Their loyalty was not to David but to their own personal advantage. When you accept evil men who have done evil for your advantage, you invite evil to return upon you by these same men; for “they who would do a mean trick for us would not hesitate to do a mean trick against us” (Joseph Parker).

John G. Butler, David: The King of Israel , vol. Number Fifteen, Bible Biography Series (Clinton, IA: LBC Publications, 1998), 512.

A gloomy Christian is a contradiction. It suggests a false profession or a very flimsy faith. Of course, there are trials and tears for the faithful saint, but to be gloomy all the time is hardly a true commentary of the faith in Christ which the Bible speaks about.

John G. Butler, David: The King of Israel , vol. Number Fifteen, Bible Biography Series (Clinton, IA: LBC Publications, 1998), 532.