Behold, this day the Lord delivered thee into my hand in the cave, and some bade me kill thee, but I said, I will not put forth my hand against my lord, for he is the Lord's anointed. Moreover, my father, 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 I have not sinned against thee. Yet thou huntest my soul to take it.

And 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. Wherefore the Lord reward thee good, for that thou hast done unto me this day. And Saul went home, but David and his men gat them up into the hold. Now Samuel died; and all the Israelites were gathered together, and lamented him, and buried him in his house at Ramah. And the Philistines again 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 they slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, Saul's And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers hit him, and he was sore wounded of the archers. And Saul took a sword, and fell upon it. And when his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise upon his sword, and died with him. So Saul died, and his three sons, and his armourbearer, and all his men, that same day together. And the Philistines came and cut off Saul's head, and

sons.

stripped off his armour, and sent into the land round about to publish it in the house of their idols, and among the people. And they put his armour in the house of Ashtaroth, and fastened his body to the wall of Beth-shan. And when the inhabitants of Jabesh-gilead heard of that which 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 came to Jabesh, and burnt them there. And they took their bones, and buried them under a tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days. And David lamented over Saul and over Jonathan, his son. And he said, 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. O Jonathan, I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan; very pleasant hast thou been unto me; thy love to me was wonderful. How are the mighty fallen, and the weapons of war perished!

How sad it seems that Saul, called and anointed by God to be king over Israel, should have fallen. away from the promise of his youth. He had great graces given him by God; but, after one great sin of disobedience, he never seems to have tried really to walk in the ways of God any more. And his jealousy of the good young David blinded him more and more to what he knew to be right. All he desired was to kill David; forgetting that God was stronger than he, and would surely preserve the young man he had chosen to succeed Saul. There is something

very generous and noble in the affection of Jonathan for David. He was not jealous, although Saul's eldest son. And David shows wonderful forbearance and humility in all his dealings with Saul's royal house. He always remembered that Saul had been anointed king over Israel, and he honoured him as God's appointed ruler over His people. Saul tried more than once, nay, a great many times, to kill David, but even though David had it in his power, more than once, to kill Saul, and that privately, so that no one would have known who slew him, yet he reverenced the wicked Saul, as king, and would not lift up his hand against him.

Who was Jonathan?

What did the Evil Spirit prompt Saul to do?

How did God change the hearts of the messengers sent out by Saul to take David, when they saw Samuel?

How did Jonathan show his friendship for David?

Did David try to revenge himself on Saul?

Had he ever an opportunity of killing him?

Why did he not?

How did Saul and his sons die?