_DAVID AND BARZILLAI._
2 SAMUEL xix. 31-40.
It is very refreshing to fall in with a man like Barzillai in a
record which is so full of wickedness, and without many features of
a redeeming character. He is a sample of humanity at its best--one
of those men who diffuse radiance and happiness wherever their
influence extends. Long before St. Peter wrote his epistle, he had
been taught by the one Master to "put away all wickedness, and all
guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and evil-speakings;" and he had
adopted St. Paul's rule for rich men, "that they do good, that they
be rich in good works, that they be ready to distribute, willing to
communicate." We cannot well conceive a greater contrast than that
between Barzillai and another rich farmer with whom David came in
contact at an earlier period of his life--Nabal of Carmel: the one
niggardly, beggarly, and bitter, not able even to acknowledge an
obligation, far less to devise anything liberal, adding insult to
injury when David modestly stated his claim, humiliating him before
his messengers, and meeting his request with a flat refusal of
everything great or small; the other hastening from his home when
he heard of David's distress, carrying with him whatever he could
give for the use of the king and his followers, continuing to send
supplies while he was at Mahanaim, and now returning to meet him on
his way to Jerusalem, conduct him over Jordan, and show his loyalty
and goodwill in every available way. While we grieve that there are
still so many Nabals let us bless God that there are Barzillais too.
Of Barzillai's previous history we know nothing. We do not even know
where Rogelim, his place of abode, was, except that it was among the
mountains of Gilead. The facts stated regarding him are few, but
suggestive.
1. He was "a very great man." The expression seems to imply that he
was both rich and influential. Dwelling among the hills of Gilead,
his only occupation, and main way of becoming rich, must have been
as a farmer. The two and a half tribes that settled on the east of
the Jordan, while they had a smaller share of national and spiritual
privileges, were probably better provided in a temporal sense. That
part of the country was richer in pasturage, and therefore better
adapted for cattle. It is probable, too, that the allotments were
much larger. The kingdoms of Sihon and Og, especially the latter,
were of wide extent. If the two and a half tribes had been able
thoroughly to subdue the original inhabitants, they would have had
possessions of great extent and value. Barzillai's ancestors had
probably received a valuable and extensive allotment, and had been
strong enough and courageous enough to keep it for themselves.
Consequently, when their flocks and herds multiplied, they were
not restrained within narrow dimensions, but could spread over the
mountains round about. But however his riches may have been acquired,
Barzillai was evidently a man of very large means. He was rich
apparently both in flocks and servants, a kind of chief or sheikh,
not only with a large establishment of his own, but enjoying the
respect, and in some degree able to command the services, of many of
the humble people around him.
2. His generosity was equal to his wealth. The catalogue of the
articles which he and another friend of David's brought him in his
extremity (2 Sam. xvii. 28, 29) is instructive from its minuteness
and its length. Like all men liberal in heart, he devised liberal
things. He did not ask to see a subscription list, or inquire what
other people were giving. He did not consider what was the smallest
amount that he could give without appearing to be shabby. His only
thought seems to have been, what there was he had to give that could
be of use to the king. It is this large inborn generosity manifested
to David that gives one the assurance that he was a kind, generous
helper wherever there was a case deserving and needing his aid. We
class him with the patriarch of Uz, with whom no doubt he could have
said, "When the eye saw me, then it blessed me, and when the ear
heard me, it bare witness unto me; the blessing of him that was ready
to perish came upon me, and I made the widow's heart to leap for joy."
3. His loyalty was not less thorough than his generosity. When he
heard of the king's troubles, he seems never to have hesitated one
instant as to throwing in his lot with him. It mattered not that
the king was in great trouble, and apparently in a desperate case.
Neighbours, or even members of his own family, might have whispered
to him that it would be better not to commit himself, seeing the
rebellion was so strong. He was living in a sequestered part of
the country; there was no call on him to declare himself at that
particular moment; and if Absalom got the upper hand, he would be
sure to punish severely those who had been active on his father's
side. But none of these things moved him. Barzillai was no sunshine
courtier, willing to enjoy the good things of the court in days
of prosperity, but ready in darker days to run off and leave his
friends in the midst of danger. He was one of those true men that
are ready to risk their all in the cause of loyalty when persuaded
that it is the cause of truth and right. We cannot but ask, What
could have given him a feeling so strong? We are not expressly told
that he was a man deeply moved by the fear of God, but we have every
reason to believe it. If so, the consideration that would move him
most forcibly in favour of David must have been that he was God's
anointed. God had called him to the throne, and had never declared,
as in the case of Saul, that he had forfeited it; the attempt to
drive him from it was of the devil, and therefore to be resisted to
the last farthing of his property, and if he had been a younger man,
to the last drop of his blood. Risk? Can you frighten a man like
this by telling him of the risk he runs by supporting David in the
hour of adversity? Why, he is ready not only to risk all, but to
lose all, if necessary, in a cause which appears so obviously to be
Divine, all the more because he sees so well what a blessing David
has been to the country. Why, he has actually made the kingdom. Not
only has he expelled all its internal foes, but he has cowed those
troublesome neighbours that were constantly pouncing upon the tribes,
and especially the tribes situated in Gilead and Bashan. Moreover,
he has given unity and stability to all the internal arrangements
of the kingdom. See what a grand capital he has made for it at
Jerusalem. Look how he has planted the ark on the strongest citadel
of the country, safe from every invading foe. Consider how he has
perfected the arrangements for the service of the Levites, what a
delightful service of song he has instituted, and what beautiful
songs he has composed for the use of the sanctuary. Doubtless it was
considerations of this kind that roused Barzillai to such a pitch
of loyalty. And is not a country happy that has such citizens, men
who place their personal interest far below the public weal, and
are ready to make any sacrifice, of person or of property, when the
highest interests of their country are concerned? We do not plead
for the kind of loyalty that clings to a monarch simply because he
is king, apart from all considerations, personal and public, bearing
on his worthiness or unworthiness of the office. We plead rather for
the spirit that makes duty to country stand first, and personal or
family interest a long way below. We deprecate the spirit that sneers
at the very idea of putting one's self to loss or trouble of any kind
for the sake of public interests. We long for a generation of men and
women that, like many in this country in former days, are willing to
give "all for the Church and a little less for the State." And surely
in these days, when no deadly risk is incurred, the demand is not so
very severe. Let Christian men lay it on their consciences to pay
regard to the claims under which they lie to serve their country.
Whether it be in the way of serving on some public board, or fighting
against some national vice, or advancing some great public interest,
let it be considered even by busy men that their country, and must
add, their Church, have true claims upon them. Even heathens and
unbelievers have said, "It is sweet and glorious to die for one's
country." It is a poor state of things when in a Christian community
men are so sunk in indolence and selfishness that they will not stir
a finger on its behalf.
4. Barzillai was evidently a man of attractive personal qualities.
The king was so attracted by him, that he wished him to come with
him to Jerusalem, and promised to sustain him at court. The heart
of King David was not too old to form new attachments. And towards
Barzillai he was evidently drawn. We can hardly suppose but that
there were deeper qualities to attract the king than even his
loyalty and generosity. It looks as if David perceived a spiritual
congeniality that would make Barzillai, not only a pleasant inmate,
but a profitable friend. For indeed in many ways Barzillai and David
seem to have been like one another. God had given them both a warm,
sunny nature. He had prospered them in the world. He had given them
a deep regard for Himself and delight in His fellowship. David must
have found in Barzillai a friend whose views on the deepest subjects
were similar to his own. At Jerusalem the men who were of his mind
were by no means too many. To have Barzillai beside him, refreshing
him with his experiences of God's ways and joining with him in songs
of praise and thanksgiving, would be delightful. "Behold, how good
and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!" But
however pleasant the prospect may have been to David, it was not one
destined to be realized.
5. For Barzillai was not dazzled even by the highest offers of the
king, because he felt that the proposal was unsuitable for his
years. He was already eighty, and every day was adding to his burden,
and bringing him sensibly nearer the grave. Even though he might be
enjoying a hale old age, he could not be sure that he would not break
down suddenly, and thus become an utter burden to the king. David had
made the offer as a compliment to Barzillai, although it might also
be a favour to himself, and as a compliment the aged Gileadite was
entitled to view it. And viewing it in that light, he respectfully
declined it. He was a home-loving man, his habits had been formed
for a quiet domestic sphere, and it was too late to change them.
His faculties were losing their sharpness; his taste had become
dulled, his ear blunted, so that both savoury dishes and elaborate
music would be comparatively thrown away on him. The substance of
his answer was, I am an old man, and it would be unsuitable in me to
begin a courtier's life. In a word, he understood what was suitable
for old age. Many a man and woman too, perhaps, even of Barzillai's
years, would have jumped at King David's offer, and rejoiced to share
the dazzling honours of a court, and would have affected youthful
feelings and habits in order to enjoy the exhilaration and the
excitement of a courtier's life. In Barzillai's choice, we see the
predominance of a sanctified common sense, alive to the proprieties
of things, and able to see how the enjoyment most suitable to an
advanced period of life might best be had. It was not by aping youth
or grasping pleasures for which the relish had gone. Some may think
this a painful view of old age. Is it so that as years multiply the
taste for youthful enjoyments passes away, and one must resign one's
self to the thought that life itself is near its end? Undoubtedly
it is. But even a heathen could show that this is by no means an
evil. The purpose of Cicero's beautiful treatise on old age, written
when he was sixty-two, but regarded as spoken by Cato at the age of
eighty-four, was to show that the objections commonly brought against
old age were not really valid. These objections were--that old age
unfits men for active business, that it renders the body feeble, that
it deprives them of the enjoyment of almost all pleasures, and that
it heralds the approach of death. Let it be granted, is the substance
of Cicero's argument; nevertheless, old age brings enjoyments of a
new order that compensate for those which it withdraws. If we have
wisdom to adapt ourselves to our position, and to lay ourselves out
for those compensatory pleasures, we shall find old age not a burden,
but a joy. Now, if even a heathen could argue in that way, how much
more a Christian! If he cannot personally be so lively as before, he
may enjoy the young life of his children and grandchildren or other
young friends, and delight to see them enjoying what he cannot now
engage in. If active pleasures are not to be had, there are passive
enjoyments--the conversation of friends, reading, meditation, and
the like--of which all the more should be made. If one world is
gliding from him, another is moving towards him. As the outward man
perisheth, let the inward man be renewed day by day.
There are few more jarring scenes in English history than the last days
of Queen Elizabeth. As life was passing away, a historian of England
says, "she clung to it with a fierce tenacity. She hunted, she danced,
she jested with her young favourites, she coquetted, and frolicked,
and scolded at sixty-seven as she had done at thirty." "The Queen,"
wrote a courtier, "a few months before her death was never so gallant
these many years, nor so set upon jollity." She persisted, in spite of
opposition, in her gorgeous progresses from country house to country
house. She clung to business as of old, and rated in her usual fashion
one "who minded not to giving up some matter of account." And then a
strange melancholy settled on her. Her mind gave way, and food and
rest became alike distasteful. Clever woman, yet very foolish in not
discerning how vain it was to attempt to carry the brisk habits of
youth into old age, and most profoundly foolish in not having taken
pains to provide for old age the enjoyments appropriate to itself! How
differently it has fared with those who have been wise in time and
made the best provision for old age! "I have waited for Thy salvation,
O my God," says the dying Jacob, relieved and happy to think that the
object for which he had waited had come at last. "I am now ready to be
offered," says St. Paul, "and the time of my departure is at hand. I
have fought the good fight; I have finished my course; I have kept the
faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness,
which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give me at that day, and not
to me only, but unto all them also that love His appearing." Which is
the better portion--he whose old age is spent in bitter lamentation
over the departed joys and brightness of his youth? or he whose sun
goes down with the sweetness and serenity of an autumn sunset, but only
to rise in a brighter world, and shine forth in the glory of immortal
youth?
6. Holding such views of old age, it was quite natural and suitable for
Barzillai to ask for his son Chimham what he respectfully declined for
himself. For his declinature was not a rude rejection of an honour
deemed essentially false and vain. Barzillai did not tell the king that
he had lived to see the folly and the sin of those pleasures which in
the days of youth and inexperience men are so greedy to enjoy. That
would have been an affront to David, especially as he was now getting
to be an old man himself. He recognised that a livelier mode of life
than befitted the old was suitable for the young. The advantages of
residence at the court of David were not to be thought little of by
one beginning life, especially where the head of the court was such a
man as David, himself so affectionate and attractive, and so deeply
imbued with the fear and love of God. The narrative is so short that
not a word is added as to how it fared with Chimham when he came to
Jerusalem. Only one thing is known of him: it is said that, after the
destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, when Johanan conducted to
Egypt a remnant of Jews that he had saved from the murderous hand of
Ishmael, "they departed and dwelt in the habitation of Chimham, which
is by Bethlehem, to go into Egypt." We infer that David bestowed on
Chimham some part of his paternal inheritance at Bethlehem. The vast
riches which he had amassed would enable him to make ample provision
for his sons; but we might naturally have expected that the whole of
the paternal inheritance would have remained in the family. For some
reason unknown to us, Chimham seems to have got a part of it. We cannot
but believe that David would desire to have a good man there, and it
is much in favour of Chimham that he should have got a settlement
at Bethlehem. And there is another circumstance that tells in his
favour: during the five centuries that elapsed between David's time
and the Captivity, the name of Chimham remained in connection with
that property, and even so late as the time of Jeremiah it was called
"Chimham's habitation." Men do not thus keep alive dishonoured names,
and the fact that Chimham's was thus preserved would seem to indicate
that he was one of those of whom it is said, "The memory of the just is
blessed."
Plans for life were speedily formed in those countries; and as
Rebekah wished no delay in accompanying Abraham's servant to be the
wife of Isaac, nor Ruth in going forth with Naomi to the land of
Judah, so Chimham at once went with the king. The interview between
David and Barzillai was ended in the way that in those countries
was the most expressive sign of regard and affection: "David kissed
Barzillai," but "Chimham went on with him."
The meeting with Barzillai and the finding of a new son in Chimham must
have been looked back on by David with highly pleasant feelings. In
every sense of the term, he had lost a son in Absalom; he seems now to
find one in Chimham. We dare not say that the one was compensation for
the other. Such a blank as the death of Absalom left in the heart of
David could never be filled up from any earthly source whatever. Blanks
of that nature can be filled only when God gives a larger measure of
His own presence and His own love. But besides feeling very keenly
the blank of Absalom's death, David must have felt distressed at the
loss as it seemed, of power, to secure the affections of the younger
generation of his people, many of whom, there is every reason to
believe, had followed Absalom. The ready way in which Chimham accepted
of the proposal in regard to him would therefore be a pleasant incident
in his experience; and the remembrance of his father's fast attachment
and most useful friendship would ever be in David's memory like an
oasis in the desert.
We return for a moment to the great lesson of this passage. Aged men,
it is a lesson for you. Titus was instructed to exhort the aged men
of Crete to be "sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity,
in patience." It is a grievous thing to see grey hairs dishonoured.
It is a humiliating sight when Noah excites either the shame or the
derision of his sons. But "the hoary head is a crown of glory if it
is found in the way of uprightness." And the crown is described in
the six particulars of the exhortation to Titus. It is a crown of six
jewels. Jewel the first is "sobriety," meaning here self-command,
self-control, ability to stand erect before temptation, and calmness
under provocation and trial. Jewel the second is "gravity," not
sternness, nor sullenness, nor censoriousness, but the bearing of one
who knows that "life is real, life is earnest," in opposition to the
frivolous tone of those who act as if there were no life to come. Jewel
the third is "temperance," especially in respect of bodily indulgence,
keeping under the body, never letting it be master, but in all respects
a servant. Jewel the fourth, "soundness in faith," holding the true
doctrine of eternal life, and looking forward with hope and expectation
to the inheritance of the future. Jewel the fifth, "soundness in
charity," the charity of the thirteenth chapter of 1 Corinthians,
itself a coruscation of the brightest gem in the Christian cabinet.
Jewel the sixth, "soundness in patience," that grace so needful,
but so often neglected, that grace that gives an air of serenity to
one's character, that allies it to heaven, that gives it sublimity,
that bears the unbearable, and hopes and rejoices on the very edge of
despair. Onward, then, ye aged men, in this glorious path! By God's
grace, gather round your head these incorruptible jewels, which shine
with the lustre of God's holiness, and which are the priceless gems of
heaven. Happy are ye, if indeed you have these jewels for your crown;
and happy is your Church where the aged men are crowned with glory like
the four-and-twenty elders before the throne!
But what of those who dishonour God, and their own grey hairs, and
the Church of Christ by stormy tempers, profane tongues, drunken
orgies, and disorderly lives? "O my soul, come not thou into their
secret! To their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united!"