Godbey's Commentary - Acts - Romans - Enter His Rest

go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped out of Keilah. And he forbear to go forth.” Here we
have a positive answer from God to David, “Saul will come down to Keilah and the men of Keilah
will deliver thee up.” Now you see that neither of these predicted events transpired, because David
immediately rallied his men and fled away from the traitors who were lying to him that they might
purchase royal favor with his head, Saul being close on his track, and, hearing that he was gone, did
not come to Keilah at all. Hence you see that even these pre-announced events are entirely changed
by human action. David understood God’s method with man better than the cavilers of the present
day, who apologize for their own obliquity by crying out, “What is to be will be, and I can not
change my destiny.” When God told him that Saul would come to Keilah and the inhabitants of the
city would betray him into his hands, David well understood that Saul would come and the Keilites
would deliver him up if he stayed. Consequently, blowing his war bugle, he immediately rallies his
men and skedaddles at double quick. The Bible is a commonsense book, adapted to the common,
uneducated people, who are honest enough to receive its plain and candid truth and govern
themselves accordingly.
31-34. In these verses Paul powerfully reasons the case, recognizing the fact that Christ redeemed
His people by His own blood, and none has a right to gainsay.
33. “Who shall charge anything against the elect of God?” Eklektos, “the elect,” is from ek,
“out,” and lego, “to choose.” In regeneration God chooses us out of the world. The word “elect”
really conveys the idea of a second choosing, as lego means “to choose,” and ek, “from.” Hence the
chosen from the chosen, corroborating the fact that Christ does not select a bride from the devil’s
people, which would be true if the election was consummated in regeneration; but He chooses His
bride from the people of God, superinducing this second election in entire sanctification,
determinative of the bridehood.
35. “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or difficulty, or persecution,
or famine, or peril, or sword?” The answer is clearly in the negative, as two hundred millions of
martyrs singing their death song in the fire have abundantly attested.
36. “As has been written that for thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep
for the slaughter.” This is a simple allusion to their daily exposition to martyrdom. “I die daily” (1
Corinthians 15:31); simply affirmatory of the constant peril which everywhere confronted them, with
the daily liability of sealing their faith with their blood, which Paul actually did at Rome, whither
he was writing this letter.
37. “But in all these we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38. “I am persuaded that neither death nor life, angels nor principalities, nor things present nor
things to come, nor dynamites, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to
separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” All this is beautiful, true and
eminently consolatory. Yet it is an undeniable fact that we are perfectly free and can turn away at
will. While we may have no disposition to do so, yet we have the power, so long as we are on
probation. Fortunately it is power which I feel in my case, and doubtless in many others, will never
be exercised; yet it is there.