Chapter D: The Combat

And he took his staff in his hand, and chose him five smooth stones out of the brook, and put them in the shepherd's bag which he had, even in his scrip; and his sling was in his hand: and he drew near to the Philistine. And the Philistine came on and drew near unto David; and the man that bare the shield went before him. And when the Philistine looked about, and saw David, he disdained him: for he was but a youth, and ruddy, and withal of a fair countenance. And the Philistine said unto David, "Am I a dog, that thou comest to me with staves?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. And the Philistine said to David, "Come to me, and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air, and to the beasts of the field."

Then said David to the Philistine, "Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a javelin: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, which thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from off thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel: and that all this assembly may know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear: for the battle is the Lord's, and he will give you into our hand."

And it came to pass, when the Philistine arose, and came and drew nigh to meet David, that David hastened, and ran toward the army to meet the Philistine. And David put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the Philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth. So David prevailed over the Philistine with a sling and with a stone, and smote the Philistine, and slew him; but there was no sword in the hand of David. Then David ran, and stood over the Philistine, and took his sword, and drew it out of the sheath thereof, and slew him, and cut off his head therewith.

And when the Philistines saw that their champion was dead, they fled. And the men of Israel and of Judah arose, and shouted, and pursued the Philistines, until thou comest to Gath, and to the gates of Ekron.

=Sec.69. David before Saul= (I Sam. 17:15-18:5)

And when Saul saw David go forth against the Philistine, he said unto Abner, the captain of the host, "Abner, whose son is this youth?"

And Abner said, "As thy soul liveth, O king, I cannot tell."

And the king said, "Inquire thou whose son the stripling is."

And as David returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, Abner took him, and brought him before Saul with the head of the Philistine in his hand. And Saul said to him, "Whose son art thou, thou young man?"

And David answered, "I am the son of thy servant Jesse the Bethlehemite."

And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking unto Saul, that the soul of Jonathan was knit with the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul. And Saul took him that day, and would let him go no more home to his father's house. Then Jonathan and David made a covenant, because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan stripped himself of the robe that was upon him, and gave it to David, and his apparel, even to his sword, and to his bow, and to his girdle.

And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and it was good in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul's servants.

THE MEANING OF THE STORY

225 (Sec.67). It is a surprise to read that Saul who had begun his reign so well had made a failure so early. But he was a headstrong man. He would not take Samuel's advice, and the old prophet realized that a new king would have to be chosen. We have now the interesting story of how David was given his first knowledge of the great future that was before him.

226 (Sec.67). Tell the story of the plan for a visit to Bethlehem. What did Samuel think when he saw Jesse's oldest son? What did the Lord tell him about the way to judge of men? Saul was a man of noble appearance, but sometimes such men are disappointing. What occurred regarding the other sons? Tell the story of the anointing of David. Compare this with the anointing of Saul.

227 (Sec.68A). We hear again of the same old enemies of Israel. Who were they and where did they live? Who was their champion? Six cubits and a span would be at least ten feet, so we may suppose that as this story was told over and over again they came to exaggerate the height of the giant. But he must have been a very big man. He had heavy bronze armor. How many pieces? Five thousand shekels would be about 150 lbs.--a heavy coat of mail. Who was with him? Tell the story of his challenge.

228 (Sec.68B). How many of David's brothers were in the army? Why did Jesse send David to the army and what presents did he send with him? Tell the story of David's inquiry about the Philistine. What did his brother say to him? What did David think of the challenge?

229 (Sec.68C). Tell the story of David's interview with Saul. What kind of a young man was he? What had he been able to do in his shepherd life? How did he get along with Saul's armor?

230 (Sec.68D). There was one weapon with which David was very skilful. Some of the Israelites could do wonders with this simple weapon: read Judg. 20:16. Try to imagine what the two men looked like when they met. Describe the meeting.

231 (Sec.68D). What did Goliath say to David? The young man knew that the safety of his people depended upon this fight. What noble words did he say? Did he boast of his own skill? Tell the story of the combat.

232 (Sec.69). What conversation took place regarding David? What did Saul do for the young victor?

233 (Sec.69). Jonathan comes out nobly in the story. We might think that he would be jealous of David's success, but instead of that, he was delighted with his fine appearance and his courage. How did Jonathan show his pleasure in David? There began that day a great friendship that lasted till death. There can be no jealousy between friends. It is one of the noblest feelings, when one friend can be glad of another's advancement.

WRITTEN REVIEW

When David was practicing with his sling and keeping his flocks he little thought that he would ever be king of Israel. We do not know how our common duties are getting us ready for a greater work. Make a list of the principal things that you will have to do this week. Write them down in your notebook. Then write down what good you think they will do to prepare you for your work when you are grown up.