it. But there was a strong tower within the city, and thither fled all
the men and women, and all they of the city, and shut themselves in,
and went up to the roof of the tower. And Abimelech came unto the
tower, and fought against it, and went close under the door of the
tower to burn it with fire. And a certain woman cast an upper
millstone upon Abimelech's head, and broke his skull. Then he called
hastily unto the young man his armor-bearer, and said unto him, "Draw
thy sword, and kill me, that men say not of me, 'A woman slew him.'"
And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
And when the men of Israel saw that Abimelech was dead, they departed
every man unto his place.
{338}
SAMUEL
_The Story of a Man Who Began to Do Right When He Was a Boy, and Who
Never Departed from the Way in Which He Began_.
(Samuel is one of the finest characters in the Old Testament. In the
midst of evil times, and in contact with evil men, he never departed
from the strict way of truth and righteousness and service to God.
Samuel was fortunate in having an excellent mother. She dedicated her
son to God, and gave him very early to the service of God. She loved
him very much, and no doubt missed him very much from the home. Every
year she went to see him, and brought him a little coat which she had
made.
"But Samuel ministered before the Lord, being a child. Moreover his
mother made him a little robe, and brought it to him from year to
year, when she came up with her husband to offer the yearly
sacrifice.")
HOW SAMUEL LEARNED TO OBEY THE VOICE OF GOD.
And the child Samuel ministered to the Lord before Eli. And the word
of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision. And
it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place (now
his eyes had begun to grow dim, so that he could not see), and the
lamp of God was not yet gone out, and Samuel was laid down to sleep,
in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was; that the Lord
called Samuel: and he said, "Here am I."
{339}{340}
[Illustration]
SOURCES OF THE JORDAN. THE ANCIENT DAN
Dan was a city on the northern boundary of Palestine, and Beer-sheba
was a city on the southern boundary, so there came to be a national
saying "from Dan to Beer-sheba," to indicate the whole kingdom. "And
all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew that Samuel was
established to be a prophet of the Lord." The picture is taken near
the supposed site of the ancient city at the point where a great
spring bursting forth forms the principal source of the Jordan river.
[End illustration]
{341}
And he ran to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst me."
And he said, "I called not; lie down again."
And he went and lay down. And the Lord called yet again, "Samuel."
And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou
calledst me."
And he answered, "I called not, my son; lie down again."
Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord
yet revealed to him. And the Lord called Samuel again the third time.
And he arose and went to Eli, and said, "Here am I; for thou calledst.
me."
And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.
Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he
call thee, that thou shalt say, 'Speak, Lord; for thy servant
heareth.'"
So Samuel went and lay down in his place. And the Lord came, and
stood, and called as at other times, "Samuel, Samuel."
Then Samuel said, "Speak; for thy servant heareth." And the Lord said,
"Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of
everyone that heareth it shall tingle. In that day I will perform
against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from the
beginning even unto the end. For I have told him that I will judge
{342} his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knew, because his
sons did bring a curse upon themselves, and he restrained them not.
And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of
Eli's house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever."
And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of
the Lord. And Samuel feared to show Eli the vision. Then Eli called
Samuel, and said, "Samuel, my son."
And he said, "Here am I."
And he said, "What is the thing that the Lord hath spoken unto thee? I
pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if
thou hide anything from me of all the things that he spoke unto thee."
And Samuel told him every word, and hid nothing from him. And he said,
"It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good."
And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and let none of his words
fall to the ground. And all Israel from Dan even to Beer-sheba knew
that Samuel was established to be a prophet of the Lord.
HOW THE WICKEDNESS OF THE LEADERS BROUGHT SORE DEFEAT UPON ISRAEL AND
HOW ELI DIED WHEN HE HEARD THE NEWS.
Now Israel went out against the Philistines to battle, and camped
beside Eben-ezer: and the Philistines camped in Aphek. And the
Philistines put themselves in array against Israel: and when they
joined battle, Israel was smitten before the Philistines: and they
slew of the army in the field about four thousand men.
{343}{344}
[Illustration]
THE RUINS OF SHILOH (SEILUN), FROM THE NORTHEAST
Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
The mound is covered with foundations, heaps of stones, and walls.
"And there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh
the same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head."
Shiloh was one of the principal sanctuaries of Israel throughout the
time of the Judges. Here the ark was kept, and here Eli was living
when the man of Benjamin came out of the fatal fight to tell Eli
that his sons were slain and the Ark of God was taken by the
Philistines.
[End illustration]
{345}
And when the people were come into the camp, the elders of Israel
said, "Wherefore hath the Lord smitten us to-day before the
Philistines? Let us fetch the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of
Shiloh unto us, that it may come among us, and save us out of the hand
of our enemies."
So the people sent to Shiloh, and they brought from thence the ark of
the covenant of the Lord of hosts, which sitteth upon the cherubim:
and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were there with the ark
of the covenant of God. And when the ark of the covenant of the Lord
came into the camp, all Israel shouted with a great shout, so that the
earth rang again. And when the Philistines heard the noise of the
shout, they said, "What meaneth the noise of this great shout in the
camp of the Hebrews?"
And they understood that the ark of the Lord was come into the camp.
And the Philistines were afraid, for they said, "God is come into the
camp." And they said, "Woe unto us! for there hath not been such a
thing heretofore. Woe unto us! who shall deliver us out of the hand of
these mighty gods? these are the gods that smote the Egyptians with
all manner of plagues in the wilderness. Be strong, and quit
yourselves like men, O ye Philistines, that ye be not servants unto
the Hebrews, as they have been to you: quit yourselves like men, and
fight."
And the Philistines fought, and Israel was smitten, and they fled
every man to his tent: and there was a very {346} great slaughter; for
there fell of Israel thirty thousand footmen. And the ark of God was
taken; and the two sons of Eli, Hophni and Phinehas, were slain. And
there ran a man of Benjamin out of the army, and came to Shiloh the
same day with his clothes rent, and with earth upon his head. And when
he came, lo, Eli sat upon his seat by the wayside watching: for his
heart trembled for the ark of God. And when the man came into the
city, and told it, all the city cried out. And when Eli heard the
noise of the crying, he said, "What meaneth the noise of this tumult?"
And the man hasted, and came and told Eli. Now Eli was ninety and
eight years old; and his eyes were set, that he could not see.
And the man said unto Eli, "I am he that came out of the army, and I
fled to-day out of the army."
And he said, "How went the matter, my son?"
And he that brought the tidings answered and said, "Israel is fled
before the Philistines, and there hath been also a great slaughter
among the people, and thy two sons also, Hophni and Phinehas, are
dead, and the ark of God is taken."
And it came to pass, when he made mention of the ark of God, that he
fell from off his seat backward by the side of the gate, and his neck
broke, and he died: for he was an old man, and heavy. And he had
judged Israel forty years.
{347}
The Great Kings
After the judges came the kings. There were many kings in Israel's
history, but the first three were really the greatest. Saul was the
founder of the kingdom, a mighty king in spite of his faults. David made
the nation great because he was great himself. Solomon by his wisdom and
skill raised Israel to such wealth and splendor as it never had before
or after.
{348}
{349}
SAUL
_The Story of the Farmer Who Became King_.
(Samuel was the last and the best of the Judges of Israel. He
conquered the Philistines, and for many years the land had peace. He
was a "circuit judge," going from district to district. As he grew old
he attempted to put his sons in his place, but they were not like
their father. They took bribes and did that which was evil. Then the
people demanded a king. How Samuel at first resisted, but at last
yielded and anointed Saul as king, is told in the following story.)
THE PEOPLE DEMAND A KING TO RULE OVER THEM.
_Samuel Warns Them of the Dangers of a Kingdom_.
After a great victory over the Philistines, Samuel took a stone, and
set it between Mizpah and Shen, and called the name of it Eben-ezer
(that is, the stone of help), saying, "Hitherto hath the Lord helped
us."
So the Philistines were subdued, and they came no more within the
border of Israel: and the hand of the Lord was against the Philistines
all the days of Samuel.
And Samuel judged Israel all the days of his life. And he went from
year to year in circuit to Beth-el, and Gilgal, and Mizpah; and he
judged Israel in all those places. And his return was to Ramah, for
there was his house; and there he judged Israel: and he built there an
altar unto the Lord.
{350}
And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that he made his sons judges
over Israel. Now the name of his firstborn was Joel; and the name of
his second, Abijah: they were judges in Beer-sheba. And his sons
walked not in his ways, but turned aside after money, and took bribes,
and perverted judgment.
Then all the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came
to Samuel unto Ramah: and they said to him, "Behold, thou art old, and
thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all
the nations."
But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, "Give us a king to
judge us."
And Samuel prayed unto the Lord. And the Lord said unto Samuel,
"Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee:
for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I
should not be king over them. According to all the works which they
have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even to
this day, in that they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do
they also to thee. Now therefore hearken to their voice: howbeit thou
shalt protest solemnly to them, and shalt show them the manner of the
king that shall reign over them."
And Samuel told all the words of the Lord unto the people that asked
of him a king. And he said, "This will be the manner of the king that
shall reign over you: he will take your sons, and appoint them unto
him, for his chariots, and to be his horsemen; and they shall run
before {351} his chariots: and he will appoint them for captains of
thousands, and captains of fifties; and he will set some to plow his
ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war,
and the instruments of his chariots. And he will take your daughters
to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will
take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the
best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the
tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers,
and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your
maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put
them to his work. He will take the tenth of your flocks: and ye shall
be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king
which ye shall have chosen you; and the Lord will not answer you in
that day."
But the people refused to hearken to the voice of Samuel; and they
said, "Nay; but we will have a king over us; that we also may be like
all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us,
and fight our battles."
And Samuel heard all the words of the people, and he repeated them in
the ears of the Lord. And the Lord said to Samuel, "Hearken to their
voice, and make them a king."
And Samuel said to the men of Israel, "Go ye every man unto his city."
{352}
THE TALL SON OF KISH IS CHOSEN.
_Saul Is Secretly Anointed by Samuel to Be King_.
Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, a Benjamite, a
mighty man of valor. And he had a son whose name was Saul, a young man
and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a
goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher
than any of the people. And the asses of Kish Saul's father were lost.
And Kish said to Saul his son, "Take now one of the servants with
thee, and arise, go seek the asses."
And he passed through the hill country of Ephraim, but they found them
not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found
them not. When they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his
servant that was with him, "Come and let us return; lest my father
stop caring for the asses, and be anxious for us."
And he said to him, "Behold now, there is in this city a man of God,
and he is a man who is held in honor; all that he saith cometh surely
to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can tell us concerning
our journey whereon we go."
Then said Saul to his servant, "But, behold, if we go, what shall we
bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not
a present to bring to the man of God: what have we?" And the servant
answered Saul again, and said, "Behold, I have in my hand the fourth
part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to
tell us our way."
{353}
Then said Saul to his servant, "Well said; come, let us go."
So they went unto the city where the man of God was. As they went up
the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw
water, and said to them, "Is the seer here?"
And they answered them and said, "He is; behold, he is before thee:
make haste now, for he is come to-day into the city; for the people
have a sacrifice to-day in the high place: as soon as ye are come into
the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he goes up to the high
place to eat: for the people will not eat until he come, because he
doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards those eat who are bidden. Now
therefore get you up; for at this time ye shall find him."
And they went up to the city; and as they came within the city,
behold, Samuel came out toward them to go up to the high place.
Now the Lord had revealed to Samuel a day before Saul came, saying,
"To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of
Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be prince over my people
Israel, and he shall save my people out of the hand of the
Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is
come unto me."
And when Samuel saw Saul, the Lord said to him, "Behold the man of
whom I spoke to thee! this same shall have authority over my people."
Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said. "Tell me, I pray
thee, where the seer's house is."
{354}
And Samuel answered Saul, and said, "I am the seer; go up before me
unto the high place, for ye shall eat with me to-day: and in the
morning I will let thee go, and will tell all that is in thine heart.
And as for thine asses that were lost three days ago, set not thy mind
on them; for they are found. And for whom is all that is desirable in
Israel? Is it not for thee, and for all thy father's house?"
And Saul answered and said, "Am not I a Benjamite, of the smallest of
the tribes of Israel? and my family the least of all the families of
the tribe of Benjamin? wherefore then speakest thou to me after this
manner?"
And Samuel took Saul and his servant and brought them into the guest
chamber, and made them sit in the chiefest place among those who were
bidden, who were about thirty persons. And Samuel said to the cook,
"Bring the portion which I gave thee, of which I said to thee, 'Set it
by thee.'"
And the cook took up the shoulder, and that which was upon it, and set
it before Saul. And Samuel said, "Behold that which hath been
reserved! set it before thee and eat; because to the appointed time
hath it been kept for thee, for I said, 'I have invited the people.'"
So Saul did eat with Samuel that day. And when they were come down
from the high place into the city, he communed with Saul upon the
housetop.
And they arose early: and it came to pass about the dawning of the
day, that Samuel called to Saul on the housetop, saying, "Up, that I
may send thee away."
{355}{356}
[Illustration]
THE ANCIENT MIZPAH, LOOKING FROM THE SOUTH.
It is situated on a high hill to the northwest of Jerusalem.
From a photograph taken by Prof. H. G. Mitchell,
and used by his kind permission.
There were many places in Palestine called Mizpah, "watch tower,"
but it seems probable that the location shown in the picture was the
site of Samuel's home.
[End illustration]
{357}
And Saul arose, and they went out both of them, he and Samuel, abroad.
As they were going down at the end of the city, Samuel said to Saul,
"Bid the servant pass on before us" (and he passed on), "but stand
thou still that I may cause thee to hear the word of God."
Then Samuel took the vial of oil, and poured it upon his head, and
kissed him, and said, "Is it not that the Lord hath anointed thee to
be prince over his inheritance?" And Saul departed from Samuel.
And when Saul reached home his uncle said to him and to his servant,
"Whither went ye?" And he said, "To seek the asses: and when we saw
that they were not found, we came to Samuel."
And Saul's uncle said, "Tell me, I pray thee, what Samuel said to
you." And Saul said to his uncle, "He told us plainly that the asses
were found." But concerning the matter of the kingdom, whereof Samuel
spoke, he told him not.
SAUL IS PUBLICLY PROCLAIMED KING.
"_God Save the King!_"
And Samuel called the people together to the Lord to Mizpah; and he
said to the children of Israel, "Thus saith the Lord, the God of
Israel, I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and I delivered you out of
the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all the kingdoms
that oppressed you: but ye have this day rejected your God, who
himself saveth you out of all your calamities and your distresses; and
ye have said to him, 'Nay, but set a king over us.' Now {358}
therefore present yourselves before the Lord by your tribes, and by
your thousands."
So Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of
Benjamin was chosen. And he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by
their families, and the family of the Matrites was chosen: and Saul
the son of Kish was chosen; but when they sought him, he could not be
found. Therefore they asked of the Lord further, "Is the man yet come
hither?"
And the Lord answered, "Behold, he hath hid himself in the camp."
And they ran and fetched him thence; and when he stood among the
people, he was higher than any of the people from his shoulders and
upward. And Samuel said to all the people, "See ye him whom the Lord
hath chosen, that there is none like him among all the people?"
And all the people shouted, and said,--
"God save the king!"
Then Samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom, and wrote it in
a book, and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people
away, every man to his house. And Saul also went to his house to
Gibeah; and there went with him the host, whose hearts God had
touched.
But certain worthless fellows said, "How shall this man save us?"
And they despised him, and brought him no present. But he held his
peace.
{359}
SAUL IS TRIED AND IS NOT FOUND WANTING.
_The First Battle of the New King_.
Then Nahash the Ammonite came up, and encamped against Jabesh-gilead:
and all the men of Jabesh said to Nahash, "Make a covenant with us,
and we will serve thee."
And Nahash the Ammonite said unto them, "On this condition will I make
it with you, that all your right eyes be put out; and I will lay it
for a reproach upon all Israel."
And the elders of Jabesh said to him, "Give us seven days' respite,
that we may send messengers to all the borders of Israel: and then, if
there be none to save us, we will come out to thee."
Then came the messengers to Gibeah of Saul, and spoke these words in
the ears of the people: and all the people lifted up their voice, and
wept. And, behold, Saul came following the oxen out of the field; and
Saul said, "What aileth the people that they weep?"
And they told him the words of the men of Jabesh. And the spirit of
God came mightily upon Saul when he heard those words, and his anger
was kindled greatly. And he took a yoke of oxen, and cut them in
pieces, and sent them throughout all the borders of Israel by the hand
of messengers, saying, "Whosoever cometh not forth after Saul and
after Samuel, so shall it be done to his oxen."
And the dread of the Lord fell on the people, and they came out as one
man. And he numbered them in Bezek; and the children of Israel were
three hundred thousand, and the men of Judah thirty thousand. And they
said {360} to the messengers that came, "Thus shall ye say unto the
men of Jabesh-gilead, 'To-morrow, by the time the sun is hot, ye shall
have deliverance.'"
And the messengers came and told the men of Jabesh; and they were
glad. Therefore the men of Jabesh said, "To-morrow we will come out
unto you, and ye shall do with us all that seemeth good unto you."
And it was so on the morrow, that Saul put the people in three
companies; and they came into the midst of the camp in the morning
watch, and smote the Ammonites until the heat of day: and it came to
pass, that they which remained were scattered, so that two of them
were not left together.
And the people said to Samuel, "Who is he that said, 'Shall Saul reign
over us?' bring the men, that we may put them to death."
And Saul said, "There shall not a man be put to death this day: for
to-day the Lord hath wrought deliverance in Israel."
SAUL THE WARRIOR.
_Battles and Victories_.
Saul was thirty years old when he began to reign; and he reigned two
years over Israel. And Saul chose him three thousand men of Israel;
whereof two thousand were with Saul in Michmash and in the mount of
Beth-el, and a thousand were with Jonathan in Gibeah of Benjamin: and
the rest of the people he sent every man to his tent. And Jonathan
smote the garrison of the Philistines that was in Geba, and the
Philistines heard of it. And Saul {361} blew the trumpet throughout
all the land, saying, "Let the Hebrews hear." And all Israel heard
that Saul had smitten the garrison of the Philistines, and that Israel
also was held in abomination by the Philistines. And the people were
gathered together after Saul to Gilgal.
And the Philistines assembled themselves together to fight with
Israel, thirty thousand chariots, and six thousand horsemen, and
people as the sand which is on the sea shore in multitude: and they
came up and pitched in Michmash, eastward of Beth-aven. When the men
of Israel saw that they were in a strait (for the people were
distressed), then the people hid themselves in caves, and in thickets,
and in rocks, and in holds, and in pits. Now some of the Hebrews had
gone over Jordan to the land of Gad and Gilead; but as for Saul, he
was yet in Gilgal, and all the people followed him trembling.
And he tarried seven days, according to the set time that Samuel had
appointed: but Samuel came not to Gilgal; and the people were
scattered from him. And Saul said, "Bring hither the burnt offering to
me, and the peace offerings." And he offered the burnt offering. And
it came to pass that, as soon as he had made an end of offering the
burnt offering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him,
that he might salute him. And Samuel said, "What hast thou done?" And
Saul said, "Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and
that thou earnest not within the days appointed, and that the
Philistines assembled themselves together at Michmash; therefore said
I, 'Now will the Philistines come {362} down upon me to Gilgal, and I
have not intreated the favor of the Lord': I forced myself therefore
to do it, and offered the burnt offering."
And Samuel said to Saul, "Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept
the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now
would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel forever. But now
thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his
own heart, and the Lord hath appointed him to be prince over his people,
because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee."
And Samuel arose, and went up from Gilgal to Gibeah of Benjamin. And
Saul numbered the people that were present with him, about six hundred
men. And Saul, and Jonathan his son, and the people that were present
with them, abode in Geba of Benjamin: but the Philistines encamped in
Michmash. And bands of the Philistines came out and ravaged the
country all about.
Now there was no blacksmith found throughout all the land of Israel:
for the Philistines said, "There shall be no blacksmith, lest the
Hebrews make them swords or spears": but all the Israelites went down
to the Philistines, to sharpen their axes and ploughshares and other
tools.
So it came to pass in the day of battle, that there was neither sword
nor spear found in the hand of any of the people that were with Saul
and Jonathan; except in the hands of Saul and Jonathan his son. And
the garrison of the Philistines went out unto the pass of Michmash.
{363}{364}
[Illustration]
THE VALLEY OF AIJALON
"Throughout history we see hosts swarming up this avenue or swept
down it in flight. Joshua drove the Canaanites down this valley.
Down Aijalon the early men of Ephraim and Benjamin raided the
Philistines. Up Aijalon the Philistines swarmed to the very heart of
Israel's territory at Michmash, disarmed the Israelites, and forced
them to come down the vale to get their tools sharpened, so that the
mouth of the vale was called the 'Valley of the Smiths,' even till
after the Exile. Down Aijalon Saul and Jonathan beat the Philistines
from Michmash." --_George Adam Smith_
David also fought in Aijalon, and in 66 A. D., a Roman army suffered
a terrible defeat in the valley.
[End illustration]
{365}
Now it fell upon a day, that Jonathan the son of Saul said unto the
young man who bore his armor, "Come and let us go over to the
Philistines' garrison, that is on yonder side."
But he told not his father. And Saul abode in the uttermost part of
Gibeah under the pomegranate tree which is in Migron: and the people
that were with him were about six hundred men. And the people knew not
that Jonathan was gone. And between the passes, by which Jonathan
sought to go over unto the Philistines' garrison, there was a rocky
crag on the one side, and a rocky crag on the other side. The one crag
rose up on the north in front of Michmash, and the other on the south
in front of Geba. And Jonathan said to the young man that bore his
armor, "Come and let us go over unto the garrison of the Philistines:
it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no reason why
the Lord cannot save by many or by few."
And his armorbearer said to him, "Do all that is in thine heart: turn
thee, behold I am with thee according to thy wish." Then said
Jonathan, "Behold, we will pass over to the men, and we will show
ourselves to them. If they say thus unto us, 'Tarry until we come to
you'; then we will stand still in our place, and will not go up to
them. But if they say thus, 'Come up to us'; then we will go up: for
the Lord hath delivered them into our hand: and this shall be the sign
to us."
And both of them showed themselves to the garrison of the Philistines:
and the Philistines said, "Behold, the Hebrews come forth out of the
holes where they had hid {366} themselves." And the men of the
garrison answered Jonathan and his armorbearer, and said, "Come up to
us, and we will show you something."
And Jonathan said to his armorbearer, "Come up after me: for the Lord
hath delivered them into the hand of Israel."
And Jonathan climbed up upon his hands and upon his feet, and his
armorbearer after him: and they fell before Jonathan; and his
armorbearer slew them after him. And that first slaughter, which
Jonathan and his armorbearer made, was about twenty men, within an
acre of land. And there was a trembling in the camp, in the field, and
among all the people. And the watchmen of Saul in Gibeah of Benjamin
looked; and, behold, the multitude melted away, and they went hither
and thither.
Then said Saul to the people that were with him, "Number now, and see
who is gone from us."
And when they had numbered, behold, Jonathan and his armorbearer were
not there. And Saul said to Ahijah, "Bring hither the ark of God."
For the ark of God was there at that time with the children of Israel.
And it came to pass, while Saul talked unto the priest, that the
tumult that was in the camp of the Philistines went on and increased:
and Saul said to the priest, "Withdraw thine hand."
And Saul and all the people that were with him were gathered together,
and came to the battle: and, behold, every man's sword was against his
fellow, and there was a very great rout. Now the Hebrews that were
with the {367} Philistines as beforetime, which went up with them into
the camp from the country round about; even they also turned to be
with the Israelites that were with Saul and Jonathan. Likewise all the
men of Israel which had hid themselves in the hill country of Ephraim,
when they heard that the Philistines fled, even they also followed
hard after them in the battle.
So the Lord saved Israel that day: and the battle passed over by
Beth-aven. And the men of Israel were distressed that day: but Saul
commanded the people, saying, "Cursed be the man that eateth any food
until it be evening, and I be avenged on mine enemies." So none of the
people tasted food. And all the people came into the forest; and there
was honey upon the ground. And when the people were come unto the
forest, behold, the honey dropped: but no man ate any; for the people
feared the oath. But Jonathan heard not when his father charged the
people with the oath: wherefore he put forth the end of the rod that
was in his hand, and dipped it in the honeycomb, and ate it; and he
was strengthened. Then said one of the people, "Thy father straitly
charged the people with an oath, saying, "Cursed be the man that
eateth food this day."
And the people were faint. Then said Jonathan, "My father hath
troubled the land: see, I pray you, how I have been strengthened,
because I tasted a little of this honey. How much more, if the people
had eaten freely to-day of the spoil of their enemies which they
found? for now hath there been no great slaughter among the
Philistines."
{368}
And they smote of the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon:
and the people were very faint. And the people flew upon the spoil,
and took sheep, and oxen, and calves, and slew them on the ground: and
the people did eat them with the blood. Then they told Saul, saying,
"Behold, the people sin against the Lord, in that they eat with the
blood." And he said, "Ye have dealt treacherously: roll a great stone
to me this day."
And Saul said, "Disperse yourselves among the people, and say to them,
'Bring me hither every man his ox, and every man his sheep, and slay
them here, and eat; and sin not against the Lord in eating with the
blood.'"
And all the people brought every man his ox with him that night, and
slew them there. And Saul built an altar unto the Lord: the same was
the first altar that he built to the Lord.
And Saul said, "Let us go down after the Philistines by night, and
fight them until the morning light, and let us not leave a man of
them."
And they said, "Do whatsoever seemeth good unto thee." Then said the
priest, "Let us draw near hither to God."
And Saul asked counsel of God, "Shall I go down after the Philistines?
wilt thou deliver them into the hand of Israel?"
But he answered him not that day. And Saul said, "Draw nigh hither,
all ye chiefs of the people: and know and see wherein this sin hath
been this day. For as the Lord liveth, who saveth Israel, though it be
in Jonathan {369} my son, he shall surely die." But there was not a
man among all the people that answered him.
Then said he unto all Israel, "Be ye on one side, and I and Jonathan
my son will be on the other side."
And the people said to Saul, "Do what seemeth good to thee."
Therefore Saul said to the Lord, the God of Israel, "Show the right."
And Jonathan and Saul were chosen by lot: but the people escaped.
And Saul said, "Cast lots between me and Jonathan my son." And
Jonathan was chosen.
Then Saul said to Jonathan, "Tell me what thou hast done."
And Jonathan told him, and said, "I did certainly taste a little honey
with the end of the rod that was in mine hand; and, lo, I must die."
And Saul said, "God do so and more also: for thou shalt surely die,
Jonathan."
And the people said to Saul, "Shall Jonathan die, who hath wrought
this great salvation in Israel? God forbid: as the Lord liveth, there
shall not one hair of his head fall to the ground; for he hath wrought
with God this day."
So the people rescued Jonathan, that he died not.
Then Saul went up from following the Philistines: and the Philistines
went to their own place.
Now when Saul had taken the kingdom over Israel, he fought against all
his enemies on every side, against Moab, and against the children of
Ammon, and against Edom, {370} and against the kings of Zobah, and
against the Philistines: and whithersoever he went he defeated them.
THE DISOBEDIENCE OF SAUL.
"_To Obey Is Better than Sacrifice._"
And Samuel said to Saul, "The Lord sent me to anoint thee to be king
over his people, over Israel: now therefore hearken thou to the voice
of the words of the Lord. Thus saith the Lord of hosts, 'I have marked
that which Amalek did to Israel, how he set himself against him in the
way, when he came up out of Egypt. Now go and smite Amalek, and
utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not; but slay both
man and woman, infant and suckling, ox and sheep, camel and ass.'"
And Saul summoned the people, and numbered them in Telaim, two hundred
thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of Judah. And Saul came to the
city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. And Saul said unto the
Kenites, "Go, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I
destroy you with them: for ye showed kindness to all the children of
Israel, when they came up out of Egypt."
So the Kenites departed from among the Amalekites, and Saul smote the
Amalekites and defeated them. And he took Agag the king of the
Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge
of the sword. But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the
sheep, and of the oxen, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all
that was good, and would not utterly destroy them: but everything that
was useless and refuse, that they destroyed utterly. .
{371}
[Illustration]
RUINS OF A ROMAN BRIDGE AT BETH-SHAN, OVER WHICH THE
ROAD TO GADARA PASSED
Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
After the battle of Gilboa the bodies of Saul and his sons were
found on the field by the Philistines and carried to the town of
Beth-shan and fastened to the wall. But the men of Jabesh-Gilead
heard of this indignity to the dead, and making a night march
removed the bodies.
[End illustration]
{373}
Then came the word of the Lord unto Samuel, saying, "It repenteth me
that I have set up Saul to be king: for he is turned back from
following me, and hath not performed my commandments."
And Samuel was wroth; and he cried to the Lord all night. And Samuel
rose early to meet Saul in the morning; and it was told Samuel,
saying, "Saul came to Carmel, and, behold, he set him up a monument,
and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to Gilgal." And Samuel
came to Saul: and Saul said to him, "Blessed be thou of the Lord: I
have performed the commandment of the Lord."
And Samuel said, "What meaneth then this bleating of the sheep in mine
ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?"
And Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites: for the
people spared the best of the sheep and of the oxen, to sacrifice to
the Lord thy God; and the rest we have utterly destroyed."
Then Samuel said to Saul, "Stay, and I will tell thee what the Lord
hath said to me this night."
And he said unto him, "Say on."
And Samuel said, "Though thou wast little in thine own sight, wast
thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the Lord anointed
thee king over Israel; and the Lord sent thee on a journey, and said,
'Go and utterly destroy the sinners the Amalekites, and fight against
them until they be consumed.' Wherefore then didst thou not obey {374}
the voice of the Lord, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst that
which was evil in the sight of the Lord?"
And Saul said unto Samuel, "Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord,
and have gone the way which the Lord sent me, and have brought Agag
the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. But the
people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the devoted
things, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal."
And Samuel said, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings
and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold,--
"To obey is better than sacrifice,
and to harken than the fat of rams."
"For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as
idolatry and image worship. Because thou hast rejected the word of the
Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king."
And Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned: for I have transgressed the
commandment of the Lord, and thy words: because I feared the people,
and obeyed their voice. Now therefore, I pray thee, pardon my sin, and
turn again with me, that I may worship the Lord."
And Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with thee: for thou hast
rejected the word of the Lord, and the Lord hath rejected thee from
being king over Israel."
And as Samuel turned about to go away, he laid hold upon the skirt of
his robe, and it rent. And Samuel said to him, "The Lord hath rent the
kingdom of Israel from {375} thee this day, and hath given it to a
neighbor of thine, that is better than thou. And also the Strength of
Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he should
repent."
Then he said, "I have sinned: yet honor me now, I pray thee, before
the elders of my people, and before Israel; and turn again with me,
that I may worship the Lord thy God."
So Samuel turned again after Saul; and Saul worshiped the Lord.
Then said Samuel, "Bring ye hither to me Agag the king of the
Amalekites." And Agag came unto him cheerfully. And Agag said, "Surely
the bitterness of death is past."
And Samuel said, "As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy
mother be childless among women."
And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord in Gilgal.
Then Samuel went to Ramah; and Saul went up to his house to Gibeah of
Saul. And Samuel came no more to see Saul until the day of his death;
for Samuel mourned for Saul: and the Lord repented that he had made
Saul king over Israel.
THE DOWNFALL OF THE KING.
"_God is Departed from Me_."
(For some time after this Saul continued to be king over Israel, but
he had many troubles. These troubles made him sad {376} and
despondent, so that often the people thought him insane. At last war
broke out again with the fierce and powerful Philistines, who lived on
the plains to the west of the hill-country which was the home of the
Israelites. Saul was very much discouraged at the beginning of this
war. The story of what he did, and how he died at last like a hero on
the battle-field, is as follows.)
Now Samuel was dead, and all Israel had lamented him, and buried him
in Ramah, even in his own city. And Saul had put away those that had
familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. And the
Philistines gathered themselves together, and came and camped in
Shunem: and Saul gathered all Israel together, and they camped in
Gilboa. And when Saul saw the host of the Philistines, he was afraid,
and his heart trembled greatly. And when Saul inquired of the Lord,
the Lord answered him not.
Then said Saul to his servants, "Seek me a woman that hath a familiar
spirit, that I may go to her, and inquire of her."
And his servants said to him, "Behold, there is a woman that hath a
familiar spirit at En-dor."
And Saul disguised himself and put on other raiment, and went, he and
two men with him, and they came to the woman by night: and he said,
"Divine unto me, I pray thee, by the familiar spirit, and bring me up
whomsoever I shall name unto thee."
And the woman said unto him, "Behold, thou knowest what Saul hath
done, how he hath cut off those that have familiar spirits, and the
wizards, out of the land: wherefore then layest thou a snare for my
life, to cause me to die?"
{377}{378}
[Illustration]
EN-DOR
This was where the great king came at night, in despair, to consult
the woman "with the familiar spirit."
[End illustration]
{379}
And Saul swore to her by the Lord, saying, "As the Lord liveth, there
shall no punishment happen to thee for this thing."
Then said the woman, "Whom shall I bring up unto thee?"
And he said, "Bring me up Samuel."
And when the woman saw Samuel, she cried with a loud voice: and the
woman spoke to Saul, saying, "Why hast thou deceived me? for thou art
Saul."
And the king said to her, "Be not afraid: for what seest thou?"
And the woman said to Saul, "I see one like a god coming up out of the
earth."
And he said unto her, "What form is he of?"
And she said, "An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a robe."
And Saul perceived that it was Samuel, and he bowed with his face to
the ground, and did obeisance. And Samuel said to Saul, "Why hast thou
disquieted me, to bring me up?"
And Saul answered, "I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war
against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more,
neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that
thou mayest make known to me what I shall do."
And Samuel said, "Wherefore dost thou ask of me, seeing the Lord is
departed from thee, and is become thine {380} adversary? And the Lord
hath done unto thee as he spoke by me: and the Lord hath rent the
kingdom out of thine hand, and given it to thy neighbor, even to
David. Because thou obeyedst not the voice of the Lord, and didst not
execute his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath the Lord done
this thing unto thee this day. Moreover the Lord will deliver Israel
also with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to-morrow shalt
thou and thy sons be with me: the Lord shall deliver the host of
Israel also into the hand of the Philistines."
Then Saul fell straightway his full length upon the earth, and was
sore afraid, because of the words of Samuel; and there was no strength
in him; for he had eaten no food all the day, nor all the night.
THE FATAL FIELD OF GILBOA.
_The Tide of Battle Rolls Over King Saul and His Sons_.
Now the Philistines fought against Israel: and the men of Israel fled
from before the Philistines, and fell down slain in Mount Gilboa. And
the Philistines followed hard upon Saul, and upon his sons; and the
Philistines slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, the sons of
Saul. And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers overtook
him; and he was greatly distressed by reason of the archers.
Then said Saul to his armorbearer, "Draw thy sword, and thrust me
through therewith; lest the Philistines come and thrust me through,
and maltreat me."
{381}
But his armorbearer would not; for he was sore afraid. Therefore Saul
took his sword and fell upon it.
And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he likewise fell upon
his sword, and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and
his armorbearer, and all his men, that same day together. And when the
men of Israel that were on the other side of the valley, and they that
were beyond Jordan, saw that the men of Israel fled, and that Saul and
his sons were dead, they forsook the cities, and fled; and the
Philistines came and dwelt in them.
And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip
the slain, that they found Saul and his three sons fallen in Mount
Gilboa. And they cut off his head, and stripped off his armor, and
sent into the land of the Philistines round about, to carry the
tidings unto the house of their idols, and to the people. And they put
his armor in the house of the god Ashtaroth: and they fastened his
body to the wall of Beth-shan. And when the inhabitants of
Jabesh-gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul, all the
valiant men arose, and went all night, and took the body of Saul and
the bodies of his sons from the wall of Beth-shan; and they came to
Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones and buried
them under the tamarisk tree in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.
{382}
DAVID
_The Story of the Shepherd Boy Who Became King_.
THE SHEPHERD LAD OF BETHLEHEM.
_Samuel Secretly Anoints David as the Future King of Israel_.
(After Samuel had said to Saul that God wanted no king who would not
do exactly as he said, he himself became very sad, because he loved
Saul.)
But the Lord said to Samuel, "How long wilt thou mourn for Saul,
seeing I have rejected him from being king over Israel? fill thine
horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Beth-lehemite:
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 to me him whom I
name to thee."
And Samuel did that which the Lord spoke, and came
to Beth-lehem. And the elders of the city came to meet
him trembling, and said, "earnest thou peaceably?"
And he said, "Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice to the Lord: sanctify
yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice." And he sanctified
Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice.
{383}{384}
[Illustration]
DAVID
This is the head of the great statue of David in Florence, carved by
the most famous of all sculptors, Michael Angelo. The story is that
the great sculptor took a piece of marble partly spoiled by another
man, and carved this wonderful statue out of it. The statue shows
the young shepherd with his sling, ready for the conflict with the
giant.
[End illustration]
{385}
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 {386} in the midst
of his brethren: and the spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David
from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.
DAVID AND GOLIATH.
_How a Giant Was Killed by a Stone from a Shepherd's Sling_.
Now the Philistines gathered together their armies to battle. And Saul
and the men of Israel were gathered together, and camped 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 shieldbearer went before him. And he stood and cried to the armies
of Israel, and said to 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."
{387}{388}
[Illustration]
SCENE OF THE FIGHT BETWEEN DAVID AND GOLIATH IN THE VALLEY OF ELAH
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.
"It is the very battlefield for those ancient foes. Israel in one of
the gateways to her mountain land; the Philistines on the low hills
they so often overran; and between them the great valley. The
Philistines were probably on the hill of Sochoh.
"Sochoh is a strong position isolated from the rest of the ridge,
and it keeps open the line of retreat down the valley. Saul's army
was probably not immediately opposite, but a little way up on the
slopes of the incoming Wady el Jindy, and so placed that the
Philistines, in attacking it, must cross not only the level land and
the main stream, but one of the two other streams as well, and must
also climb the slopes for some distance. Both positions were thus
very strong, and this fact perhaps explains the long hesitation of
the armies in face of each other, even though the Philistines had
the advantage of Goliath. The Israelite position certainly looks the
stronger. It is interesting, too, that from its rear the narrow pass
goes right up to the interior of the land near Bethlehem; so that
the shepherd boy, whom the story represents as being sent by his
father for news of the battle, would have almost twelve miles to
cover between his father's house and the camp"
[End illustration]
{389}
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.
Now David was the son of that Ephrathite of Bethlehem-judah, whose
name was Jesse; and he had eight sons: and the man was an old man in
the days of Saul. 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 to 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 bring back some
token of their welfare."
Now Saul, and they, and all the men of Israel, were in the vale of
Elah, fighting with the Philistines. And David rose up early in the
morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and took the presents and
went, as Jesse had commanded him; and he came to the barricade of
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 the presents he had brought 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 {390}
came up the champion, the Philistine of Gath, Goliath by name, out of
the ranks of the Philistines, and spoke as before: and David heard
him. 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 in marriage, and make his
father's house free in Israel."
And David spoke 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 spoke 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 done now? I have only asked a question."
And he turned away from him toward another, and spoke after the same
manner: and the people answered him again in the same way. And when
the words were heard which David spoke, they rehearsed them before
Saul; and he sent for him. And David said to Saul, "Let no {391} 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 to 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 to David, "Go, and the Lord shall be with thee."
And Saul clad David with his own garments, and he put an helmet of
brass upon his head, and he clad him with a coat of mail. And David
girded on his sword. But David said to Saul, "I cannot go with these;
for I have not proved them."
And David put them off him. 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, and his sling was in his hand: and he
drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine came on and drew near
to David; and the man that bore the shield went before him. And when
{392} the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he despised him: for
he was but a youth, and ruddy, and of a fair countenance. And the
Philistine said to 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, whom 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 to 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 host 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 slung 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 {393} David ran, and stood over the Philistine,
and took his sword and drew it out of its sheath, 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, to the gates of
Ekron. And the wounded of the Philistines fell down by the way. And
the children of Israel returned from chasing after the Philistines,
and they plundered their camp. And David took the head of the
Philistine, and brought it to Jerusalem; but he put his armor in his
tent.
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, young man?"
And David answered, "I am the son of thy servant Jesse the
Beth-lehemite."
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 {394} 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.
{395}
SAUL AND DAVID
Deep was the furrow in the royal brow,
When David's hand, lightly as vernal gales
Rippling the brook of Kedron, skimm'd the lyre:
He sung of Jacob's youngest born,--the child
Of his old age,--sold to the Ishmaelite;
His exaltation to the second power
In Pharaoh's realm; his brethren thither sent;
Suppliant they stood before his face, well known,
Unknowing,--till Joseph fell upon the neck
Of Benjamin, his mother's son, and wept.
Unconsciously the warlike shepherd paused;
But when he saw, down the yet quivering string,
The tear-drop trembling glide, abash'd, he check'd,
Indignant at himself, the bursting flood,
And, with a sweep impetuous, struck the chords:
From side to side his hands transversely glance,
Like lightning 'thwart a stormy sea; his voice
Arises 'mid the clang, and straightway calms
Th' harmonious tempest, to a solemn swell
Majestical, triumphant; for he sings
Of Arad's mighty host by Israel's arm
Subdued; of Israel through the desert led
He sings; of him who was their leader, call'd
By God himself, from keeping Jethro's flock,
To be a ruler o'er the chosen race.
Kindles the eye of Saul; his arm is poised,
Harmless the javelin quivers in the wall.
{396}
THE JEALOUSY OF SAUL.
_How Saul Was Jealous of David and Hated Him, and How
Jonathan Loved Him_.
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
in their play, and said,--
"Saul hath slain his thousands,
And David his ten thousands."
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 jealously from that day and forward.
And it came to pass on the morrow, that an evil spirit from God came
mightily upon Saul, and he raved in the midst of the house: and David
played upon his harp, as he did day by day: and Saul had his spear in
his hand. And Saul cast the spear; for he said, "I will smite David
even to the wall."
And David escaped from his presence twice. And Saul was afraid of
David, because the Lord was with him, and was departed from Saul.
Therefore Saul removed him from him, and made him his captain over a
thousand; and he went out and came in before the people. And David
behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the Lord was with him.
{397}{398}
[Illustration]
THE VALLEY OF THE KIDRON, IN THE WILDERNESS OF JUDEA.
The building on the left is the convent of Mar Saba.
Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund
The "Wilderness of Judaea" is a wonderful place. Much of it is not a
wilderness at all in our understanding of the term. It is, on its
western edge at least, just a wild pasture land. But it was a very
wild, desolate, and solitary place. The shepherd who kept his flocks
there was in danger from the wild beasts and from raids of fierce
robbers. Below the pasture land it is wilderness indeed. The land
breaks off abruptly and falls in crag and precipice down to the very
shores of the Dead Sea. "You cannot live in Judaea without being
daily aware of the presence of the awful deep which bounds it on the
east. From Beth-lehem and other points you look down into that deep,
and you feel Judaea rising from it about you almost as a sailor
feels his narrow deck."
[End illustration]
{399}
And when Saul saw that he behaved himself very wisely, he stood in awe
of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David; for he went out and came
in before them.
And Saul spoke 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 talk with my
father of thee; and if I see aught, I will tell thee."
And Jonathan spoke 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 swore, "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.
And there was war again: and David went out, and fought with the
Philistines, and slew them with a great {400} 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 upon his
harp. And Saul sought to smite David even to the wall with the spear;
but he slipped away out of Saul's presence, and he struck the spear
into the wall: and David fled, and escaped that night.
And David came and said to 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, "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 swore 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 to David, "Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will
even do it for thee."
And David said to 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 until 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 Beth-lehem 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 {401} 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 to David, "Come and let us go out into the field."
And they went out both of them into the field.
And Jonathan said to 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 everyone
from the face of the earth."
So Jonathan made a covenant with David.
And Jonathan caused David to swear again, for the love that he had to
him: for he loved him as he loved his {402} own soul. Then Jonathan
said to him, "To-morrow is the feast of 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 before. And I will shoot three arrows, as
though I shot at a mark. And, behold, I will send the lad, saying,
'Go, find the arrows.' If I say to the lad, 'Behold, the arrows are on
this side of thee: take them,' then come; for there is peace to thee
and no hurt, as the Lord liveth. But if I say thus to 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."
So David hid himself in the field: and when the feast of the new moon
was come, the king sat down to eat. 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 spoke not anything that day: for he thought,
"Something hath befallen him." 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 to 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 Beth-lehem: 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."
{403}{404}
[Illustration]
RUINS OF THE FORTRESS OF MASSADA, WILDERNESS OF JUDAEA
This is another picture of a portion of the "Wilderness of Judaea."
It is easy to see how David, who was thoroughly familiar with the
country, could hide himself and his men safely from pursuit during
the time in which he was an outlaw and a fugitive from the king.
This fortress was the scene of a terrible siege and massacre in 70
A. D., after the fall of Jerusalem. About a thousand men, women, and
children fled to this place. The Romans followed and in spite of
almost insurmountable difficulties besieged the place. Driven to the
last extremity, the defenders killed the women and children and then
themselves. Only two women and five children survived
[End illustration]
{405}
Then Saul's anger was kindled against Jonathan, and he said, "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
stablished, nor thy kingdom. Wherefore now send and fetch him unto me,
for he shall surely die."
And Jonathan answered Saul his father, and said to 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.
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 to 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 {406} to his
master. But the lad knew not anything: only Jonathan and David knew
the matter. And Jonathan gave his weapons to his lad, and said unto
him, "Go, carry them to the city."
And as soon as the lad was gone, David arose out of his hiding place,
and fell on his face to the ground, and bowed himself three times: and
they kissed one another, and wept one with another. And Jonathan said
to David, "Go in peace, forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the
name of the Lord, saying, 'The Lord shall be between me and thee, and
between my family and thy family, for ever.'"
And he arose and departed: and Jonathan went into the city.
DAVID AN OUTLAW.
_How He Showed Mercy to His Enemy_.
(After this David became a fugitive from the king, who pursued him and
tried to kill him. David gathered a band of followers and for a time
lived as an outlaw, hiding in caves, plundering farms, living from
hand to mouth. Several times he had the king in his power, but each
time he allowed him to escape. This is the story of one of these
adventures.)
And the Ziphites came to Saul to Gibeah, saying, "Doth not David hide
himself in the hill of Hachilah, which is before the desert?"
Then Saul arose, and went down to the wilderness of Ziph, having three
thousand chosen men of Israel with him, to seek David in the
wilderness of Ziph. And Saul encamped in the hill of Hachilah, which
is before the {407} desert. But David abode in the wilderness, and he
saw that Saul came after him into the wilderness. David therefore sent
out spies, and understood that Saul was certainly come. And David
arose, and came to the place where Saul had encamped: and David beheld
the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his
host: and Saul lay within the barricade of the wagons, and the people
were encamped round about him. Then said David, "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 barricade 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 need to
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, the Lord shall smite him; or his
day shall come to die; or he shall go down into the 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 jar of water, and let us go."
So David took the spear and the jar of water from Saul's {408} head;
and they went 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. 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 the son of Ner,
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 jar 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." And he said,
"Wherefore doth my lord pursue after his servant? for what have I
done? or what evil is in mine hand? Now therefore, I pray thee, let my
lord the king hear the words of his servant. If it be the Lord that
hath stirred thee up against me, let him accept an offering: but if it
be the children of men, cursed be they before the Lord; for they have
driven me out this day that I should not cleave to the inheritance of
the Lord, saying, 'Go, serve other gods.'
{409}{410}
[Illustration]
A SHEPHERD NEAR DAVID'S HOUSE LEADING HIS FLOCK OVER THE JUDEAN
HILLS.
Copyright by Underwood & Underwood and used by special permission.
[End illustration]
The principal business and the greatest interest of the people in
the hill country of Judea was connected with the flocks.
"If, as we have seen, the prevailing character of Judaea be
pastoral, with husbandry only incidental to her life, it is not
surprising that the forms which have impressed both her history and
her religion upon the world should be those of the pastoral habit.
Her origin; more than once her freedom and power of political
recuperation; more than once her prophecy; her images of God, and
her sweetest poetry of the spiritual life, have been derived from
this source. It is the stateliest shepherds of all time whom the
dawn of history reveals upon her fields--men not sprung from her own
remote conditions, nor confined to them, but moving across the world
in converse with great empires, and bringing down from heaven truths
sublime and universal to wed with the simple habits of her life.
These were the patriarchs of the nation. The founder of its one
dynasty, and the first of its literary prophets, were also taken
from following the flocks. The king and every true leader of men was
called a shepherd. Jehovah was the Shepherd of His people, and they
the sheep of His pasture. It was in Judaea that Christ called
Himself the Good Shepherd, as it was in Judaea also that, taking the
other great feature of her life, He said He was the True Vine."
[End illustration]
{411}
Now therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth away from the
presence of the Lord: 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: because 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 very
precious this day in mine eyes, so let my life be precious 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.
SAUL'S PURSUIT OF DAVID.
_How David a Second Time Spared the King's Life_.
(Day after day Saul pursued David. First, some one would
report David at a certain point, then he would be seen at another.
But every time, by forced marches, hiding in caves by day, and
stealing out by night, the bold outlaw escaped his foe. Once Saul
entered the very cave where David and his faithful men were {412}
hiding in the shadows. Again Saul was in David's power. Again
his men wished him to kill the king, but David refused, and spared
the king's life.)
And David abode in the wilderness in the strongholds, and remained in
the hill country in the wilderness of Ziph. And Saul sought him every
day, but God delivered him not into his hand.
And David saw that Saul was come out to seek his life: and David was
in the wilderness of Ziph in the wood. And Jonathan Saul's son arose,
and went to David into the wood, and strengthened his hand in God. And
he said unto him, "Fear not: for the hand of Saul my father shall not
find thee; and thou shalt be king over Israel, and I shall be next
unto thee; and that also Saul my father knoweth."
And they two made a covenant before the Lord: and David abode in the
wood, and Jonathan went to his house.
Then came up the Ziphites to Saul to Gibeah, saying, "Doth not David
hide himself with us in the strongholds in the wood, in the hill of
Hachilah, which is on the south of the desert? Now therefore, O king,
come down, according to all the desire of thy soul to come down; and
our part shall be to deliver him up into the king's hand."
And Saul said, "Blessed be ye of the Lord; for ye have had compassion
on me. Go, I pray you, make yet more sure, and know and see his place
where his haunt is, and who hath seen him there: for it is told me
that he dealeth very subtilly. See therefore, and take knowledge of
all the lurking places where he hideth himself, and come ye again to
me of a certainty, and I will go with you: and it {413} shall come to
pass, if he be in the land, that I will search him out among all the
thousands of Judah."
And they arose, and went to Ziph before Saul: but David and his men
were in the wilderness of Maon. And Saul and his men went to seek him.
And they told David: wherefore he came down to the rock, and abode in
the wilderness of Maon. And when Saul heard that, he pursued after
David in the wilderness of Maon.
And Saul went on this side of the mountain, and David and his men on
the other side of the mountain: and David made haste to get away for
fear of Saul; for Saul and his men compassed David and his men round
about to take them. But there came a messenger to Saul, saying, "Haste
thee, and come; for the Philistines have made a raid upon the land."
So Saul returned from pursuing after David.
And it came to pass, when Saul was returned from following the
Philistines, that it was told him, saying, "Behold, David is in the
wilderness of En-gedi."
Then Saul took three thousand chosen men out of all Israel, and went
to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild goats.
And he came to the sheepcotes by the way, where was a cave; and Saul
went in.
Now David and his men were abiding in the innermost parts of the cave.
And the men of David said unto him, "Behold, the day of which the Lord
said unto thee, 'Behold, I will deliver thine enemy into thine hand,
and thou shalt do to him as it shall seem good unto thee.'"
{414}
Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. And it
came to pass afterward, that David's heart smote him, because he had
cut off Saul's skirt.
And he said unto his men, "The Lord forbid that I should do this thing
unto my lord, the Lord's anointed, to put forth mine hand against him,
seeing he is the Lord's anointed."
So David checked his men with these words, and suffered them not to
rise against Saul. And Saul rose up out of the cave, and went on his
way.
David also arose afterward, and went out of the cave, and cried after
Saul, saying, "My lord the king!"
And when Saul looked behind him, David bowed with his face to the
earth, and did obeisance.
And David said to Saul, "Wherefore hearkenest thou to men's words,
saying, 'Behold, David seeketh thy hurt'? Behold, this day thine eyes
have seen how that the Lord had delivered thee to-day into mine hand
in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and
I said, 'I will not put forth mine hand against my lord; for he is the
Lord's anointed.'
"Moreover, my father, see, yea, see the skirt of thy robe in my hand:
for in that I cut off the skirt of thy robe, and killed thee not, know
thou and see that there is neither evil nor transgression in mine
hand, and I have not sinned against thee, though thou huntest after my
soul to take it.
"The Lord judge between me and thee, and the Lord avenge me of thee:
but mine hand shall not be upon thee."
{415}{416}
[Illustration]
STREET OF JERUSALEM
"The Joppa Gate" in the center.
This is a characteristic scene in Jerusalem, the bazaars in the area
outside, the camels and donkeys with their burdens, and the traffic
going in and out of the city. "In an aperture of the western wall of
Jerusalem hang the 'oaken valves' called the Beth-lehem or Joppa
Gate. The area outside is one of the notable places of the city.
Long before David coveted Zion there was a citadel there. When at
last the son or Jesse ousted the Jebusites, and began to build, the
site of the citadel became the northwest corner of the wall,
defended by a tower much more imposing than the old one. The
location of the gate, however, was not disturbed, for the reason,
most likely, that the roads which met and merged in front of it
could not well be transferred to another spot, while the area
outside had become a recognized market place. In Solomon's day there
was a great traffic at this locality, shared in by traders from
Egypt and the rich dealers from Tyre and Sidon."
--_Lew Wallace in "Ben-Hur_"
[End illustration]
{417}
And it came to pass, when David had made an end of speaking these
words unto Saul, that Saul said, "Is this thy voice, my son David?"
And Saul lifted up his voice, and wept.
And he said to David, "Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast
rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil.
"And thou hast showed this day how that thou hast dealt well with me:
forasmuch as when the Lord had delivered me into thine hand, thou
killedst me not.
"For if a man find his enemy, will he let him go well away? wherefore
the Lord reward thee good for that thou hast done unto me this day.
"And now, behold, I know well that thou shalt surely be king, and that
the kingdom of Israel shall be established in thine hand.
"Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that thou wilt not cut off
my seed after me, and that thou wilt not destroy my name out of my
father's house."
And David swore unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men
went up to the stronghold.
ONE OF DAVID'S ADVENTURES IN THE WILDERNESS.
_How the Sheep Master of Maon Refused to Pay Tribute_.
(While David was roaming about the country followed by a company of
men as young and gallant as himself, much as Robin Hood roamed about
the forests of England, he had many adventures, some of them
chivalrous and some of which he was perhaps afterward, when he became
king, just a little ashamed. This is the story of one of these
adventures.)
{418}
There was a man in Maon whose possessions were in Carmel; and the man
was very rich, 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 (the Fool); 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 he
was of the house of Caleb.
And David heard in the wilderness that Nabal sheared 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, 'All hail! 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 spoke to Nabal according to all
those words in the name of David, and ceased.
And Nabal answered David's servants, and said, "Who is David? and who
is the son of Jesse? there are many servants nowadays that break away
every man from his {419} 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 remained in the camp.
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
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 an 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, {420} 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
pertained unto him: and he hath returned me evil for good. God do so
unto the enemies of 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 [the 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, my lord, as the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth,
seeing the Lord hath withholden thee from bloodguiltiness, and from
avenging thyself with thine own hand, now therefore let thine enemies,
and them that seek evil to my lord, be as Nabal. And now 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.
{421}{422}
[Illustration]
JERUSALEM, LOOKING UP THROUGH THE VALLEY OF HINNOM.
It is said that continual fires were kept burning in the valley of
Hinnom for the destruction of the refuse from the city. It was here,
too, that the human sacrifices to the god Molech took place, where
the victims were made "to pass through the fire."
[End illustration]
{423}
And though man be risen up to pursue thee, and to seek thy soul, yet
the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord
thy God; and the souls 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 offense 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."
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: {424} 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 spoke concerning Abigail, to take her to him to
wife. And when the servants of David were come to Abigail to Carmel,
they spoke 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.
DAVID BECOMES KING.
_The Lament for Saul and Jonathan. After Long Waiting the
Throne is Gained_.
(At last came that fatal battle with the Philistines in the hills and,
when the sun set, Saul and his three sons lay dead upon the field.)
And it came to pass after the death of Saul, on the {425} third day,
that, behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his clothes
rent, and earth upon his head: and when he came to David, he fell to
the earth, and did obeisance. And David said to him, "From whence
comest thou?" And he said unto him, "Out of the camp of Israel am I
escaped."
And David said to him, "How went the day? I pray thee, tell me."
And he answered, "The people are fled from the battle, and many of the
people also are fallen and dead; and Saul and Jonathan his son are
dead also."
And David said to the young man that told him, "How knowest thou that
Saul and Jonathan his son are dead?"
And the young man that told him said, "As I happened by chance upon
Mount Gilboa, behold, Saul leaned upon his spear; and, lo, the
chariots and the horsemen followed hard after him. And when he looked
behind him, he saw me, and called unto me. And I answered, 'Here am
I.'
"And he said unto me, 'Who art thou?'
"And I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.'
"And he said to me, 'Stand, I pray thee, beside me, and slay me, for
anguish hath taken hold of me; because my life is yet whole in me.' So
I stood beside him, and slew him, because I was sure that he could not
live after he was fallen: and I took the crown that was upon his head,
and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither
unto my lord."
Then David took hold of his clothes, and rent them; {426} and likewise
all the men that were with him: and they mourned, and wept, and fasted
until even, for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of
the Lord, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the
sword. And David said to the young man that told him, "Whence art
thou?"
And he answered, "I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite."
And David said to him, "Why wast thou not afraid to put forth thine
hand to destroy the Lord's anointed?"
And David called one of the young men and said, "Go near, and fall
upon him." And he smote him that he died.
And David said to him, "Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth hath
testified against thee, saying, 'I have slain the Lord's anointed.'"
And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan
his son: and he bade them teach the children of Judah the song of the
bow.
_The Song of the Bow_.
Thy glory, O Israel, is slain upon thy high places!
How are the mighty fallen!
Tell it not in Gath,
Publish it not in the streets of Ashkelon;
Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice,
Lest the daughters of our enemies triumph.
Ye mountains of Gilboa,
Let there be no dew nor rain upon you, neither fields of offerings:
For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away,
The shield of Saul, not anointed with oil.
From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty,
The bow of Jonathan turned not back,
And the sword of Saul returned not empty.
Saul and Jonathan were lovely and pleasant in their lives,
And in their death they were not divided:
They were swifter than eagles,
They were stronger than lions.
Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,
Who clothed you in scarlet delicately,
Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel.
How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle!
Jonathan is slain upon thy high places.
I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan:
Very pleasant hast thou been unto me:
Thy love to me was wonderful,
Passing the love of women.
How are the mighty fallen,
And the weapons of war perished!
{427}{428}
[Illustration]
"DAVID STREET" IN JERUSALEM
From a picture taken by Prof. Lyon and used by his kind permission.
This narrow, busy street in Jerusalem still bears the name of the
great king who scaled the heights and took the citadel from the
Jebusites so long ago
[End illustration]
{429}
And they told David, saying, "The men of Jabesh-gilead were they that
buried Saul." And David sent messengers unto the men of Jabesh-gilead,
and said to them, "Blessed be ye of the Lord, that ye have showed this
kindness to your lord, even to Saul, and have buried him. And now the
Lord show kindness and truth unto you: and I also will requite you
this kindness, because ye have done this thing. Now therefore let your
hands be strong, and be ye valiant: for Saul your lord is dead, and
also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them."
Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, {430} and
spoke, saying, "Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. In times past,
when Saul was king over us, it was thou that didst lead out and bring
in Israel: and the Lord said to thee, 'Thou shalt feed my people
Israel, and thou shalt be prince over Israel.'"
So all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and King David
made a covenant with them in Hebron before the Lord: and they anointed
David king over Israel.
David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned
forty years.
AN EVIL DEED.
_How a Brave Prophet Rebuked a King_.
(David once did a very evil deed. He wished to have as his wife the
wife of another man, named Uriah, a very brave soldier in the royal
army. David caused this soldier to be placed in a very dangerous place
in the battle, where he knew he would be killed. The prophet told the
king a story to show him how wicked he was. Then the eyes of the king
were opened to his sin, and he repented, but the child which had been
born to him died.)
And it came to pass in the morning, that David wrote a letter to Joab,
and sent it by the hand of Uriah. And he wrote in the letter, saying,
"Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye
from him, that he may be smitten, and die."
And it came to pass, when Joab kept watch upon the city, that he
assigned Uriah unto the place where he knew that valiant men were. And
the men of the city went out, and fought with Joab: and there fell
some of the people, even of the servants of David; and Uriah the {431}
Hittite died also. Then Joab sent and told David all the things
concerning the war; and he charged the messenger, saying, "When thou
hast made an end of telling all the things concerning the war to the
king, it shall be that, if the king's wrath arise, and he say unto
thee, 'Wherefore went ye so nigh unto the city to fight? knew ye not
that they would shoot from the wall? why went ye so near the wall?'
then shalt thou say, 'Thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also.'"
So the messenger went, and came and showed David all that Joab had
sent him for. And the messenger said to David, "The men prevailed
against us, and came out unto us into the field, and we were upon them
even unto the entering of the gate. And the archers shot at thy
servants from off the wall; and some of the king's servants are dead,
and thy servant Uriah the Hittite is dead also."
Then David said to the messenger, "Thus shalt thou say unto Joab, 'Let
not this thing displease thee, for the sword devoureth one as well as
another: make thy battle more strong against the city, and overthrow
it': and encourage thou him."
And when the wife of Uriah heard that Uriah her husband was dead, she
made lamentation for her husband. And when the mourning was past,
David sent and took her home to his house, and she became his wife,
and a child was born to them. But the thing that David had done
displeased the Lord.
And the Lord sent Nathan to David. And he came {432} to him, and said
to him, "There were two men in one city; the one rich, and the other
poor. The rich man had exceeding many flocks and herds: but the poor
man had nothing save one little ewe lamb, which he had bought and
nourished up: and it grew up together with him, and with his children;
it did eat of his own morsel of food, and drank of his own cup, and
lay in his bosom, and was unto him as a daughter. And there came a
traveler to the rich man, and he spared to take of his own flock and
of his own herd, to dress for the wayfaring man that was come to him,
but took the poor man's lamb, and dressed it for the man that was come
to him."
And David's anger was greatly kindled against the man; and he said to
Nathan, "As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this is worthy to
die: and he shall restore the lamb fourfold, because he did this
thing, and because he had no pity."
And Nathan said to David,--
"Thou art the man!"
"Thus saith the Lord, the God of Israel, I anointed thee king over
Israel, and I delivered thee out of the hand of Saul; and if that had
been too little, I would have added unto thee such and such things.
Wherefore hast thou despised the word of the Lord, to do that which is
evil in his sight? thou hast smitten Uriah the Hittite with the sword,
and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the
sword of the children of Ammon. Now therefore, the sword shall never
depart from thine house; because thou hast despised me, and hast taken
the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be thy wife."
{433}{434}
[Illustration]
RUINS OF RABBATH AMMON
An important city in Moab, taken by David.
Used by special permission of the Palestine Exploration Fund.
It was during the long siege of this city that Uriah the Hittite,
whose wife David wished as his own, was killed. The army of Joab,
David's general, encamped about the city and finally by the capture
of the springs which supplied water to the people the strong walled
place fell. Joab sent for David, so that he was on the ground when
the last assault was made and the city was taken. Very rich spoil
fell into the hands of the victors
[End illustration]
{435}
And David said to Nathan, "I have sinned against the Lord."
And Nathan said to David, "The Lord also hath put away thy sin; thou
shalt not die. Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great
occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme, the child also that
is born unto thee shall surely die."
And Nathan departed to his house.
And the child which had been born to David was very sick. David
therefore besought God for the child; and David fasted, and went in,
and lay all night upon the earth. And the elders of his house arose,
and stood beside him, to raise him up from the earth: but he would
not, neither did he eat with them. And it came to pass on the seventh
day, that the child died, And the servants of David feared to tell him
that the child was dead: for they said, "Behold, while the child was
yet alive, we spoke unto him, and he hearkened not to our voice: what
will he then do if we tell him that the child is dead?"
But when David saw that his servants whispered together, David
perceived that the child was dead: and David said to his servants, "Is
the child dead?"
And they said, "He is dead."
Then David arose from the earth, and washed, and anointed himself, and
changed his apparel; and he came into the house of the Lord, and
worshiped: then he came to his own house; and when he required they
set food {436} before him, and he ate. Then said his servants to him,
"What thing is this that thou hast done? thou didst fast and weep for
the child, while it was alive; but when the child was dead, thou didst
rise and eat."
And he said, "While the child was yet alive, I fasted and wept: for I
said 'Who knoweth whether the Lord will not be gracious to me, that
the child may live?' But now he is dead, wherefore should I fast? can
I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he shall not return to
me."
{437}
CAVE OF ADULLAM
David and his three captains bold
Kept ambush once within a hold.
It was in Adullam's cave,
Nigh which no water they could have,
Nor spring nor running brook was near
To quench the thirst that parched them there.
Then David, King of Israel,
Straight bethought him of a well,
Which stood beside the city gate
At Bethlehem; where, before his state
Of kingly dignity, he had
Oft drunk his fill, a shepherd lad;
But now his fierce Philistine foe
Encamped before it he does know.
Yet ne'er the less, with heat opprest,
Those three bold captains he addrest;
And wished that one to him would bring
Some water from his native spring.
His valiant captains instantly
To execute his will did fly.
The mighty three the ranks broke through
Of armed foes, and water drew
For David, their beloved king,
At his own sweet native spring.
Back through their armed foes they haste,
With the hard-earned treasure graced.
But when the good king David found
What they had done, he on the ground
The water poured. "Because," said he,
"That it was at the jeopardy
Of your three lives this thing ye did,
That I should drink it, God forbid."
--_Charles Lamb_.
{438}
A KNIGHTLY DEED.
_David and His Three Brave Captains. How They Brought the
Water for Which He Longed and How He Would Not Drink It_.
There were three valiant captains in David's army. These three went
down, and came to David in the harvest time to the cave of Adullam;
and the troop of the Philistines were encamped in the valley of
Rephaim.
And David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the
Philistines was then in Beth-lehem. And David longed, and said, "Oh
that one would give me water to drink of the well of Beth-lehem, which
is by the gate!"
And the three mighty men broke through the host of the Philistines,
and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, that was by the gate, and
took it, and brought it to David: but he would not drink thereof, but
poured it out to the Lord.
And he said, "Be it far from me, O Lord, that I should do this: shall
I drink the blood of the men that went in jeopardy of their lives?"
therefore he would not drink it.
These things did the three mighty men.
HOW DAVID BOUGHT A THRESHING-FLOOR FOR AN ALTAR.
"_Neither Will I Offer Burnt Offerings Unto the Lord My God of
That Which Cost Me Nothing_."
And David said unto the Lord, "I have sinned greatly in that I have
done: but now, O Lord, put away, I beseech thee, the iniquity of thy
servant; for I have done very foolishly."
{439}{440}
[Illustration]
A PALESTINE THRESHING FLOOR, WITH CATTLE TREADING OUT THE GRAIN
From a photograph belonging to Dr. W. J. Moulton
and used by his kind permission.
This was the method, still in use, whereby during all the times of
the Bible the farmer in Palestine threshed out his grain. It was
then thrown up by forks and the wind blew away the chaff. A level
place for a threshing floor was much prized. It was such a floor
that David bought of Araunah as a suitable place to build an altar.
[End illustration]
{441}
And when David rose up in the morning, the word of the Lord came to
the prophet Gad, David's seer, saying, "Go and speak to David, 'Thus
saith the Lord: I offer thee three things; choose thee one of them,
that I may do it unto thee.'"
So Gad came to David, and told him, and said unto him, "Shall seven
years of famine come unto thee in thy land? or wilt thou flee three
months before thy foes while they pursue thee? or shall there be three
days' pestilence in thy land? now advise thee, and consider what
answer I shall return to him that sent me."
And David said unto Gad, "I am in a great strait: let us fall now into
the hand of the Lord; for his mercies are great: and let me not fall
into the hand of man."
So the Lord sent a pestilence upon Israel from the morning even to the
time appointed: and there died of the people from Dan even to
Beer-sheba seventy thousand men.
And when the angel stretched out his hand toward Jerusalem to destroy
it, the Lord repented him of the evil, and said to the angel that
destroyed the people, "It is enough; now stay thine hand."
And the angel of the Lord was by the threshing-floor of Araunah the
Jebusite. And David spoke unto the Lord when he saw the angel that
smote the people, and said, "Lo, I have sinned, and I have done
perversely: but these sheep, my people, what have they done? let thine
hand, I pray thee, be against me, and against my father's house."
{442}
And Gad came that day to David, and said unto him, "Go up, rear an
altar unto the Lord in the threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite."
And David went up according to the saying of Gad, as the Lord
commanded. And Araunah looked forth, and saw the king and his servants
coming on toward him: and Araunah went out, and bowed himself before
the king with his face to the ground.
And Araunah said, "Wherefore is my lord the king come to his servant?"
And David said, "To buy the threshing-floor of thee, to build an altar
unto the Lord, that the plague may be stayed from the people."
And Araunah said unto David, "Let my lord the king take and offer up
what seemeth good unto him: behold, the oxen for the burnt offering,
and the threshing instruments and the furniture of the oxen for the
wood: all this, O king, doth Araunah give unto the king."
And Araunah said unto the king, "The Lord thy God accept thee."
And the king said unto Araunah, "Nay; but I will verily buy it of thee
at a price: neither will I offer burnt offerings unto the Lord my God
which cost me nothing."
So David bought the threshing-floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of
silver.
And David built there an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt
offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord was intreated for the land,
and the plague was stayed from Israel.
{443}
THE REBELLION OF ABSALOM.
_How an Evil Son Met His Fate in the Branches of an Oak_.
(David had much trouble and many wars during his reign, but the
rebellion of his own son Absalom brought more grief to him than
anything else. For a time the rebellion was successful, and David was
driven from his own palace. Then the tide turned and Absalom was
defeated and slain in a great battle. The strange way in which Absalom
met his death, and how David mourned for his son, are told in the
following story.)
And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains of
thousands and captains of hundreds over them. And David sent forth the
people, a third part under the hand of Joab, and a third part under
the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and a third
part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the king said to the
people, "I will surely go forth with you myself also."
But the people said, "Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away,
they will not care for us; neither if half of us die, will they care
for us: but thou art worth ten thousand of us: therefore now it is
better that thou be ready to succor us out of the city."
And the king said to them, "What seemeth to you best I will do."
And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people went out by
hundreds and by thousands. And the king commanded Joab and Abishai and
Ittai, saying, "Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with
Absalom."
{444}
And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge
concerning Absalom. So the people went out into the field against
Israel: and the battle was in the forest of Ephraim. And the people of
Israel were smitten there before the servants of David, and there was
a great slaughter there that day of twenty thousand men. For the
battle was there spread over the face of all the country: and the
forest devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. And
Absalom chanced to meet the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon
his mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and
his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up between the
heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went on. And a
certain man saw it and told Joab, and said, "Behold, I saw Absalom
hanging in an oak."
And Joab said to the man that told him, "And, behold, thou sawest it,
and why didst thou not smite him there to the ground? and I would have
given thee ten pieces of silver and a girdle."
And the man said to Joab, "Though I should receive a thousand pieces
of silver in mine hand, yet would I not put forth mine hand against
the king's son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai
and Ittai, saying, 'Beware that none touch the young man Absalom.'
Otherwise if I had dealt falsely against his life (and there is no
matter hid from the king), then thou thyself wouldest have stood
aloof."
{445}{446}
[Illustration]
JERUSALEM, FROM THE WELL OF EN-ROGEL
"Leaving Jerusalem by St. Stephen's Gate and walking down the valley
of Jehoshaphat, by the dry bed of the Kidron, you meet at length the
deep rugged valley of Hinnom, skirting the city in a semi-circular
form on the southern and western sides. At the junction of these two
valleys stands a low, vaulted stone building--this is the well of
En-Rogel."
[End illustration]
{447}
Then said Joab, "I may not tarry thus with thee." And he took three
darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while
he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. And ten young men that bore
Joab's armor came up and smote Absalom, and slew him. And Joab blew
the trumpet, and the people returned from pursuing after Israel: for
Joab held back the people. And they took Absalom and cast him into the
great pit in the forest, and raised over him a very great heap of
stones: and all Israel fled everyone to his tent.
Then said Ahimaaz the son of Zadok, "Let me now run, and bear the king
tidings, how that the Lord hath avenged him of his enemies."
And Joab said to him, "Thou shalt not be the bearer of tidings this
day, but thou shalt bear tidings another day: but this day thou shalt
bear no tidings, because the king's son is dead."
Then said Joab to the Cushite, "Go tell the king what thou hast seen."
And the Cushite bowed himself unto Joab, and ran. Then said Ahimaaz
the son of Zadok yet again to Joab, "But come what may, let me, I pray
thee, also run after the Cushite."
And Joab said, "Wherefore wilt thou run, my son, seeing that thou wilt
have no reward for the tidings?"
"But come what may," said he, "I will run."
And he said unto him, "Run."
Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the Plain, and outran the Cushite.
Now David sat between the two gates: and the watchman went up to the
roof of the gate unto the wall, and {448} lifted up his eyes, and
looked, and, behold, a man running alone. And the watchman cried, and
told the king. And the king said, "If he be alone, there is tidings in
his mouth."
And he came apace, and drew near. And the watchman saw another man
running: and the watchman called unto the porter, and said, "Behold,
another man running alone."
And the king said, "He also bringeth tidings."
And the watchman said, "I think the running of the foremost is like
the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok."
And the king said, "He is a good man, and cometh with good tidings."
And Ahimaaz called, and said unto the king, "All is well."
And he bowed himself before the king with his face to the earth, and
said, "Blessed be the Lord thy God, who hath delivered up the men that
lifted up their hand against my lord the king."
And the king said, "Is it well with the young man Absalom?"
And Ahimaaz answered, "When Joab sent the king's servant, even me thy
servant, I saw a great tumult, but I knew not what it was."
And the king said, "Turn aside, and stand here."
And he turned aside, and stood still. And, behold, the Cushite came; and
the Cushite said, "Tidings for my lord the king: for the Lord hath
avenged thee this day of all them that rose up against thee."
{449}{450}
[Illustration]
ANCIENT TOMBS NEAR JERUSALEM.
From a photograph belonging to Dr. W. J. Moulton
and used by his kind permission.
Many of the kings of Judah were buried in these rock tombs. "Every
family who could afford it had their tomb hewn out of the rock, with
niches for the reception of many bodies."
[End illustration]
{451}
And the king said unto the Cushite, "Is it well with the young man
Absalom?"
And the Cushite answered, "The enemies of my lord the king, and all that
rise up against thee to do thee hurt, be as that young man is."
And the king was much moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate,
and wept: and as he went, thus he said, "O my son Absalom, my son, my
son Absalom! would God I had died for thee, O Absalom, my son, my son!"
THE PASSING OF DAVID.
"_I Go the Way of All the Earth_."
Now the days of David drew nigh that he should die; and he charged
Solomon his son, saying, "I go the way of all the earth: be thou
strong therefore, and show thyself a man; and keep the charge of the
Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, to keep his statutes, and his
commandments, and his judgments, and his testimonies, according to
that which is written in the law of Moses, that thou mayest prosper in
all that thou doest, and whithersoever thou turnest thyself: that the
Lord may establish his word which he spoke concerning me, saying, 'If
thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me in truth with
all their heart and with all their soul, there shall not fail thee a
man on the throne of Israel.'"
And David died, and his son Solomon reigned in his stead.
{452}
SOLOMON
_The Story of the Wisest and Greatest King Israel Ever Had_.
(After some opposition on the part of the other sons of David,
Solomon was established on the throne.)
THE DREAM OF SOLOMON.
_He Makes a Wise Choice_.
And the king went to Gibeon to sacrifice there; for that was the great
high place: a thousand burnt offerings did Solomon offer upon that
altar. In Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon in a dream by night: and
God said, "Ask what I shall give thee."
And Solomon said, "Thou hast showed unto thy servant David my father
great kindness, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in
righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast
kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to
sit on his throne, as it is this day. And now, O Lord my God, thou
hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a
little child; I know not how to go out or come in. And thy servant is
in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people,
that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude. Give thy servant
therefore an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may
discern between good and evil; for who is able to judge this thy great
people?"
{453}{454}
[Illustration]
A CEDAR OF LEBANON
From a photograph belonging to the Public Library of Springfield,
Mass., and used by special permission.
This is the largest of the "Cedars of Lebanon" now standing. It
measures forty feet in circumference near the roots. These great
trees grow in abundance upon the Lebanon range, and cedar wood was
very much used in Bible times. Solomon's temple had beams of cedar,
David's palace was built of it, and one of Solomon's palaces was
called the house of the forest of Lebanon.
[End illustration]
{455}
And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
And God said unto him, "Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast
not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for
thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for
thyself understanding to discern judgment; behold, I have done
according to thy word: lo, I have given thee a wise and an
understanding heart; so that there hath been none like thee before
thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. And I have
also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor,
so that there shall not be any among the kings like to thee, all thy
days. And if thou wilt walk in my ways, to keep my statutes and my
commandments, as thy father David did walk, then I will lengthen thy
days."
And Solomon awoke, and, behold, it was a dream: and he came to
Jerusalem, and stood before the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and
offered up burnt offerings, and offered peace offerings, and made a
feast to all his servants.
LORD OF THE LANDS.
_The Prosperity and the Wisdom of Solomon_.
And Solomon ruled over all the kingdoms from the River Euphrates to
the land of the Philistines, and to the border of Egypt: they brought
presents, and served Solomon all the days of his life. And Solomon's
provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and
threescore {456} measures of meal; ten fat oxen, and twenty oxen out
of the pastures, and an hundred sheep, beside harts, and gazelles, and
roebucks, and fatted fowl. For he had dominion over all the region on
this side the River Euphrates, from Tiphsah even to Gaza, over all the
kings on this side the River Euphrates: and he had peace on all sides
round about him. And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under
his vine and under his fig tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the
days of Solomon. And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for
his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen. And those officers
provided victual for King Solomon, and for all that came unto King
Solomon's table, every man in his month: they let nothing be lacking.
Barley also and straw for the horses and swift steeds brought they to
the place where the officers were, every man according to his charge.
And God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and
largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore.
And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the
east, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men; and
his fame was in all the nations round about. And he spoke three
thousand proverbs: and his songs were a thousand and five. And he
spoke of trees, from the cedar that is in Lebanon even unto the hyssop
that springeth out of the wall: he spoke also of beasts, and of fowl,
and of creeping things, and of fishes. And there came of all peoples
to hear the {457} wisdom of Solomon, from all kings of the earth,
which had heard of his wisdom.
THE TREATY WITH KING HIRAM.
_Cedars of Lebanon and Stones from the Quarries for the Temple_.
And Hiram king of Tyre sent his servants to Solomon; for he had heard
that they had anointed him king instead of his father: for Hiram was
ever a lover of David. And Solomon sent to Hiram, saying, "Thou
knowest how David my father could not build an house for the name of
the Lord his God for the wars which were about him on every side,
until the Lord put his enemies under his feet. But now the Lord my God
hath given me rest on every side; there is neither adversary, nor evil
happening. And, behold, I purpose to build an house for the name of
the Lord my God, as the Lord spoke to David my father, saying, 'Thy
son, whom I will set upon thy throne in thy room, he shall build the
house for my name.' Now therefore command thou that they hew me cedar
trees out of Lebanon; and my servants shall be with thy servants; and
I will give thee hire for thy servants according to all that thou
shalt say: for thou knowest that there is not among us any that has
skill to hew timber like unto the Zidonians."
And it came to pass, when Hiram heard the words of Solomon, that he
rejoiced greatly, and said, "Blessed be the Lord this day, who hath
given unto David a wise son over this great people."
{458}
And Hiram sent to Solomon, saying, "I have heard the message which
thou hast sent to me: I will do all thy desire concerning timber of
cedar, and concerning timber of fir. My servants shall bring them down
from Lebanon to the sea: and I will make them into rafts to go by sea
to the place that thou shalt appoint me, and will cause them to be
broken up there, and thou shalt receive them: and thou shalt
accomplish my desire, in giving food for my household."
So Hiram gave Solomon timber of cedar and timber of fir according to
all his desire. And Solomon gave Hiram twenty thousand measures of
wheat for food to his household, and twenty measures of pure oil: thus
gave Solomon to Hiram year by year. And the Lord gave Solomon wisdom,
as he promised him; and there was peace between Hiram and Solomon; and
they two made a league together.
And King Solomon raised a levy out of all Israel; and the levy was
thirty thousand men. And he sent them to Lebanon, ten thousand a month
by turns: a month they were in Lebanon, and two months at home: and
Adoniram was over the levy. And Solomon had three score and ten
thousand that bore burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in
the mountains; besides Solomon's chief officers that were over the
work, three thousand and three hundred, which were overseers of the
people that wrought in the work. And the king commanded, and they
hewed out great stones, costly stones, to lay the foundation of the
house with wrought stone. And Solomon's builders and Hiram's builders
did fashion them, and prepared the timber and the stones to build the
house.
{459}{460}
[Illustration]
THE LEBANON RANGE AND A GROVE OF CEDARS.
The grand mountain range called Lebanon, "white," from the snow
which lies for seven months on its summits, is very often mentioned
in the Old Testament. The highest summits are from five thousand
five hundred to seven thousand feet.
[End illustration]
{461}
SOLOMON'S TEMPLE.
_The House of the Lord Is Built_.
Then Solomon began to build the house of the Lord at Jerusalem in
Mount Moriah, where the Lord appeared to David his father, which he
made ready in the place that David had appointed, in the
threshing-floor of Araunah the Jebusite.
And he began to build in the second day of the second month, in the
fourth year of his reign. Now these are the foundations which Solomon
laid for the building of the house of God. The length by cubits after
the first measure was threescore cubits, and the breadth twenty
cubits. And the porch that was before the house, the length of it,
according to the breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the
height an hundred and twenty: and he overlaid it within with pure
gold.
And the greater house he ceiled with fir tree, which he overlaid with
fine gold, and wrought thereon palm trees and chains. And he adorned
the house with precious stones for beauty: and the gold was gold of
Parvaim. He overlaid also the house, the beams, the thresholds, and
the walls thereof, and the doors thereof, with gold; and graved
cherubim on the walls.
And he made the most holy house; the length thereof, according to the
breadth of the house, was twenty cubits, and the breadth thereof
twenty cubits: and he overlaid it {462} with fine gold, amounting to
six hundred talents. And the weight of the nails was fifty shekels of
gold. And he overlaid the upper chambers with gold. And in the most
holy house he made two cherubim of image work; and they overlaid them
with gold. And the wings of the cherubim were twenty cubits long: the
wing of the one cherub was five cubits, reaching to the wall of the
house; and the other wing was likewise five cubits, reaching to the
wing of the other cherub. And the wing of the other cherub was five
cubits, reaching to the wall of the house: and the other wing was five
cubits also, joining to the wing of the other cherub. The wings of
these cherubim spread themselves forth twenty cubits: and they stood
on their feet, and their faces were toward the house.
And he made the veil of blue, and purple, and crimson, and fine linen,
and wrought cherubim thereon. Also he made before the house two
pillars of thirty and five cubits high, and the capital that was on
the top of each of them was five cubits. And he made chains in the
oracle, and put them on the tops of the pillars; and he made an
hundred pomegranates, and put them on the chains. And he set up the
pillars before the temple, one on the right hand, and the other on the
left; and called the name of that on the right hand Jachin, and the
name of that on the left Boaz.
Moreover he made an altar of brass, twenty cubits the length thereof,
and twenty cubits the breadth thereof, and ten cubits the height
thereof. Also he made the molten sea of ten cubits from brim to brim,
round in compass, and the height thereof was five cubits; and a line
of thirty cubits compassed it round about.
{463}{464}
[Illustration]
THE MOSQUE OF OMAR AND THE ANCIENT TEMPLE AREA
In the background is the Mosque of El Akoa and beyond are the
Judaean hills, to the south and southeast
Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.
The Mohammedan Mosque of Omar now stands upon the old temple area.
It is a handsome octagonal building, standing on a platform near the
center of the area, from which it is elevated by several steps. It
is said to have been built in 636 by the Caliph Omar. In 1099, when
the Crusaders captured Jerusalem, ten thousand Arabs were massacred
in this enclosure. In 1187 the Moslems, under Saladin, again took
the city, and the mosque has been one of their most sacred places
ever since.
[End illustration]
{465}
And under it were the images of oxen, which did compass it round
about, for ten cubits, compassing the sea round about. The oxen were
in two rows, cast when it was cast. It stood upon twelve oxen, three
looking toward the north, and three looking toward the west, and three
looking toward the south, and three looking toward the east: and the
sea was set upon them above, and all their hinder parts were inward.
And it was an handbreadth thick; and the brim thereof was wrought like
the brim of a cup, like the flower of a lily: it received and held
three thousand baths.
He made also ten lavers, and put five on the right hand, and five on
the left, to wash in them; such things as belonged to the burnt
offering they washed in them: but the sea was for the priests to wash
in.
And he made the ten candlesticks of gold according to the ordinance
concerning them; and he set them in the temple, five on the right
hand, and five on the left.
He made also ten tables, and placed them in the temple, five on the
right side, and five on the left. And he made an hundred basins of
gold.
Furthermore he made the court of the priests, and the great court, and
doors for the court, and overlaid the doors of them with brass. And he
set the sea on the right side of the house eastward, toward the south.
And King Solomon made the two pillars, and the bowls, and the two
capitals which were on the top of the pillars; and the two networks to
cover the two bowls of the capitals {466} that were on the top of the
pillars; and the four hundred pomegranates for the two networks; two
rows of pomegranates for each network, to cover the two bowls of the
capitals that were upon the pillars. He made also the bases, and the
lavers made he upon the bases; one sea, and the twelve oxen under it.
The pots also, and the shovels, and the flesh-hooks, and all the
vessels thereof, did King Solomon make for the house of the Lord of
bright brass. In the plain of Jordan did the king cast them, in the
clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah. Thus Solomon made all these
vessels in great abundance: for the weight of the brass could not be
found out.
And Solomon made all the vessels that were in the house of God, the
golden altar also, and the tables whereon was the showbread; and the
candlesticks with their lamps, that they should burn according to the
ordinance before the oracle, of pure gold; and the flowers, and the
lamps, and the tongs, of gold, and that perfect gold; and the
snuffers, and the basins, and the spoons, and the firepans, of pure
gold: and as for the entry of the house, the inner doors thereof for
the most holy place, and the doors of the house, to wit, of the
temple, were of gold.
Thus all the work that Solomon wrought for the house of the Lord was
finished. And Solomon brought in the things that David his father had
dedicated; even the silver, and the gold, and all the vessels, and put
them in the treasuries of the house of God.
{467}{468}
[Illustration]
INTERIOR OF THE MOSQUE OF OMAR
Used by special permission of the Detroit Photograph Company.
The center of the mosque is occupied by the top of the natural rock,
shown in the foreground. It is possible that the great altar of
Solomon's temple was at this place.
[End illustration]
{469}
SOLOMON'S PALACE.
_Costly and Beautiful_.
And Solomon was building his own house thirteen years, and he finished
all his house. For he built the house of the forest of Lebanon; the
length thereof was an hundred cubits, and the breadth thereof fifty
cubits, and the height thereof thirty cubits, upon four rows of cedar
pillars, with cedar beams upon the pillars. And it was covered with
cedar above over the forty and five beams, that were upon the pillars;
fifteen in a row. And there were three rows of latticed windows. And
he made the porch of pillars; the length thereof was fifty cubits, and
the breadth thereof thirty cubits; and a porch before them; and
pillars and thick beams before them. And he made the porch of the
throne where he was to judge, even the porch of judgment: and it was
covered with cedar from floor to floor. And his house where he was to
dwell, the other court within the porch, was of the like work.
He made also an house for Pharaoh's daughter (whom Solomon had taken
to wife), like unto this porch. All these were of costly stones, even
of hewn stone, according to measure, sawed with saws, within and
without, even from the foundation unto the coping, and so on the
outside unto the great court. And the foundation was of costly stones,
even great stones, stones of ten cubits, and stones of eight cubits.
And above were costly stones, even hewn stone, according to measure,
and cedar wood. And the great court round about had three rows of hewn
stone, {470} and a row of cedar beams; like the inner court of the
house of the Lord, and the porch of the house.
THE DEDICATION OF THE TEMPLE.
_The Great Assembly and Sacrifice_.
Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the
tribes, the princes of the fathers' houses of the children of Israel,
unto King Solomon in Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of
the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. And they brought up
the ark of the Lord, and the tent of meeting, and all the holy vessels
that were in the Tent.
And King Solomon and all the congregation of Israel, that were
assembled unto him, were with him before the ark, sacrificing sheep
and oxen, that could not be told nor numbered for multitude. And the
priests brought in the ark of the covenant of the Lord unto its place,
into the oracle of the house, to the most holy place. There was
nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there
at Horeb, when the Lord made a covenant with the children of Israel,
when they came out of the land of Egypt. And it came to pass, when the
priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the
house of the Lord, so that the priests could not stand to minister by
reason of the cloud: for the glory of the Lord filled the house of the
Lord.
Then spoke Solomon, "The Lord hath said that he would dwell in the
thick darkness. I have surely built thee an house of habitation, a
place for thee to dwell in for ever."
{471}
And the king turned his face about, and blessed all the congregation
of Israel: and all the congregation of Israel stood. And he said,
"Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, which spoke with his mouth
unto David my father, and hath with his hand fulfilled it, saying,
'Since the day that I brought forth my people Israel out of Egypt, I
chose no city out of all the tribes of Israel to build an house, that
my name might be there; but I chose David to be over my people
Israel.' Now it was in the heart of David my father to build an house
for the name of the Lord, the God of Israel. But the Lord said unto
David my father, 'Whereas it was in thine heart to build an house for
my name, thou didst well that it was in thine heart: nevertheless thou
shalt not build the house; but thy son, he shall build the house for
my name.' And the Lord hath established his word that he spoke; for I
am risen up in the place of David my father, and sit on the throne of
Israel, as the Lord promised, and have built the house for the name of
the Lord, the God of Israel. And there have I set a place for the ark,
wherein is the covenant of the Lord, which he made with our fathers,
when he brought them out of the land of Egypt."
_The Prayer of the King_.
And Solomon stood before the altar of the Lord in the presence of all
the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven:
and he said, "O Lord, the God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in
heaven above, or on earth beneath; who keepest covenant and mercy
with {472} thy servants, that walk before thee with all their heart:
who hast kept with thy servant David my father that which thou didst
promise him: yea, thou hast spoken with thy mouth, and hast fulfilled
it with thine hand, as it is this day.
"Now therefore, O Lord, the God of Israel, keep with thy servant David
my father that which thou hast promised him, saying, 'There shall not
fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel; if only
thy children take heed to their way, to walk before me as thou hast
walked before me.' Now therefore, O God of Israel, let thy word, I
pray thee, be verified, which thou hast spoken unto thy servant David
my father. But will God in very deed dwell on the earth? behold,
heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less
this house that I have builded!
"Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his
supplication, O Lord my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer
which thy servant prayeth before thee this day: that thine eyes may be
open toward this house night and day, even toward the place whereof
thou hast said, 'My name shall be there': to hearken unto the prayer
which thy servant shall pray toward this place. And hearken thou to
the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they
shall pray toward this place: yea, hear thou in heaven thy dwelling
place; and when thou hearest, forgive.
{473}{474}
[Illustration]
JERUSALEM, FROM THE MOUNT OF OLIVES
From an old photograph in the possession of the Springfield Public
Library and used by kind permission.
The view of Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives in the days of the
city's glory, was one of splendor. Of this view in the time of
Christ a writer says, referring especially to the temple, "In the
setting even more than the rising sun, must the vast proportions,
the symmetry, and the sparkling sheen of this mass of snowy marble
and gold have stood out gloriously."
[End illustration]
{475}
"If a man sin against his neighbor, and an oath be laid upon him to
cause him to swear, and he come and swear before thine altar in this
house: then hear thou in heaven, and do, and judge thy servants,
condemning the wicked, to bring his way upon his own head; and
justifying the righteous, to give him according to his righteousness.
"When thy people Israel be smitten down before the enemy, because they
have sinned against thee; if they turn again to thee, and confess thy
name, and pray and make supplication unto thee in this house: then
hear thou in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy people Israel, and
bring them again unto the land which thou gavest unto their fathers.
When heaven is shut up, and there is no rain, because they have sinned
against thee; if they pray toward this place, and confess thy name,
and turn from their sin, when thou dost afflict them: then hear thou
in heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people
Israel, when thou teachest them the good way wherein they should walk;
and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given to thy people for
an inheritance.
"If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be
blasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar; if their enemy besiege them
in the land of their cities; whatsoever plague, whatsoever sickness
there be; what prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or
by all thy people Israel, which shall know every man the plague of his
own heart, and spread forth his hands toward this house: then hear
thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and forgive, and do, and render
unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest
(for thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of all the children of
men); {476} that they may fear thee all the days that they live in the
land which thou gavest unto our fathers.
"Moreover concerning the stranger, that is not of thy people Israel,
when he shall come out of a far country for thy name's sake (for they
shall hear of thy great name, and of thy mighty hand, and of thy
stretched out arm); when he shall come and pray toward this house:
hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place, and do according to all that
the stranger calleth to thee for; that all the peoples of the earth
may know thy name, to fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and that
they may know that this house which I have built is called by thy
name.
"If thy people go out to battle against their enemy, by whatsoever way
thou shalt send them, and they pray unto the Lord toward the city
which thou hast chosen, and toward the house which I have built for
thy name: then hear thou in heaven their prayer and their
supplication, and maintain their cause.
"If they sin against thee (for there is no man that sinneth not), and
thou be angry with them, and deliver them to the enemy, so that they
carry them away captive unto the land of the enemy, far off or near;
yet if they shall bethink themselves in the land whither they are
carried captive, and turn again, and make supplication unto thee in
the land of them that carried them captive, saying, 'We have sinned,
and have done perversely, we have dealt wickedly'; if they return unto
thee with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their
enemies, which carried them captive, and pray unto thee toward their
land, which thou {477} gavest unto their fathers, the city which thou
hast chosen, and the house which I have built for thy name: then hear
thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place,
and maintain their cause; and forgive thy people which have sinned
against thee, and all their transgressions wherein they have
transgressed against thee; and give them compassion before those who
carried them captive, that they may have compassion on them: for they
be thy people, and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest forth out
of Egypt, from the midst of the furnace of iron: that thine eyes may
be open to the supplication of thy servant, and unto the supplication
of thy people Israel, to hearken unto them whensoever they cry unto
thee. For thou didst separate them from among all the peoples of the
earth, to be thine inheritance, as thou hast spoken by Moses thy
servant, when thou broughtest our fathers out of Egypt, O Lord God."