Arizona republican., 1920-08-14
For August IS, -4e2o


 Text: Second Samuel 12:9-10 and
 Wherefore hast thou despised the commandment of the Lord, to do evil in his sight? Thou hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, and mast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast slain him with the sword of the chil- dren of Ammon. Now therefore the sword shall never depart from thsne house, because thou hast despised me, and hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite.
 And David numbered the people that were with him, and set captains Of thousands and captains of hundreds over them. And David sent forth third part of the people under the hand of Joab, and a third part under the hand of Abishai the son of Zeruiah, Joab's brother, and third part under the hand of Ittai the Gittite. And the King said unto the people, 1 will surely go forth with you myself also. But the people answered, Thou shalt not go forth: for if we flee away, they will not care for US; but now thou art worth ten thousand of us; therefore now it is better that thou succor us out of the city. And the king said unto them, What seemeth you best l will do. And the king stood by the gate side, and all the people came out by hun dreds and by thousands. And the king commanded Joab and -Abishai and Ittai, saying, Deal gently for my sake with the young man, even with Alp salon. And all the people heard when the king gave all the captains charge concerning Absalom. So the people went out into the field against Israel: and the battle was in the wood of Ephriam: where the people of Israel were slain before the servants of David and there was there a great slaughter that day of twenty thousand men. For the battle was. there scattered over the face of all the country: and the wood devoured more people that day than the sword devoured. And Absa- Iom met the servants of David. And Absalom rode upon a mule, and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great oak, and his head caught hold of the oak, and he was taken up be- tween the heaven and the earth; and the mule that was under him went away. And a certain man saw It, and told Joab, and said, Behold, saw Ab- salon hanged in an oak And Joab said unto the man that told him, and, behold, thou sawest him, and why didss thou not smite him there to the ground? And I would have given thee ten shekels of silver, and girdle. And the man said unto Joab, though should receive a thousand shekels of , put forth mine hand agains the king 8 son: for in our hearing the king charged thee and Abishai and Ittat saying, beware that none touch the young man Absalom. Otherwise l should have wrought falsehood against mine own life: for there is TO matter hid from the king, and thou myself would have set myself against me. Then said Joab, I may not tarry thus with thee. And he took three darts in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive in the midst of the oak. And ten young men that bare Joab's armour compassed about and smote Absalom and slew him.
 The tragic events of this lesson take place bet~<sen 1920 and 9S0 B. c. All of the events of this time have two dates because of a difference opinion in calculating the chronology. We know when this battle and the death of Absalom took place in the chron- ology of David's life. It was not long after his great sin taking the wife of Uriah and having him killed and il was during his siege of repentance for this sin
 So liar as the story of this lesson limits us, we do not find the reason for giving the title "The Sins and Sor rows of David to the lesson. It is rather the story of the battle between the forces of David and the forces oi his son Absalom. It is the story o1 Absalom and his death. It is the sordic description of a broken hearted father and a spoiled, wicked son. There is nc more pathetic tale in ali literature thar