"*** Samuel11 ***"
"Sauls son Jonathan and David become close friends That day, Jonathan the son of Saul made a covenant of friendship with David for he loved him as himself. He gave David his robe and tunic and also his sword, bow and belt. The women of Israel sing Davids praises As the army was returning home, women came out from the towns of Israel to greet Saul with joyful songs and dancing and with tambourines and lutes. As they danced they sang: By Sauls hand, a thousand fell. By Davids hand, ten thousand fell. Saul is angry and becomes jealous of David Saul became angry when he heard this and thought, What"
"more can David get but the kingdom? From that day on Saul kept a jealous eye on David and did not let him return any more to his fathers house. Saul hurls his spear at David The next day the evil spirit came forcefully upon Saul and he raved within his house with his spear in his hand. David was playing the harp when suddenly Saul hurled his spear at David, but he eluded it. Saul plans to have David killed by the Philistines Saul feared David, for the Spirit of the Lord was with David but had departed from himself. So he gave him command of a 1000 men and sent him away on campaigns. But in"
"everything David did, he had great success and Saul feared him all the more. All Israel loved David, so Saul said to himself, I shall not kill him, I will let the Philistines do it. Saul promises his daughter Merab to David but then gives her to another man He said to David, Here is my elder daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage if you serve me bravely and fight my battles. David said to the king, Who am I and what is my family that I should become the kings son-in-law? But when the time came she was given in marriage to another man. Sauls younger daughter Michal loves David Now"
"it happened that Saul’s younger daughter Michal loved David. When Saul heard about this he was pleased, and his servants said to David, You have a second opportunity to become the kings son-in-law. David replied, I am a poor man and insignificant. Saul offers David his daughter Michal for a dowry of 100 Philistine foreskins Saul told his servants to say to David, The king wants no other price for the bride than 100 Philistine foreskins. Sauls plan was to have David killed by the hands of the Philistines. David brings back 200 Philistine foreskins However before the allotted time was up, David"
"and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines and David brought their foreskins and presented them to the king. David marries Michal So Saul gave David his daughter Michal in marriage, but he remained Davids enemy the rest of his days. David the most successful commander in Sauls army The Philistines continued to come out to battle and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Sauls commanders, and his name became well known throughout Israel. Saul finally orders David killed outright Finally Saul ordered his son Jonathan and all of his officials to kill David. But"
"Jonathan warned David, so he went into hiding. Jonathan intercedes for David Jonathan then went to Saul his father and spoke well of David saying, Let not the king do wrong to his servant, for he has not wronged you and has benefited you greatly. Why do wrong to an innocent man? Saul listens to Jonathan and promises on oath not to kill David Saul listened to his son Jonathan and then made this oath, David will not be put to death. So Jonathan brought David back to Saul and he served him as before. Saul again hurls his spear at David Once more war broke out and David went out and fought the"
"Philistines. He struck them with such force that they fled before him. Afterward the evil spirit came again upon Saul. He was sitting in his house with his spear in his hand and as usual David was playing the harp. Once more Saul hurled his spear at David. But David again eluded it and the spear drove into the wall. Michal assists Davids escape by putting an image in his bed That night Saul sent men to watch Davids house, to kill him in the morning, but Davids wife Michal warned him and let him down through a window and he escaped. Then Michal took an image and laid it on Davids bed. She"
"covered it and put some goats hair at the head. The next morning, when the men entered the house to capture David, Michal said, He is ill. So they departed. But Saul sent the men back saying, Bring him to me in his bed if necessary, that I may kill him. But when the men entered the bedroom, there was the image on the bed. Saul said to his daughter Michal, Why did you deceive me like this? Michal answered, He said to me, Help me get away or I will kill you."
"*** Samuel12 ***"
"David flees to the prophet Samuel David fled to the prophet Samuel at Ramah and told him all that Saul had done. But word came to Saul, David is at Ramah, so he sent men to capture him. Saul and his men prophesy in Samuels presence Sauls men met a company of prophets at Ramah, with Samuel as their leader and they were prophesying. Then the Spirit of God fell upon Sauls men and they began to prophesy also. So Saul sent more men, but they prophesied too. Finally he himself went to Ramah, and the Spirit of God came even upon him. He walked along prophesying until he came to where Samuel was."
"Then he laid aside his weapons and prophesied in Samuels presence all that day and night. David returns to his friend Jonathan David left Ramah and returned to Jonathan and asked, How have I wronged your father that he is trying to kill me? Jonathan replied. He is not trying to kill you. My father does nothing without first confiding in me. David said, Your father knows that I am your close friend. He has said to himself, Jonathan must not know of this, or he will be grieved. But truly there is but a step between me and death. Jonathan agrees to test his father Jonathan replied, Whatever you"
"want me to do I will do. David said, Tomorrow is the New Moon festival and I would normally dine with the king. But I will hide out in the fields until the third evening of the festival. If your father asks about me, say to him, David asked my permission to go to Bethlehem for a sacrifice with his family. If he says, Very well, then I am safe, but if he becomes angry you can be sure that he is determined to harm me. Jonathan said, Come, let us walk in the fields. So they went out together. Then Jonathan said, I will test my father at the festival. If he is favourably disposed toward you, I"
"will send you word. If however he is inclined to harm you, I will see that you escape safely. David to hide in the fields and await a sign from Jonathan with arrows Now do this, during the second evening of the festival, hide by the mound of rocks in the field where you hid before, and wait there. The next day I will come to you and shoot arrows to the side of it, as if I were shooting at a target. Then I will send a boy to find the arrows. If I call out to him, The arrows are on this near side of the rocks, then come out of hiding, you are safe. But if I call to the boy, The arrows are on the"
"far side of the rocks, then you must leave here, for Jehovah has sent you away. Sauls anger flares displaying his true feelings When the day of the New Moon festival came, the king sat down to eat in his customary place by the wall, opposite Jonathan. Abner the commander of his army sat next to him, but Davids place was empty. Saul said nothing all that day thinking, Perhaps he is not clean. The second day, Davids place was again empty. Saul said to his son Jonathan, Why has the son of Jesse not come to the meal either yesterday or today? Jonathan answered, David asked my permission to go"
"to Bethlehem to attend a sacrifice with his family. At these words Sauls anger flared up at Jonathan and he said to him, You son of a perverse and rebellious woman Do I not know that you have sided with the son of Jesse? As long as he lives on this earth you will never be king Now, bring him to me for he must die Jonathan replied, But why? What has he done? At these words Saul brandished his spear at Jonathan, as if to kill him. Jonathan rose from the table in fierce anger and did not eat all that day, for he was grieved at his fathers shameful treatment of David. Jonathan signals with"
"an arrow to David hiding in the field The next morning Jonathan went out to the mound of rocks for his meeting with David. He had a young boy with him and said to the boy, Run and find the arrows I shoot. As the boy ran he shot one arrow far ahead of him. Jonathan called out after him, That arrow is on the far side of the rocks. When the boy returned with the arrows Jonathan handed him his weapons and said, Take them back to the town. Jonathan and David weep together and say farewell After the boy had gone, David emerged from his hiding place on the south side of the rocks and bowed down"
"before Jonathan with his face to the ground. Then they kissed each other and wept together. Jonathan said to David, Go in peace, for we have sworn friendship with each other in the name of the Lord."
"*** Samuel13 ***"
"David flees to the high priest at Nob and asks for food David then fled to Nob, to Ahimelech who was high priest at that time. Ahimelech feared when he saw David and asked, Why is no one with you? David answered, The king has sent me on secret business and my men are waiting for me at a certain place. Give me five loaves of bread or whatever you can find. The high priest gives David and his men holy bread from the Tabernacle to eat The high priest answered David, I do not have any ordinary bread on hand, but there is Holy Bread in the Tabernacle. You can have that, provided your men have kept"
"themselves from women. David replied, Even on ordinary missions, let alone one such as this we keep ourselves from women. So the priest gave him the holy bread from the Tabernacle. David is given Goliaths sword David then asked, Do you have a spear or a sword here? I did not bring my own as the kings business was urgent. The priest replied, The sword of Goliath, the Philistine whom you slew is here. David said, There is none like it, give it to me. Now Doeg, Sauls head shepherd was at the Tabernacle that day and saw and heard all that took place. David flees to the Philistines but is recognised"
"That same day David fled Israel and went to live at Gath in the land of the Philistines. But servants of Achish the king of Gath recognised David. They took him before the king at the city gate saying, Is this not David the commander of the Israelites, the one they sing about in their dances? David feigns madness to escape David feared when he heard these words so he pretended to be insane and acted like a madman. He scratched marks on the doors of the gate and let saliva run down his beard. Achish said to his servants, Look at the man. He is insane. Why bring him to me? Am I so short of"
"madmen that you have to bring this fellow here to carry on like this? David returns to Israel and lives in a cave So David escaped from Gath and returned to Israel, and lived in the caves near Adullam. One of the caves near Adullam where David and his 400 men lived. David takes his parents to the king of Moab for safety When Davids father and mother and brothers heard where he was staying, they went to him to stay with him. But David took his parents to the king of Moab and said, Would you allow my father and mother to stay with you until I learn what God has in mind for me? The king agreed"
"so David left his parents in the king of Moabs care and returned to the caves. About 400 men gather to David In time, all who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered to David at his stronghold and he became their leader. About 400 men gathered to him. Gad the prophet warns David to leave the caves Then the prophet Gad came to David and said to him, Do not stay any longer in the caves. Go into the forest land of Judah. So David left the caves and went to live in the forest of Hereth. Saul accuses his officials of conspiring against him One day when Saul was seated under the"
"tamarisk tree at Gibeah, with his spear in his hand and his officials around him, he said to his officials, Men of Benjamin, will the son of Jesse give you fields and vineyards? Will he make you commanders? Why then do you conspire against me and not tell me when my son makes a covenant with the son of Jesse. Are none of you concerned about me? Doeg tells Saul how the high priest helped David Doeg the kings head shepherd who was standing with Sauls officials said, I saw the son of Jesse come to the high priest Ahimelech at Nob. Ahimelech enquired of the Lord for him, and gave him food and the"
"sword of Goliath. Saul summons the priests So the king sent for Ahimelech the high priest and his extended family who were priests at Nob, and they all came to the king. Saul said to them, Why did you conspire against me by giving the son of Jesse bread and a sword, and inquiring of God for him so that he might rebel against me and lie in wait, as he is today? The high priest defends David Ahimelech answered the king, Who of all your servants is as loyal as David your son-in-law, captain of your bodyguard and honoured in your household? That day was not the first time I inquired of God for"
"him. Let not the king accuse your servant or any of his family of wrong doing, for we know nothing at all about this whole affair. Saul orders his guards to kill all the priests But Saul said, You will surely die Ahimelech, you and your fathers house. Then he said to the guards at his side, Kill these priests for they too have sided with David. They knew he was fleeing yet did not tell me. Sauls guards refuse But the kings guards refused to strike down the priests of the Lord. Doeg kills 85 priests and puts the entire town of Nob to the sword The king then turned to his head shepherd Doeg"
"and said, You kill the priests So Doeg who was an Edomite struck them down. That day he killed 85 priests, and later, on Sauls orders he put to the sword the entire town of Nob, its men, women and children and its cattle, donkeys and sheep. Abiathar a son of the high priest flees to David with the ephod But Abiathar the priest, a son of Ahimelech escaped and fled to join David. He also took the ephod with him. When he told David what Saul had done, David said, I knew that day when Doeg was there that he would tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your fathers family. Stay with me and"
"fear not, the man who is seeking your life is seeking mine also."