he was like a priest or a bishop offering a sacrifice of love, meekness, and mercy; He also saw him like a ransom; delivering, by his forgiveness, his own life to the one who sought his soul; And he saw him, as well, as a holy altar, and a temple of the Lord; where he did not allow for any unbefitting thought to exist. + You can see that, without the work of God, David could never manage to have the authority on thoe highy stirred uo around him. It was the grace of God that put those convincing words on his lips. Because he has already conformed them in the past, and therefore, he found them in the crucial moment, ready to respond positively to his counsel. You can see that he was not acting in his capacity as a leader whose word may not be questioned, but as a priest who preaches; and the cave as a church. After giving a sermon, as a bishop, he offered a magnificent and not a regular sacrifice, not offering a bull as a sacrifice, nor a lamb, but what is greater, he offered to God meekness and mercy, slaying the hidden hate, killing the anger, and bringing to death the members on earth. He acted as a ransom, a priest, and an altar; he offered to God the thought of compassion, mercy, and meekness. (St. John Chrysostom) 11-David enjoys a unique spiritual conquest: According to St. John Chrysostom, one of the healthy values adopted and cherished by David was his enjoyment of an inner conquest by the lord working in him. The believer sets forth from a conquest to a conquest in a battle, in which the field is the heart, the weapon is the Lord, and the enemy is the devil and his works, and the crown is set in heaven. According to the saint, this battle entered by David was so unique and secret, that his battle against Goliath could not be compared to it for the following reasons: a- His former battle was against a fierce human being, who ridiculed God, and defied His people; while the later was against the devil and sin. b- The weapon of the former battle was a little stone and a sling, but in the name of the Lord of host; while the later was without weapons. c- The spoil of the former battle – the sword of Goliath – was kept in the tabernacle of meeting; while that of the later was kept in the paradise; namely, in the soul of David, that will set forth to the High Jerusalem. d- At the end of the former battle, David and Saul came back to be received by women dancing and singing for the conquest, while at the end of the later, the heavenly hosts came out in admiration of David who reached such an exalted spiritual level. e- In the former battle we did near of any sacrifice offered to God, while in the later a valuable sacrifice was offered by David, which brought pleasure to God, a sacrifice of brotherly love, with the spirit of humility. For by refraining from killing Saul, and forbidding his men to kill him, is counted for David as a sacrifice that God smells as sweet fragrance; which is called by St. john Chrysostom “an exalted sacrifice”/ f- The later battle does not need a memorial to commemorate that conquest ; for it is recorded in heaven, where the name of the conqueror is written in the book of life. + Saul waked up and left the cave, knowing nothing of what happened; then David followed him (1 Samuel 24: 8), looking up toward heaven with eyes free of anxiety; and happier than he was after slaying Goliath and cutting the head of that fierce man. The later battle was actually more magnificent than the former; for its spoil was more royal, the great gain was more glorious, and the memorial was more admirable. In the former battle he needed a sling and stones, and to proceed to the line of battle; while in the later, it was the mind that did everything; the conquest was realized with no weapons; and the memorial was set with no blood shed. In the later battle he did not come back with the head of his fierce enemy, but bringing his anger and his inner grudge to death. In the later battle He placed the spoil not in Jerusalem, but in heaven, the Higher city. In the later battle, there were no women dancing and singing; but there were angelic hosts admiring his sound values and his pure spirit. In the later battle he actually caused many scars to the enemy: On one aspect, he saved Saul’s life, and on another aspect, he afflicted the true enemy with many strikes. (St. John Chrysostom) 12- David enjoys the crown of righteousness, and not the crown of Saul: According to his companions, David’s conquest had to be killing Saul, and receiving the crown of the kingdom; while David perceived that his battle was “against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age” (Ephesians 6: 12). David’s war was not to avenge himself against Saul who entered into an unwarranted animosity, but was against the inner grudge toward him, which he wished to get rid of.. As we said before, David came out of the battle, with a heart full of pleasure, on account of that he conquered the devil; set his memorial in the Higher Jerusalem, and carried his spoils up to heaven. Here, St. John Chrysostom compares between David, bearing the crown of conquest; not through challenging the fire of a furnace like the three young men, nor the hungry lions like Daniel, but the destructive fire of sin, the hungry lions of covetousness, and the more dangerous faulty feelings. + As you can see, how that creature (the devil) becomes happy and joyful to see us having grudge toward someone, entering into battles, and stirred up against each others; And how he, being an enemy of peace, an adversary of good relations, and a father of jealousy, is shocked to see us enjoying exalted peace, in full control of our inner feelings. In the ancient wrestling arenas, the emperor used to deliver the crown of conquest into the right hand of the winner, instead of putting it on his head; Here we see David carrying on his hand a crown more precious than the whole world – the crown of righteousness; We see him, not clothed with a scarlet robe, but with supernatural mercy, which is more splendid than any robe. We see God crown his right hand that managed to draw the sword without covering it with the blood of fierce anger. We see him coming out of the cave with an amazing splendor, the way the three young men came untouched out of the fire of the furnace, and the way Daniel came out of the lions den. David confronted more vicious lions put everywhere in the cave ; namely, his grudge toward Saul because of his past attempts on his life; as well as those he expects in the future. Yet he managed to shut the mouths of those lions; teaching us that there is nothing that give more security than forgiving the enemy; and there is nothing more dangerous than planning revenge against them. I here proclaim that David is blessed, not on account of that his enemy is cast underneath his feet, but that he spared his life when he was within his hand; by the power of God on one aspect, and through his sound values on another aspect. Those around David looked at him, not as they do at a mortal man, but as an angel, even before God; for he, personally reaped here a greater benefit than what his adversary did, and gained a more splendid victory than if he killed Saul. Think of this inside your soul; when your enemy is within your authority, forgiving him is better and of more benefit than killing him. For he who kills, in many circumstances, judges himself, will have an evil conscience, and the ghost of his crime will chase him day and night; while he who forgives will exult be joyful; anticipating a greater reward for his perseverance from God. (St. John Chrysostom) 13-David’s humility before Saul to whom he granted His goodness: As the virtue bears its reward in it, the way sin bears its corruption in it; heaven recorded, as though on an eternal memorial how David challenged even his feeling of grudge toward him who intended to kill him; and how he pleasantly forgave him, refrained from causing him any harm, and called him “the Lord’s anointed”. According to St. John Chrysostom, David got the deposit of this crown while still in this world, not by receiving the throne, but by his inner conquest, his humility before him whom he has forgiven; and talking to him with the spirit of compassion and love. + Let us see what happened after that: “David also arose afterwards, went out of the cave, and called out to Saul, saying: ‘My lord the king’; and when Saul looked behind him, David stooped with his face to the earth, and bowed down” (1 Samuel 24: 8). That behavior was a sign of an extraordinary soul, that is not puffed up by the goodness it gives to a neighbor, nor despise those whom they do a favor like slaves. But David showed more self control even after doing good; because he does not refer the goodness he did to himself, but to the divine grace. For this, he, although he saved the life of his adversary, he bowed down before him, addressed him as the king, and referred to himself as his servant; by which he managed to bridle his fury, appeased his hate, and took away his envy. (St. John Chrysostom) With wisdom David asks Saul to reconsider his behavior: St. John Chrysostom wonders why David told Saul: “Why do you listen to the words of men who say: ‘Indeed David seeks your harm?” (1 Samuel 24: 9). How could he say so when he knows that everyone bear for him love and appreciation? St. John Chrysostom could not imagine that, around Saul, there is anyone who would utter one word against David, on account of that, in the depths, they all bear feelings of love and admiration toward David. According to him, he so said to make Saul reconsider his behavior, and to perceive that what provoked him to this animosity and hatred is not men, but his own evil mind. For, even Jonathan the son of Saul was in a relationship of intense love with David, and the military people around Saul admired him; what Saul, therefore, bears of animosity and malice was coming from his wicked depths. David, not intending to destroy Saul’s psyche, hinted to him that what he does is according to the counsel of the wicked. He is as though he does not blame Saul, but provides him with an excuse for his aggressive attitude; a way, according to St. John Chrysostom, often followed by parents in dealing with their naughty child when he or she misbehave. + A father would often sit alone with his child who goes far in his misbehavior; and although he is totally sure that what the child does is out of his own free choice, yet he tends to put the blame for his misbehavior on others, and not on his child. Hearing this, it would be easier for the child to gradually turn his behavior around, and responds to his father’s advice. The apostle Paul did the same thing when he wrote to the Galatians (Galatians 1: 7). After a long talk, and several direct accusations against them, at the end of his epistle, he wrote: “I have confidence in you, in the Lord, that you will have no other mind, but he who troubles you shall bear his judgment, whoever he is” (Galatians 5: 10). Intending to appease the charges against them, to encourage them to raise them to a position of self defense. That is exactly what David did when he tried to convince Saul that his animosity toward him is because others tell him that David seeks to harm him. And in his self defense he said to him: “Look, this day have seen that the Lord delivered you today into my hand in the cave, and someone urged me to kill you. But my eye spared you, and I said, ‘I will not stretch my hand against my Lord, for he is the Lord’s anointed’” (1 Samuel 24: 10) Namely, my behavior today is my best defense against the false accusations of those people; which are more convincing than any words I may say. (St. Jhn Chrysostom) 14- True feelings without any false compliment: David’s behavior reveal how his depths are full of love and compassion. He was in no need of defending himself before Saul by words, for his behavior testified to him in a better way. He indeed, cried out to God to grant him more purity; when his heart troubled him for cutting off the corner of Saul’s robe; but God turned even that action into a practical testimony for David’s compassion, more convincing to Saul and those around him than mere words. David’s compassion persisted even until Saul’s death. For, hearing of the death of Saul, his three sons, and his armor-bearer in the battle, David was not preoccupied with that it was high time to receive the throne for which he was anointed by the prophet Samuel while still a young boy; but his heart burned with grief, and he and those around him tore their garments, cried, lamented, and fasted until the evening on Saul and his son Jonathan (2 Samuel 1: 11-12). + As the will of the judge (Saul), and the witnesses (those around him) were corrupt, and were more inclined to doubt any words David might say; That is why God allowed for the existence of such an undisputable evidence that would mute their mouths and make them in great shame; Namely, the cut off corner of Saul’s robe. That silent proof says: If I was not standing very close to you while sleeping in the cave, I would not be able to cut the corner of your robe. Can you see that, if it was not for the grudge that David had in his heart, for which he was troubled, we would not be able to recognize his sound values. For by such action, he has got the undisputable proof of his good intention toward his enemy. With such a true and clear testimony, he called his enemy to be his judge and witness; saying to him: “For in that I cut off the corner of your robe, and did not kill you, know and see that there is neither evil nor rebellion in my hand, and I have not sinned against you; Yet you hunt my life to take it” (1 Samuel 24: 11). By saying this, David was meek and free of any haughtiness; but his eyes concentrated on only one thing; namely the Lord’s judgment… When he heard that Saul fell in the battle, he tore his garment, threw dust over his head, fasted until the evening, and lamented with this lamentation over Saul and Jonathan his son ; a lamentation only said by a father on his only son. He cursed the mountains of Gilboa that received the blood of his beloved friends, saying: “O mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, nor let it be no rain upon you; for the shield of the mighty is cast away there” (2 Samuel 1: 21). He kept repeating the two names (Saul and Jonathan) again and again; saying: “Saul and Jonathan were beloved and pleasant in their lives and in their death; they were not divided” (2 Samuel 1: 23). Not being able to kiss their corpses, he makes up by mentioning their names again and again, in an attempt to appease his grief on the great catastrophe. THE THIRD SERMON St. John Chrysostom gave this sermons before the arrival of the Patriarch of Antioch with the imperial decree of amnesty; when the people were anticipating the news, disturbed, confused, and with tears. Hence the saint sought from them to look at David who was not disturbed by what dwelt upon him because the animosity of Saul, but loved him together with his son Jonathan; and faithfully shed tears on them when they died. The people of Antioch, according to the saint should likewise, think of the emperor with love and admiration; should partake of the righteousness that David loved in the Lord, and enjoy the sound and exalted values which he adopted and lived. In the midst of that bitter affliction, there was a group of people who thought that their comfort would be realized through their enjoyment of unethical houses of fun and theaters, instead of taking refuge in the house of God, where they would enjoy joy and peace, and be spared of the destructive grief and despair. That is why St. John Crysostom began his third sermon drawing the attention of his listener to the danger of that faulty tendency that stirs up covetousness, corrupt the purity of mind and heart; and produce a spirit of dissension even within the same family; and by reminding them of how David set forth in exaltation that goes beyond all forms of perseverance in his dealing with king Saul, who persisted on oppressing David, seeking his life. Frequenting the lowly theaters: Those lowly theaters were known for their seduction to abominations through the songs that stir up evil lusts, unbefitting body movements, and scanty clothing that seduce man to fall into adultery; that man would not find his happiness in his family life; and deny himself of the church angelical atmosphere. And as the church refuses such way of life, faltering between the two ways of life, she bans such people of partaking of the holy communion. Here St. John Chrysostom, while showing how the church longs for their repentance, to return to the holy life in the Lord; he condemns the violent views of the followers of ‘Novatian’, who deny the possibility of forgiveness for sins committed after baptism. He began his third sermon by saying: [I tend to think that many of those who have formerly deserted us to the banned theaters, are present with us today. I should like to tell them that those who came to be out of the holy gates, should not remain out for long, but will be well received if they reform their ways .with good conscience … The shepherds are able to separate the lambs infected with dermal disease, away from the whole ones, to keep the serious infection from spreading to the rest of the flock]. The saint calls the people of Antioch to perseverance; and instead of criticizing the emperor with stinging words, for increasing the taxes on them, they should be adorned with longsuffering and endurance, and address him with gentle, for their own benefit. And to those who claim that they went to the theaters to appease their feeling of affliction because of the acts of the emperor, he calls them to seek, instead, the divine comfort through repentance, and to follow the lead of the longsuffering of the prophet David. A call to follow the lead of the saints: Paul the apostle, ‘Job’ the righteous, and David the longsuffering: Of the most prominent features of the writings of St. John Chrysostom, his bonds with certain personalities of the Holy Book, and his love for them; in particular, St. Paul the apostle, ‘Job’ the righteous, and David the longsuffering. Of his words: [You know that, while chasing a certain topic, I suddenly fall on Paul, who takes away from what I am talking about, and keep me attached to him until the end. I keep reading the epistles of the blessed Paul twice a week, sometimes three or even four times, when we celebrate the feasts of the martyrs and the saints. I truly enjoy this spiritual trumpet, and rush with enthusiasm to hear his voice dear to me. I completely adore him, as though he actually exists before by insight; I hold him, and talk to him] According to Anianus of Celeda, of the fifth century, St. John Chrysostom, was not talking about St Paul, but he was as though raising him from the dead, to make him a living example of the Christian perfection. But in the period of St. John’s life, when he was overwhelmed by temptations, he found in the righteous ‘Job’ a close friend; he loved him as a partner in sufferings; and forgetting himself when to write about him, he says:[It oftenso seems to me that my love to that hero, sweeps me away from the topic I talk about]. + Think about how the portrait painters, in order to materialize the true features inside and outside of their subject, they keep close to him for two or three days, to absorb all the secrets of his personality. Now, as our goal is to give a portrait of David, not of his body, but of his spiritual beauty, we shall bring him to sit close to you, to look at him, and to let his perfection, meekness, and every single virtue in him, be printed upon each one of you. Ultimately, if the bodily portraits gives the looker a kind of comfort, how much more would the portrait of the soul. While, for the former you have to sit before it in the right atmosphere and illumination; there would be nothing like that for the later portrait; which you can see wherever you are; for it is perpetually in your mind, and before your insight. If you put the portrait of David before you to look and stir at; with time looking at the portrait of virtue, you will gain a complete healing, and will enjoy the sound and pure values. (St. John Chrysostom) 15- By loving his enemies, David brought joy to men, and gladness to the heavenies: Here, St. John Chrysostom compares between those who oppress us, bear animosity toward us, and cause us harm, and the multitude of evil attempts that king Saul made against David, in spite of the goodness and compassion of the later. What excuse can we present for ourselves, while living in the era of grace, and not under the shadow of the Mosaic law like David?! Looking at how the tamer of the lions, the kings of the forest, turn the vicious beasts into domesticated pets; St. John tells his listeners that by the gentle word and the acts of love, we can, likewise, tame our enemies, and turn their wild nature to friendship, intimacy, meekness, and love. By our longsuffering toward our enemies, we lose nothing, nor be oppressed, but, on the contrary, would enjoy a good reputation, beloved bt everyone, and a subject of God’s pleasure. What David endured of troubles and persecutions by Saul, did not cause him any bitterness, but made out off him the man of psalms and praises; not only in his era, but to this very day; he became beloved even by the heavenly hosts, who cherish those who love their enemies, and those whose hearts are full with joy through praising God. David became more glorious on earth and in heaven; and still is by his amazing example and his sweet psalms; Whereas Saul, by his dark and bitter soul, lost his throne, and, together with his three sons died a shameful death; and anticipates an eternal punishment. + No one should say: I have an evil, corrupt, stubborn, and disgusting enemies; For however you may describe them, they would never reach the level of Saul with his several attempts on David’s life. What can you say? Have they confiscated a part of your land? Have they entered into your possessions by force? Have they trespassed your dwelling place? Have they taken your servants away? Have they brought you down to poverty?... Well, they still did not made attempts on your life, the way Saul persisted on doing several times against David’s life. And even they attempted once, yet they did not do it again and again: And if they repeated their evil deeds several times, yet they did not fall under your hand, and you forgave them as often. It is impossible for someone under the shadow of the old covenant, to reach a level of longsuffering and forgiveness; But now, in the era of grace, it should be only natural. David did not hear the parable of the ten thousand talents, and that of the hundred denarii (Matthew 18: 23-30); he did not hear the Lord’s prayer that says: “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly father will also forgive you” (Matthew 6: 14); He did not see the crucified Christ, nor the flow of the precious blood, nor heard or became blessed by the sound values; He did not enjoy the blessings of the amazing sacrifice; nor had communion of the blood of the Lord. But he, instead was raised under the shadow of the imperfect statutes that did not require such measures; Nevertheless he gained the climax of the sound values of the era of grace. While you grumble and complain for material losses, David, on the contrary, although he fears of what may happen in the future, and perceives that sparing the life of that man will surely make life insecure for him, and he may perish, yet he did not cease to give care to his enemy and to protect the man who bears such animosity toward him. Who among us can claim that he has more perseverance?! As for you, you must apply this lesson to the circumstances through which you go through these days. You must perceive that it is possible to reconcile with anyone who bears animosity toward us if we intend to. If taming can turn the most vicious beast into a lamb in meekness, what excuse may we have if we claim that men could not be tamed or drawn to be more compassionate toward us?! … Concerning animals, ferocity is natural; while, concerning men it is against nature. If we can overcome nature, what excuse may we have when we claim that the freedom of will could not be controlled … I wish we concentrate on one thing; not on the harm that may come on us from our enemies, but on how we may keep them from harming our souls. David, despite having been a chased fugitive, and a target of plots to end his life, has become more famous, feared than Saul himself, and even loved by men and God. …. Are his psalms not sung until this very day? Has he not become famous on earth and more so in heaven? Are not a multitude of goods waiting for him in the kingdom of heavens?! … On another aspect, What benefit has that miserable fellow got by his evil deeds? Has he not lost his throne? Has he, together with his sons died a horrible death? And what is more serious than the eternal punishment that is waiting for him?! 16- By loving his enemies, David was exalted to the rank of martyrs: We did not hear that David grumbled against God who allowed for the existence of Saul to oppress him so violently. He counted his existence one of the blessings of God on him; for, by praying for his sake, and seeking mercy for him from God, he was raised up to the rank of martyrs, and earned a multiple crown. While Saul was counted as though has killed David again and again, David, on the other hand, was counted as being martyred again and again; He was counted as a martyr of love, perseverance, and longsuffering. We often lose much through the false complements of friends; Whereas our enemies motivate us to recognize our faults, if they rightly criticize us; or give us the chance to enjoy the blessings of perseverance and martyrdom. + If your enemy plans to destroy your life, and even seeks to have you killed; That will be counted for you as martyrdom, if you pray for him, and seek from God to have mercy on his soul. Let us perceive how David spared the life of him who sought to pin him to the wall with his spear (1 Samuel 19: 9, 10); despite perceiving that he will not resume is old tricks to try to kill him; for which David got a multiple crown. Paul the apostle says: “By the boasting in you which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily” (1 Corinthians 15: 31). Many feel that if they are defamed by their enemies, it would be worse than death, and would not be possible to endure. .. Let us examine carefully such a claim. …Have they called you an adulterer and fornicator? … If they rightly said that, you should hasten to mend your ways. And if they were wrong, laugh it out be joyful and exultant, but do not despise them; keeping in mind the Lord’s words concerning this: “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for my sake, rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven” (Matthew 5: 11, 12); And, “Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, if they revile you and cast out your name in evil” (Luke 6: 22, 23) Even if what they claim is right, if you amiably receive their words, without reviling them back or doing them harm, but sigh in bitterness and condemn your sins; you will reap a reward not less than what you may get if you receive a false and unjust insult. Friends often compliment us for the sake of benefit; while enemies display our sins, which we do not see because of our love for ourselves, before our eyes; by rebuking us they motivate us to perceive our need of reform; by which their animosity would be a source of great benefit; and for which they earn our gratitude for letting us perceive our sins, What would be an easier way to get rid of them?! (St. John Chrysostom) In the parable of the Pharisee and the tax-collector (Luke 18: 14), St. John Chrysostom portrays the Pharisee attacks the tax-collector even in his prayer, saying that he does commit such many and serious sins as he does. Yet the tax-collector did not admonish him with a single word, nor justified himself, as many would do, but with a contrite heart, he raised his eyes to heaven, and beat his breast, saying: : “God, be merciful to me, a sinner””, by which he went down to his house justified. + Can you see how he received the reproach, purified himself, recognized his sins, and forsook them? How, unintentionally, his enemy benefited him? How the tax-collector hastened to cast himself on the ground, sat on dust, and gave his goods to the poor? If we receive the rebukes and reproaches of our enemies with a sound spirit; they would be of benefit to us, whether they are true or false. Why should we then be disturbed? Why should we cry?.... If you do not harm yourself, O mortal, no friend or enemy would be able to harm you. Those who plot to kill us, are doing us a favor; they weaving for us a crown of martyrdom; So why should we hate them?! I wish we would not say: So and so has disturbed me, or made me behave badly; because we are responsible for our own behavior; I mean, if we intend to show the sound values, not even the devil, himself, would be able to do otherwise, or make us angry, which is obvious in the case of David. (St. John Chrysostom) 17-The mild voice shakes both the speaker and the listener: Comparing between the persons of David and that of Saul, St. John Chrysostom draws out attention to the voice of David, which, according to him, has overcome all the feelings of hatred in his own heart, and the animosity in that of Saul. Commenting on Saul’s words: “Is this your voice, my son David?”(1 Samuel 24: 16), St. John says: Saul did not say: [Are these your words], but said: “Is this your voice?”. Man may utter soft and nice words, but his voice may not bear the spirit of love and compassion; and his words would not have their activity, neither in the life of the speaker, nor in that of the listener. David’s voice reformed his own depths, and with his heart disturbed for cutting off the corner of Saul’s robe; he cried out to the Lord to grant him the spirit of love and strength; and it reformed the depths of Saul; he who could not before utter the name of David by his lips, now, with contrition says: “O my son David”. David’s voice opened the door of competition between the hearts of David and Saul; each of them intended to honor the other. David who, instead of avenging himself against Saul when he was helplessly sleeping before his eyes, forgave him, and says to him now: “I am your servant, O my Lord King”; And in contrition, Saul said to David: “You are more righteous than I” . Moses, by his voice, reacting with the power of the cross (the rod), divided the sea, to stop the water dead on both sides; andby his voice he brought them back to their nature. His disciple Joshua, by his voice commanded the sun and the moon to freeze on their path, and they obeyed. The prophet Elijah, by his voice, heaven ceased to give rain; and by his voice it resumed giving it; and several times he sought fire and it obliged. The disciples and the apostles , by their voices, in the name of Jesus Christ, drove the demons out, and healed the sick. How much we need to bear the voice of the Son of David inside us; to work in our hearts, to become an icon of the heart of our Lord Jesus, the Lover of humanity; who works, as well, in the hearts of those we encounter, to enjoy, together with us, the kingdom of heaven in their depths. According to St. John Chrysostom, David, who is younger than Saul, by his perseverance and longsuffering, he dealt with king Saul like a father toward his son; he refused to avenge himself against him for his numerous attempts to kill him; and the fruit of that godly and meek voice, was that Saul was drawn by the spirit of repentance, and in tears, feelings of fatherhood toward David stirred up, and called him his son. + In the darkness of the night, we may not be able to recognize our own friends; but in the daylight we recognize their faces from afar. That is the natural way concerning animosity. As long as we are adversary toward someone, we hear his voice in a different way, and look at their faces in disgust; but once we forsake our grudge against him, his voice that seemed before repulsive, will strike us as pleasant and compassionate; and our look at him would bear longing and grace. Likewise, when there is a storm, the dense cloud would not let us see the beauty and splendor of the sky; but once the sun shines, even for some moments, everything would become cheerful and pleasant. When feeling grudge against someone, it acts like a cloud before our eyes and in our ears; to make the sound and vision different; but when we use one of the sound values, it takes away animosity, and scatters the cloud of hatred, to make vision and hearing sound. That was the experience of Saul, once the cloud of animosity was scattered; he recognized David’s voice, saying” Is this voice, my son David?”. What kind of voice was it? It was the voice that cast the mighty Goliath down, saved the city from danger, and restored to everyone peace and freedom; and brought forth amazing benefits. Actually, the voice which cast that horrible man – Goliath – down to the ground, was the power of prayer; for David, before slinging the stone, cried out: “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin; but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied” (1 Samuel 17: 45) ; then he aimed the stone at the man, by which he destroyed his atrocity. Why would you marvel, if the voice of a righteous man destroy the enemy and drive the demons out?! … If by his voice, Moses divided the sea and brought it back to its nature (Exodus 14: 21, 26); … If Joshua the sun of Nun commanded the sun and the moon to freeze in their path, and so they did (Joshua 10: 12-13); … And if the three young men quenched the power of fire by their songs of praise (Daniel 3: 24, 50 LXX). Being encouraged by hearing David’s voice, Saul said: “Is this your voice, my son David?” to which David answered: “I am your servant, O my Lord king” . There came a competition: who would give the other more honor: one of them made the other a son of his; and the other called him his Lord. What David intended to say was this: I only care for one thing: your happiness and progress in virtue. You call me your son, and I love you and adore you; Have me as your servant, on one condition, if you take away from your self your grudge against me; if you stop doubting my intentions toward you; if you cease to think that I plan and plot against you; for by this, we would consummate the apostolic commandment “in honor giving preference to one another” (Romans 12: 10); Contrary to what men, worse than beasts, generally do, when they do not endure to initiate commending one another, believing that it is a shame and reproach to commend anyone … What is more stupid than such an attitude,arrogance, and ignorance?! … If you initially commend someone, God, who is greater than all, will commend you. I wish we do not anticipate to get honor first, but hasten to honor our neighbor; I wish we initiate the commendation. Do not assume that this is a worthless virtue; For if we disregard it, we would destroy a multitude of friendships, and create a multitude of animosities. I wish, my beloved, we do it with zeal; the way the apostle Paul exhorts us to do, saying: “In lowliness of mind, let each esteem others better than himself” (Philippians 2: 3). (St. John Chrysostom) 18-David’s mild voice brought forth tears to the eyes of the stonyhearted Saul: We stand in awe before the prophet Moses when he struck the rock in the wilderness with his rod, to bring forth a fountain of water to quench the thirst of his people; According to the apostle Paul, that rock followed them, and it is Christ (1 Corinthians 10: 4); by whose cross He brought forth the life-giving water of divine grace. According to St. John Chrysostom, David likened Moses; his rod was his love, compassion, and mild words, by which he struck the stony heart of Saul, to bring forth tears from his eyes. It is befitting of us not to marvel when we see how the hearts of men have turned into stone; for by the spirit of love, humility, meekness, and compassion in Christ Jesus, the hearts will be softened, and present repentance to God with tears and the contrition of heart. + That is what David did by initiating giving honor; and when his oppressor honored him back, he responded by a greater honor, saying “I am your servant, O my Lord king”. Now, look at how much benefit did David get by showing such a humility, as Saul could no more endure to hear David’s voice without weeping bitterly, proclaiming by his tears the uprightness of David’s spirit, and his sound values. What is more blessing than when David managed to reform us enemy in so short a time; gaining a soul thirsty for blood and killing; and transforming it to wailing and sighing?! I actually admire him more than I admire the prophet Moses who brought water forth from a solid rock; for David brought forth a flood of tears from stony eyes. .. The former overcame nature; while the later overcame the free will…. The former miracle happened by striking the rock with a rod; and the later by striking the heart wit words; not to cause any harm in it, but to grant it purity and meekness; which is far exalted. … Having been worthy of great admiration and commendation because he did not cover his sword with the blood of his enemy; he was worthy of greater crowns by changing the will of that man, by making him a better man; and by drawing him to his gentle ways. His later goodness is greater than his former one…. Granting the gift of life could not be compared to leading him to sound values; drawing him away from grudge and folly that could have led him to commit a horrible crime of murder. 19-By compassion, David overcame the ferocity of his enemy: The apostle Paul says that he fought with beasts at Ephesus (1 Corinthians 15: 32); And the prophet David tamed king Saul by his mildness and compassion; and took away from him the spirit of ferocity, cruelty, and stubbornness. + When your enemy becomes under your authority, do not be preoccupied with how to avenge yourself, and after submitting him to several humiliations, to get rid of him; But, you should, instead, be preoccupied with how to care for him, how to draw him by compassion, to overcome his ferocity. Actually, there is nothing of more activity than compassion. It is written: “A gentle tongue breaks a bone” (Proverbs 25: 15); And: “A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger” (Proverbs 15: 1). By this, it is obvious that it is you, and not your enemy, who can make him furious against you, or reconcile with you. When you see your enemy, or think of him, forget all his harmful deeds of which you suffered on his hands, or what you heard about him; and it happened to come to your memory, throw them away to the devil. But you should rather try to remember any good deed he happened to do to you; For by so doing, you will certainly dissolve your animosity toward him. When in anger, we shall not be able to utter anything edifying; but if we get rid of this feeling, we shall never utter any wounding word, nor even allow others to do. This is not hard to do; for what is said will annoy us because of the feeling of animosity we have in our heart. If we hear the same words said by our friends or by little children, or we would hear them not in distorted concept, nor with a mind prioly full of anger; but we would, rather, laughingly brush them off. The enemy testifies to David’s compassion: St. John Chrysostom would not cease to call us to follow the lead of the prophet David in his compassion toward Saul whose heart was as hard as a rock, and more ferocious than lions. Now he reveals the activity of compassion in that violent king; who was drawn by David’s compassion, to accuse himself, not only of being evil, but of what is worse, that he paid goodness back with evil, instead of forsaking his wickedness. Saul’s heart was not changed by debate and conversation, but by mere compassion, that turned him over from a killer who persisted on seeking the life of the righteous David, to call him his son. The heart of that ferocious wolf turned over to be that of a meek lamb; the fiery furnace of his heart, to dew that quenched the fire of anger. + What actually happened was that the aggressor harshly accused himself; when his accuser uttered nothing against him. The aggressor did not say: [You did me good], but said “You have rewarded me with good” (1 Samuel 24: 17); namely, you have paid back my evil plots, my violence, and my limitless evil acts, with great compassion; for which I did not change to a better man, but I persisted to oppress you; Instead of changing my attitude toward you, you persisted on yours, and treated me with more compassion. How many crowns is David worthy to have for the wisdom of his words?!... We actually see the virtue of David, not only from his words, but rather from what Saul himself said. Saul said: “Is this your voice my son David?” (1 Samuel 24: 16)… What a huge and sudden change! He who would not endure to call him by his name, instead of hatred, he counted him as his son! What could be more blessing than what David did, who turned a killer into a father, the wolf into a lamb, the furious into peaceful, who filled the furnace of fire with heavy due; and appeased the heat of wrath. David’s words pierced the heart of that furious man, and realized a great change. He did not say: ‘Are these your words my son David?’, but said: “Is this your voice my son David?” (1 Samuel 24: 17). The way when a father hears the voice of his son coming from afar, he would become emotional to hear his voice, even before even seeing his face. That is exactly what Saul felt when he heard David’s voice, his animosity was wiped away, and he perceived that David is righteous. Let us listen to what Saul said: “You are more righteous than I; for you have rewarded me with good, whereas I have rewarded you with evil” (1Samuel 24: 17). Do you see how Saul condemned his evil?; how he commended the righteous man? And how he apologized without pressure from anyone? … You should do the same: When your enemy is in your authority, instead of accusing him, apologize to him, to make him accuse himself. For if we accuse him, he will hasten to defend himself, whereas if we apologize to him, he will be moved by our compassion, and accuse himself. (St. John Chrysostom) Why did David parade his good deeds toward Saul? David knows when to keep silent, and when to speak; And when he speaks, he knows what to say, why he say it, and the limit of his talk. He did not parade his goodness and his good attitude toward Saul, seeking a reward, nor to defy Saul, or to ridicule him, but to exhort Saul to follow his lead. Finally, if Saul’s mouth so uttered, it was David’s wisdom that planted that in his heart; saying: “You have shown this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord delivered me into your hand, you did not kill me” (1 Samuel 24: 18). By so saying, he testified to him about another virtue; that he presented to him goodness, and did not keep silent about it, nor disregarded it, but instantly mentioned it, not to boast what he did, but to let Saul know how he (David) cared for him and was preoccupied with him, not with his wickedness and evil. He referred his goodness toward him, not to seek reward. For if you do likewise and proclaimed what you did without a good purpose, you would be ridiculing your opponent to whom you did good; whereas if you do it to convince your opponent of his fault; and how he misunderstood your position toward him, that would be for his benefit. That was what David did, He did not seek glory for himself, but intended, by commending himself, to uproot the hate from Saul’s heart, for his benefit, and not to boast his own goodness. (St. John Chrysostom) Saul perceives that God will reward David: Saul, with all his possibilities, stood unable to reward Davis for what he did to him. He perceived that the compassion and forgiveness of the crimes he committed against him, was to God himself, who, alone, can reward him. He perceived that even if he give him his throne for the sake of what he did to him, it would be not enough. By that Saul teaches us that no human reward can pay back man’s love of his enemy. + Counting God Himself as the Debtor, who will pay David’s goodness back; he says: “For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him get away safely? Therefore, may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day” …. How will he reward him for what he has done to him; Even if he present to him his throne itself, it will not be enough; for he gave him his life itself. By that he taught everyone that the reward that comes from God becomes greater, when we present limitless goodness to our enemies, while we receive from them evil instead. Then he said: “Now I know indeed that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand. Therefore swear to me by the Lord that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house” (1 Samuel 24: 21) How would this be, tell me O Saul!? You still have the armies, the wealth, the weapons, the horses, the men, and all the royal sources; whereas that man is alone, a fugitive, with no city to dwell in it, homeless. How could this be? … Do you so say because of his behavior, even if he is helpless; unless God Himself is on his side; for then he would surely be stronger than all men. Do you see how Saul gained sound values after being crafty? Do you see how he could go beyond his own evil, and change to be a better man? Let us, therefore, not despair of our salvation, even if we fall into the depths of evil; for we can again have control over ourselves, and be in a better shape, and forsake evil. (St. John Chrysostom) king Saul begs David not to cut off his descendants: When in a good relationship with the king, man anticipates that the king would grant him of his generosity, according to his possibilities; But here we see king Saul begs from a fugitive! + Saul said to David: “Therefore, swear now to me by the Lord, that you will not cut off my descendants after me, and that you will not destroy my name from my father’s house” (1 Samuel 24: 21). The king so seeks from a regular citizen! … The one with the crown begs the fugitive for the sake of his descendants! … If he asks him to swear, it is not for a lack of trust in him, but because he perceives the seriousness of the harm that might dwell upon him; … he let his enemy become a guardian of his descendants; put his offspring within his hands; as though by his words he made those words intercessors before God. How was the reaction of David? Did he bitterly scoff that situation? No, but he instantly consented and granted his enemy his request. And after Saul’s death, he did not kill his descendants, but offered more than he promised; for he let a descendant of Saul, who was lame, be a permanent partner at his table; did not count his royal banquet would be disgraced by such a handicapped child; but, instead counted it an honor ans a subject of pleasure (2 Samuel 9). By such an act of compassion, those who attended the banquet have got a marvelous lesson in the sound values; knowing that he who has got such an appreciation was a descendant of Saul, who caused David so much harm. … It would have been a marvelous thing, if David has given his order to assign food and sustenance for that lame child; How much more to let him attend his banquet in person; It is indeed a supernatural example of sound values. I know for sure how it is difficult for you to love your enemies; how much more it would be to love their children? … David, on the other hand, not only cared for Saul while still alive, but after his death took care of his descendants. … What banquet is more sanctified? The host is an angel more than human; who embraces the offspring of him who has made a multitude of plots to end his life; then departed and he took his place. Do likewise, O beloved, Care for the descendants of your enemies whie their parents are still living and after their death. For, while still living, you would gain their parents; and by caring for the descendants of the departed, you would gain much of God’s goodness, be adorned with limitless crowns, and become the subject of prayers by everyone; even by those who watch you do. That would be for your benefit for your enemies will feel indebted to defend you, on the great day of judgment; You will have an atonement on many of your sins; and will be qualified for the great reward; Even if you often fail to fulfill the part of the Lord’s prayer saying: ”Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespasses against us”; For you will surely get forgiveness for your sins, live here with a good hope, and everybody will love you. Finally, those who see how you love your enemies and their descendants; How would they not seek to be your beloved friends? How would they not pray for your sake? And if you get such goodness from God as a response of their prayers, Who will be more blessed than you are? ---------------------- AN INSPIRATION FROM “DAVID AND SAUL” AN ENJOYABLE JOURNEY WITH THE PROPHET DAVID + Grant me to be in Your company, O the one with sound values; When your law is the purity of heart, and the uprightness of the soul; When you do not allow anyone to occupy your depths except the Holy One. When You sing his praise day and night, and offer him the sacrifice of thanksgiving; You brought joy to all humanity by your love and compassion; And enjoyed the commendation of God, not that of men; Your heart, O son of Jesse, is like the heart of your God, the Lover of mankind. + I saw you love silence more than talking; In your silence, I see you the exultant icon of heaven; And in your talk, I see you kindle my heart with love for God and for men; You drew my heart, both by your silence and by your sweet words and praises. + I marvel how could you be a man of suffering, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, at the same time! You had your guitar, even while were a fugitive; With every morning you used to play two psalms, even in the time of affliction; And with every evening, you would not close your eyes before praising your God. = Allow me to whisper in your ears, wandering: How could you convince the military men around you; To forgive Saul who bore such bitterness toward you? How could they respond to you, when they had such an experience of that evil king? How could they obey you, when they perceived that Saul’s heart would never change? + You answered me: Why should you wonder; when every day, in my sufferings they saw me exultant? Perpetually feeling that heaven is not far from me; I told them nothing of Saul’s evil deeds; They used to see me pour tears before my God, saying: I cry out to You, to grant me the pure heart and the upright soul; I pray for the sake of the sanctification of the whole people; I beseech You to open the eyes of the king and his men, to get attached to you. + I was sad for Saul’s sake, because he did not perceive how much I loved him; I was ready to die, and he and all the people would live; Not for a single day, I felt that the throne was my portion; nor my heart was preoccupied with the glory of the world. + Sometimes with a bitter soul, lifting my heart up to my God, the bitterness turn into sweetness; I complained against myself whenever a feeling of grudge passed through me; and with tears I would cast myself down, saying: O My Lord, behold, men manage to tame lions; And nature, obediently, was in the service of your people; Would it be difficult for You to turn the ferocity of Saul into gentility? Would it be impossible for you to shine in his heart, to scatter his darkness, and drive away the prince of its hosts? Let Your grace work in him; to for my sake, but for that of his heart, mind, and soul. + My men approached ne with exultant hearts; To give a great and unique piece of news; Behold, the Lord who promised you the throne, realized his promise; Behold, Saul is sleeping alone in the cave; Come, draw your sword and cut off his head, as you did with Goliath; Behold, God delivers him to you today, to sit on his throne; You will have rest all the days of your life, and we will have it together with you; I told them to keep silent; and said to them, ‘Far from me to sin and stretch my hand to the Lord’s anointed; They answered me; You are not avenging yourself; It is the Lord who delivered him into your hand. + I approached Saul, and cut off the corner of his robe while sleeping; Then my heart troubled me, for perceiving that I have some feeling of grudge against him; When I cried out to my God to take away from me every though that would not please Him; My heart found comfort; and the grace of God covered me up. + Saul came out of the cave, and I followed him; I called his name, and prostrated myself before him; and said: “I am your servant, O my Lord king”; I asked him to look at the corner of his robe, to perceive how he was within my hands; Not intending for him to be crushed before me, I cast the blame on those around him. For distorting my image before him; Then he cried, for feeling my compassion and my love for him; For the first time he called me “his son David” He perceived that I shall receive the throne , and begged me not to harm him; and after his death not to harm his descendants. + Having narrated such a story about him, I perceived why the Lord incarnated from his seed; Why the Creator of heaven and earth, is called “the Son of David”; For God cherishes love; the love of man for all mankind. + O my God; grant me the loving heart of David; Grant me that all the doors od my soul would open before humanity; to know no one as an enemy; To love all, to serve all, and to desire death for the sake of all. + I sat in silence with my soul; and cried out in my depts.; Bless you, who, by your love of your opponents, you were counted among the martyrs; By your love of your enemies you became an instructor to the military around you; By love you were adorned with unique conquests; By love you stroke the stony heart of Saul, that his eyes flowed with precious tears; By your amazing love, the cave turned into a church, and you became a teacher, priest, and altar; By love you bear a heavenly citizenship, to set forth on the day of the Lord to the High Jerusalem, as though to your home; To stand before the divine throne, as though in your dwelling place; Pray for me, to bear the feature of love from the heavenly Son of David. ------------------------------- ANNEX # 2 TO CHAPTER 10 OF THE SAYINGS OF THE FATHERS ABOUT DAVID AS A SYMBOL OF THE LORD CHRIST 1- David visits his brothers; and the Lord Christ visits mankind: Caesarius, bishop of Arles presents to us a symbolic interpretation of the episode of David and the mighty Goliath, according to St. Augustine, in which it came: + When Jesse sent his son David to visit his brothers, it so seems that Jesse was a symbol of God the Father, who sent His only begotten Son, about whom it is written: “I will declare Your name to my brethren” (Psalm 22: 22). Truly, Christ came to visit His brethren, as He said: “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel” (Matthew 15: 24). “Jesse said to his son David: ‘Take now for your brothers an ephah of this dried grain, and these ten loaves, and run to your brothers at the camp” (1 Samuel 17: 17). As the ‘ephah’, is three measures, In those three measures we understand the secret of the Trinity, which is clearly understood by Abraham, when he was qualified to perceive that secret in the three person under the oaks of Mamre, and gave the command to knead three measures of flour (Genesis 18: 6). Jesse gave his son the same three measures. In the ten loaves we perceive the ten commandments of the Old Testament. David, therefore, came with the three measures of grain and the ten loaves to visit his brothers who were in the battle; like the Lord Christ who came with the ten commandments of the law, and the secret of the Trinity, to liberate humanity from the devil. (St. Augustine) 2- His brothers rebuke him in the camp: + Now, as David came, one of his brothers rebuked him, saying: “Why did you come down here? And with whom have you left those few sheep?” (1 Samuel 17: 28). That brother who rebuked David, envied the symbol of our Lord; the same way the Jewish people slandered our Lord Jesus Christ. Although He came to save mankind, they reproached Him. Do not you count what that envious brother uttered, the same as that the devil did by his lips, envying mankind? … Is it not like saying to Christ: [Why did you leave the ninety nine sheep, and came to seek the one lost to bring him back to the fold, after You set him free by the rod of the cross from the spiritual Goliath, namely, from the power of the devil? … Why did you leave those few sheep? The brother uttered the truth, yet with an evil arrogant spirit. By leaving the ninety nine sheep, Jesus intended to seek the one and to bring him back to the fold; namely, to the company of the angels. (St. Augustine) 3- David killed a lion and a bear: (1 Samuel 17: 34-37) + Like David who took hold of a lion; let us seek from the Spiritual David – Christ – to take hold of the lion, and to destroy the congregation of beasts. (The scholar Origen) + Before David was anointed by the blessed Samuel, he killed a lion and a bear with no weapons, as he told king Saul by himself. The lion and the bear, symbolizing the devil, dared to attack some of David’s sheep, and he strangled them by his strength… That was a symbol, then, beloved brethren, that was realized in our Lord Jesus Christ, who strangled the lion and the bear, when He descended to Hades to liberate the saints from their fangs. Listen to the prophet David supplicating to the Person of our Lord, saying: “Deliver me from the sword; my precious life from the power of the dog” (Psalm 22: 20). As the power of the bear lies in its feet, and that of the lion in his mouth, that is way the devil is symbolized by these two beasts. Such was said concerning the person of Christ, to draw the church away from the mouth and hand of the devil. (St. Augustine) 4- David kills Goliath; And the Lord Christ kills the devil, and uproots the authority of sin: Caesarius, bishop of Arles consummates his symbolic interpretation of the episode of David and Goliath, according to St. Augustine, saying: + David found the Jewish people camping in the valley of Terebinth to war against the Philistines. Christ – the True David – had to come to lift mankind up from the valley of sin and tears. David found them in the valley confronting the Philstines; they were in the valley, on account of that the burden of their sins brought them down. Anyway, he found them standing and not daring to fight against the enemies; … Why? Because David, the symbol of Christ has not come yet. Indeed , brethren, who can fight against the devil before our Lord Christ liberates mankind from his authority? … Now, the word ‘David’ means (strong hand). Who is stronger, brethren, than He who overcome the whole world, aemed by the cross, and not by a weapon?! The Israelites stood 40 days against the enemies. Those 40 days refer to the present life during which the Christians never cease to war agains Goliath and his army; namely, against the devil and his angels (the figure 4 refers to the four seasons, and the figure 10 to the fullness of time). It is impossible to conquer, unless Christ – the true David – brings down His rod – the secret of the cross. The devil, indeed, was free before the coming of Christ; but by His coming, what came in the gospel was realized; namely, “No one can enter the strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man” (Matthew 12: 29). For this goal, Christ came and bound the devil. Someone may say: If the dvil was bound, why does he still has authority? Yes indeed, brethren, he has great authority; yet, only on his lukewarm and slothful followers, those who do not truthfully fear God. He is bound like a dog in chains, and cannot bite anyone, except for the soul that binds to him by her own will, by her trust in the ‘ego’; which is very serious. Now you can see, brethren, what idiocy for someone to be bitten by a dog in chains! If you do not accompany the devil to the pleasures and covetousness of this world, he would not dare to bite you. He could disturb you by his barks, but he would never dare to bite you, unless you, yourself, give him the chance to do. He will not harm you by force, but through seduction; He does not rob us of our free will but seeks to do, David came and found the no one of the Israelites dares to go fight Goliath on his own; There, the symbol of Christ (David) entered into the battle against Goliath armed only with a staff, by which he referred to what was realized in our Lord Jesus Christ – the true David – who came carrying His cross to fight against the spiritual Goliath, namely the Devil. Notice, brethren, where the blessed David stuck Goliath: in his forehead, where there was no sign of the cross. As the rod symbolized the cross, the stone by which he struck Goliath symbolizes our Lord Jesus Christ – the living Stone, about whom it is written: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone” (Psalm 118: 22). David stood over Goliath and killed him with his own sword; which refers to that by the coming of Christ, He will defeat te devil by his own sword. Indeed by his oppression and craftiness against Christ, the devil lost his authority over all the believers of Christ. David put the tools of Goliath in his tent; And about us who were the tools of the devil, the apostle Paul says: “Just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness, leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness” (Romans 6: 19); And also: “Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin” (Romans 6: 13).Yes indeed, Christ put the tools of His enemy in his tent, when we, who were a dwelling place of the devil, were found worthy of becoming a dwelling place of Christ. Confirming that Christ dwells in us , the apostle says: “that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” (Ephesians 3: 17); And, “For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ” (Galatians 3: 27); And our Lord Jesus Christ says to His disciples in the gospel: “Believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me; (You are in Me, and I am in You)” (John 4) Striking Goliath in his forehead and not anywhere else, symbolizes to what happens to us: When the one who seeks baptism is crossed with the sign of the cross on his forehead, he is as though a strike on the forehead of the spiritual Goliath, a defeat to the devil. The newly baptized carries on his forehead the feature of the Spirit; as though he is sealed with the phrase “a sanctuary for the Lord”; by which he enjoys the graces of the Lord Christ that sanctifies the mind (the forehead), as an entrance to the inner life of man. Through the graces of Christ, the devil is driven out of our hearts; Hence we try as much as is possible, by His help, not to receive the devil again through our own free will, by our evil works, and our crafty fornicating thoughts; For if we do (receive him again), what is written will be realized in us: “When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, he goes through dry places, seeking rest, and finds none. Then he says: ‘I will return to my house from which I came’, and when he comes, he finds it empty, swept, and put in order. Then he goes and takes with him seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter and dwell there, and the last state of that man is worse than the first. So shall it also be with the wicked generation” (Matthew 12: 43-45). Now, having, by the grace of baptism, we have got rid of all evil, without prior worthiness on our part; let us then strive by the help of the Lord to get filled with the spiritual blessings. Whenever the devil intends to drag us to his ways, he will find us filled with the Holy Spirit, and bound to good works; and in us the words saying: “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10: 22), will be realized. (St. Augustine) 5- Saul seeks pinning David to the wall with his spear (1 Samuel 19: 10) Saul aimed his wooden spear that ends with a deadly sharp point of iron at Saul to kill him, but the spear struck the wall and not David. Likewise, when the Devil attempted to get rid of the Lord Jesus, he aimed his spear against Him, namely the wooden cross and the iron nails; but he struck the wall, namely the body of the Lord Christ, and not His Godhead. + Once the evil spirits came out of king Saul, by the action of the music played by David, he hastened to aim his wooden spear, (that ends with a sharp iron point), to pin David to the wall, but the wall received the spear instead of David. Now we understand that the wall symbolizes the body of Christ, we see nailed on the cross. The Son of David, the Christ and King, did not suffer (by His Godhead0; For the Godhead would not be affected by neither the cross nor the nails. (St. Gregory of Nyssa) 6- David laid down through a window (1 Samuel 19: 12-16): Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him and to kill him in the morning. And Michal, David’s wife, told him and led him down through a window. Michal took an image and laid it in the bed, put a cover of goats’ hair for his head, and covered it with clothes; and said to the messengers who sough David: “He is sick”. And the messengers had come in, there was the image in the bed with a cover of goats’ hair for his head. According to St. Gregory of Nyssa, David, in this episode, refers to the Lord Christ, on whom death could not prevail, but resurrected leaving the linen shrouds in the tomb. + The name ‘Michal’ means (reign); as sin reigned on our nature up to that time. The window refers to going back to the light that dawned on those who sat in the darkness and the shadow of death (Matthew 4: 16). His image appeared on the bed; as the angel said to the women who sought the Lord Christ in the tomb: “Why do you seek the living among the dead. He is not here, but is risen” (Luke 24: 5; Matthew 28: 6). Those who sought the Lord, saw the tomb in which He was buried, empty of His body, and saw only the linen shrouds put there. Therefore, we understand that David’s empty bed, with his image on it, and his escape from the window, refer to the Lord risen from the dead and coming out of his tomb; by which our death is taken away through the atoning sacrifice. (St. Gregory of Nyssa)
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