Ver. 1. After the year was expired.] Heb., At the return of the year: Namque in se sua per vestigia volvitur annus. This year was David’s seventh climacterical, the forty-ninth of his age, as is generally held, and the nineteenth of his reign, (1 Chronicles 21:1) to him a woeful year, because, left to himself, he “fell into temptation and a snare, and many foolish and hurtful lusts,” &c. Augustine thanks God for himself, that the heart and temptation did not meet together. Joseph, a young man, was fiercely assaulted, but stoutly resisted; when lo, David, an old man, and one that had many wives and concubines, is shamefully foiled, and made to defile himself in sin’s guzzle. Turpe est senecere aetatem, non tamen senecere lasciviam, saith Nazianzen. What more odious than an old lecher? Were it not monstrous to behold green apples on a tree in winter? So to see the sins of youth in an old decrepit goat! Take heed; corruption doth as easily creep into the white head as the canker into the white rose. At the time when kings go forth to battle,] i.e., At spring time, when there is store of food and forage to be had. But we have lately seen great things done, and forts taken in the depth of winter. But this expedition was undertaken in Martio, quo Mars dominari solet. Our navy is now gone forth this present March 1655; the good Lord bring them back with victory! And besieged Rabbah.] That great city, Megalopolis, the metropolis of the Ammonites; called afterwards by Ptolemy Philadelph, second king of Egypt, Philadelphia. But David tarried still at Jerusalem.] Who was used to be abroad, and about fighting the Lord’s battles in his own person, as was before noted: and then he was safe. Res age, tutus eris. “ Otis si tollas periere Cupidinis arcus. ” David’s giving himself to ease and pleasure was the root of all his wretchedness. Standing waters gather filth. Flies settle upon the sweetest perfumes when cold, and corrupt them. As the crab fish seizeth upon the oyster gaping, so doth Satan upon the idle. No moss sticketh to the rolling stone: which if it lay still would be overgrown.
Ver. 2. And it came to pass in an evening tide.] When David should have been at his devotions, as his wont was. But now, belike, the devil had caused him to come from his trench, and then did presently wound him. While Joab is busy in laying siege to Rabbah, Satan is to David, and far sooner prevailed. That David arose from off his bed.] Somno et cibo pastas distentusque ideoque in Venerem proclivis; full feeding and being idle, two of Sodom’s sins, disposed him to the other of lust and uncleanness. The rankest weeds grow out of the fattest soil. The water that hath been heated, soonest freezeth: the most active spirit soonest tireth with slacking. The earth standeth still, and is all dregs; the heavens ever move and are pure. Beware of ease and idleness: here began David’s downfall. Say not of this, as Lot did of Zoar, Is it not a little one? The parvity [smallness] of a sin taketh not away the pravity [depravity] of it: and a less maketh way for a greater, as wedges do in wood cleaving. Pompey desired that all his soldiers might come into a certain city; when that was denied, he said, Let my weak and wounded soldiers come in; they did, and then soon opened the gates to all the army. “ Principiis obsta. ” And from the roof he saw a woman.] This was another occasion of David’s foul fall, curiosa circumspectatio. His eyes had no sooner the sleep rubbed out of them, than they roved to wanton prospects. He had once prayed, “Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity”; and should have still continued his suit: that as he might keep a door in God’s house, so God would keep the doors and windows of his, -those, otherwise, windows of wickedness, and loopholes of lust, the eyes; through which the old serpent easily windeth himself into the heart, and maketh himseff master of the whole man. This made good Job to step from a prayer to a vow. (Job 31:1) Yea, from a vow to an imprecation, (Job 31:7) as knowing the danger of irregular glancing, or inordinate gazing. Those who abuse the outward eye, are worthy to have the inward eye darkened, saith Gregory. David’s eye became an inlet of lust into his soul: let them look to it who think they may look at liberty, et se illis spectaculis non moveri. Nunquid tu fortior Davide, Solomone, sapientor? saith Augustine. Art thou stronger than David, wiser than Solomon? See therefore to thy cinque-ports, [five gates] to thy senses: for of looking cometh lusting, and contemplative wickedness. Valerius fitly calleth the eyes the spies, that lie in ambush for the undermining of other men’s marriages. And Quintilian saith, that by the eyes way is made to manifold wickedness. Washing herself,] viz., From her legal uncleanness, according to the Law. (Leviticus 15:19 18:19) David, Actaeon-like “ vidit sine veste Dianam; Praeda fuit canibus nec minus ille suis.” Lust is quick sighted: it metamorphoseth a man into a beast, and maketh him a prey to hell’s huntsman. The Vulgate rendereth the text thus, Videtque mulierem se lavantem ex adverso, he saw a woman washing herself opposite him: he saw her washing either in her garden, which was near the palace, saith Adrichonius, or else in her chamber per fenestram, through a window, as Vatablus thinketh, by some casement accidentally open, he chanced to see her: he espied her, where she could espy no beholder. And the woman was very beautiful to behold.] This was an eyesore to David, in the same sense that the Persian maids were by Alexander called oculorum dolores, eye maladies to his Macedonians. The basilisk slayeth with his sight. Circe will enchant all that behold her, having faculty attractive with the jet, and retentive with the adamant. Sit casus maiorum tremor minorum. -Aug. Ut vidi, ut perii. Oculi sunt in amore duces.