VIII. THE LIFE AND TIMES OF DAVID. 82. YOUTH OF DAVID. [1 SAM. XVI.-XXIII.] ENTWINED With the life of Saul, and closely connected with the story of his children, is the life of David. The grace and spirit of God seemed gradually withdrawn from Saul, to reappear in the career of the Son of Jesse. As the strength of the one decayed and withered away, the other took root in the hearts of the people. As clouds and darkness gathered over the close of Saul's life, the sunshine of hope and fame burst over the youth of David. This David, the shepherd, the sweet musician, and inspired poet; the warrior and the hero of a hundred romantic adventures; the friend of the noble-minded Jonathan; at last the king, the victor in numberless battles; the man of sublime virtues and great passions; now rising to the height of human excellence and now sinking to the depth of human weakness and sin; the unhappy and much-tried father-is perhaps the most remarkable personage portrayed in the Scriptures. There lived in Bethlehem-Judah a man of the name of Jesse, a descendant of Ruth, the good Moabite woman. He had eight sons, the youngest of whom was David, 'the dear one,' the beloved,' small in stature, but of beautiful countenance. To his care were entrusted his father's flocks. He led them out upon the rugged hills of Judah, tended them watchfully, and guarded them by his valour from the wild beasts that haunted the mountains. Often a lion or a bear would come, and attempt to carry off a lamb from his fold; then the young shepherd, who knew no fear, ventured to struggle with the lion or the bear, seized the fierce animal with dauntless courage, and rescued the lamb from its mouth. Thus, by nature brave and daring, he was inured to hardships, trained to climb the steep and rocky mountain side, and braced to endure any danger and fatigue. During those early years, passed chiefly in solitude, and surrounded by grand and beautiful scenes, his innate love for the sublime and the poetical was naturally fostered; and we can well imagine that, impressionable and impassioned as he was, he often felt inspired to pour forth his soul in poetry and song. All his effusions had a religious colouring; they glorified God, the Creator of all things, the Lord of all nature, whose power and wisdom spoke to him both in the towering peak and in the lowly valley. It is not surprising that one so variedly and so highly gifted-one equally remarkable for strength and courage, as for eloquence and all the graces of art-should have been looked upon from his youth as destined for a high mission, as intended to play a great part in the history of his nation. This certainly was the opinion of Samuel, whose superior judgment had even gained by age and experience. The Bible thus tells the story of the anointing of David: And the Lord said to Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? Fill thy horn with oil, and go, and I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite; for I have provided for Myself a king among his sons.' When Samuel objected, and pleaded Saul's anger, who would surely kill him if he heard of his errand and its object, he was instructed to sons; say, that he came to Bethlehem merely to present an offering. So Samuel went, taking with him his horn of sacred oil. When the venerable man, so solemn in appearance and bearing, approached, the people were afraid and asked him, 'Comest thou peaceably?' Samuel replied that he had come to offer up a sacrifice, and bade all sanctify themselves and be present at the ceremony. Among the people were Jesse and seven of his David was absent, tending the sheep. As the brothers arrived, Eliab, the eldest of them, a tall and comely youth, met first the eye of Samuel. The prophet, remembering that Saul had been chosen for his imposing stature, thought within himself, that this was surely the Lord's anointed. But the grace of God was not given to this youth. Samuel heard the Divine voice, 'The Lord sees not as man sees, for man looks on the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart.' Then the other six sons of Jesse passed before Samuel; but none of them was the chosen one of the Lord. The prophet asked Jesse whether he had no other sons? And Jesse replied, he had one more, the youngest of all, who was in the fields keeping the flocks. Samuel requested that this youngest son should be brought before him. It was David. As he appeared before Samuel, ruddy, with beautiful eyes and heartwinning grace, the Lord said, 'Arise, anoint him, for this is he!' Samuel took his horn, and anointed David at once in the midst of his brothers. And the spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward.' But the spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him.' Dark and terrible were the days now in store for the forsaken king, overshadowed by a gloomy cloud, cast down by tormenting sadness. His servants, seeing these symptoms with sorrow and alarm, proposed to find some skilful player on the harp, who with sweet sounds might soothe his troubled mind. Saul consented, and the young shepherd David, renowned for his gift of music, was sent for: he came from his flocks, bringing as a present to the king from his father Jesse an ass laden with bread, and a bottle of wine, and a kid. Saul from the first loved him; and when he felt depressed by the evil spirit, he ordered him to take his harp and play, and he was cheered. David accompanied the king everywhere, and was soon made his armour-bearer. But it appears that he did not remain long with Saul; he must after a while have returned to his father's house and to his old occupations; for it is as a shepherd that we hear next of him. 83. DAVID AND GOLIATH. The Philistines, although repeatedly defeated by Saul, were neither subdued nor apparently much weakened, and they again determined upon a war of aggression. They entered the territory of Judah, and pitched their camp in a hilly country between Shochoh and Azekah, eastward of their own town Ekron. Saul entrenched himself with his men on an opposite height. A wide valley separated the two armies. The Philistines had among them, as their principal champion, a man of Gath, Goliath by name, a soldier whose towering form, 'six cubits and a span' high, was a well-known object of dread to the Hebrews. His panoply of war is minutely described: he had a helmet of brass; his coat of mail, which was also of brass, weighed five thousand shekels; he wore greaves of the same metal upon his legs, and carried a brazen javelin between his shoulders; the staff of his spear resembled in size a weaver's beam, while the iron point of that weapon weighed six hundred shekels. Thus armed, the giant appeared constantly before the camp of the Hebrews, and shouted forth, 'I defy the armies of Israel this day: give me a man that we may fight together. If he be able to fight with me, and to kill me, then will we be your servants; but if I prevail against him, and kill him, then shall you be our servants, and serve us.' For forty days did the ruthless warrior thus challenge the Israelites; but not one of Saul's men ventured to answer the summons to the formidable single combat, upon the issue of which so much was to depend. The three eldest sons of Jesse had followed the king to the war, while David had remained at home, tending the flocks as usual. One day he was charged by his father to proceed to the camp with provisions for his brothers and their captain, and to return speedily with news of their welfare. The two armies were drawn up in battle-array in front of each other, and just as David ran up to salute his brothers, the terrible Philistine champion stepped out before the line, and repeated his insulting speech as before. The men of Israel shrank back in fear. David, who had been listening intently to the words of Goliath, turned to question those near him what all this meant ; who that giant was? and what would be the reward of the man who killed him? Upon which he was told that the king would give the conqueror great riches, marry him to his daughter, and declare his father's house free from all burdens. Eliab had noticed that his youngest brother was in eager conversation with some of the soldiers; and well aware of his daring and intrepid spirit, he upbraided him with angry vehemence: Why hast thou come down hither? and with whom hast thou left those few sheep in the wilderness? I know thy presumption and the wickedness of thy heart; for thou art come down that thou mightest see the battle!' But David, though conciliatory to his brothers, remained firm in his |