The fierce battles with the Philistines continues, and at last the Israelites and Philistine armies found themselves facing one another across the mountains with the Valley of Elah between them.
One morning there came out from the Philistine camp two men. The first was a soldier carrying a shield, but it was the man behind him who made the Israelites gasp with horror. He was an enormous giant of a man, nearly 10 feet tall, and dressed in a bronze javelin. His great thick spear had a wicked looking head of iron on it. The name of this giant was Goliath, and the Israelites trembled at the sight of him.
He stood and glared across at the ranks of the Israelites; then he roared across to them in a terrible voice, “What do you think you are all doing there lining up for battle? I am a Philistine and you are Saul’s slaves. Choose one of your numbers and send him to fight me! If he can kill me, then we will be your slaves; but if I win, then you shall be our slaves and serve us. I dare you to send somebody to do battle with me!”
The Israelites were terrified and did not dare send anybody. They were pretty sure who would win when they looked at Goliath! No one in their army could have a hoe of beating him; so nobody went out to see him.
Goliath continued to roar his challenge at them. Every morning and every evening for the next forty days he bellowed across at the Israelites. Saul and his arming were dismayed and felt more and more discouraged.
Now Jesse was too old to go and fight in Saul’s army, but his three eldest sons had gone---Eliab, Abinadab and third son whose name Shammah. David was still taking care of his father’s sheep.
One day Jesse said to David, “Go to your brothers in the army and take them some food---some roasted grain and loaves of bread. See how they are getting on, and bring back something to prove to me that they are well. Take ten cheeses for their commanding officer also.”
Early next morning, David got up, ready for his journey. He left someone else in charge of the sheep and set off with the food which his father had given him.
When he reached the camp, both armies were just preparing for battle. David handled the food to the officer in charge of supplies, and ran in among the soldiers to find his brothers. As he was chatting to them, Goliath came out for his twice-daily challenge to the Israelites, clanking his armor and roaring defiance. The Israelite soldiers were becoming worn down by this performance, and they ran away, trembling.
David asked the soldiers near him what it was all about and they said, “King Saul has promised a big reward to anyone who kills this giant, and he will also give his daughter to marry and free him of taxes.”
“Who is this heathen Philistine to dare to defy the army of the living God?” David scornfully said.
Some of the soldiers told Saul what David had said, and the king sent for him. “Your majesty,” said David. “I’ll volunteer to go and fight this giant. No one should feel afraid of him.”
“No, no,” said King Saul. You are just a mere boy. He’s been fighting soldier all his life.”
“But sir,” said David, “I look after my father’s sheep, and if a bear or a lion comes to seize a lamb, I rescue the lamb, and kill the bear or lion. I’ve killed many such, and I’ll kill this Philistine. The Lord has saved me from lions and bears, and He will save me from this Philistine.”
Saul was so impressed on what he witness. “All right,” he said, “you can go and try. You know, no one else has offered. You may wear my helmet and my armor. And God will be with you.”
When David was dressed in Saul’s armor, he found he could not walk in it; it was so heavy, and he was not used to wearing armor. So he took it all off and went to meet Goliath with only his stick and his sling. On the way picked up five smooth stones from the stream and put them in this shepherd’s bag.
As soon as Goliath saw who was coming to fight him, he laughed with scorn. “What’s the stick for, boy?” he shouted. Do you think that I am just a dog?”
David replied, “You are coming to me with might---your sword and spear and javelin. But I come to you in the name of the living God, the God of Israel whom you have defied. I will defeat you, and the whole world will know that Israel has a true God.”
With that, he ran towards Goliath, taking one of the stones from his bag. He aimed it straight at Goliath’s forehead, and it struck the giant who fell on his face on the ground. David ran over and, taking Goliath’s own sword from its sheath, he killed the giant.
When the Philistines saw what had happened to their champion, they turned and fled, hotly pursued by the Israelites who won a great victory.
After this great victory, David was taken into the presence of King Saul. While he was at the court, he met Saul’s son, Jonathan, and came to like him very much. A firm bond grew up between them and they swore eternal friendship. Saul treated David almost like another son, and David did so well in all the missions that he was given that Saul made him a commander in the army, and everyone was delighted with the news as David was very popular.
When the army returned home after their victory over the Philistine, the people danced and sang for joy. “Saul has slain his thousands, but David his tens of thousands,” they cried. Now Saul did not like to hear this and he began to grow jealous of David. He even began to be afraid of his success. But the people all loved David because he was such a great leader.
In due time, David married Saul’s daughter, Michal; but Saul grew more and more moody and had many attacks of bitter jealousy against David for no reason at all.
One day Jonathan found out that Saul was actually plotting to kill David, so he warned David to go and hide. “I will talk to my father, and I will find out anything, I will tell you,” he said to David. They he went to his father, and reminded him of all the great things David had done. Saul listened and understand, and decided that David should not be killed. So David came out of hiding and served the king once more.
It was not for long, however; another time, Saul’s jealous mood returned, and he hurled a spear at David as he was playing the harp. David managed to dodge it and so was not hurt. That night Saul sent some men to David’s house to kill him; but David’s wife, Michal, heard of it, and let David down from a window so that he escaped. Then she took the figure of an idol from the house and put it in the bed, so that when the soldiers came looking for David, they were tricked and David was able to make his escape in the midst of the confusion.
Naturally, David grew very worried about these attempts on his life, and he asked Jonathan one day, “What have I done” What crime have I committed that makes your father want to kill me? I have always been his loyal servant.
Jonathan wanted to do all he could to help his friend and thought that his father would tell him what he was about to do; but David thought that as Saul knew he and Jonathan were friends, he would not tell Jonathan anything about his plots against David.
The next day was the Feast of the New Moon, and David was supposed to dine with the king. He decided not to go, but to hide in the fields instead. He said to Jonathan, “If your father notices that I am not there, tell him that I have gone to Bethlehem to attend the yearly sacrifice there for all the family. “If he says “All right”, then I’ll be safe. If, however, he is angry, then you will know that he plans some evil against me.”
Jonathan agreed to let David know what happened. Saul noticed David’s absence and asked Jonathan about it. When Jonathan said David had gone to Bethlehem, Saul flew into a rage and said “Bring him here immediately, for he must die!”
“But why?” asked Jonathan reasonably. “What wrong has he done with you?”
For an answer Saul threw his spear at Jonathan, but did not hurt him.
Jonathan was upset and ashamed of his father’s evil mood, and the next day he went out into the fields and let David know that he must flee and escape Saul’s anger. “God be with you,” said Jonathan to David. “The Lord God will be with us and our descendants for ever.”
For a long time there was war between Saul and his men and David and his followers. Yet on two occasions when he had a chance to kill Saul, David would not do so; no doubt he remembered that Saul had once treated him like a son, and moreover, had he not been anointed king by Samuel, acting one God’s instructions?
In the end, King Saul was killed in a battle against Philistine. Three of his sons were killed in the same battle, and one of them was Jonathan, David’s beloved friend.
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