July 1924
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
442
Turning his face eastward David could see the desert plain of Jeshimon, stretching along the western shore of the Dead Sea, and nearer, the fountains of En-gedi which" continually sent forth great streams of water, reminding David of how God continually blessed him and protected him from his enemy king Saul. Softly he may have breathed a prayer of thanks, “ Thy mercy is great unto the heavens, O God, and thy truth unto the clouds.” Over the desert plain he may have noticed a cloud of dust, growing larger as it seemed to come nearer. Perhaps David’s first thought was “ Saul!” At once he sent some of his friends down the hill to see who was approaching. Was it an army coming over the plain, with spears and shields glinting in the fading light? Soon his friends returned with the news that King Saul and 3000 chosen soldiers were preparing to camp for the night in the very Hill of Hachilah! Hiding himself in the shrubbery, David went nearer and looked down at the camp. Stalwart soldiers were pitching the tents in a large circle and preparing a place in the center for King Saul and Captain Abner, his body-guard, to sleep, safe from all harm. A daring thought came to David’s mind—-could he steal down into the camp while they slept! It would take courage to try. If he were caught it meant instant death! But God was David’s shield and buckler, his protection. Turning to some of the friends with him, he asked quickly, “Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp?” David’s nephew, Abishai, probably thinking the adventure would be thrilling, even if dangerous, answered, “ I will go with thee.” Night had fallen and the two courageous figures made their way by moonlight, stepping softly between the tents of sleeping soldiers up to the very spot where King Saul lay, his spear thrust into the ground, near at hand, and a jug of water near his pillow. No sound could be heard, save perhaps the deep breathing of the sleeping soldiers— for the Lord ruled their sleep— as David stood looking down upon his unconscious enemy. Abishai spoke softly to his master,, “ God hath delivered thine enemy into thy hand this day; now therefore, let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear, even to the earth.” David replied earnestly, “ Destroy him not. The Lord forbid that I should stretch forth my hand against his anointed, but I pray thee, take quickly the spear that is at his bolster and the cruse of water, and let us go.” Captain Abner, awaking from his sound sleep heard a voice calling, “ Abner, Abner, answerest thou not, Abner?” He saw no one about. !J“ Who art thou that criest to the king?” Abner called back. “ Art thou not a valiant man?” replied the voice. “ This thing is not good that thou hast done. As the Lord liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept thy master, the Lord’s anointed. And now see where the king’s spear is and the cruse of water that was at his bolster!” Abner must have been much dismayed to find that the spear and the water jug were missing. Saul, awakened by the shouting, recognized David’s voice calling from the distant hill top, and he answered, “ Is this thy voice, my son David?” “ It is my voice, my lord, O King. Wherefore doth my lord pursue after his servant? For what have I done or what evil is in my hand? Enemies have stirred thee up against me. Now, therefore, let not my blood fall to the earth before the face of the Lord.” Then King Saul knew that again David had come upon him sleeping and had spared his life, as he had in’ the cave at En-gedi, when David cut the skirt from the king’s robe
he longed.—Lange. Then the greatness of David shines forth. A very small man would have taken it as a matter of course. An average man would have been deeply touched, and would have been full of thankfulness to these men for thus fulfilling his wish. But David was neither a small man nor an average man.—Banks. So he poured the precious water on the ground as a libation of thank fulness to God for such courage and devotion.— Stanley. 22:3. The insecurity of David’s position rendered him anxious for the safety of his parents; and he therefore proceeded to Moab, a country where he expected to find an asylum for them on account both of the hostility be tween Israel and Moab (1 Sam. 14:47 and of the fact that Ruth, an ancestress of his, was a native of the latter coun try.—Wade. What became of David’s parents later we are not told. Perhaps they did not live to see their son exalted to the throne.— Fleming. Was David ever more truly and more fully the man after God’s own heart than when he came out of his stronghold, and risked his own life and liberty, in order to secure the peace and comfort of his imperiled parents?— Charles Vince. Chap. 23. A mighty training lay in that wild outlaw life for the knowledge and government of men. Nothing but the completest personal supremacy could hold such unruly elements under any species of command; and David, the un willing head of such a following, learned in mastering them the secret of governing men, and knitting together their discordant hearts into an harmonious unity.—Wilberforce. Chap. 24. This was a range of bleak rocks tenanted only by the fleet chamois or wild goats, and eminently de fensible.— Thomson. On all sides the country is full of caverns, which serve as lurking places for outlaws at the present day. Some of these can easily give shelter to 1500 men.—Kitto. “ To cover his feet” means to go to sleep. Notice David’s wonderful self-restraint arid the motive for it (vs. 4-6) which affords another illustration of his being “ a man after God’s own heart.” Read Psa. 142. The chapter affords a striking illustration of heaping coals of fire on an enemy’s head with the promised result of over coming evil with good (Rom. 12:20, 21). But alas! the veil did not stay overcome, nor, if we may judge by the last verse, does David expect it will.—Gray.
ELEMENTARY Mrs. 8. W. Barrett
Memory verses— Ephesians 4:32; Matthew 5:44. How do you treat people who are unkind to you? Do you try to “ get even” or “ pay them back?” Our Lord Jesus, when he lived on earth taught his disciples to love
their enemies. When we let the Lord Jesus come to live and rule in our hearts then we are kind to our enemies, just like the story God has told us in the Bible about David and King Saul. Lesson Story HOW D A V ID SPARED HIS ENEMY, KING SAUL God took Samuel, that great and good prophet, to his everlast ing home and all the people mourned for him, for they loved him very much, especially David. One day David was standing on the Hill of Hachilah, just as the
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sun was saying “ good night” to the hills. Looking toward the north he could see the mountains round about Jerusa lem, and perhaps he could see something of his own city, Bethlehem, which nestled just at the foot of the moun tains. As he watched the changing colors in the sky which softened the grey ridges in the distance, don’t you think David might have remembered the time when Samuel had visited Bethlehem and called a ruddy lad from the sheep- fold and anointed him to one day be a great king?
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