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Saul Gives David His Armor

FROM A MEDIAEVAL ITALIAN SERIES OF ENGRAVINGS.

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"And Saul armed David with his armour, and he put a helmet of brass upon his head; also he armed him with a coat of mail."—I. Sam., 17, 38.

AVID'S simple strength of confidence in God

DA

roused King Saul's own wavering faith. He saw in David such a spirit as his own had been in his younger, happier days. Moreover David had pierced to the heart of the matter at issue, as no other had in all the army. This was not a mere question of man against man, but of brute strength against moral strength. The question was whether the Israelites really believed that God ruled the world, and was able and willing to protect the righteous. In a sudden flash of inspiration Saul saw this, even as David saw it; and the king accepted the youthful champion: "Go, and the Lord be with thee."

Then doubt returned to Saul. He sought physical means of strength. He insisted on clothing David in a suit of the king's own armor. The lad submitted; he even girded on Saul's sword, and essayed to march forth in a huge panoply of mail which must have been a world too large for him and too heavy to bear. Then immediately his better sense checked him. He stripped off every bit of the armor. "I can not go with these," he said, “for I have not proved them."

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FIRST KINGS I-SOLOMON CROWNED

597

And when he was come in before the king, he bowed himself before the king with his face to the ground.

24 And Nathan said, My lord, O king, hast thou said, Adonijah shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne?

25 For he is gone down this day, and hath slain oxen and fat cattle and sheep in abundance, and hath called all the king's sons, and the captains of the host, and Abiathar the priest; and, behold, they eat and drink before him, and say, God save king Adonijah.

26 But me, even me thy servant, and Zadok the priest, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and thy servant Solomon, hath he not called.

27 Is this thing done by my lord the king, and thou hast not shewed it unto thy servant, who should sit on the throne of my lord the king after him?

28 Then king David answered and said, Call me Bath-sheba. And she came into the king's presence, and stood before the king.

29 And the king sware, and said, As the LORD liveth, that hath redeemed my soul out of all distress,

30 Even as I sware unto thee by the LORD God of Israel, saying, Assuredly Solomon thy son shall reign after me, and he shall sit upon my throne in my stead; even so will I certainly do this day.

31 Then Bath-sheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever. 32 ¶ And king David said, Call me Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada. And they came before the king.

33 The king also said unto them, Take with you the servants of your lord, and cause Solomon my son to ride upon mine own mule, and bring him down to Gihon:

34 And let Zadok the priest and Nathan the prophet anoint him there king over Israel: and blow ye with the trumpet, and say, God save king Solomon.

35 Then ye shall come up after him, that he may come and sit upon my throne; for he shall be king in my stead: and I have appointed him to be ruler over Israel and over Judah.

36 And Benaiah the son of Jehoiada answered the king, and said, Amen: the LORD God of my lord the king say so too.

37 As the LORD hath been with my lord the king, even so be he with Solomon, and make his throne greater than the throne of my lord king David.

38 So Zadok the priest, and Nathan the prophet, and Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and the Cherethites, and the Pelethites, went down, and caused Solomon to ride upon king David's mule, and brought him to Gihon.

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