The Palatka news and advertiser., 1917-02-23

lot me desire of Israel on the, o
Saul"
o~ul Was amazed at his words.
What could they mean, for he was
OF one u me smallest tribes, even
II LenJamln! Would a man of that
tribe be chosen King of Israel?
That night he spent at Samuel's
house, and they counseled together,
and early in the morning Samuel
went beyond the gates of the city
along the way with Saul. There
he took a vial of consecrated oil
from his breast, and poured it upon
Sauls head and kissed him, saying,
"Thus Jehova hath annointed thee
captain over Israel" Then they
parted. Saul returning to his faith
er, and Samuel to his own home.
Why the choice made by Samuel
was kept a secret for a time, both
by him and by Saul, we cannot un-
derstand But after a time the
prophet called the tribes together at
Mizah, to select a king. This was
done by some means of casting lots,
so that the lot fell upon Benjamin,
and at last on Saul, but he had hid
den himself and was not to be found.
1t is a curious story. When at
last he was found and shown to the
people, he was so tall and handsome,
that they shouted, "God save the
Kingw But soon said, "Who is this
Saul, and how shall he "save us?"
They despised him and made him no
presents, so not even then, did Saul
assume the power and dignity of
royalty, but time was at hand, for
the people of Jabesh sent word that
Nab and the Ammonite had besieged
them and demanded their surrender,
and had announced that he would put
out the right eye of every man among
thew.
Then the anger Of the mighty Saul
broke forth: he was filled with a di-
vine fury; he took a pair of oxen and
hewed them in pieces and sent thcm
forth among the people with a
threatening message. "Wkoever
ccmeth not up after Saul and SAM
uel, so shall it be done to him as
to these oxen" The men of Israel
had not forgotten how to fight and
they came together like eagles at the
smell of carnage, three hundred and
thirty thousand of them, an incredi-
BILE number. The messengers sped
back to Jabesh, and lulled the Am
monitcs to sleep. In the early
morning Saul fell on them in thee
bands, and slew them until the heat
of the day: it was a fearful slaugh-
ter. Then it was that the doubling
Israelites accepted Saul for their
King: thus was he consecrated in
blood: and thus did he prove his
strength by Staying their enemies.
Thenceforward there was no ques-
tioning, and they celebrated the
coming of their first King at Gilgal
by sacrifices of animals and the
smoke of peace offerings. Saul now
selected him a body-guard, of three
thousand picked men.
But at this time very many of the
Philistines held part of the lands of
the Jews and kept garrisons in their
cities. Jonathan, the bravest son of
Saul, had pounced upon one of them
and taken it and to revenge this dis
honor the Philistines came up
against them with thirty thousand
chariots and six thousand horsemen
and great army of foot soldiers.
The entire Israelitish nation seemed
to have been seized with a panic and
to have fled trembling. To have
hid themselves in caves and among
rocks. A body of them still re-
maned with Saul at Gilgal, waiting
to come to make sacrifices and Gsk
help of Jehovah as he promised. |
But he did not come, and the impa-
tient frightened troops began to
scatter. Saul was in DESPAIR, and
he called for heifer and slew it
and offered the sacrifice himself, in
tending to placate Jehovah and to
rcassure his people. But when Sam