Psalm, which is entitled, "A prayer when he was in the cave," in which he complains that no man would know him, and that refuge failed him, but hopes that shortly the righteous would compass him about. It was at this time that Saul commanded Doeg the Edomite to smite Nob, the city of the priests, and to slay fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod; all which he did. In the midst of all this hurry and distraction, David found both time and a heart to hold communion with God, and on this occasion composed the 52d Psalm. In 1 Sam., chap. xxiii., we have it related how David rescued the city of Keilah from the Philistines, and was betrayed by its inhabitants, visited by Jonathan in the wood of Hachilah, betrayed by the Ziphites, after which he made his escape from Saul, and for the present went and dwelt in strongholds at En-gedi, which, according to Dr Lightfoot, was the wilderness of Judah, in which David was when he penned the 63d Psalm, which is full of deep-toned piety and devout affection. David was now in a wilderness, and yet his heart much enlarged in blessing God. After this "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 to cover his feet: and David and his men remained in the sides of the cave. Then David arose, and cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily." David could now prove to Saul that he designed him no harm. He held up the skirt of Saul's robe, and said, "Behold, this day thine eyes have seen how that the LORD hath delivered thee to-day into my hand in the cave: and some bade me kill thee: but mine eye spared thee; and I said, I will not put forth my 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 my hand, and I have not sinned against thee; yet thou huntest my soul to take it. The LORD judge between me and thee, and the LORD avenge me of thee: and plead my cause, and deliver me out of thine hand; but mine hand shall not be upon thee." For the present, Saul was so affected by David's magnanimity that he wept, and said, "Is this thy voice, my son David? Thou art more righteous than I: for thou hast rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded thee evil." And Saul said to David, "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 sware unto Saul. And Saul went home; but David and his men gat them up unto the hold." From these circumstances now stated, one would be ready to think that Saul would not have hunted any more after the life of David; but it was not so. In 1 Sam. xxvi. 2, we find Saul with three thousand chosen men of Israel seeking after David in the wilderness of Ziph. “And David arose, and came to the place where Saul had pitched: and David beheld the place where Saul lay, and Abner the son of Ner, the captain of his host: and Saul lay in the trench, and the people pitched round about him. Then said David, Who will go down with me to Saul to the camp? And Abishai said, I will go. So David and Abishai came to the people by night: and, behold, Saul lay sleeping within the trench, and his spear stuck in the ground at his bolster. Then said Abishai to David, God hath delivered thine enemy into thine hand this day: now therefore let me smite him, I pray thee, with the spear even to the earth at once. And David said, Destroy him not: for who can stretch forth his hand against the LORD's anointed, and be guiltless? David also said, As the LORD liveth, the LORD shall smite him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish." We have already seen that this prediction was fulfilled on the battlefield of Gilboa. At this time David said to Abishai, "I pray thee, take thou now the spear that is at his bolster, and the cruse of water, and let us go." And they did so, "and gat them away, and no man saw it, nor knew it; 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 an hill afar off, and cried to Abner (in ridicule), Art not thou a valiant man? and who is like to thee in Israel? wherefore then hast thou not kept thy lord the king? As the LORD liveth, ye are worthy to die, because ye have not kept your master, the LORD's anointed. And now see where the king's spear is, and the cruse of water that was at his bolAnd 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 David said to Saul, Wherefore doth my lord thus pursue after his servant? for what have I done? or what evil is in mine hand? wherefore is the king of Israel 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 soul was precious in thine eyes this day: behold, I have played the fool, and have erred exceedingly. Blessed be thou, my son David: thou shalt both do great things, and shalt prevail. So David

ster.

went on his way, and Saul returned to his place." This was the last time that David and Saul ever met.

About this time David was guilty of mistrusting God, despairing of safety, and, with an army of six hundred men, joining himself with Achish, king of Gath, and requesting from him some small city wherein they might live by themselves. "And Achish gave him Ziklag: wherefore Ziklag belongeth to the kings of Judah unto this day. And the time that David dwelt in the country of the Philistines was a full year and four months. Now the Philistines gathered together all their armies to Aphek to fight against Israel: and the Israelites pitched by a fountain which is in Jezreel. And the lords of the Philistines passed on by hundreds and by thousands: but David and his men passed on in the rereward with Achish. Then said the princes of the Philistines, What do these Hebrews here? make this fellow (David) return, that he may go to his place which thou hast appointed him, and let him not go down with us, lest in the battle he be an adversary to us: for wherewith should he reconcile himself unto his master? should it not be with the heads of these men?" With this request Achish complied. "So David and his men returned into the land of the Philistines and the Philistines went up to Jezreel."

Note.-David, by his quitting the land of Judah, and going among the uncircumcised, had brought himself into a great strait. "If, when the armies engaged, he should quit his post, he would fall under the indelible reproach, not only of cowardice and treachery, but of base ingratitude to Achish. If he should, as was expected from him, fight for the Philistines against Israel, he would incur the imputation of being an enemy to the Israel of God, a traitor to his country, unworthy of the name of an Israelite, much more of the honour and trust of a king of Israel. Those that associate themselves with wicked people, it is strange if they come off without guilt or grief, or both."

On the third day after David and his men had left the camp of the Philistines they came to Ziklag, and, behold, it was burnt with fire: and their wives, and their sons, and their daughters, were taken captives. "And David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I pursue after this troop? shall I overtake them? And he answered him, Pursue: for thou shalt surely overtake them, and without fail recover all." David and his men went and succeeded, even as the Lord had said; and when David had returned to Ziklag, "He sent of the spoil unto the elders of Judah, even to his friends, saying, Behold a present for you of the spoil of the enemies of the LORD."-1 Sam. xxx. 26. As Saul was now dead, "David inquired of the LORD, saying,

Shall I go up into any of the cities of Judah? And the LORD said unto him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron. And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah." But the other tribes of Israel did not yet choose David for their king. "Then Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ish-bosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; and there he, and the chief of all the tribes of Israel, except the tribe of Judah, made him their king. Now there was long war between the house of Saul and the house of David: but David waxed stronger and stronger, and the house of Saul waxed weaker and weaker. Then Abner sent messen. gers to David, saying, Make a league with me, and, behold, my hand shall be with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee. So Abner came to David to Hebron, and twenty men with him. And David made Abner and the men that were with him a feast. And Abner said unto David, I will arise and go, and will gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make a league between me and thee, and that thou mayest reign over all that thine heart desireth. And David sent Abner away; and he went in peace." When Joab knew what had taken place, he sent messengers, and brought Abner back to Hebron, "and took him aside in the gate to speak with him quietly, and smote him there under the fifth rib, that he died; because he had slain Asahel his brother at Gibeon, in the battle. When David heard it, he said, I and my kingdom are guiltless before the LORD for ever from the blood of Abner. And they buried Abner in Hebron. And king David himself followed the bier." And at the grave of Abner he lifted up his voice, and wept, saying, "Died Abner as a fool dieth? Thy hands were not bound, nor thy feet put into fetters: as a man falleth before wicked men, so fellest thou." When Ish-bosheth heard that Abner was dead, he and all Israel were discouraged because they had lost their leader. At this time two of the captains of Ish-bosheth entered his bed-chamber, and as he lay upon his bed they murdered him, and carried his head to David, thinking that he would reward them for their cruelty; but he, rightly, caused them to be put to death.

DAVID ANOINTED KING BY ALL ISRAEL." Then came all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron, and spake, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. Also in time past, when Saul was king over us, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel. So all the elders of Israel came to Hebron; and king David made a league with them 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 and six months. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years over all Israel and Judah."

At this time there was a city on the northern boundary of Judah, and the southern boundary of Benjamin, which was still in the possession of the Jebusites. It had formerly been called Salem, but now was called Jebus, and afterward by David called Jerusalem, the capital city of the land of Israel. Here the Jebusites had built a strong fort. Nevertheless

David took the stronghold of Zion, and dwelt in it: and called it the city of David. And David went on, and grew great, and the LORD God of hosts was with him. And there were sons and daughters born to him in Jerusalem.-2 Sam. v. 13.

As soon as the Philistines heard that all Israel had anointed David to be their king, they sent their armies into the country to fight against Israel; "and David inquired of the LORD, saying, Shall I go up to the Philistines? wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto David, Go up: for I will doubtless deliver the Philistines into thine hand." ~ And it was so, even as the Lord had said, for at this time David conquered them once and again: and drove them out of the country.

The ark of God, in which lay the two tables of stone, upon which were written the ten commandments, the pot of manna, and the rod of Aaron, being at Kirjath-jearim, David now, by the direction of God, brought it to Jerusalem in triumph, and placed it in Zion, where he had for it prepared a tabernacle. For the account of which see 2 Sam. vi. 1-17; 1 Chron. xiii, 5, 6, and xv. 1-29. As David and the thousands of Israel were going up the mountain with the ark, it is supposed by some that they sung the 24th Psalm, the different choirs answering each other in the following order :

1ST CHOIR.-Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?
And who shall stand in his holy place?

2D CHOIR. He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;
Who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity,
Nor sworn deceitfully.

"When they came to the gates of the tabernacle that king David had prepared for the ark, the Levites probably separated into two choirs, and the ark was carried in between them, while they sang "

BOTH CHOIRS.-Lift up your heads, O ye gates;

And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors;
And the King of glory shall come in.