John Chrysostom, On David and Saul

of the cave, having conquered other, more savage beasts. For just as lions sat on either side of that righteous man, so too with this man, lions more savage than all, his passions, attacked54.690 him; anger at past events on this side, fear of future ones on that; but nevertheless he restrained and muzzled both these beasts, teaching through his actions that nothing is safer than sparing one's enemies, nor more perilous than wishing to avenge and defend oneself. The one, then, who wished to attack, lay naked and unarmed and destitute of all things, as if handed over a captive; but the other, yielding and giving way everywhere, and choosing not to attack even justly, without engines of war, and weapons, and horses, and soldiers, took his enemy into his hands; and what was greater than all, he drew God to greater goodwill. 3. For I do not bless that holy man for this reason, not because he saw his enemy lying under his own feet, but because having taken him in his hands, he spared him. For the one was the work of God's power, but the other of his own philosophy. How then was it likely for the soldiers to heed him? With how much goodwill to be disposed toward him? For if they had ten thousand souls, would they not have readily given them all up for their general, having learned in practice from his care for the enemy his goodwill toward his own people? For he who was meek and gentle toward those who had grieved him, was much more likely to be so disposed toward those who were well-disposed; which indeed was the greatest pledge of safety for him. And not only were they more well-disposed, but also more eager against the enemy, knowing that they had God fighting for them, who was always present with their general and making all matters easy. And so they heeded David, no longer as a man, but as an angel. And even before God’s recompense, he himself reaped a greater reward here than the one who was saved, and won a more glorious victory than if he had slaughtered Saul. For what great thing would he have gained by slaughtering his enemy, compared to what he reaped now by sparing him? Consider this, therefore, you also, whenever you capture one who has grieved you, that it is much greater and more profitable to spare than to destroy. For he who destroys will often both condemn himself and will have an evil conscience, being pursued by that sin every day and hour; but he who spares, after enduring for a short time, rejoices and delights thereafter, awaiting good hopes and expecting the rewards of forbearance from God. And if he ever should fall into some terrible circumstance, with great confidence he will demand recompense from God; just as this man indeed enjoyed all these things, later receiving great and wonderful rewards from God for his care for this enemy. But let us also see what came after these things. And David went out of the cave, it says, after Saul and cried out after him, saying thus: My lord the king. And Saul looked behind him, and David bowed his face to the ground, and did obeisance to him. These things bring no less honor than saving the enemy. For it was not the mark of an ordinary soul not to be puffed up by good deeds toward his neighbor, or rather, not to suffer what most people do, who look down on those they have benefited as if they were slaves, and raise their eyebrows.54.691 But not so the blessed David; rather, he was even more moderate, even after the good deed. And the reason was that he considered none of these successes to be of his own effort, but attributed the whole to divine grace. For this reason, having been the one who saved, he himself does obeisance to the one who was saved, and again calls him king, and names himself a servant, suppressing his pride through that gesture, and soothing his anger, and doing away with envy. But let us also hear his defense: Why do you listen to the words of the people, saying, ‘Behold, David seeks your life’? And yet, above

τοῦ σπηλαίου, θηρίων ἑτέρων χαλεπωτέρων κρατήσας. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῷ δικαίῳ ἐκείνῳ λέοντες ἑκατέρωθεν παρεκάθηντο, οὕτω καὶ τούτῳ λέοντες ἀγριώτεροι πάντων, τὰ πάθη ἐπετί54.690 θετο· θυμὸς τῶν παρελθόντων ἔνθεν, φόβος τῶν μελλόντων ἐκεῖθεν· ἀλλ' ὅμως ἀμφότερα οὗτος κατέστελλε καὶ ἐπεστόμιζε τὰ θηρία, διδάσκων διὰ τῶν ἔργων, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἀσφαλέστερον τοῦ φείδεσθαι τῶν ἐχθρῶν, οὐδὲ σφαλερώτερον τοῦ βούλεσθαι ἐκδικεῖν ἑαυτὸν καὶ ἀμύνεσθαι. Ὁ γοῦν βουληθεὶς ἐπεξελθεῖν, γυμνὸς καὶ ἄοπλος καὶ πάντων ἔρημος, καθάπερ αἰχμάλωτος παραδοθεὶς, οὕτως ἔκειτο· ὁ δὲ εἴκων καὶ παραχωρῶν πανταχοῦ, καὶ μηδὲ δικαίως ἐπεξελθεῖν ἑλόμενος, χωρὶς μηχανημάτων, καὶ ὅπλων, καὶ ἵππων, καὶ στρατιωτῶν, τὸν πολέμιον εἰς χεῖρας ἐλάμβανε· καὶ ὃ δὴ μεῖζον ἁπάντων ἦν, τὸν Θεὸν εἰς πλείονα εὔνοιαν ἐπεσπάσατο. γʹ. Οὐ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο μακαρίζω τὸν ἅγιον ἐκεῖνον, οὐχ ὅτι τὸν ἐχθρὸν ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας εἶδε τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ κείμενον, ἀλλ' ὅτι εἰς χεῖρας λαβὼν ἐφείσατο. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως ἔργον ἦν, τὸ δὲ τῆς αὐτοῦ φιλοσοφίας. Πῶς ἦν εἰκὸς λοιπὸν τοὺς στρατιώτας ἐκείνῳ προσέχειν; μεθ' ὅσης εὐνοίας διακεῖσθαι πρὸς αὐτόν; Εἰ γὰρ μυρίας εἶχον ψυχὰς, οὐκ ἂν ἑτοίμως ἁπάσας ἐπέδωκαν ὑπὲρ τοῦ στρατηγοῦ, ἔργῳ μαθόντες ἐν τῇ τοῦ πολεμίου κηδεμονίᾳ τὴν περὶ τοὺς οἰκείους εὔνοιαν; Ὁ γὰρ περὶ τοὺς λελυπηκότας πρᾶος καὶ ἥμερος ὢν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον περὶ τοὺς εὐνοϊκῶς διακειμένους οὕτως ἔμελλε διακεῖσθαι· ὃ δὴ μέγιστον ἐνέχυρον ἀσφαλείας ἦν αὐτῷ. Οὐκ εὐνούστεροι δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ προθυμότεροι περὶ τοὺς πολεμίους ἦσαν, εἰδότες ὅτι τὸν Θεὸν ἔχουσιν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν πολεμοῦντα, τὸν ἀεὶ παρόντα τῷ στρατηγῷ, καὶ τὰ πράγματα ἅπαντα ἐξευμαρίζοντα. Καὶ τῷ ∆αυῒδ δὲ, οὐχ ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ λοιπὸν, ἀλλ' ὡς ἀγγέλῳ προσεῖχον. Καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἀντιδόσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ μείζονα καὶ ἐνταῦθα τοῦ διασωθέντος αὐτὸς ἐκαρποῦτο, καὶ λαμπροτέραν ἤρατο νίκην, ἢ εἰ κατέθυσε τὸν Σαούλ. Τί γὰρ ἂν τοσοῦτον ἐκέρδανε σφάξας τὸν ἐχθρὸν, ὅσον ἐκαρπώσατο φεισάμενος νῦν; Τοῦτο τοίνυν καὶ σὺ λογίζου, ἐπειδὰν λάβῃς τὸν λελυπηκότα σε, ὅτι πολλῷ μεῖζον καὶ κερδαλεώτερον τὸ φείσασθαι τοῦ διαφθεῖραι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ διαφθείρας καὶ καταγνώσεται πολλάκις ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ πονηρὸν ἕξει συνειδὸς, καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν καὶ ὥραν ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐκείνης διωκόμενος· ὁ δὲ φεισάμενος καὶ μικρὸν καρτερήσας χρόνον, γάννυται μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ τρυφᾷ, χρηστὰς ἀναμένων ἐλπίδας, καὶ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς τῆς ἀνεξικακίας παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ προσδοκῶν. Καὶ εἴ ποτε περιπέσοι τινὶ δεινῷ, μετὰ πολλῆς παῤῥησίας ἀπαιτήσει τὸν Θεὸν τὴν ἀντίδοσιν· καθάπερ οὖν καὶ οὗτος ἁπάντων ἀπήλαυσε τούτων, μεγάλας καὶ θαυμαστὰς τῆς περὶ τὸν ἐχθρὸν τοῦτον κηδεμονίας λαβὼν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς ἀμοιβὰς ὕστερον. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἴδωμεν καὶ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα. Καὶ ἐξῆλθε ∆αυῒδ ἐκ τοῦ σπηλαίου, φησὶν, ὀπίσω Σαοὺλ καὶ ἐβόησεν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ, οὕτω λέγων· Κύριέ μου βασιλεῦ. Καὶ ἀνέβλεψε Σαοὺλ ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔκυψε ∆αυῒδ ἐπὶ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ προσεκύνησεν αὐτῷ. Ταῦτα τοῦ σῶσαι τὸν ἐχθρὸν οὐκ ἐλάττονα φέρει κόσμον. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τῆς τυχούσης ψυχῆς ἦν τὸ μὴ φυσηθῆναι ταῖς εἰς τὸν πλησίον εὐεργεσίαις, μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ μὴ τὸ τῶν πολλῶν παθεῖν, οἳ καθάπερ ἀνδραπόδων, οὕτως ὑπερορῶσι τῶν εὐεργε54.691 τηθέντων, καὶ τὰς ὀφρῦς ἀνασπῶσιν. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁ μακάριος ∆αυῒδ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ μειζόνως ἐμετρίαζε, καὶ μετὰ τὴν εὐεργεσίαν. Τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, ὅτι οὐδὲν τῶν κατορθωμάτων τούτων ἐνόμιζε τῆς αὐτοῦ σπουδῆς εἶναι, ἀλλὰ τὸ πᾶν ἀνετίθει τῇ θείᾳ χάριτι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸς σώσας, αὐτὸς προσκυνεῖ τὸν σωθέντα, καὶ βασιλέα καλεῖ πάλιν, καὶ δοῦλον ὀνομάζει ἑαυτὸν, διὰ τοῦ σχήματος ἐκείνου καταστέλλων τὸ φύσημα, καὶ τὸν θυμὸν παραμυθούμενος, καὶ τὴν βασκανίαν ἀναιρῶν. Ἀκούσωμεν δὲ καὶ τῆς ἀπολογίας αὐτῆς· Ἵνα τί ἀκούεις τῶν λόγων τοῦ λαοῦ, λεγόντων, Ἰδοὺ ∆αυῒδ ζητεῖ τὴν ψυχήν σου; Καὶ μὴν ἀνωτέρω