The Tupelo journal., 1903-08-28
THE SUNDAY SCHOOL.
lesson I'm the International Series
for August 30, 1003-Dnvid
Spares Saul.
q Sam as.5.1e 2f.asA

VI Cdltl, GU.o-l-, 6i-GD.J
s. And David arose, and came to the place
where Saul had pitched; and David beheld
the place where Saul lay and Abner the
son Of Ner, the captain of his host; and
Saul lay in the trench. and the people
pitched round about him.
6. Then answered David and said 10
Ahimelech the Hittite. and to Abishai the
son OF Zeruiah, brother to Joab, saying,
Who Will go down with me to Saul to the
camp? And Abishai said, will go down
With thee.
Z. So David and Abishai came to the peo-
pie by night and. behold, Saul lay sleeping
within the trench. and his spear stuck in
the ground at his bolster; but Abner and
the people lay round about him.
g. Then said Abishal to David, God hath
delivered thine enemy into thine hand this
day; now therefore let me smite him,
pray thee, with the spear even to the earth
at once, and | will not smite him the &C.
end time
9. And David said to Abishai, Destroy
him not; for who can stretch forth his hand
against the LORDS anointeG, and be guilt
,ess?
10. David said Furthermore, AS the Lord
liveth, the Lord shall smite him. or his day
shall come to die; or he shall descend into
battle. and perish.
H. The Lord forbid that should stretch
Aoa IA hiie SEsAIHsl the llCTQ aHOlnt-
ed; but l pray thee, take thou now the
spear that is at his bolster, and the cruise
of water, and let us go.
II. So David took the spear and the cruise
OF water from Sauls bolster and they gat
them away, and no man saw It, nor knew
It, neither awaked; for they were all asleep;
because deep sleep from the Lord was
fallen upon them.
81 Then coid
my son David; for l will no more do thee
harm, because my soul was precious in
shine eyes this day; behold, l have played
the fool, and have erred exceedingly.
p. And David answered and said. Behold
the kings spear. and let one of the young
men come over and fetch it.
%. The Lord render to every man his
righteousness and his faithfulness; for the
Lord delivered thee into my hand to-day,
but l would not stretch forth mine hand
against the Lords anointed
"A. And, behold as thy life was much
set by this day in mine eyes. so let nv life
be much set by in the eyes Of the Lord.
and let Him deliver me out of the tribula-
ton.
70. Then Saul said to David Blessed be
thou, my son David; thou shalt both do
great things. and also shalt still prevail.
So David went on his way, and Saul re-
turned to his place.
GOLDEN TEXT.-Love your enemies,
do good to them which hate you,-
Luke 6;27.
OUTLINE OF SCRIPTURE SECTION.
DaVld an exile. Sam. ,2i--2
Sauls pursuit of David. ....1 Sam. 29-.4
DAVID sparing Saul. Sam, .6: 6-l2.
David's appeal to Saul.......1 Sam, 2S:i3-29.
Saufs repentance...........1 Sam. 25:2l--5.
TIME.-Probabiy about 1oG1 &. c.
PLACE.-Gath and Kellah.
David, the popular hero, is an exile.
Not man in all Israel is so beloved.
yet he has to leave his wife and
home, and become an outlaw. The
jealous hatred of King Saul is ir-
reconcilable, ana Jonathan, his best
friend, advises him to give up all
hope of returning to court. Whittier
shall he fee? Not to Ramah or to
Bethlehem. He would quickly be
traced to either pace, and neither
Jesse nor Samuel could protect him
long. So he turns his steps south
westward, toward the land of his bit
tereSt enemies.
SauTs anger was not appeased by
David's departure from court. He
now avowedly seeks his life. Hearing
of David's exploit of rescuing the
city of Keilah from the Philistines,
Saul pursues him there with the
royal army; but David and his little
band elude him. Then the enraged
king hunts David for many months,
through the wildernesses of Ziph.
Maon and En-gedi, but is unable to
capture him, though once the king
himself falls a prisoner to David in
the cave of .En-gedi, and David with
surprising graciousness allows him tc
depart unframed.
Informed by the Ziphites of Dav.
IDS whereabouts, Saul comes with an
army of 5000 men and encamps
at Hachilah. "Abner the son Of
Ner:" Saul's uncle (see 1850.
within the place of the wagons"
Not trench" as in the old version,
but referring to the wagons and bag
gage which formed barricade about
the camp. "Who will co." 1t was
and is customary to ask for volun-
teers for specially hazardous service.
"Abishai:" Son of Zeruiah. David's
sister, and one of David's most gal
liant adherents. Entering the enc
my's camp at night was a perilous
adventure. but David had served long
enough under Saul to know him pref
ty well. He had placed no pickets on
guard. His spear at his
head" Not bolster" as in the old
version, but literally "the place
where his head is Even to-day in
Arab camps. the sheik's spear is thus
placed. "Jehovah's anointed: The
origin of the troublesome doctrine:
"The divine right of kings" to gov
ern wrong. David took the spear"
Perhaps the very weapon that Saul
in his madness had hurled at him.
David, by his merciful treatment of
his enemy, conquered him. He over
came evil with good. Apparently
Saul's feeling toward Chim changed.
Yet the astute David trusted him
not. There was ring of falseness
in his verbose confession of foolish
which warned David to
keep out of his reach. So, in spite of
Saul's profession of goodwill to his
son David" each went his own way,
the other.
Shot and She'll.
Actual liberty centers in essential
loyalty