196 BATTLES OF THE BIBLE.

in great distress, afraid to live, and unable to end his
life. He called on this young man, the Amalekite who
was telling this, and asked him to kill him. The son of
Amalek obeyed, and took from him his crown and brace-
let. In proof of this he produced these, and offered
them to David.

Marianne. But that story was not true, grandfather,
for Saul killed himself.

Grandfather. It is possible that the story may have
been true, for Saul’s strength may have failed him when
he tried to take away his own life, and he may have got
the Amalekite to do the deed which baffled him. At all
events, David had no reason for doubting the truth of it.
In great displeasure he said to the young man, “ How
wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thine hand to
destroy the Lord’s anointed ?” Then he ordered one of
his followers to put him to death, which was done.
“Thy blood be upon thy head,” were the last words of
David to the Amalekite, “ for thy mouth hath testified
against thee, saying, I have slain the Lord’s anointed.”
The son of Jesse then made a lamentation for his greatest
enemy, and for his greatest earthly friend, teaching us,
by the way in which he speaks of the former, that we
ought to forgive and forget the injuries we have received.
The successor of Saul also shewed his loyalty by sending
messengers to Jabesh-Gilead, to tell the men of that
place how highly he approved of what they had done,
in the respect shewn by them to the memory of the
late king. |