§67. The Anointing of David (I Sam. 16:1-13)
And the Lord said unto Samuel, "I have rejected Saul from being king over Israel. Fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons."
And Samuel said, "How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me."
And the Lord said, "Take an heifer with thee, and say, 'I am come to sacrifice to the Lord.' And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will show thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee."
And Samuel did that which the Lord spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the city came to meet him trembling, and said, "Comest thou peaceably?"
And he said, "Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the Lord: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, "Surely the Lord's anointed is before him."
But the Lord said unto Samuel, "Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have rejected him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart."
Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, "Neither hath the Lord chosen this."
Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, "Neither hath the Lord chosen this."
And Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, "The Lord hath not chosen these." And Samuel said unto Jesse, "Are here all thy children?"
And he said, "There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep."
And Samuel said unto Jesse, "Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither."
And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look upon. And the Lord said, "Arise, anoint him: for this is he."
Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward.
§68. David and Goliath (I Sam. 17:1-14, 16-52)
A. GOLIATH'S CHALLENGE
Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle, and they were gathered together at Socoh, which belongeth to Judah. And Saul and the men of Israel were gathered together, and pitched in the vale of Elah, and set the battle in array against the Philistines. And the Philistines stood on the mountain on the one side, and Israel stood on the mountain on the other side: and there was a valley between them.
And there went out a champion out of the camp of the Philistines, named Goliath, of Gath, whose height was six cubits and a span. And he had an helmet of brass upon his head, and he was clad with a coat of mail; and the weight of the coat was five thousand shekels of brass. And he had greaves of brass upon his legs, and a javelin of brass between his shoulders. And the staff of his spear was like a weaver's beam; and his spear's head weighed six hundred shekels of iron: and his shield-bearer went before him. And he stood and cried unto the armies of Israel, and said unto them, "Why are ye come out to set your battle in array? am not I a Philistine, and ye servants to Saul? choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. If he be able to fight with me, and kill me, then will we be your servants: but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall ye be our servants, and serve us." And the Philistine said, "I defy the armies of Israel this day, give me a man, that we may fight together."
And when Saul and all Israel heard those words of the Philistine, they were dismayed, and greatly afraid, and the Philistine drew near morning and evening, and presented himself forty days.
B. DAVID'S VISIT TO THE ARMY
Now Jesse had eight sons: and the man was an old man in the days of Saul, stricken in years among men. And the three eldest sons of Jesse had gone after Saul to the battle: and the names of his three sons that went to the battle were Eliab the firstborn, and next unto him Abinadab, and the third Shammah. And David was the youngest: and the three eldest followed Saul.
And Jesse said unto David his son, "Take now for thy brethren an ephah of this parched corn, and these ten loaves, and carry them quickly to the camp to thy brethren; and bring these ten cheeses unto the captain of their thousand, and look how thy brethren fare."
And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took, and went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the place of the wagons, as the host which was going forth to the fight shouted for the battle. And Israel and the Philistines put the battle in array, army against army. And David left his baggage in the hand of the keeper of the baggage, and ran to the army, and came and saluted his brethren. And as he talked with them, behold, there came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of the ranks of the Philistines, and spake according to the same words: and David heard them. And all the men of Israel, when they saw the man, fled from him, and were sore afraid. And the men of Israel said, "Have ye seen this man that is come up? surely to defy Israel is he come up: and it shall be, that the man who killeth him, the king will enrich him with great riches, and will give him his daughter, and make his father's house free in Israel."
And David spake to the men that stood by him, saying, "What shall be done to the man that killeth this Philistine, and taketh away the reproach from Israel? for who is this Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?"
And the people answered him after this manner, saying, "So shall it be done to the man that killeth him."
And Eliab his eldest brother heard when he spake unto the men; and Eliab's anger was kindled against David, and he said, "Why art thou come down? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy pride, and the naughtiness of thine heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle."
And David said, "What have I now done? Is there not a cause?" And he turned away from him toward another, and spake after the same manner: and the people answered him again after the former manner.
C. THE ACCEPTANCE OF THE CHALLENGE
And when the words were heard which David spake, they rehearsed them before Saul; and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, "Let no man's heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine."
And Saul said to David, "Thou art not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him: for thou art but a youth, and he a man of war from his youth."
And David said unto Saul, "Thy servant kept his father's sheep; and when there came a lion, or a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him. Thy servant smote both the lion and the bear: and this Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God." And David said, "The Lord that delivered me out of the paw of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine."
And Saul said unto David, "Go, and the Lord shall be with thee." And Saul clad David with his apparel, and he put an helmet of brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. And David girded his sword upon his apparel, and he essayed to go; for he had not proved it.
And David said unto Saul, "I cannot go with these; for I have not proved them." And David put them off him.
D. THE COMBAT
And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, "Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field."
Then said David to the Philistine, "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from off thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel: and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand."
And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith.
And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou comest to Gath, and to the gates of Ekron.
§69. David before Saul (I Sam. 17:15-18:5)
And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, "Abner, whose son is this youth?"
And Abner said, "As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell."
And the king said, "Inquire thou whose son the stripling is."
And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, "Whose son art thou, thou young man?"
And David answered, "I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."
And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his apparel, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.
And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
225 (§67). It is a surprise to read that Saul who had begun his reign so well had made a failure so early. But he was a headstrong man. He would not take Samuel's advice, and the old prophet realized that a new king would have to be chosen. We have now the interesting story of how David was given his first knowledge of the great future that was before him.
226 (§67). Tell the story of the plan for a visit to Bethlehem. What did Samuel think when he saw Jesse's oldest son? What did the Lord tell him about the way to judge of men? Saul was a man of noble appearance, but sometimes such men are disappointing. What occurred regarding the other sons? Tell the story of the anointing of David. Compare this with the anointing of Saul.
227 (§68A). We hear again of the same old enemies of Israel. Who were they and where did they live? Who was their champion? Six cubits and a span would be at least ten feet, so we may suppose that as this story was told over and over again they came to exaggerate the height of the giant. But he must have been a very big man. He had heavy bronze armor. How many pieces? Five thousand shekels would be about 150 lbs.—a heavy coat of mail. Who was with him? Tell the story of his challenge.
228 (§68B). How many of David's brothers were in the army? Why did Jesse send David to the army and what presents did he send with him? Tell the story of David's inquiry about the Philistine. What did his brother say to him? What did David think of the challenge?
229 (§68C). Tell the story of David's interview with Saul. What kind of a young man was he? What had he been able to do in his shepherd life? How did he get along with Saul's armor?
230 (§68D). There was one weapon with which David was very skilful. Some of the Israelites could do wonders with this simple weapon: read Judg. 20:16. Try to imagine what the two men looked like when they met. Describe the meeting.
231 (§68D). What did Goliath say to David? The young man knew that the safety of his people depended upon this fight. What noble words did he say? Did he boast of his own skill? Tell the story of the combat.
232 (§69). What conversation took place regarding David? What did Saul do for the young victor?
233 (§69). Jonathan comes out nobly in the story. We might think that he would be jealous of David's success, but instead of that, he was delighted with his fine appearance and his courage. How did Jonathan show his pleasure in David? There began that day a great friendship that lasted till death. There can be no jealousy between friends. It is one of the noblest feelings, when one friend can be glad of another's advancement.
When David was practicing with his sling and keeping his flocks he little thought that he would ever be king of Israel. We do not know how our common duties are getting us ready for a greater work. Make a list of the principal things that you will have to do this week. Write them down in your notebook. Then write down what good you think they will do to prepare you for your work when you are grown up.
§70. Saul's Jealousy of David (I Sam. 18:6-9, 27-29; 19:1-18)
A. THE BEGINNING OF THE JEALOUSY
And it came to pass as they came, when David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with timbrels, with joy, and with instruments of music. And the women sang one to another as they played, and said,
And Saul was very wroth, and this saying displeased him; and he said, "They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?" And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.
And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife. And Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David; and Michal Saul's daughter loved him. And Saul was yet the more afraid of David; and Saul was David's enemy continually.
B. JONATHAN THE PEACEMAKER
And Saul spake to Jonathan his son, and to all his servants, that they should slay David. But Jonathan, Saul's son, delighted much in David.
And Jonathan told David, saying, "Saul my father seeketh to slay thee: now therefore, I pray thee, take heed to thyself in the morning, and abide in a secret place, and hide thyself: and I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where thou art, and I will commune with my father of thee; and if I see ought, I will tell thee."
And Jonathan spake good of David unto Saul his father, and said unto him, "Let not the king sin against his servant, against David; because he hath not sinned against thee, and because his works have been very good toward thee: for he put his life in his hand, and smote the Philistine, and the Lord wrought a great victory for all Israel: thou sawest it, and didst rejoice: wherefore then wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a cause?"
And Saul hearkened unto the voice of Jonathan: and Saul sware, "As the Lord liveth, he shall not be put to death."
And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan showed him all those things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence, as before-time.
C. SAUL'S ATTEMPTS TO KILL DAVID
And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the Philistines, and slew them with a great slaughter; and they fled before him. And an evil spirit from the Lord was upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand; and David played with his hand. And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear; but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he smote the spear into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night. And Saul sent messengers unto David's house, to watch him, and to slay him in the morning: and Michal David's wife told him, saying, "If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow thou shalt be slain." So Michal let David down through the window: and he went, and fled, and escaped.
And Michal took the teraphim, and laid it in the bed, and put a pillow of goats' hair at the head thereof, and covered it with the clothes. And when Saul sent messengers to take David, she said, "He is sick."
And Saul sent the messengers to see David, saying, "Bring him up to me in the bed, that I may slay him." And when the messengers came in, behold, the teraphim was in the bed, with the pillow of goats' hair at the head thereof. And Saul said unto Michal, "Why hast thou deceived me thus, and let mine enemy go, that he is escaped?"
And Michal answered Saul, "He said unto me, 'Let me go; why should I kill thee?'"
Now David fled, and escaped, and came to Samuel to Ramah, and told him all that Saul had done to him. And he and Samuel went and dwelt in Naioth.
§71. The Two Friends (I Sam. 20:1-39)
A. THE COVENANT OF THE FRIENDS
And David fled from Naioth in Ramah, and came and said before Jonathan, "What have I done? what is mine iniquity? and what is my sin before thy father, that he seeketh my life?"
And he said unto him, "God forbid; thou shalt not die: behold, my father doeth nothing either great or small, but that he discloseth it unto me and why should my father hide this thing from me? it is not so."
And David sware moreover, and said, "Thy father knoweth well that I have found grace in thine eyes; and he saith, 'Let not Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved': but truly as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, there is but a step between me and death."
Then said Jonathan unto David, "Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee."
And David said unto Jonathan, "Behold, to-morrow is the new moon, and I should not fail to sit with the king at meat: but let me go, that I may hide myself in the field unto the third day at even. If thy father miss me at all, then say, 'David earnestly asked leave of me that he might run to Bethlehem his city: for it is the yearly sacrifice there for all the family.' If he say thus, 'It is well;' thy servant shall have peace: but if he be wroth, then know that evil is determined by him. Therefore deal kindly with thy servant; for thou hast brought thy servant into a covenant of the Lord with thee: but if there be in me iniquity, slay me thyself; for why shouldest thou bring me to thy father?"
And Jonathan said, "Far be it from thee: for if I should at all know that evil were determined by my father to come upon thee, then would not I tell it thee?"
Then said David to Jonathan, "Who shall tell me if perchance thy father answer thee roughly?"
And Jonathan said unto David, "Come and let us go out into the field." And they went out both of them into the field.
And Jonathan said unto David, "The Lord, the God of Israel, be witness; when I have sounded my father about this time to-morrow, or the third day, behold, if there be good toward David, shall I not then send unto thee, and disclose it unto thee? The Lord do so to Jonathan, and more also, should it please my father to do thee evil, if I disclose it not unto thee, and send thee away, that thou mayest go in peace: and the Lord be with thee, as he hath been with my father. And thou shalt not only while yet I live show me the kindness of the Lord, that I die not: but also thou shalt not cut off thy kindness from my house for ever: no, not when the Lord hath cut off the enemies of David every one from the face of the earth."
And Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to him: for he loved him as he loved his own soul. Then Jonathan said unto him, "To-morrow is the new moon: and thou shalt be missed, because thy seat will be empty. And when thou hast stayed three days, thou shalt go down quickly, and come to the place where thou didst hide thyself when the business was in hand, and shalt remain by the stone Ezel. And I will shoot three arrows on the side thereof, as though I shot at a mark. And behold, I will send the lad, saying, 'Go, find the arrows.' If I say unto the lad, 'Behold, the arrows are on this side of thee': take them, and come; for there is peace to thee and no hurt, as the Lord liveth. But if I say thus unto the boy, 'Behold, the arrows are beyond thee'; go thy way; for the Lord hath sent thee away. And as touching the matter which thou and I have spoken of, behold, the Lord is between thee and me for ever."
B. SAUL'S DEADLY ANGER
So David hid himself in the field: and when the new moon was come, the king sat him down to eat meat. And the king sat upon his seat, as at other times, even upon the seat by the wall; and Jonathan stood up, and Abner sat by Saul's side: but David's place was empty. Nevertheless Saul spake not any thing that day; for he thought, "Something hath befallen him, he is not clean; surely he is not clean." And it came to pass on the morrow after the new moon, which was the second day, that David's place was empty: and Saul said unto Jonathan his son, "Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither yesterday, nor to-day?"
And Jonathan answered Saul, "David earnestly asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem: and he said 'Let me go, I pray thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favor in thine eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren.' Therefore he is not come unto the king's table."
Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said unto him, "Thou son of a perverse rebellious woman, do not I know that thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own shame? For as long as the son of Jesse liveth upon the ground, thou shalt not be established, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me, for he shall surely die."
And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said unto him, "Wherefore should he be put to death? what hath he done?"
And Saul cast his spear at him to smite him: whereby Jonathan knew that it was determined of his father to put David to death. So Jonathan arose from the table in fierce anger, and did eat no meat the second day of the month: for he was grieved for David, because his father had done him shame.
C. THE PARTING OF THE FRIENDS
And it came to pass in the morning, that Jonathan went out into the field at the time appointed with David, and a little lad with him. And he said unto his lad, "Run, find now the arrows which I shoot." And as the lad ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. And when the lad was come to the place of the arrow which Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried after the lad, and said, "Is not the arrow beyond thee?" And Jonathan cried after the lad, "Make speed, haste, stay not." And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows, and came to his master. But the lad knew not any thing: only Jonathan and David knew the matter.
234. When David returned victorious from the fight with Goliath, Jonathan, the king's son, made a fast friendship with him. Read §69. What do you think each of these young men would admire in the other? There was the beginning that day of a life-long friendship.
235 (§70A). It is still the custom among the Arabs for the women to go dancing and singing to meet the warriors returning from a fight. The women of Israel had the simplest musical instrument, the tambourine, such as the Salvation Army women use. They composed a little verse to sing: what was it? How did Saul feel when he heard it? Was it natural for him to have this feeling? It was a very sad thing connected with the Spanish War, that after the battle of Santiago there was a bitter jealousy between the two American admirals. It is a most pitiful thing when great men are jealous. Recall why we called Abraham "magnanimous." What would have been magnanimous conduct in Saul? Was Jonathan jealous?
236 (§70B). There are a number of stories of Saul's enmity
against David. We shall study a few of them. How did
Jonathan try to be the peacemaker? How did he praise
David to the king? What effect did it have? Evidently
Saul had a better nature, to which Jonathan could appeal, but
there was always danger that the fit of jealousy would return.
237 (§70C). David had been appointed to a high command in the army. He seems always to have been successful against the Philistines. But it made Saul jealous. Saul had been subject to fits of melancholy, which was explained in those days as caused by an evil spirit. David, who was a skilful player on the harp, had often been able to soothe the king. So, when the jealousy made him moody, David tried to cheer him with music. But a sudden fit of rage came upon Saul. What happened?
238 (§70C). David had married Michal, the daughter of the king. What plan of Saul's did she discover? How did she help her husband to escape? The teraphim was an idol about the size of a man: how did Michal use it to deceive Saul's messengers? But when Saul was determined to have David brought to him even if he were sick in bed, how was the deceit discovered? What did Saul say to his daughter? Notice that she told her father a falsehood, saying that David had threatened to kill her. Where did David flee?
239 (§71A). This is another story of how Jonathan helped David when he first found out his father's jealousy. Note that Jonathan feels sure that Saul will not do evil to David, but David is certain of his danger. A plan is thought of to find out whether the king is really David's enemy. There was to be the regular monthly religious feast at the time of the new moon and it was David's duty to be present. What was the plan that he suggested to test the king? What appeal does David make to Jonathan? The two friends go out into the field where they can talk unobserved.
240 (§71A). This is the story of the covenant or agreement. If Jonathan finds that Saul is well disposed to David, what does he promise to do? If Saul is evil disposed, what does he agree to do? He is sure that David will succeed to the throne; what therefore does he ask of him in the future? We are glad to know that David remembered this promise long after and took care of Jonathan's lame son.
241 (§71A). Jonathan knows that it will be dangerous for him to tell David the result of his observation of the king as he would probably be watched, so he arranges to tell him by signal. Read the story carefully, and then tell in your own words how David was to know if he could return safely, and how he was to know if he must escape.
242 (§71B). Tell the story of the Feast of the New Moon. Notice that Saul did not object to David's absence the first day, thinking that there might be some religious cleansing that was necessary. What excuse did Jonathan make? The king thought that Jonathan could not understand that David would get the throne, and he was angry with him for being so foolish as to be friends with him. Do you think Jonathan knew that David was to be king? What was the end of the discussion between the king and his son?
243 (§71C). How did Jonathan inform David that the king was his enemy? Why did he say to the boy, "Make speed, haste, stay not"? So these two friends parted, each trusting the other.
Have you known a friend who was magnanimous when he might have been jealous? Write about it in your notebook.
§72. The Band of Outlaws (I Sam. 22:1, 2; 23:1-8, 13, 14; 25:2-42)
A. THE GATHERING OF THE BAND
David arose and fled for fear of Saul, and escaped to the cave of Adullam: and when his brethren and all his father's house heard it, they went down thither to him. And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him; and he became captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men.
And they told David, saying, "Behold, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they rob the threshing-floors."
Therefore David enquired of the Lord, saying, "Shall I go and smite these Philistines?"
And the Lord said unto David, "Go, and smite the Philistines, and save Keilah."
And David's men said unto him, "Behold, we be afraid here in Judah: how much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?"
Then David enquired of the Lord yet again. And the Lord answered him and said, "Arise, go down to Keilah; for I will deliver the Philistines into thine hand."
And David and his men went to Keilah, and fought with the Philistines, and brought away their cattle, and slew them with a great slaughter. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.
And it was told Saul that David was come to Keilah. And Saul summoned all the people to war, to go down to Keilah, to besiege David and his men. Then David and his men, which were about six hundred, arose and departed out of Keilah, and went whithersoever they could go. And it was told Saul that David was escaped from Keilah; and he forbare to go forth.
And David abode in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in the hill country.
B. DAVID'S REQUEST OF NABAL
And there was a man in Maon, whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man was very great, and he had three thousand sheep, and a thousand goats: and he was shearing his sheep in Carmel. Now the name of the man was Nabal; and the name of his wife Abigail: and the woman was of good understanding, and of a beautiful countenance: but the man was churlish and evil in his doings.
And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal did shear his sheep. And David sent ten young men, and David said unto the young men, "Get you up to Carmel, and go to Nabal, and greet him in my name: and thus shall ye say to him that liveth in prosperity, 'Peace be both unto thee, and peace be to thine house, and peace be unto all that thou hast. And now I have heard that thou hast shearers: thy shepherds have now been with us, and we did them no hurt, neither was there aught missing unto them, all the while they were in Carmel. Ask thy young men, and they will tell thee: wherefore let the young men find favor in thine eyes; for we come in a good day: give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thine hand, unto thy servants, and to thy son David.'"
And when David's young men came, they spake to Nabal according to all those words in the name of David. And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, "Who is David? and who is the son of Jesse? there be many servants now-a-days that break away every man from his master. Shall I then take my bread, and my water, and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers, and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they be?"
So David's young men turned on their way, and went back, and came and told him according to all these words. And David said unto his men, "Gird ye on every man his sword." And they girded on every man his sword; and David also girded on his sword: and there went up after David about four hundred men; and two hundred abode by the stuff.
C. ABIGAIL'S PEACEMAKING
But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal's wife, saying, "Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; and he flew upon them. But the men were very good unto us, and we were not hurt, neither missed we anything, as long as we were with them, when we were in the fields: they were a wall unto us both by night and by day, all the while we were with them keeping the sheep. Now therefore know and consider what thou wilt do; for evil is determined against our master, and against all his house: for he is such a worthless fellow, that one cannot speak to him."
Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of parched corn, and a hundred clusters of raisins, and two hundred cakes of figs, and laid them on asses. And she said unto her young men, "Go on before me; behold, I come after you." But she told not her husband Nabal. And it was so, as she rode on her ass, and came down by the covert of the mountain, that, behold, David and his men came down against her; and she met them. Now David had said, "Surely in vain have I kept all that this fellow hath in the wilderness, so that nothing was missed of all that belonged unto him: and he hath returned me evil for good. God do so unto David, and more also, if I leave of all that pertain to him by the morning light so much as one man child."
And when Abigail saw David, she hasted, and lighted off her ass, and fell before David on her face, and bowed herself to the ground. And she fell at his feet, and said, "Upon me, my lord, upon me be the iniquity: and let thine handmaid, I pray thee, speak in thine ears, and hear thou the words of thine handmaid. Let not my lord, I pray thee, regard this worthless fellow, even Nabal: for as his name is, so is he; Nabal, fool, is his name, and folly is with him: but I thine handmaid saw not the young men of my lord, whom thou didst send. Now therefore, this present which thy servant hath brought unto my lord, let it be given unto the young men that follow my lord. Forgive, I pray thee, the trespass of thine handmaid: for the Lord will certainly make my lord a sure house, because my lord fighteth the battles of the Lord; and evil shall not be found in thee all thy days. And though man be risen up to pursue thee, and to seek thy life, yet the life of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord thy God; and the lives of thine enemies, them shall he sling out, as from the hollow of a sling. And it shall come to pass, when the Lord shall have done to my lord according to all the good that he hath spoken concerning thee, and shall have appointed thee prince over Israel; that this shall be no grief unto thee, nor offence of heart unto my lord, either that thou hast shed blood causeless, or that my lord hath avenged himself: and when the Lord shall have dealt well with my lord, then remember thine handmaid."
And David said to Abigail, "Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, which sent thee this day to meet me: and blessed be thy wisdom, and blessed be thou, which hast kept me this day from bloodguiltiness, and from avenging myself with mine own hand. For in very deed, as the Lord, the God of Israel, liveth, which hath withholden me from hurting thee, except thou hadst hasted and come to meet me, surely there had not been left unto Nabal by the morning light so much as one man child."
So David received of her hand that which she had brought him: and he said unto her, "Go up in peace to thine house; see, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have accepted thy person."
D. THE END OF NABAL
And Abigail came to Nabal; and, behold, he held a feast in his house, like the feast of a king; and Nabal's heart was merry within him, for he was very drunken: wherefore she told him nothing, less or more, until the morning light. And it came to pass in the morning, when the wine was gone out of Nabal, that his wife told him these things, and his heart died within him, and he became as a stone. And it came to pass about ten days after, that the Lord smote Nabal, that he died.
And when David heard that Nabal was dead, he said, "Blessed be the Lord, that hath pleaded the cause of my reproach from the hand of Nabal, and hath kept back his servant from evil; and the evil-doing of Nabal hath the Lord returned upon his own head."
And David sent and spake concerning Abigail, to take her to him to wife. And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel, they spake unto her, saying, "David hath sent us unto thee, to take thee to him to wife."
And she arose, and bowed herself with her face to the earth, and said, "Behold, thine handmaid is a servant to wash the feet of the servants of my lord." And Abigail hasted, and arose, and rode upon an ass, with five damsels of hers that followed her; and she went after the messengers of David, and became his wife.
§73. David's Generosity to Saul (I Sam. 26:2-25; 27:1-4)
A. THE SLEEPING ENEMY
And Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness, having three thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David. David therefore sent out spies and knew where Saul was come. And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay within the place of the wagons, and the people pitched round about him. Then answered David and said to Ahimelech the Hittite, and to Abishai, "Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp?"
And Abishai said, "I will go down with thee."
So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the place of the wagons, with his spear stuck in the ground at his head: and Abner and the people lay round about him.
Then said Abishai to David, "God hath delivered up thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear to the earth at one stroke, and I will not smite him the second time."
And David said to Abishai, "Destroy him not: for who can put forth his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?" And David said, "As the Lord liveth, either the Lord shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle, and perish. The Lord forbid that I should put forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed: but now take, I pray thee, the spear that is at his head, and the cruse of water, and let us go."
So David took the spear and the cruse of water from Saul's head; and they gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it, neither did any awake: for they were all asleep; because a deep sleep from the Lord was fallen upon them.
B. SAUL'S REPENTANCE
Then David went over to the other side, and stood on the top of the mountain afar off; a great space being between them: and David cried to the people, and to Abner, saying, "Answerest thou not, Abner?"
Then Abner answered and said, "Who art thou that criest to the king?"
And David said to Abner, "Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept watch over thy lord the king? for there came one of the people in to destroy the king thy lord. This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the Lord liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept watch over your lord, the Lord's anointed. And now, see, where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his head."
And Saul knew David's voice, and said, "Is this thy voice, my son David?"
And David said, "It is my voice, my lord, O king. Wherefore doth my lord pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand? for the king of Israel is come out to seek a flea, as when one doth hunt a partridge in the mountains."
Then said Saul, "I have sinned: return, my son David: for I will no more do thee harm, because my life was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly."
And David answered and said, "Behold the spear, O king! let then one of the young men come over and fetch it. And the Lord shall render to every man his righteousness and his faithfulness: forasmuch as the Lord delivered thee into my hand to-day, and I would not put forth mine hand against the Lord's anointed. And, behold, as thy life was much set by this day in mine eyes, so let my life be much set by in the eyes of the Lord, and let him deliver me out of all tribulation."
Then Saul said to David, "Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do mightily, and shalt surely prevail." So David went his way, and Saul returned to his place.