(10) David said furthermore.--David suggests three possible cases in which the Divine arm might smite the "anointed of Jehovah." The first, the Lord "shall smite him" by some sudden death from disease--no doubt, the recent death of Nabal was in his mind; the second by what is termed "natural death;" and the third by some blow received in battle. The idea of an arrow winged by some unseen hand was evidently here in the speaker's thoughts.
26:1-12 How soon do unholy hearts lose the good impressions convictions have made upon them! How helpless were Saul and all his men! All as though disarmed and chained, yet nothing is done to them; they are only asleep. How easily can God weaken the strongest, befool the wisest, and baffle the most watchful! David still resolved to wait till God thought fit to avenge him on Saul. He will by no means force his way to the promised crown by any wrong methods. The temptation was very strong; but if he yielded, he would sin against God, therefore he resisted the temptation, and trusted God with the event.
And David said furthermore,.... In order to make Abishai easy, and prevent his doing what he proposed:
as the Lord liveth; which was the form of an oath, made to assure Abishai of the truth of what follows, and therefore he need not be hasty to put Saul to death, since it would not be long before he should die, in one or other of the three following ways: either
the Lord shall smite him; suddenly, which the Jews call cutting off, or death by the hand of heaven, by the immediate hand of God:
or his day shall come to die; the time appointed for him to die a natural death, of some disease common to men:
or he shall descend into battle, and perish; which was commonly reckoned death, casual or accidental, and in which last way Saul did die, 1 Samuel 31:3.
as the Lord liveth; which was the form of an oath, made to assure Abishai of the truth of what follows, and therefore he need not be hasty to put Saul to death, since it would not be long before he should die, in one or other of the three following ways: either
the Lord shall smite him; suddenly, which the Jews call cutting off, or death by the hand of heaven, by the immediate hand of God:
or his day shall come to die; the time appointed for him to die a natural death, of some disease common to men:
or he shall descend into battle, and perish; which was commonly reckoned death, casual or accidental, and in which last way Saul did die, 1 Samuel 31:3.