3° DAVID

sent, and brought him in. “Now, he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance,
and goodly to look to.” And when Samuel saw him, God’s voice seemed to say to him,
“ Arise, anoint him, for this is he.’ Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in
the midst of his brethren.

What a strange day that must have been to David. How he must have wondered at
all that happened. Never all through his life could he forget the old man standing ©
and pouring the oil upon his head, and telling him that God had chosen him to be king ~
over Israel. And when he went back to his sheep, what thoughts must have passed
through his mind as he looked into the future, and thought of the day when, grown up to be
aman, he should sit on the throne of Israel. One thing we may be sure he made up his
mind to do. He would try.and prepare himself, by God’s help, to be a good and brave
king, and to.do what was right before God and man.

His life as a shepherd was a good preparation for the day when he would become king.

A shepherd’s life was not an easy one. It was full of dangers. It was necessary
for a shepherd to be brave—a coward would never watch over his flock safely. And
David was a brave boy. Twice in his early years he showed how fearless and courageous
he was. The first time was, as:he told Saul, when he was keeping his father’s sheep,
and there came a lion and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock, “and,” he goes on
to say, “I went out after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth ; and
when he came against me, I caught him by the beard, and smote him and slew him.
Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear,”

The second time was when there was war going on between the children of Israel
and the Philistines. Three of David’s brothers were in Saul’s army, and one day his father
Jesse sent David to the camp to take some food to his brothers, and see how they were
getting on. And David rose up early in the morning, and left the sheep with a keeper, and
took ten loaves and ten slices of milk-cheese, and went as Jesse had commanded him. And
when he was talking to his brothers, whom he found drawn up with the rest of the army
ready to fight, there came up the champion of the Philistines, Goliath by name. He was
a giant, more than ten feet high. On his head he had a helmet of brass, and he was
covered from head to foot with bronze armour, which glittered in the sun. He carried
a huge spear in his hand, and a great sword by his side, while in front of him marched
his shield-bearer. Morning and evening for forty days he had come out of the camp of
the Philistines, and challenged the soldiers of Saul’s army to, fight with him, but they were
afraid, and fled from him. :

But when David heard the cry of the giant, and saw the fear of his countrymen, he
made up his mind to go out and fight with him. His eldest brother, when he heard this,
was very angry, and tried to stop him, but he would not listen to him. At last they told
_ Saul, and he sent for David. And when he saw how young he was, he ‘too tried to
persuade him not to fight with the giant. But David told him the story of the lion and the
bear that he had killed, and how he knew the God who had delivered him out of the paw
of the lion, and out of the paw of the bear, would deliver him out of the hand of the
Philistine. Then the King, when he saw how brave he was, gave him some of his own
armour, a helmet of brass, a coat of mail, anda sword; but they were too large and heavy,
and David could not wear them. -

What a strange fight it was. On one side the huge giant covered with armour, with
sword and spear; on the other side, a youth with a staff in his hand, and five smooth
pebbles in his shepherd’s bag, and the sling he always carried with him in his other hand.
No wonder the giant, as he looked down on him, despised him, and cried, “Come to me,
and I will give thy flesh unto the fowls of the air and to the beasts of the field.”
But David knew no fear, as he answered, “Thou comest to me with a sword, and with
a spear, and with a shield; but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God
of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied.” ;