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intended to give him the kingdom, and to make use of the Philistine army for accomplishing this great and important purpose. Samuel was dead, and the Israelitish monarch was now sensible of his loss; for although, in this emergency, he enquired of Jehovah, Jehovah answered him not, neither by dreams, nor by Crim, nor by prophets.

Either from a sense of duty, or in order to make a shew of zeal for the service of Jehovah, Saul had, some time before this crisis, put away those who had familiar spirits, and the wizards, out of the land. But notwithstanding that, now in this time of extremity, and forsaken, as he was, by his God, he was weak and wicked enough to disguise himself, and seek from a woman at Endor, who was reputed to have a familiar spirit, for that information and counsel which Jehovah had denied him. It was Samuel, however, that Saul was anxious to see; and which shews that, amidst all his rebellion and misconduct, he had still some reverence for that holy prophet; and it pleased God to permit either Samuel* to revisit the earth, or some supernatural representation of him to appear to Saul; not for the purpose of comforting or relieving his disquietude, but to shew him the fearful truth, that the time was at length arrived when his enormities were to be requited, and vengeance was to be poured out upon him and his house; for when Saul uttered the piercing complaint, I am sore distressed; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams: therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do: the spirit replied, Wherefore then dost thou ask of me, seeing Jehovah is departed from thee, and is become thine enemy? And Jehovah hath done to him as he spake by me: for Jehovah hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand, and given it

Gray's Key, 173.

to thy neighbour, even to David: because thou obeyedst not the voice of Jehovah, nor executedst his fierce wrath upon Amalek, therefore hath Jehovah done this thing unto thee this day. Moreover, Jehovah will also deliver Israel with thee into the hand of the Philistines: and to-morrow shalt thou and thy sons be with me: Jehovah also shall deliver the host of Israel into the hand of the Philistines. Then Saul fell straightway all along on the earth, and was sore afraid.*

When the lords of the Philistines discovered that David and his men formed the rear-guard of the troops of Achish, they insisted upon that monarch sending these auxiliaries away, exclaiming, Is not this David, of whom they sang one to another in dances, saying, Saul slew his thousands, and David his ten thousands? Let him not go down with us to battle, 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 demand Achish complied, although very reluctantly, not having the least suspicion of David's fidelity, or of the part which he would act in the approaching battle; and David expressed himself upon that occasion, and acted throughout this whole affair, in so guarded a manner, that it is not easy to know how he intended to have conducted himself, if God had not thus providentially delivered him out of the snare. So David and his men rose up early to depart in the morning, to return into the land of the Philistines. And the Philistines went up to Jezreel.+

Upon his march with the troops of Achish, some of the tribe of Manasseh united themselves to David, and as he returned back towards Ziklag, Adnah, and others, who were

⚫ 1 Sam. xxviii. 16—20.

+1 Sam. xxix. 4. 1 Chron. xii. 19. 1 Sam. xxix. 11.

captains of thousands, in that tribe, and they helped David against the band of the rovers: for they were all mighty men of valour, and were captains in the host. For at that time, day by day, there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God.*

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Whilst David had marched with the Philistine army, the Amalekites had taken advantage of his absence to invade the south of Ziklag, and had smitten Ziklag, and burned it with fire; and had taken the women captives, that were therein; they slew not any, either great or small, but carried them away, and went on their way.† Amongst the captives were David's own wives, Ahinoam, the Jezreelitess, and Abigail, the Carmelitess and David was greatly distressed, for the people spake of stoning him, for the loss of their sons and daughters. David, however, greatly encouraged himself in Jehovah his God, and ordered Abiathar, the priest, to bring the ephod; when David enquired of Jehovah, whether he should pursue and overtake the Amalekites. Jehovah having returned a gracious answer, David and his 600 men proceeded to the brook Besor, where he was forced to leave 200 who were unable to continue the march.

Marching onwards, they found an Egyptian who had been unable to keep up with the Amalekites in their retreat from Ziklag, and who had been without food for three days and nights, and they brought him to David. After giving him some refreshment, the Egyptian undertook to shew David which way the Amalekites had retreated; and David came upon them unexpectedly, whilst they were in disorder, and spread abroad upon all the earth, eating and drinking, and dancing, because of all the great spoil that they had taken out of the land of the Philistines, and out of the land of Judah. And David smote them from the twilight, even unto the even

1 Chron. xii. 21, 22.

+1 Sam. xxx. 1, 2.

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ing of the next day; and there escaped not a man of them, save four hundred young men, which rode upon camels and fled. And David recovered all that the Amalekites had carried away and David rescued his two wives. And there was nothing lacking to them, neither small nor great, neither sons nor daughters, neither spoil nor any thing that they had taken to them: David recovered all. And David took all the flocks, and the herds, which they drave before those other cattle, and said, This is David's spoil.*

On returning to their companions at the brook Besor, those who had marched forward and fought, were not disposed to allow those who had remained at the brook, any share of the spoils; but this selfish disposition David wisely overruled by his authority, declaring, that as his part is that goeth down to the battle, so shall his part be that tarrieth by the stuff: they shall part alike. And it was so from that day forward, that he made it a statute and an ordinance for Israel unto this day.†

When David returned to Ziklag, he sent presents from the spoil, taken in this expedition, to various friends, elders of Judah, in Bethel, in south Ramoth, in Jattir, in Aroer, in Siphmoth, in Eshtemoa, in Rachal, in the cities of the Jerahmeelites, in the cities of the Kenites, in Hormah, in Chorashan, in Athach, in Hebron, and in all the places where himself and his men were wont to haunt.

Whilst David had been engaged in the pursuit of the Amalekite marauders, Saul had fought his last and fatal battle, in which the Philistines followed hard upon him; and slew Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Melchishua, his sons; and the battle went sore against Saul, and he was sore wounded of the archers. Determined upon self-destruction, that usual last resource of the forsaken of God, and of the de

termined profligate, he ordered his armour bearer to thrust him through with his sword; and upon his refusal, he took a sword himself, and fell upon it; and when his armour bearer saw it, he imitated the same dreadful example.

This victory was so decisive, that the Israelites who dwelt on the other side of the valley, and on the other side of Jordan, forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them. And on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found the bodies of Saul and his three sons, in mount Gilboa; and they cut off his head, and stripped off his armour, and sent into the land of the Philistines 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 they fastened his body to the wall of Bethshan. 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 Bethshan, 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.†

So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against Jehovah, even against the word of Jehovah, which he kept not; and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to enquire of it; and enquired not of Jehovah therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom unto David, the son of Jesse.‡

From whence David afterwards took them, and buried them in the sepulchre of Kish, in Zelah of Benjamin. 2 Sum. xxi. 12-14. 1 Chron. x. 13, 14.

+1 Sam. xxxi. 8—13.

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