paroxysms, and as of old, David was called to soothe him by the music
of his harp. But the sight of David threw Saul into a still worse fever
of madness, and in anger he hurled his spear, the symbol of his
royalty, at David, crying:
"I will smite David even to the wall with it," but David was quick
enough to avoid it, and when at another time Saul attempted the same
thing, David again slipped aside, and the spear simply struck the wall.
This agility of David's made Saul even more angry than before, and
increased his fear of the wonderful youth, whom Saul felt had the
blessing of God, which had been taken from him. So strong was Saul's
dislike of David now, that finally he sent him away from the house,
giving him a position where he would have less influence than formerly,
for he would be only captain over a thousand men, but the new position
only increased David's popularity. He ruled those under him with such
wisdom that all the people loved him, and Saul was, of course, more
jealous and angry than before, and yet afraid of him too, and he began
to think of another way to rid himself of the troublesome rival.
When David had fought Goliath, he was promised the hand of Saul's
eldest daughter in marriage, if he should be victorious, which promise
had not been kept as yet, and now Saul remembered this, and offered to
redeem the promise by giving David his daughter, Merab, as wife, hoping
that in this way, he would not only rouse David's gratitude, but make
him feel in honour bound to fight the Philistines again, for his wife's
sake, and Saul hoped that they might kill him.
Although in our day, David would have been far too young to think of
being married, in those days such things were different, and David
accepted the hand of Merab, but at the last moment, through some new
caprice of Saul's, the promise was broken and Merab became another
man's wife. But Saul's younger daughter, Michal, who had admired
David's behaviour ever since he had been her father's armour-bearer,
was as fond of him as her brother, Jonathan was, and when she told her
father this, he was greatly pleased and said to himself that she should
marry David, who would then fight the Philistines for her sake and be
killed by them. And when David objected to marrying her, saying that it
was no easy matter for a poor man to marry the daughter of a king,
Saul's messengers answered:
"The King requireth no dowry from him, only that he kill a hundred
Philistines."
This pleased David, for he was a born warrior, and he did not know that
the King's purpose in this agreement was to have him fall by the sword
of the enemy. So even before the marriage took place, he was so eager
to fulfil the king's request that he and his men went out and killed
twice as many Philistines as Saul demanded, and came home unhurt, and
although Saul was angry at this, he was obliged to give him Michal in
marriage, but from that moment, Saul hated David more fiercely than
ever, and was determined to kill him, especially when he saw that the
people loved David more and more deeply for his wisdom and bravery.
Intent on this purpose, Saul even called his ministers and servants
together and told them that they must kill David, and he told Jonathan
this too, and Jonathan, loving David as he did, was filled with fear
that his father's wishes would be carried out, and so he hurried to
David with the news of his father's command, and begged David to hide
until the next day, saying that meanwhile he would go to his father and
try to alter his feelings.
When David heard Saul's command, it did not frighten him as much as it
did Jonathan, for he was almost fearless by nature, but he listened to
Jonathan intently, and promised to do what he asked, and as soon as
Jonathan had left him and gone to Saul, David fled to a secret place
and hid there, while Jonathan, having sought his father, began to say
good things about David, even though he saw there was danger of
arousing his father's fierce anger by what he said.
But he spoke boldly, because of his love for David, saying: "Let not
the King sin against David, because he hath not sinned against thee,
and because his works have been to thee very good. For he did put his
life in his hand and slew the Philistines, and the Lord wrought a great
salvation for all Israel. Thou sawest it and did rejoice, wherefore
then, wilt thou sin against innocent blood, to slay David without a
cause."
It was a brave thing for Jonathan to speak so frankly to his father,
and he would have been more frightened in doing it, had not his love of
David given him courage. And he had his reward, for not only did Saul
listen attentively to him, but was touched by his plea, and when he
finished speaking, swore solemnly:
"As the Lord liveth, he shall _not_ be slain."
Jonathan scarcely waited to hear the words, before he hurried from his
father's presence and ran as fast as he could run to David's
hiding-place to tell him the good news, that he was not to be killed.
And then he insisted that David should go back with him to the king's
court, which David did, and when Saul saw him, old memories stirred in
his heart and he welcomed David affectionately as he had done in times
past.
For a while David remained with Saul and Jonathan and as all went on
peacefully, he and Jonathan had many happy hours together. Then there
was war again with the Philistines, and David was sent out to fight
them, and was again victorious over them, slaying them with such a
great slaughter that those who remained alive fled from him, in fear
and dismay. And although Saul was glad of David's victory over the
enemies of Israel, the old jealousy of his young and powerful rival
again overcame him and he had or pretended to have one of his old
attacks of rage, and as in old times, David was called to soothe his
inflamed spirit. But while he was playing, Saul was filled with jealous
fury, and again hurled his spear at the young musician, and again David
slipped aside and escaped it, and the spear hit the wall instead of his
body--then he fled to his own house, more worried than he had ever been
before; for now he saw clearly that Saul would never give up his
purpose to kill him.
This he told his wife, Michal, who knew her father's cruel, jealous
disposition, even better than Saul did, and was much alarmed for her
husband's safety.
That night, Saul, following out his determination, to rid himself of
David, sent watchers to guard David's house and make sure that he did
not escape in the night, and though they did not go into the house to
kill him at once, because of an old Oriental superstition that only
evil would come to those who entered a home by night, they planned to
enter at daybreak and arrest him.
Michal, with a woman's keen instinct, when she saw the messengers
outside, guessed their purpose and at once she said to David:
"If thou save not thy life to-night, to-morrow, thou shalt be slain,"
and then she told David of her plan to save him, which he thought was a
good one. After a hasty farewell, she assisted her husband to escape
through a window on the opposite side of the house from where the
king's messengers were crouched, and David under cover of the darkness
crept stealthily away and escaped once more from Saul's hand. When she
had seen him creep away in the darkness, Michal went back into the
house and dressing up an image, as if it were a man, she laid it in
David's bed, and covered it, head and all, with a long thick coverlet,
and at dawn when Saul's messengers forced an entrance, demanding David,
Michal answered:
"He is sick."
The men went away and told Saul this, but he did not believe it, and
sent them back to bring David to the palace in his bed, if they found
him too sick to walk, and it must have been a moment of triumph for
Michal, who had worked so hard to save her husband's life, and who knew
that he was, even then, far away, when she led Saul's messengers to the
bed, where they found, not their victim, but only an image.
When Saul heard of this, his rage was almost beyond bounds, but Michal
did not care, for she knew that David was safe now, and her answers to
her father's reproaches at her conduct in helping David to escape were
as fearless as possible.
All this took time, and meanwhile, David, now an outcast from his home,
had hurried to Ramah, a city on a height about three miles west of
Gibeah, where he found Samuel at the School of Prophets, and when he
told Samuel all that Saul had done to him, Samuel felt sorely against
Saul, and went with David to Naioth, hoping that they might in that way
escape Saul's messengers, who David knew would surely discover and
follow him. And he was right. No sooner had David reached Ramah than
Saul did find it out, and sent soldiers to arrest him, but three
different bands which he sent, one after another, when they came to the
School of Prophets became filled with religious excitement, and
neglected their errand. Then Saul himself was frenzied with impatience
and started out for Ramah, but before he reached the city, he, too, was
overcome by the spirit of religious excitement, and for a day and a
night forgot his own errand. So David had time to escape, and went
straight back to Saul's court, the place where he had been in such high
favour only a short time before. He went to find Jonathan, his friend,
who had been eagerly waiting for news of him. The meeting of the youths
was a glad one, but there was no time for discussing anything except
what David had come to get advice about. At once he asked Jonathan:
"What have I done? What is my sin before your father, that he seeketh
my life?"
And Jonathan loved him with a great love and was deeply troubled for
his safety, and he answered David:
"God forbid. Thou shalt not die. Behold my father will do nothing
either great or small, but he will show it to me, and why should he
hide this thing from me? It is not so."
But David knew the truth and he answered:
"Thy father certainly knoweth that I have found favour in thine eyes,
and he said '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."
A solemn thing for a young man, so strong, so full of the joy of life,
to believe and to say, and as he said it, his voice trembled, and
Jonathan's cheeks were white with fear. Only for a moment was Jonathan
silent, then looking straight into David's eyes, he said:
"Whatsoever thy soul desireth, I will even do it for thee."
Could there be any better proof of friendship than that?
Then David, who had been thinking what was wisest to do, told Jonathan
of the plan which must be carried out in order to find out Saul's
intentions with regard to him. There was to be a great festival on the
following day, to which Saul had invited David, just as if he and David
were on the best of terms, and David told Jonathan that instead of
going to the feast, he would hide in a field near by, while Jonathan
must go to the feast and see how his absence affected Saul, and also
draw him on in every way, to show his feelings for David. Then, as soon
as Jonathan had found out his father's feeling towards David, he was to
go to the field where David was hiding and shoot three arrows as if
shooting at a mark, and send a boy to pick them up. If he should shoot
on this side of David's hiding-place, it would mean that David could
come out in peace and safety, but if the arrows were shot beyond the
place where David was, it would be a sign that he must again flee, for
his life would be in danger if he remained.
And so David hid himself in the field and Jonathan went to the feast,
as they had planned that he should do, and at first Saul did not notice
David's absence, then presently, he asked Jonathan where David was, and
Jonathan answered as David had told him to, that David had gone to
Bethlehem to attend a family festival there. Then Saul was very angry
at both David and Jonathan, and exclaimed:
"Thou hast chosen the son of Jesse to thine own confusion. Surely as
long as he liveth, thou shalt not be established in the kingdom.
Wherefore, now send for him that he may die."
Although Jonathan was perfectly conscious of his father's bribe of the
kingdom should he bring David to be killed, and of the cleverness of
Saul's appeal to his desire for power, he had no thought for himself,
but only anger that his father could be so hard at heart. But he
controlled his temper and merely said:
"Wherefore shall he be slain? What hath he done?"
At this Saul's fury knew no bounds; that he, King of Israel should lose
not only his sovereignty, but the loyalty of his own son, because of
this lad of Bethlehem, was more than he could bear. With the rage of a
frenzied animal, Saul hurled his spear at Jonathan to kill him, but as
David had done, Jonathan dodged the deadly weapon, and left the feast,
refusing to sit any longer at the table with a father who was so cruel
and capricious.
And as soon as possible, Jonathan hastened to David's hiding-place,
taking with him his bow and arrows, and a lad to fetch his arrows for
him.
And he said to the lad:
"Run, find out the arrows which I shoot!----" and as the lad ran, he
shot an arrow beyond him.
And when the lad found the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan cried
after him:
"Is not that the arrow behind thee? Make speed--haste--stay not."
And Jonathan's lad gathered up the arrows and brought them to his
master, and he knew nothing about the meaning of that which he had
done. Only Jonathan and David knew that, and then because he was eager
to be alone with David, Jonathan gave the lad his bow and arrows and
bade him take them to the city.
As soon as the lad was out of sight and hearing, David who had heard
all that had passed between Jonathan and the boy, came from his
hiding-place, and as there was no one to see or hear them, those lads
of Israel in that far off land, sat together and talked as lads of
to-day might talk, while the sun was sinking low in the west, although
by doing so, they took a very great risk should they be found together.
But both of them were forgetful of all but the joy of being together.
Then with slow step and arm linked in arm, they walked together to the
spot where David had been in hiding, and with a quick realisation of
the danger ever shadowing David's life, both boys were overcome by the
depth of their affection for each other, and by the fear that something
was going to part them, and in the custom of the Orient at that time,
they clasped hands and made a solemn covenant, or vow, of eternal
friendship and mutual help, to extend after the death of either to
their descendants.
It was indeed a solemn moment, and the deepest feeling in the boyish
hearts was stirred when they made their vow under the wide blue sky,
and looked long and sadly into each other's eyes. Then Jonathan said to
David:
"Go in peace because we have sworn, both of us, in the name of the
Lord, saying, 'The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and
thy seed for ever;' and then, with a lingering good-bye, Jonathan went
back to his home, with a heart aching, not only with loneliness for
David, but full of fear of what he would have to suffer and bear in the
coming days, and of regret for that weakness of character which he knew
his father had allowed to go beyond his own control. And David went to
Nob, a city north of Jerusalem, where there was at that time the chief
place of worship of the Israelites, and where David naturally turned
his steps for instructions and also for food. The story of his flight
had not reached the little town among the hills, and he was received
with the honour due to the King's son-in-law, although Ahimeleck, the
chief priest, was astonished that he came without an armour-bearer or a
retinue of attendants. Seeing his surprise, David pretended to have
come on urgent, secret business for Saul, and begged for food. The
priest, believing this, felt that he must treat him with all possible
honour, and as there was no other food ready, gave him the bread which
was for use on the altar. Meanwhile, David's quick eye had caught a
glimpse of a face staring at him through the cracks in the simple
forest building. It was Doeg, the Edomite, Saul's savage herdsman, who
David felt sure had recognised him. A chill of foreboding crept over
David and made him at once demand arms from the peaceful priest. There
were none to give except Goliath's sword, which David had taken from
the giant when he killed him, and which had been there at Nob, wrapped
in a cloth, ever since. With eager joy, David exclaimed:
"There is none like _that_, give it to me!" and seizing the matchless
weapon, he fled with it, knowing that Doeg was even then hastening to
Saul with news of his whereabouts, and that soon Saul's messengers
would be in hot pursuit of him. His next move was a bold one. Leaving
Nob, he and his few followers struck across the country in a southwesterly
direction, keeping well within the dense forests, until they looked
down on the city of Gath. David's condition was desperate now and he
resorted to desperate measures. The nearest Philistine city was Gath;
the glen where he had killed the giant was close beside him. It was a
dangerous thing to trust himself in Gath with Goliath's sword dangling
in his belt but David was nothing if not courageous. Danger in some
form he must face, the Israelites were behind, the Philistines before
him, and he made the plunge and took refuge in Gath. But the move was a
fatal one, his identity was at once discovered, to have his life he
resorted to the least heroic trick of his whole life. Pretending to be
a madman, he raved and stormed and twisted about with horrible
contortions, pounded upon the gates of the city, let the spittle run
down on his beard, and acted his insane part so perfectly that he
completely deceived the King, who laughed at the report that this was
David, the Israelite, and ordered him sent from the city, saying that
there were enough madmen in it for all practical uses.
David's hasty flight ends this episode and we can fancy his sigh of
relief when he had once again escaped so narrowly from danger.
Once more a fugitive, and a real outlaw now, he took refuge in the cave
of Adullam, where as soon as it became known that he had taken up an
outlaw's life, he was at once joined by a number of men who for some
reason were either discontented with their position at court, or
fugitives from justice, and had trust in David's ability to achieve
victories over enemies and circumstances. Even his own brothers, who
had hated and envied him in his earlier days, and his parents, who were
now old and feeble, came to join his band of followers, and soon he was
the chief of a band numbering about four hundred outlaws, among them
some famous warriors who later became noted captains in his army, after
he became King of Israel.
Although the wild, free life of the forest was what exactly suited
David's own youth and vigour, he felt that his parents were too infirm
to bear it, and with characteristic thoughtfulness, he went at once to
the King of Moab and begged him to give a home to the old people until
he should have a safer place of shelter for them. David's grand-mother
was Ruth the Moabitess, which according to the rule of Eastern
hospitality, entitled all her relations to whatever aid they needed
from any of the tribe of Moab, and so the King of Moab cordially
assented to David's request, and received Jesse and his wife as inmates
of his home.
Among David's first followers were some clever warriors of the tribe of
Gad, men fierce in war, and strong and swift of foot. With him also was
the prophet Gad himself, and there were even some men from the tribe of
Benjamin, the tribe to which King Saul belonged, who joined David's
company. It seems to have been a peculiarity of the Benjamites that
they could use either hand with equal skill, and those who joined David
were armed with bows, and were very valuable allies because they could
use both the right hand and the left at once in hurling stones, and
shooting arrows, and never miss their aim. At first David feared
treachery from these Benjamites, but when he asked them frankly what
their intentions were, they said:
"We are thine, David, peace be unto thee and thy helpers, for thy God
helpeth thee." Then David received them, and made them captains of his
army, and they became enthusiastic admirers of their young leader, as
were all David's band.
One incident shows what passionate affection his men felt for him.
Saul's army in losing David had lost the one captain who could keep the
Philistines in check, and they were over-running the country in
numerous bands, having their headquarters in the valley of Rephaim,
near Jerusalem. One night, in a moment of fond recollection of a
happier past, David cried out in an intense longing for a drink of
water from the well near the gate of Bethlehem by which he had often
driven his sheep in his younger days. At once, three of his men,
without telling him what they were going to do, forced a passage
through the Philistine lines and brought him the water for which he
longed. Touched by the act, but always modest, David refused to allow
men to risk their lives simply for his gratification and poured out the
water as a sacrifice to God, according to the religious ceremony of
that time, for it was as good as blood, David said, and the three men
who brought it to him were afterwards counted among the mightiest of
his heroes.
Besides these men, all the others of his little band were devoted to
him, seeing his courage and his unconditional dependence on God under
all circumstances. The wild, rough life brought out all the manhood
there was in his little band of outlaw warriors who were occupied
mainly in guerilla warfare with marauding tribes and in eluding the
pursuit of Saul, and in this way several years passed, during which
time, David's life was full of stirring events, but many a night as he
wandered underneath the stars, his thoughts turned in passionate
longing to Jonathan, for whom his heart cried out--for Jonathan, whose
life was as different from David's, for he had all the comforts of
luxurious living, and all the elegance and pomp which were the natural
surroundings of a King's son. And yet he was far from happy, for he too
longed for David, and he was obliged to spend a large part of his time
in watching over his father, whose weakness of character he understood
perfectly, and to keep the King from dangerous acts and damaging
outbursts of temper, required all of young Jonathan's tact, and most of
his time and strength.
Meanwhile, the prophet Gad whose advice was supposed to be divinely
inspired, told David that it was no longer safe to remain in the cave
of Adullam, so the little band of outlaws left the place where they had
been for so long encamped and as outlaws have always done, they took
refuge in a forest, somewhere among the hills of Judah.