Commentary on Samuel (Book IV, chapters 4.4–4.8)
Commentary on Samuel
continued
Chapter 4.4
David, intending to strike down Nabal of Carmel, is appeased by the intervention and gifts of his wife Abigail. After Nabal dies ten days later, David takes her as his wife; he also takes Ahinoam of Jezreel, after his wife Michal was given to Phalti, the son of Laish. There was a man in the wilderness of Maon, etc., up to what is written: But Saul gave Michal his daughter, David's wife, etc. This reading typically teaches that the synagogue, condemned by the wickedness of its leaders and teachers, was saved by the Lord, but it was later also partly rejected when the Gentiles were called to faith; it marks the salvation of the humble with some characters, but the rejection of the proud with others. Thus, there was a man in the wilderness of Maon, that is, of habitation. There was a congregation of scribes and Pharisees engaged in the studies of the Holy Scripture, which, being endowed with a unique virtue beyond all other Scriptures, moreover teaches all its readers to become solitary in the world, that is, separated from its desires and pomps, and to make themselves a dwelling worthy of God. And his possession, he says, was in Carmel, that is, in the knowledge of circumcision; because the word of the law, which they preached, proclaimed the true chastisement, but it did not give the perfection. For what the letter showed by commanding, it did not perfect, but grace aiding did.
Therefore, not in perfection, but in the acknowledgment of consummate chastisement did the Pharisee and legal scribe have possession, because the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ (John 1). That man was indeed called very great; because the mentioned teacher, although in no small part wise in earthly matters, yet excels greatly above all the preceptors of secular philosophy, who were entirely ignorant of the divine law and used themselves alone as masters in those things which they taught.
1 Samuel 25:2
And he had three thousand sheep, etc. To the scribes and Pharisees were committed innocent and penitent souls for teaching: these perfected by faith, hope, and charity; those still following the rudiments of first faith which begins from fear. [1 Samuel 25:2] -- And it happened that his flock was being sheared in Carmel. It happened that some of the more perfect listeners among the scribes, in the recognition of external chastity, were abandoning their legal acts so that the inner man might be renewed day by day. It happened that all the people subject to them were giving the Lord their wool, as if it were the first fruits and tithes of their produce, which could be lost without pain. [1 Samuel 25:3] -- The name of that man was Nabal, etc. Nabal means foolish, Abigail is called the father's joy: and the foolish man was a legal expert who, having the key of knowledge, neither entered himself, nor allowed those who wished to enter. The father's joy, however, is rightly called the synagogue among those to whom it is said: But rejoice that your names are written in heaven (Luke X). For she was most prudent in such matters, understanding the word of faith; and beautiful in doing what she could understand. Meanwhile, her masters were hardened in unbelief, wicked in living badly, and malicious in plotting against the Lord.
1 Samuel 27:3
He was from the tribe of Caleb. The teachers of the synagogue were from the disciples of the lawgiver. For the scribes and Pharisees sat on Moses' seat (Matthew XXIII); who, since they then led other mortals by the grace of both human and divine wisdom, can, not unjustly, be called Caleb, that is, the whole heart; or because we read that patriarch Caleb was powerful in faith and virtue, we can say that the faithfulness of the faithful is the increase of damnation for the faithless, who have degenerated from the life of their parents.
1 Samuel 25:4
When therefore David heard in the desert that Nabal was shearing his sheep, etc. When the Lord, conversing in the world in man, heard that the learned in the law were preparing their hearers either to cleanse themselves from sins or to offer their own for the Lord, as if with the fitting scissors of practice, He sent His most valiant disciples, namely the heralds of the heavenly denarius to be attained, whose youth had been renewed like the eagle in baptism, and said to them: Ascend into the recognition of circumcision, open in the progresses of virtues and doctrine, show that you truly know and have ascended the height of spiritual chastity: and by doing this you will come to the very teachers of the law, and also evangelists announcing salvation from my name, which I am called and am the Savior, to those future heavenly in peace, saying: Let there be peace to all who by believing in the name of God the Father wish to be brothers of Christ, let there also be peace to you converted in pious society to the same faith; nay, and to all whom you have taught, and to all that you do, peace. That is, the peace which made both one and broke down the middle wall of partition, the enmities in His flesh (Ephesians II).
1 Samuel 25:7
I heard that your shepherds are shearing, etc. And the Lord spoke these things through his apostles to the chiefs of the Jews, "I heard that your disciples are teaching the people, who used the same pastures of sacred Scripture as we did. We were never troublesome to them, but behaved quietly toward everyone, and moreover preached the gentle yoke of humility and the light burden: nor did anything ever perish from their teaching or deeds: they were with us at all times in the recognition of circumcision, that is, where they, like us, acknowledged spiritual circumcision in the highest words of divine eloquence. It must be understood here that something could have perished from the substance of those who had been in Carmel without David; that is, the superfluous reading in many ways, not profitable for the salvation of the soul, of those who, reading the Scriptures, did not know how to understand Christ in the Scriptures. Ask, he says, some of the innocent and knowingly humble among your people of whom the kingdom of heaven is; and they will tell you that the grace of the Gospel is not contrary to the letter of the law, but in both Testaments the just live by faith.
1 Samuel 25:8
Now therefore let the young men find favor in your eyes, etc. Because, they say, you teach the people, which is to intellectually shear the flock, ensure that even the disciples of Christ preaching may find in you the grace of faith and good action. For indeed we come to preach uniquely good things in the light of grace, so remarkably good, that the previously unheard kingdom of heaven is proclaimed to mortals; and to this, the whole race of men is called, from which the Gospel also received its name in Greek due to this foremost goodness. Whatever virtuous obedience your strength finds, willingly bestow it upon those teachers rejoicing in serving your salvation, and upon the offspring from your lineage, to the truly strong and desirable hand of Jesus Christ.
1 Samuel 25:10
Answering, however, Nabal spoke to David's young men, etc. The foolish leaders of the Jews, responding to the disciples of Christ preaching to them, said: We are disciples of Moses, but this man we do not know where he comes from (John IX). And the disciples of Jesus grew in the presumption of teaching, so that they could not be surpassed by anyone, who fled by despising the experts in the law, much their superiors in knowledge. Therefore, we will take up the words of the Holy Scripture, entrusted to us specifically for teaching, which can be read and understood simply; that is, to drink water: partly to be handled more carefully, so that they may be understood in this way, which is to break and eat bread by chewing. We will also take the deeds of the preceding fathers, which we have prepared for teaching to aid the life and virtue of our listeners, and we will give them to teachers, entirely separated from our religion and faith, who pervertedly transfer the holy words to the sense of their doctrine.
1 Samuel 25:13
Then David said to his men, Let each one gird on his sword, etc. The sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, can indeed be understood; with which the Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus (Ephes. VI), was girded to vanquish the unbelievers, whenever he revealed the word of the Father to the world through his Gospel. And his disciples were girded when they preached the same. But because it is read in the following: David, being prohibited from striking the wicked, thanks to Abigail's intercession. The Church never prays, however, that Christ might not inflict the saving wound of his word upon the unbelievers. It is better understood in this place that the sword signifies the vengeance of destruction, which threatened the Jews after the Lord's passion; with which sword, indeed, the Lord himself, and his ministers of the same word, were girded, not by inflicting punishment on sinners, but by predicting this punishment as future to the sinners, unless they repented. Due to the fear of this sword, the Church, interceding with the Lord, suspended its blow for more than LX years.
1 Samuel 25:13
And about four hundred men followed David, etc. Whoever could be found perfect in prudence, fortitude, temperance, and justice followed the Lord to the office of preaching. Moreover, others, content with the twin perfection of charity, preferred to live quietly with those they had won for Christ, rather than gird themselves for spiritual battles to win others. [1 Samuel 25:14] -- But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, etc. When the chiefs of the Jews scorned the word of faith, the unity of Christ's disciples announced to the synagogue subject to them, saying: Behold, Jesus Christ sent apostles, namely messengers of truth, instructed in the divine Scriptures, to command eternal blessing to our elders, and they rejected them. These men, that is, Christ's apostles, were good apostles, were good enough for us by preaching the heavenly kingdom; and not troublesome, by imposing the burdens of the law on our necks anymore. Nor did anything ever perish of what we established during all the time we lived in their faith, living in deserts from the allurements of the world, and in a quasi-solitary life. At all times, I say, whether observing the rites of the law still, or celebrating the mysteries of the revealed and proclaimed grace, whoever joined themselves to the faith of Christ were saved from all destruction. They were helpful to us in teaching, both in investigating the obscure parts of the Scriptures, and in plainly bringing forth the clear ones, all the days in which we instructed our listeners according to their truly evangelical understanding.
1 Samuel 25:17
Wherefore consider and reflect upon what you do, because, etc. I have explained, he says, what benefit and grace the faith of Christ has, and how great a hardness our leaders have shown in resisting it. Wherefore consider and reflect upon, by what order you have declined and avoided the malice of the proud, who did not want the blessing, and it will be prolonged from them, that you might not only escape His wrath but also be deemed worthy to receive the blessing of inheritance; because the malice of vindication against the leaders of your people, and against your own people, has been fulfilled; who, having formerly killed and stoned the prophets, to complete the malice of their sin, did not fear to lay hands on the Lord, the uniquely powerful one among the prophets, and they are the sons of the devil, choosing Barrabas the robber for themselves instead of Christ the Savior; so hardened in their minds, that they are unable to grasp the words of any of the spiritual teachers.
1 Samuel 25:18
Abigail then hurried and took two hundred loaves, etc. Motivated by the preaching of the apostles, the Synagogue hastened to be reconciled to Christ, whom she recognized had been offended by her leaders, and brought her listeners, who had already been instructed in the letter of the law; and she placed them upon the humble and simple dispensers of the word of the gospel, by whose ministry or intercession they were brought to Christ: upon those, namely, who could say, We have become like a beast before you on earth, and we are always with you (Psalm LXXII); and: We are fools for Christ’s sake (I Cor. IV). For the two hundred loaves are those who, through the fellowship of the same faith and action, are so mutually connected by a bond, so strengthened by the fire of supreme devotion, that they can in no way be separated from each other. The two skins of wine, who, intoxicated with the virtue of twin love, desire to mortify the flesh, but be quickened by the Spirit, and be inwardly renewed day by day, to receive and contain the must of spiritual grace. The five roasted rams, whatever in their senses is proud, and found to be like ill-horned against weaker neighbors, they are accustomed to cook entirely with the flame of devout mortification devoted to God. The five measures of parched corn, who know how to subjugate the aforementioned senses of the body to the spirit, and to tame the necessary humility as a mill;
which in fact the humiliation or contrition of the flesh, because it must be done moderately, neither less nor more than just, this parched corn is well described by the measure of five, which among the Hebrews is a definite measure, one and a half modium. The hundred clusters of raisins signify those who rejoice in virginal continence, and moreover are bound to each other with the bonds of indivisible charity, and even in the flesh relish the most perfect beauty of angelic chastity. For the dried grape, cut off from the vine that bore it full of its own wine, is usually kept uncrushed for the gift of greater grace; and the virgin flesh, separated from the common fellowship of the Church by the iron of stricter continence, embraces within itself the sweetness of mature chastity, beloved by the Lord for the grace of the whole Church. Indeed, one hundred, because it signifies the mystery of heavenly and angelic perfection, is widely known to all. The two hundred cakes of figs are souls who impart the sweetness of their spiritual and perfect fellowship to their neighbors by teaching, so that by doubled virtue they may also merit a double palm. All these things were sent as a feast to David through Abigail, with men imbued with various virtues through the teaching of the law, whom the Synagogue sent to be baptized and instructed in the sacraments of the Gospel to Christ.
1 Samuel 25:19
And he said to his servants: Go before me, etc. Many from Judea had gone before, coming to the faith individually, and the Synagogue followed after them. For it was first said: But the Lord added to the number those who were being saved daily (Acts II); and afterward, indeed, the Church throughout all Judea and Galilee, and Samaria, had peace, and was being built up, walking in the fear of the Lord, and was filled with the comfort of the Holy Spirit. However, lest it provoke its foolish leaders to worse, the believing Synagogue refrained from indicating the mystery of its faith. [1 Samuel 25:20] -- Therefore, when he had ascended the donkey, etc. When the Synagogue confessed to all that it had served a foolish sense until then, and descended to the beginnings of the Christian faith, which starting from the infirmity of the Lord's incarnation, usually leads to the heights of recognizing divinity, Christ and his disciples descended to meet it, so that by preaching they might assist its efforts and, from the mysteries of his humanity with which it was imbued, they might elevate it to the highest summits of Divinity.
1 Samuel 25:21
And David said: Truly, in vain have I kept, etc. The Lord said, detesting the long foolishness of the proud Jews: Truly in vain for so long a time have I offered the gifts of my grace to those out of their minds compared to other nations, and in return they gave the evil of faithlessness, persecution, and the cross, for the good of the grace I gave. Therefore, I will take the wicked from the land, so that until the morning of the universal judgment, no one from the perverse lineage may be left immune. This was said not so that all faithless Jews before the day of judgment might be shown to be dying, but so that they may be taught to be deserving of death and damnation in all respects. This is similar to when Korah stirred sedition in the desert, the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, Separate yourselves from the congregation of this people, so that I may destroy them suddenly (Num. XVI); and yet by their interceding and saying, Almighty God of the spirits of all flesh, will Your wrath rage against everyone because of one sinner? wrath was suspended, and the grace of mercy was bestowed. And on the following day, when the whole multitude murmured against them, he said, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, I will destroy them now. But what He showed that the wicked deserved by just judgment, He changed by mercy through the intercession of the faithful. Therefore, in this place also, under the figure of David, the Lord defers judging what the faithless have deserved, as the following spiritual interpretation of this reading will show. For it follows:
1 Samuel 25:23
When Abigail saw David, she hastened and descended from the donkey, etc. When the synagogue recognized Christ, or rather, having itself been recognized by Christ, it hastened to renounce its old way of life, which had zeal for God, but not according to knowledge; and with the most devout humility, bearing witness to itself as dust and ashes, it began to worship the steps of the Lord's incarnation with humble prayer, either repenting for itself to be accepted by the Lord, or praying for its people and unbelieving leaders that they may not be struck corporally, with an open confession, and testifying that the wicked are reserved for eternal punishment, and that Christ's kingdom will remain in perpetual peace, and begging with every desire of the soul that it may belong to this. [1 Samuel 25:25] -- Do not, I beseech you, my lord the king, set your heart upon this wicked man, Nabal, etc. The synagogue of believers, moved by pious humility, begs the Lord not to utterly destroy their wicked rulers and nobles before the punishment of the final judgment, so that those who are awaiting eternal destruction for their foolishness of disbelief, may at least enjoy a little temporal pleasure. At the same time, humbly excusing or rather lamentably accusing herself, that she too recognized the messengers of such great good, that is the apostles whom He sent, so late.
1 Samuel 25:27
Wherefore, accept this blessing, etc. Because, he says, it is not hidden that the impious are destined to perish by just judgment, I beseech you to kindly receive those whom I have offered to be dedicated to you, converted piously, to be consecrated by you, to be blessed by you, and to commit them to the ecclesiastical society of your servants who have gone before. [1 Samuel 25:28] -- Take away the iniquity of your servant, etc. Wash me more, he says, from my injustice, and cleanse me from my sin (Psalm 51). For I believe and confess without any doubt, that when the plans of the persecutors are suppressed and defeated, God the Father, who alone is sufficient to save and protect the world from the evil one, will multiply far and wide the people consecrated by your faith. [1 Samuel 25:31] -- And when the Lord has done good to my lord, etc. When God the Father has made all your enemies a footstool for your feet, and you have entered the kingdom with your elect forever; I beseech you, establishing me at the right hand of your throne, to deem me worthy to be a participant in the same kingdom.
1 Samuel 25:32
And David said to Abigail: Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, etc. The Lord refers the grace to the believing synagogue to the glory of the Father, signifying that we should always bless and praise Him; also rewarding the believing synagogue that prays even for the unbelievers with deserved blessing. Simultaneously showing how pleasing He considers a prayer that is made with a benevolent mind for the adversaries. [1 Samuel 25:35] -- David then took from her hand everything she had brought him. The Lord accepted the devotion of all believers, which the hand, that is, the work of the Synagogue preaching, had brought to Him on behalf of her children. He kindly advised that after receiving from Him the grace of heavenly peace, they should return to conscience and diligently discern how they should live for themselves.
1 Samuel 25:36
Moreover, Abigail came to Nabal, and behold, there was a feast in his house. After showing the Lord the affection of her devotion, the Synagogue of believers came to see the life and mind of the unbelievers, in case she might be able to call them to faith as well. But when she saw them satiated with the feasts of legal sacrifices, rejoicing that they were a royal race above other nations, and, what is worse, inflated with a mad intoxication against the word of the Gospel, she was silent for a while about the danger of the crime committed, until she herself, more and more confirmed by the light of the Holy Spirit, proceeded more freely to reprove and they, with the glory of Christ shining openly, would recognize the sin they had committed against Him more evidently, and recognizing, would lament, lamenting would cleanse themselves. However, they, recognizing their guilt, chose not to cleanse it with repentance, but to increase it with pride. For even the apostles and all who repented from the snares of the devil are believed to pertain to Abigail, that is, to the person of the Father's exultation, either as companions or as gifts.
1 Samuel 25:38
When ten days had passed, the death of Nabal can be understood as nothing better than the extermination of the most proud kingdom of the Jews, the overthrow of the temple, and the cessation of legal observances. Indeed, after the procession of ten days, it is evident that it pertains to the consummation of the law given in the Decalogue. [1 Samuel 25:39] -- David therefore sent and spoke to Abigail. The Lord sent preachers, so that, with the Synagogue's perfidious leaders destroyed by the sword of the Romans with their followers, they might invite her, in the remnants that remained, to His spiritual marriage. [1 Samuel 25:41] -- Rising, she worshipped prostrate on the ground, etc. Rising to the exercise of good work, the synagogue of believers of those times first gives an indication of its belief by worshipping Christ as God; then it promises to wash its earthly works polluted by impurity with the humble service of His servants, first with the wave of baptism, and afterward with the pleasant source of its intercession and exhortation. According to which He Himself, having washed their feet, insinuates: How much more, He says, you ought to wash one another's feet (John XIII).
1 Samuel 25:42
And she rode upon an ass, etc. Following the messengers of the Lord's word, the faithful synagogue, the closer it comes to receiving His gifts, the more surely it recognizes its own foolishness, slowness, and impurity. This can also be rightly understood of each faithful soul which, having mounted an ass, also leads five maidens with her to David; when recognizing her natural sluggishness and dullness, whatever she can do by seeing, hearing, tasting, smelling, and touching, she joyfully expends all this in fulfilling the commands of her master. Otherwise, coming to David, Abigail has five maidens as companions; because the synagogue, to be coupled with the mysteries of Christ, brings with her none other than souls imbued with the rites of the law, which is written in five books. If anyone doubts that after the slaughter inflicted upon the Jews by Vespasian and Titus, the Church was gathered from their number, let him read ecclesiastical history, and he will find that after the destruction of Jerusalem was completed, Christians dwelling there, especially of the circumcision, who had fled from the Roman sword the Lord revealing it, immediately returned; and there for more than sixty years until the final destruction, which was done under Hadrian, there were not lacking Jews who served the Lord faithfully in the Church, so that during all that time bishops in Jerusalem were chosen from no other source but circumcision.
Therefore, Abigail, holding the type of the faithful synagogue, not only signifies the persons of any one time, but sometimes those who began to believe in the Lord existing in the flesh; sometimes those who, after His ascension, repented at the preaching of the apostles; sometimes those who even from their number could reach the office of preaching; sometimes those who, after the killers, sellers, and dispersers of Christ and the Church, came to faith. Since they all learned to have one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father, rightly they are all signified by the same Abigail, a very prudent and beautiful woman, whose name is transferred to the rejoicing of the Father; truly signifying that one whom, assisting at His right hand in vesture of gold, that is, in works of charity shining in glory, the same Father rejoicing addresses: Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline your ear, and forget your people and your father's house, because the King has desired your beauty (Psalm XLIV).
1 Samuel 25:43
But David also took Ahinoam of Jezreel, etc. Ahinoam means brother's beauty, Jezreel is interpreted as seed of God. Therefore, the Lord chose not only from the synagogue of the Jews those whom He would join to Himself with internal love, but also graciously took from the gentiles a people to be imbued with His sacraments, confirmed by His love. He who is rightly called brother's beauty, insofar as he delights in seeking the glory of his Redeemer, not his own. For He Himself deigned to become our brother, either because of the humanity of His nature similar to ours which He assumed; or because He gave the power to become sons of God to as many as received Him (John 1). Finally, in the Song of Songs, the Lord Himself is called the brother of the Church because of the communion of the same nature, and she is called His sister; whence this: You have wounded my heart, my sister, my spouse, you have wounded my heart (Song 4). And she, desiringly expecting His incarnation in the ancient faithful: Who will give you to me for my brother, sucking the breasts of my mother, that I may find you outside and kiss you (Song 8)? that is, that I may deserve to see and speak to you in the form of a man, whom I have always been accustomed to believe, love, and adore in the invisible nature of deity. He who is most beautifully called brother's beauty from Jezreel, that is, born of the seed of God, namely that seed that went out to sow, who sows (Matthew 13), that is, the word of faith; which, after He Himself entrusted to the Jews, the Lord also took care to evangelize to the foreign gentiles through His apostles; so that, according to the parable of the Gospel, there might be one fold and one shepherd (John 10).
1 Samuel 25:44
But Saul gave Michal his daughter as a wife to David, etc. Phalti means my savior, Lais means lion, or fears for himself, Gallim means those who are transmigrated. The leaders and teachers of the Jews, after they saw that the Gentiles believed in Christ, withdrew the common people subject to the Synagogue from him and taught them to believe rather in the Antichrist, whom they await as their savior at the end, indeed the son of the devil, who was made so that he would fear no one, and roamed around like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour (I Pet. V); and he is numbered among the unclean spirits, who also formerly transmigrated from the heavens to Tartarus, and daily do not cease to lead their followers from virtues to vices, from bad to worse.
Chapter 4.5
When the Ziphites betrayed Saul, he descended against David, who, descending upon his camp at night, while all were sleeping, took his spear and water jug, and then provoked him, when awakened, to confess his error and fault. (1 Samuel 26. And the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, etc., up to what is written: Saul returned to his home. This lesson teaches that Judea, because of the guilt of treachery which it exercised against the Lord, lost the kingdom which it should have hoped to receive from Him in the heavens, or to preserve from Him on earth; but also completely lost the observance of the legal ceremonies, which, if it had desired to believe in Christ, could be transformed into spiritual understanding, and it could itself keep them spiritually; nonetheless to them, if they agree to convert even late and perform penance, the promised heavenly kingdom is granted by the Lord. The Ziphites, which are interpreted as "blooming," express the teachers of the Jews, glorying in the flower, indeed the fragrant one, that is, the rudiments of legal knowledge, but utterly ignorant of the fruit of the righteousness of faith. Saul, who is called "desired," typically denotes their kingdom, which they asked for from the Lord. His city Gibeah, which is transferred to a hill, demonstrates the proud exaltation of the same kingdom. Achila, which is interpreted as "receiving it," designates the constancy of those who received the faith of Christ in Judea with a pious mind. Therefore, the Ziphites came to Saul at Gibeah, saying:
"Behold, David is hidden on the hill of Achila, which is opposite the wilderness": it is written below that it was opposite the wilderness along the way. When the Lord was preaching in Judea, the scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, came, swollen with the pride of their royal power, to incite envy, saying that the hidden love of Jesus in the heart of the crowd that received His faith believed that Christ the King had come into the world; about which it is well said: "Which is opposite the wilderness along the way. For the city, on whose hill David is hidden, is placed opposite the wilderness, when a crowd of the just, happy with Christ as their guest, takes care to avoid the tumults of earthly desires and to render themselves solitary from worldly allurements. And this is the only way to achieve this most perfect solitude of mind, to receive the advent of Christ in the height, like the hill of the same mind, of whom He himself says: "If anyone loves me, he will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him" (John 14).
1 Samuel 26:2
And Saul arose and went down to the desert of Ziph, etc. Understand Gabaa of Achila, not the city of Saul, but the hill of Achila, which is called Gabaa in Hebrew. Therefore, incited by perverse teachers, the kingdom of the Jews was stirred up to persecute the Lord, having in the army of impiety those who were prepared to fight against faith, hope, and charity, advancing to war as if in a triple line: of infidelity, despair, and hatred. With this armed force, the camps of iniquity hastened to encamp in the midst of the crowd that had received Christ in their hearts, in the hope that they might either find and kill him bodily, or spiritually repel him from the love of his faithful. Therefore, with David dwelling in the desert, Saul came after him into the desert; because once Christ as a dweller was received in the hearts of those who strove to desert the world, persecution immediately followed, which tested the believers, and provided with the struggle an occasion for earning the palm of victory. This same thing happens now and continues to happen at all times in the history of the Church. But let us see what David did when Saul followed him.
1 Samuel 26:5
And David arose and came to the place where Saul was. When the Jews were persecuting Him, the Lord did not leave the province, did not withhold the benefits dispensed, but always taught in the synagogue and in the temple, where everyone gathered, and healed their sick (John 10). [1 Samuel 26:6] -- And David said to Achimelech the Hittite, etc. Many, when the Lord was preaching in the flesh, from the Gentiles, many from the Jews flocked to the faith, but he chose the first ministers of his word, by whom he would overthrow and conquer the camps of the persecutor's kingdom, from the Jews, who adhered to him with both a closer affection and the reception of the sacraments. For Achimelech the Hittite, who is interpreted as My brother the king cut off, by nation indeed represents the people of the Gentiles, but by name and faith shows the same as cut off from the rites of idolatry, and joined and united to the kingdom of Christ. Furthermore, Abisai the son of Zeruiah, the brother of Joab, that is, the incense of my father, the son of distress, the brother of the enemy, figuratively designates the chosen disciples of Christ from the Jews, fervent in love, children of penitence, brothers by nature of the persecuting people.
1 Samuel 26:7
Therefore, David and Abisai came to the people by night, etc. The Lord and his disciples came to visit the people, who were sitting in darkness and in the shadow of death, and found his kingdom entirely depressed in kinship, and torpid with blind stupor, all the defenses of virtues, with which they ought to have been armed against spiritual enemies, lived in earthly desires, but also all the teachers and listeners languishing with the same pestilence of sloth as the princes. [1 Samuel 26:8] -- And Abisai said to David: God has delivered your enemy into your hand today, etc. The disciples, now endowed with spiritual faith, understood that all things were given into the hands of the Savior by the Father; but still hindered by carnal ignorance, they thought that the proud and despisers of his word should be sought to be devoured by fire sent from heaven. Whom he immediately recalling from this intention, determined that rather patience was to be had, saying: For the Son of Man did not come to destroy souls, but to save them (Luke IX). Certainly, what David adds:
1 Samuel 26:9
For who has stretched out his hand against the Lord's anointed? etc., according to the ongoing exposition indeed demonstrates that no one is free from the crime of sacrilege, who attempts to invade the kingdom of the Jewish people, given specially to him by the Lord, and consecrated with holy oil, and to profane the city and the temple dedicated to divine worship, disregarding the fear of God. But according to the supplicant's sense of the statement, it teaches with what great reverence divine sacraments must be treated, even though they are dispensed by the hands of the wicked; how much honor is due to persons devoted to the service of the sacred altar, how much presumption should be restrained from harming these persons, no matter how wickedly they live, because of the mark of any rank, since he himself, the exile, innocent, refrained from killing the most unjust persecutor of him, solely because of the holy oil of anointing which he had received in the figure of Christ either of the name or of the kingdom which he was not to preserve, and restrained his soldier by command and himself by divine fear. Therefore, we must be careful not to presume to defame and attack the reputation of bishops, presbyters, deacons indiscriminately.
1 Samuel 26:11
Now therefore take the spear that is at his head, etc. The spear either insinuates the power of the kingdom itself or the arms of spiritual virtues, by which the kingdom could be helped. However, it can be taken regarding the earthly kingdom they had and the heavenly kingdom they hoped for, which anyone among them knew to hope for. It is indeed established that both were rightfully taken away from the faithless. Moreover, the cup of water is the observance of carnal types; which, compared to evangelical perfection, is as a cup of water to a cup of wine, not inappropriately taken; whence also above Nabal, despising David who asked for water, did not give it. Abigail also gave wine because the people of the faithless, whether of the law or of the letter, refused to ascribe it to Christ; but everyone faithful knows and recognizes that all things are to be referred to Him, and these things filled with a spiritual flavor to be fervent. Therefore, the spear and the cup of water are taken away from Saul, when because of the crime of perfidy, the entire kingdom and the literal custody of the law are taken away from the Jews. This indeed is done by Abishai at the command of David; when at the command of the Lord, each of the apostles preaching the rights of the Gospel teaches that all old things are to pass away. However, when the spear and the cup were taken away, David added, saying, And let us go; it signifies that Christ was about to depart from the Jews and pass over to the Gentiles to be saved with His preachers. And He Himself, coming to the Passion, announcing it almost with the same word said: Rise, let us go hence.
1 Samuel 26:12
And there was no one who saw or understood, etc. There was no one among the reprobate who, hearing the Lord or His apostles preaching the future desolation of Judea, and the erasure of its ancient state from the land, understanding either their past misdeeds or future damnation, would awake to repentance; but they persisted in all impiety, because the Lord, due to preceding merits, blinded their senses. Alternatively, the sleep of the Lord fell upon them, that is, heavier than usual, which the Lord imposed on them particularly because of David’s advent, not allowing them to awaken until He himself had gone back. [1 Samuel 26:13] -- And when David had passed over to the other side, etc. When Jesus had passed over from this world to the Father, and remained untroubled in the height of the Father's kingdom, clearly separated far from the sight of mortals, and there was a great distance between Him, immortal victor over death, sitting at the right hand of the Father in the flesh as God, and those who, being mortal, miserable, and impious in this world, endeavored to fight against Him; He cried out through His apostles, preaching to the people of Israel, and to its scribes, urging them to rise from the slumber of their harmful lethargy and to respond to Him by believing. For Abner, who is interpreted as the lamp of the Father, shows those who should have ministered the light of truth to the people at that time. His father Ner, who is translated as a lamp, typifies their teachers who preceded in spiritually kindling and showing the light of legal knowledge to them and the people.
1 Samuel 26:14
And Abner answered and said: Who are you that cries out? etc. The Pharisees and scribes responded, not recognizing the disciples of Jesus, who cried out teaching the people, and disturbed the kingdom of the Jews, as if by the shedding of Christ's blood, convicting it. And they said, "Do you want to bring this man's blood upon us?" [1 Samuel 26:15] -- And David said to Abner: Are you not a man? etc. The apostles said: Are you not the scribes, learned in the law, chief priests, and Pharisees, excelling the people equally in rank and knowledge? Why did you not protect the untouched dominion of your people, insisting on the vigilance of perfect work and doctrine? [1 Samuel 26:15] -- For someone from the crowd entered to kill the king your lord. Literally, this is said of Abisai, who entered the camp with the intention, if somehow possible, to kill the king. Allegorically, it is understood of the apostles, who with diligent warning predicted the future destruction of the wicked kingdom because of sins.
1 Samuel 26:16
Now therefore see where the king's spear is, etc. See, they say, now where the scepter of your power is, which you have lost both on earth and ceased to hope for in heaven; where is the shadowy observance of the law, which you have thirsted for with all your heart, in which you boasted that the hands of your deeds could be washed from all stain of sins. All alike, because you have lost Christ, and the temple itself is gone. Indeed, all these things, even if not yet completed in the times of the apostles, were for the most part begun in and before their times and still occurring while they were alive, as anyone who reads the history of old will find. For finally, Herod the Great, and his sons, amid the countless calamities they inflicted on the Jews, also took away the holy garment from the priests, and never allowed them the permission to minister in it; they changed the order of the priesthood at their whim, tearing up the legal order. Pilate defiled the temple by secretly introducing images of Caesar during the night, following the impiety of Herod, who had first profaned it by setting up a golden eagle in it and commanded that the young men who tried to remove it for religious reasons be burned alive. Caius [Caligula] ordered that both the temple and all their synagogues be profaned with the sacrifices of the gentiles and filled with statues and images, and commanded that he himself be worshipped as a god there. As for the degradation of the kingdom, until it perished utterly, there is no end to speaking of it.
1 Samuel 26:17
But Saul recognized David's voice, etc. Saul, recognizing David's voice, moved by his humility, innocence, and justice, confessed that he had sinned and promised not to sin against him anymore, and orders him to return. Many of the leaders of the Jews, recognizing the voice of Christ through the apostles' exhortation, confessed that they had sinned, repenting, and implored him with many tears and great prayers to return by the grace of forgiveness to their hearts, which he had deserted because of their faithlessness.
1 Samuel 26:19
If the Lord incites you against me, etc. If, he says, led by the Spirit of God you persecute me, it is necessary that I appease the divine mercy with sacrifices and prayers; but if not by the will of the Lord, but against His will, having been corrupted by the deception of wicked men, you thought it right to rage for a time against the innocent; it is certain that those are held worthy of a curse in the divine examination, who, by wicked persuasions repelling me from His tabernacle and holy land, compel me to live among idolaters, whom I utterly detest. And if this flame of persecution has arisen from men, as I said, it is just in every way that my blood should not be shed by the impious, which the hands of persecutors have thus far unjustly sought. According to the mystical understanding, it is the voice of the members of Christ, that is, of His faithful, who, caught by the persecution of wicked men, are accustomed to diligently examine their hearts. And if for their sins they recognize that punishment of chastisement is inflicted upon them by the Lord through such men, they immediately strive to purge these with sacrifices of due contrition. But if they see themselves unjustly suffering injuries or deaths from the impious, so that they may be called away from the path of truth, they indeed understand those who do these things as deserving eternal curse from the Lord;
because they wish to turn the faithful of Christ from the inheritance of the Catholic faith even to the idolatry of gentility or any kind of heresy. However, those who innocently suffer these things rejoice, being saved by the Lord from all death and corruption, and indeed even anticipating receiving the palm of their patience. We can also accept it as said in the person of the apostles to the persecuting Jews: If the Lord incites you to persecute us, His wrath is appeased by our prayers; but if, which is more true, the sons of men, they are accursed by the Lord, who have driven us out preaching divine things, so that we do not dwell in Judea and Jerusalem; they said, Depart; and because you believe Jesus to be God, serve Him rather among the nations, who are accustomed to worship alien gods.
1 Samuel 26:21
And Saul said: I have sinned, etc. To David, who proposed two causes for his exile and inquired from Saul what was true, Saul himself, conscious of his own mind, responded that it was not by the Lord's incitement, but by his own foolishness that he had persecuted him. But now he begs him to return home, assuring that he will suffer no further harm from him. And many Jews, having confessed their crimes, took care to recall to themselves by faith the Lord whom they had driven away by their infidelity. [1 Samuel 26:22] -- And David answered and said: Behold, one of the king’s servants shall pass over and take it, etc. The Lord, responding through His teachers to the repentant Jews and those who have turned from the crime of persecution, said: Behold, the power of your kingdom rests with me; let the unity of the faithful pass into the unbelieving hearts of the proud, and let the spiritual weapons of the heavenly kingdom promised to you long ago be brought back swiftly. This was fulfilled in no small part in the times of the apostles, and remains to be fully completed in the times of Elijah, who preached and brought back the hearts of the fathers to the children. He says nothing about taking the cup of water, because the Lord does not teach that the shadow of the law should continue to be observed. The title of Psalm 53 remembers the betrayal of the Ziphites, which seems to refer more to an earlier betrayal, whereas there it is said according to the title: Is not David hidden among us? But here it is different: Behold, David is hidden in the hill of Achilah.
Chapter 4.6
David with his six hundred men went to Achis, and having obtained a residence in Ziklag, he laid waste to the neighboring inhabitants of the wilderness. (1 Samuel 27) And David said in his heart: "One day I will perish by the hand of Saul," etc., up to where Achis says of David: "He has made himself an utter stench to his people Israel," etc. This passage hints at the present state of the Church, which, after long struggles of martyrs, enjoys peace among nations, as continuous as it can be among men. David said in his heart: "One day I will perish by the hand of Saul; is it not better for me to flee and be safe in the land of the Philistines?" and so forth. The Lord, in His wisdom in which He makes and disposes all things, says: "Behold, the Jews are persecuting the Church of the saints, who are, in fact, my members, and they never know how to temper their raging fury once it is kindled; therefore, lest they suddenly overthrow its state and remove it from the midst, it is better for it, always possessing Me as a guide, to withdraw to the Gentiles to be saved; seeing the widespread conversion of these to its faith and love, the insane may despair of being able to destroy its constancy; and they may even cease to pursue it with threats and murders in Judea, seeing it shining with heavenly grace in the Gentiles."
1 Samuel 27:2
And David arose, and he went himself, etc. The Lord leaves the seat which He used to hold in the hearts of the Jews from ancient times and went to acquire the Gentiles for His faith, He himself and the ministers of His word, notable by their multiplicity, that is, intent on perfect work in this present time, and suspended in their mind by the undoubted hope of heavenly things in the future.
1 Samuel 27:3
And David dwelt with Achish in Gath, etc. Gath, which is translated as winepress, signifies the pressures and tribulations by which the faith of the Church is tested in this life; as also the Psalms, which are titled for the winepresses, declare. Achish, who is called Brother of man, signifies the people of the nations who, by believing in Christ, rejoice to be his brother through grace, and to act manfully. For Maoch, his father, who is translated into emasculation, that is, deprived of manly action, mind, and virtue, demonstrates the Gentiles of earlier times, who, serving idols, remained void both of the work and reward of virtue. Therefore, the Lord dwelt among the nations first in persecutions and very great pressures, until they themselves could know to accept his faith; he and his apostles: every shepherd, with the Church subjected to him which he governs and educates; Christ himself as the one shepherd of twin flocks, namely those he brought from the Gentiles, and those from the Jews dispersed in the day of gloom and cloud, whom he does not cease to preserve and feed among the nations. David’s two wives can also be understood as the chaste souls of the faithful, adhering to Christ in the lifestyle of two ways of life, namely active and contemplative. Ahinoam the Jezreelite, that is, my brother’s beauty, deriving origin from the seed of God, may be she whose eyes of an enlightened mind burn with all their strength to see the King in his beauty. Abigail, on the other hand, that is, my Father’s exultation; the wife of Nabal the Carmelite, that is, the foolish and soft one, can be understood as she who, recently saved by repentance from the blandishments of a foolish teacher, brings such joy in the Father in heaven along with the angels, more than over the ninety-nine righteous who do not need repentance.
1 Samuel 27:4
And Saul added no more to seek him. This signifies the present time of the Church; when the Jews, seeing it glorified among the nations, and also protected by the favor of secular kings, although they do not cease to hate it, have nevertheless lost all hope and intention of overcoming it altogether. [1 Samuel 27:5] -- But David said to Achis, "If I have found favor in your eyes," etc. The Lord said through his disciples to the Gentile people: "If the doctrine of truth, which I preach, and the life which I promise, are pleasing to you, let a humble heart of the listeners be given to my words in the firm unity of the faithful, where I dwell by the grace of the Holy Spirit." [1 Samuel 27:6] -- Therefore Achis gave him on that day Siceleg, etc. Siceleg is interpreted as the purification of a raised voice; but to purify a voice is to bring a voice to itself, with careful discretion, to inquire which speech smells of truth, which of falsehood. Therefore, the believers from the Gentiles gave to Christ, to dedicate their dwelling, which is understood as the Church, throngs of souls who, coming to themselves from the voices of preachers, knew how to discern, by reason, and to separate the purity of the apostolic voice from the dregs of the philosophical or pagan voice. For this reason, such assemblies of souls, having been withdrawn from gentile ceremonies, have become subject in perpetuity to the authority of the apostles. This sense, I believe, is also aided by the history of Josephus in the Antiquities (Book XVI, Chapter 13), which says: "To whom the king gave a certain village called Siceleg. This village he so loved, that when David reigned, he and his men honored it as their own possession."
1 Samuel 27:7
Now the number of days that David lived in the land of the Philistines, etc. There was, is, and will be a time of Christ's dwelling in the Church of the Gentiles, until he fills the four corners of the world with the complete light of his heavenly grace, until he pours the light of the Gospel, which is contained in the unanimous variety of the four books, into the believing hearts of the Gentiles. And note that David, coming to the Philistines, begins to dwell in Geth; but soon, with Achis' permission, he turns to Siceleg: because, coming to the Gentiles in the disciples, Christ, first pressed by the winepress of pressures by the unbelievers, finally after many grapes of the martyrs pressed, he approached to instruct those who among the dregs and wine of intellectual innkeepers, that is, those teaching various senses, knew how to judge.
1 Samuel 27:8
And David and his men went up, etc. Upon the rock, Egypt sounds darkness. Therefore, the Church was growing through the steadfastness of Christ's disciples, and was rescuing souls from pagan rites, which, following the examples of not new but ancient men, had clung to earthly desires, with all going to the hardness of heart, and arriving as far as the dark land, covered with the gloom of death, the land of the misery of darkness, where the shadow of death, and no order, and eternal horror dwells. [1 Samuel 27:9] -- And David struck all the land, etc. The Lord strikes with the sword of His word whatever earthly and lowly thing He finds in unbelievers; nor does He allow anyone of those who truly receive the faith, either in spirit or in flesh, to live further in their prior conduct, but makes all by true confession say with the Apostle: But it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me (Gal. II).
1 Samuel 27:9
And he took the sheep and the cattle, etc. Christ, taking from the nations souls of diverse character, hastens to gather them all into the unity of the preexisting Church in Himself. [1 Samuel 27:10] -- But Achis said to him: Against whom have you made a raid today? etc. Although he seems to deceive in the literal sense, who, rising against the Philistines, devastating the province not far from them, said he had made a raid against the one who arouses their king against his own people: yet the figure of speech does not deceive, because while he draws the nations to faith, Christ arises against the clear and burning blasphemy of the Jews. For by His just judgement, blindness in part has happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, and thus all Israel shall be saved (Rom. XI): therefore, while bringing in the nations, He rises against Judea, which, out of pride, broke not a few branches of the good olive tree, so that by grafting in the wild olive tree, He might make it a partaker of the good root and fatness of the olive tree. And it is well said to be a rising against, because He who falls, says He, upon this rock, will be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder (Luke XX).
1 Samuel 27:11
David did not bring to life a man and a woman, etc. Christ forbids those converted to Him from living in sins. Just as first showing this to the teacher of His Church, He commands the multitudes of impure hearts, saying: Rise, Peter, kill and eat (Acts X). And Paul teaches that they are not dead to sin, but living to God in Christ Jesus (Ephesians II). But neither does He now command believers to undergo martyrdom or deaths for His name from the impious. [1 Samuel 27:11] -- Saying, Lest perhaps they speak, etc. Therefore, he did not bring to life, lest they speak against him. For the listener bears witness against his teacher, who, less perfectly educated either in believing or in acting, shows himself less extinguished by improper action or thought. [1 Samuel 27:12] -- Therefore Achish believed in David, etc. The entire fraternity of the nations believes in Christ, saying that the people in which He was born He abandoned due to their infidelity; and because of this infidelity, threw down so many branches of the good olive tree, so that by believing it might graft itself in, and cast those to be burned into the fire. Indeed, for me now believing, hoping, loving, He is the debtor of eternal life; so that without Him I can do nothing, both in the present the pledge of the Spirit, and in the future He will provide me with the eternal grace of His protection. Concerning this perpetual servitude bestowed upon faithful servants by God the Lord, the Lord Himself says: Amen I say to you, He will gird Himself, and will make them sit down to eat, and passing will minister to them (Luke XII).
Chapter 4.7
The Philistines gathered against him, Saul seeks the oracle of Samuel, raised through a witch at Endor, and learns of the adversities to come upon him and his people. (I Samuel XXVIII. It happened in those days, etc., until it is written: When they had eaten, etc. This reading signifies that the Jews, because of the complete fulfillment of all prophetic ministry in Christ, after the faith of the nations has been confirmed, and against both their perfidy and that of the heretics spiritually aroused, are no longer to save the Lord’s Church, but to frequent the synagogue of Satan and perish; nor to hope and believe in the dispensation made by Christ in the flesh, but in the future kingdom of the Antichrist. In this, it is first to be noted, that not always the same things or persons hold the same significance; but sometimes evils can be represented by the good, just as goods can be figured by the evil. For the Philistines, who almost always are accustomed to be placed in evil, signify here, because they have David with them, the believers from the nations. On the other hand, the people of Israel, because they expelled him by persecution, figuratively denote the present perfidy of the Jews or the wickedness of the heretics.
Conversely, Israel, prepared for battle against the gathered forces of the Philistines, with collected councils of learned men, signifies believers from the nations who propose to overcome the craftiness of the heretics or the perfidy of the Jews, so that they may be corrected entirely, or at least be less likely to prevail against the good in disputation. If anyone considers it absurd that the faithful should be signified by the infidel Philistines, thinking them only to prefigure the gentiles, let him know that the gentiles themselves, worshipers of many gods, are accustomed to battle against the Jews and the heretics alike, because both these groups glory in the worship of the one true God and in the name of Christ; yet let him understand most certainly that Achish, who is interpreted as "brother of a man," who kindly received David in exile, who gave him a place to reside, and who trusted so much in his power and friendship that he summoned him to go out with him to the battle, signifies the faithful from the nations. Finally, it follows:
1 Samuel 28:1
And Achis said to David: Knowing now, know, etc. Which is clearly that all Catholics propose to combat the erring by reproving, reasoning, or remembering the words of Scripture, to say to the Lord: God, you know our foolishness and weakness (Psalm LXVIII), for without you we can do nothing, provide us with aid as we struggle, may your holy ones grant us the help of their intercession; and whoever of them authored the holy Scriptures by your inspiration, may they provide us with the secrets of spiritual knowledge by which we may overcome the carnal. [1 Samuel 28:2] -- And David said to Achis: Now you will know, etc. It is clear according to the letter, because David, promising aid to the king, also promises to be his guardian, whether in the battle or after the victory. But according to the spiritual sense, the head of the strong brothers and those acting manfully is Christ. To whom, he saying, And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew XXVIII); they respond: And we have learned that no one should be our guardian of the grace leading us, by which you remain in us, other than yourself, not only on all the days of this age, but also in the future, where one day in your courts is better than thousands (Psalm LXXXIII).
1 Samuel 28:3
Now, Samuel was dead, etc. Josephus narrates that this happened two years before the death of Saul, writing thus (Antiq. VI, 14): "Saul reigned, with Samuel living for eighteen years, and for another two years after his death." Indeed, earlier in the order of history, the death and burial of Samuel are described in nearly the same words; but it is recapitulated here so that the necessity that prompted Saul to seek out the necromancer might be recalled to the readers. However, mystically, the death of Samuel, with the Lord suffering, indicates the cessation of the legal figures as well as the prophets, which foretold His future incarnation. The mourning of Israel signifies that not without great sorrow could the carnal ones be separated from the old institutions of the Lord. I believe that all of Israel, which was able to see the desolation of the temple of Jerusalem and the land of promise—both of which were given to the fathers as a type of heavenly grace—could not at all withhold their lamentation and tears. The burial, which took place after the death and mourning, signifies that time when the faithful Jews altogether ceased from the observation of legal shadows. For it is known that for a considerable time the early Church observed Jewish customs, until the evangelical doctrine gradually prevailed, and it itself completely abstained from legal observation. And fittingly, Samuel is buried in Ramah, his city where he was born, which is interpreted as "exalted": because the same Church of Christ, which once gave forth the beginnings of prophecy, concluded the fulfilled figures of prophecy with honorable devotion, as if they were the limbs of the dead Samuel.
1 Samuel 28:3
And Saul removed all the magicians, etc. Magicians and soothsayers, the first of whom, commonly called sorcerers, use blood and sacrifices, and often touch the bodies of the dead, following (whom other translations call enchanters) accomplish their work with words; all these soothsayers and idolatries of the Gentiles are mystically designated, whom the people of the Jews, although more wise in earthly things than heavenly, removed completely at this time. For no one now dares to worship Baalim, or Astaroth, or any other monsters of the Gentiles, although they are not perfectly faithful to the Lord. [1 Samuel 28:4] -- And the Philistines gathered together, etc. The Philistines in this place, inasmuch as they seek the aid of David and his men, represent the faithful from the Gentiles; but inasmuch as they scorn and reject him, they represent the unfaithful who oppose Christ. For they oppose both the unfaithful Jews and the heretically unfaithful, and the Catholics, Christians and pagans alike. Therefore it is fitting that the Philistines are said to have been encamped in Sunam, which is interpreted as 'crimson'. For crimson holds the appearance of fire. Indeed, the faithful, fervent with the love of Christ, and the pagans, raging with the fire of persecution, do not hesitate to fight against their adversaries. For the good fight against the evil; the evil fight among themselves; but the good cannot fight among themselves at all. Moreover, Israel, because it gathered under Saul who was dying and impious, not under David who was just and destined to rule, either signifies the present blindness of its own people, as we said above, or the heretical depravity; and thus rightly it is described to have gathered on the mountain of downfall, which the name Gelboe signifies, and to have fallen there.
1 Samuel 28:7
And Saul said to his servants: Seek me a woman who has a familiar spirit, etc. Denied an answer by the Lord, Saul sought a woman with an unclean spirit, through whom he might inquire; and with the cessation of the prophets and the ceremonies of old after the Lord's passion, the people of the Jews consult and frequent the synagogue of Satan, such as today is their synagogue, having a familiar spirit, which in their language signifies the mouth of the abyss. Nor is anything understood better than entrance into eternal punishments. But even the name itself, customary from the meaning of the perfidious faction, does not differ. For it is said to be derived from Apollo Pythius, who was a diligent practitioner of these arts, who himself is said to have borrowed such a name from that place, because he struck the serpent Python in vengeance for his son being killed by him.
1 Samuel 28:7
And his servants said to her, etc. Correctly it is narrated that the woman with a familiar spirit, whom some call a ventriloquist, lived in Endor, which means in the fountain or eye of generation, so that the very place of her habitation bears witness to the already lost Synagogue, which, deceived by the serpent's conversation, feigns to give light and the cup of wisdom to its listeners. [1 Samuel 28:8] -- He therefore changed his appearance, etc. The people of the Jews, having changed their habit in worst either of their earthly kingdom or of faith and works, by which they ought to have been spiritually adorned and loved, came to the hearing of such a Synagogue, which the woman with a familiar spirit signifies, in the blindness of a darkened heart; with those who, transgressing the unity of the true faith or charity, have by no means come to the knowledge of the holy Trinity. For he knows that the number two is sometimes placed in evil, who knows on what account the work of the second day alone in the creation of the world did not deserve the blessing of divine vision, and that unclean animals entered the ark under this number, and he rightly understands innumerable other things of this kind in the Scriptures.
1 Samuel 28:11
And the woman said to him: Whom shall I raise up for you? etc. And the people of the Jews, entering their synagogue, through the prophecies once summarized and completed in Christ, desire as if to be raised up from the dead for themselves, namely practicing so as to serve anew the shadows of sacrifices, the Sabbath, new moons, leprosy of houses and clothes, and the other literal observances. [1 Samuel 28:11] -- And the woman said to Saul, etc. She calls one seen in the plural, as is very customary in Scripture, where often many are designated by the singular, and singular individuals by the plural number. Finally, when one calf was made, the people said: These are your gods, O Israel (Exodus 32). And not one frog or fly was sent against the wicked, but it is said: He sent among them the dog-fly, and it devoured them; the frog, and it destroyed them (Psalm 77); and countless others of this kind.
1 Samuel 28:15
But Samuel said to Saul: Why have you disturbed me? etc. And the books of the Old Testament, very full of the grace of prophecy, openly testify to readers that after the passion of the Lord they should not be raised again to the symbolic observance of the letter, but rather that the very ministers of prophecy are disturbed when they see what they wrote understood differently than they themselves sensed.
1 Samuel 28:15
And Saul said: I am greatly distressed, etc. The Jews, abandoned by God, possess the gift of prophecy not by merit, attacked by all nations, follow, so to speak, a dead shadow of the law and the prophets under blind night. This, beset by miseries, they think should be consulted as to what should be done with them. Indeed, those same legal ceremonies, now celebrated in vain and in corners, signify that which was once shown publicly by the command and gracious acceptance of God, namely that the old things were to pass away, and all things were to be made new, that the kingdom of the Jews was to be utterly destroyed and the kingdom of Christians to be spread throughout the whole world, just as Samuel, though dead, but raised through impious art, revealed everything about the change of kingdom which he had foretold while alive. If anyone is indeed troubled by how a woman with demonic art could disturb and raise a prophet after death, let him know for certain either that the devil showed then a false shade to those seeking it, or if Samuel truly appeared, that the devil could only do as much as the Lord permitted. Nor is it surprising that such things are allowed to a malign spirit for certain secret reasons, since he set the Savior on the pinnacle of the temple, and asked for and received Job to tempt. But if we believe that it was rather the fantasy of an unclean spirit that appeared, this should not disturb as to how such a one could speak true and prophetic things. For we know that the devil often can foretell many future things which he has learned from holy angels, but thereby one ought to listen to his words the less, because all that he speaks or does among men, he does with the intention of deceiving. And what was said among other things:
1 Samuel 28:19
Tomorrow you and your sons will be with me, whether Samuel said it, or an evil spirit, it is understood no otherwise than without a body, that is, in another life. For by no means could wicked Saul be there after death, where good Jonathan could be received, indeed a great chasm is established between them, where one is received into the bosom of Abraham with Samuel, the other buried in the flame of hell with the devil. However, both are taken from the conversation of this life, which the devil always lacked. Nor does anything hinder the understanding, if we believe these things fantastically said and shown by the devil, that the evil one wanted to mix falsehoods among the truths he would speak; and saying under the person of Samuel to the wicked one, You and your sons will be with me. To secretly persuade sinners that after death, even the worst sins being put to sleep and dismissed, they can then live blessedly with those who lived well before death.
1 Samuel 28:20
And immediately Saul fell full length on the ground, etc. Reading the words of the prophets, the people of the Jews celebrating vain sacrifices, indeed the wretched suffer terror, but they do not have the strength of faith by which they may be blessed, because the grace of evangelical preaching has been shining around the world for such a long time, and they did not know how to eat the living bread that came down from heaven. [1 Samuel 28:21] -- Therefore that woman came in to Saul, etc. And that faithless people, oppressed by so many calamities among the nations today, is troubled on all sides, so that not even the very words of sacred reading, which they still perceive in the darkness of ignorance, would delight it, though perceiving by reading or hearing them, compelled by its own synagogue.
1 Samuel 28:24
But that woman had a Paschal calf in her house, etc. The most tender and excellent calf, and fine flour bread, which Abraham and Sarah prepared to refresh the Lord during the fervent midday sun (Gen. XVIII), implies the faith in the Lord's incarnation and the perfection of devout humility, with which the holy Church, together with its spiritual teachers glowing with the light of love and wisdom, placates the Lord. But on the other hand, this Paschal calf, and the flour which the demon-possessed woman cooked for Saul who was about to die, and presented for his servants to eat in the middle of the night, express the birth and reign of the Antichrist, and the breaking of the hearts of those who serve him with foolish humility: which the synagogue of Satan, enveloped in the darkness of impiety, suggests to its hearers who are wretched and condemned to eternal death as things to be believed and hoped for, as if it refreshes them with sweet feasts from the fear of surrounding troubles; so that the hearts nourished with this food, progressing in wickedness, go darkly through the shadow under the solitary night.
Chapter 4.8
The Philistines gathering to fight against Israel, David and his men are ordered to return from the camp and go home. (1 Sam. XXIX.) Therefore the entire army of the Philistines gathered in Aphek, etc., up to where it is said: But the Philistines went up to Jezreel. This reading, in which the princes of the Philistines cast David out from their camp, clearly signifies that time about which the Lord said: And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold (Matt. XXIV). Therefore the armies of the Philistines gather in Aphek, which is interpreted as a new fury; the treachery of the gentiles rages against the Jews, it rages against the heretics. For in this place Israel signifies both, and always ceases not to increase new snares for the old; against these indeed, because they proclaim one only God; against those, because they preach Christ; against both, because they mock idols, waging dire conflicts.
1 Samuel 29:1
But also Israel encamped by the fountain, etc. The fountain which was in Jezreel, that is, in the seed of God, indicates the baptismal washing, by which the children of the Church are regenerated through the grace of the Holy Spirit. If therefore you understand the unbelieving Jews, or the heretics worse than unbelievers, figured in the name of Israel, both place their treacherous camps over the fountain of renewing grace; one through pride by despising it, the other through heresy by violating it. [1 Samuel 29:2] -- And the satraps of the Philistines indeed marched by the hundreds, etc. Understand the last contingent either by the merit of humility or by the order of time. For in every age of the world, the nations of the gentiles have set up in battle array against the Jews, since that nation was founded, and strive to defeat them by hand or mouth; but also against the heretics, because they are a portion of the Church, burning with a similar mind due to envy of the name of Christ, the Lord appears humble and despised by those chosen from the secular world; because the children of this age are wiser in their generation than the children of light (Luke XVI). He also, having incarnated in his time, and in the fullness of times, appeared humble to the world, showing examples of humility, rejection, and poverty outwardly to his followers, whom he instructed within on how desirable it is to be mighty in hand for defeating the proud, and in blessing the submissive.
1 Samuel 29:3
The princes of the Philistines said: What do these Hebrews want? The pagans despise the life, society, and doctrine of the faithful of Christ, who are justly called Hebrews, that is, those who pass over; because they now know how to transit from vices to virtues, in the future to hope for a passage from death to life, to transcend the low desires of the flesh, and likewise all the adversities of the world, the soaring heights of a humble mind. [1 Samuel 29:3] -- And Achish said to the princes of the Philistines, etc. Achish praising the friendship of David, the angry princes of the Philistines avoid his companionship in battle, fearing his fighting prowess as fame spreads. Finally, among other things they say: [1 Samuel 29:3] -- Is this not David? etc. While the Church of the nations praises the faith in Christ, through which eternal life is deserved, angry philosophers and priests of idols fear to believe in Him, whose word they mourn has destroyed their worship and wisdom; they see His triumph over the ancient enemy being celebrated in the unanimous chorus of the holy Church, one which no other could have merited, they refuse to unite themselves to His members, to be subject to His rule by receiving faith.
1 Samuel 29:3
And Achish called David, and said to him, etc. Achish himself indeed declares David to be upright, innocent, and good, as an angel of God; but so as not to offend the eyes of the Philistine princes, he orders him to withdraw from the battle, in peace, with anger. The crowd of believers from the nations praises, loves, and proclaims Christ's justice, mercy, and holiness, as of Him who was sent by God for the salvation of the nations, but prays that the word should not be entrusted to blasphemous and proud leaders of idolatry, lest by hearing and not believing they incur a greater judgment; and it urges the Lord, as it were, to be content to rest in the calm and serene hearts of believers, rather than offering Himself to the non-believing by preaching, thus providing a cause for scandals and persecutions. [1 Samuel 29:6] -- I know that you are good in my eyes, etc. And the Church, excelling in the praises of the Lord, even adds this: Indeed, I myself know, and with the opened eyes of faith I understand the goodness of your heavenly grace, and that you are the one of whom the prophet foretold: And his name will be called the angel of great counsel (Isaiah IX); that is, the messenger of the Father's will. But the princes of doctrines and cultures of the nations, spurning the help of your protection, trust that they should be saved by their own virtue and industry.
1 Samuel 29:11
The Philistines had gone up to Jezreel. When David departed with his men, the Philistines went up to Jezreel, that is, to combat in the seed of God, where they had previously assembled in Aphek, that is, in the new wrath. And the reprobates often, having driven away the stronger doctors of the Church from their proximity, exert all their strength to corrupt the weaker ones, whom, out of respect or fear of the former, although raging in spirit, they had previously not presumed to touch and disturb. Not only those who carry arms or argue against the good, but also those who, presenting examples of depravity under the name of brothers, display them to the sight of the pious, ascending into Jezreel, that is, the seed of God, try to infect it with the tares of diabolic seed. We see and hear that the mysteries of this reading are being fulfilled even today in many places, driving the Lord from the hearts of many, and oppressing His chosen ones; but with the approach of the world's end, with the heaps of evils growing, we do not doubt in trembling fear that they must be fulfilled more and more.