180

God heard the prayer. He for-
gave David’s sin; but He would not
raise the child. It must die: God
must punish David. The poor babe
grew worse and worse; and at last,
after seven days, it died. David’s
servants were afraid at first to tell
their master that the child was dead.
But David saw the servants whis-
pering together, and looking very
sad: and he asked, “Is the child
dead?” And they said, “ He is
dead.’ Then David arose, and
washed away his tears, and went to
the house of the Lord, and wor-

shipped; and afterwards, he came |

 

ABSALOM.

home to his own house, and ate
bread. He felt comforted now, be-
cause he knew that God had for-
given him. He was sorry for his
child; but he knew that it was
gone to a better world, where there
is no pain nor sorrow, and where he
would see it again when he died:
he said, “TI shall go to him; but he
shall not return to me.” ‘Then
David went and comforted Bath-
sheba; and soon, God in His mercy,
gave them another child. They
called it Solomon, and God loved
and blessed it; and He blessed too
His penitent humble servant David.

OT

 

CXXIX.

jPBSALOM.

<< |A VID now had new trou-
\| bles. When he was young,
“| #| he was troubled by Saul;
~<! when he was old, he was
troubled by his own
children. God sent sorrow to David
now, to punish his sin. Sin is always
the cause of sorrow.

David had many sons; and some
of them were very wicked. One was
named Absalom, and another Am-
non. These two brothers did not
live in love and peace together ;
Absalom hated Amnon, and would
not speak to him. Hatred was in
the heart of Absalom a long time,
and it grew stronger and stronger,
till at last he determined to kill his
brother Amnon; for he could not
rest while he lived.

Hatred often ends in murder.
The Bible says, “He that hateth
his brother is a murderer.” When
we feel anger beginning to rise in

 

 

 

our hearts, we ought to ask God to
take it away, and make us full of
love. We cannot tell how hatred
may end.

How did Absalom kill his brother ?
He thought he would kill him slyly,
without his father’s knowledge; so
he made a great f-ast, and invited
all his brothers; and commanded
his servants to kill Amnon when he
came. Amnon came to the feast.
And when they were all merry, the
servants rushed in, and smote
Amnon, and killed him. All his
brothers were frightened, and fled;
and Absalom fled too, because he
was afraid that David might punish
him for the murder.

The king soon heard the sad story ;
and he arose, and rent his clothes,
and lay on the ground, and wept;
and all his sons wept too.

Where was Absalom? He es-
caped to Geshur, and staid there