Wrong thoughts, like weeds, will quickly grow When in one’s mind they’re given place, And soon their ugly selves will show To bring their owner much disgrace.
At first King Saul had tried to cover up his wrong thoughts about David. He had tried to act friendly at the very time when he was planning some way to cause David’s death. But those plans failed, and he was disappointed.
Then Saul grew bolder. He had allowed the wrong thoughts to re-main so long in his mind that they had become too big to cover up.
So he called Jonathan and his servants and told them that they should kill David.
How sad Jonathan felt when he heard this! He loved David and he was grieved to see his father becoming so jealous and hateful toward him. Instead of trying to kill David he ran to him and said, “Wou must hide quickly, lest one of my father’s servants kill you. He is seeking your life.’” Jonathan promised to speak to his father to try to persuade him to think kindly toward David. “If he will listen to my words,” said Jonathan, “I will send and bring you again to the palace.”
David felt very thankful to Jonathan for his kindness, and he ran away to hide in a safe place outside the city. After he had gone, Jonathan spoke to his father about David, and reminded him of the times when David had risked his own life to save the kingdom of Israel from the power of the Philistines’ rule. He told him that David had given much brave service to their country, and had never done any-thing deserving of death. Saul listened to Jonathan, and he became ashamed of his jealous feelings. He said, “David shall not be killed.” Jonathan hurried out to David’s hiding-place to tell him the glad news, and he brought David back with him to live again in Gibeah. And David appeared before the King as he had done in other days, and Saul did not try to harm him.
Soon afterwards war broke out with the old-time enemies—the Philistines—and Saul sent David out to fight against them. Once more he drove them back in terror to their own land, and returned from the battle with greater honors than ever. And once more the evil spirit of jealousy crept back into Saul’s heart.
David came to play on his harp before Saul; but the troubled King did not care for his sweet music. He sat thinking how much he wished to be forever rid of the handsome young musician whom; everybody seemed to love. Suddenly he picked up his javelin and aimed it at David, intending to strike him to the wall with the sharp point. But David Was watchful, and he stepped aside quickly and ran out of the room.
Saul was determined to get him now, so he sent messengers to David’s home to guard the house and capture David in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, heard that the messengers were coming and she urged David to make his escape. She let him down from a window, and he crept past the guards through the darkness and ran out into the open country.
When morning came, the soldiers told Michal that her father had sent for David; but she said he was sick and could not come. In the night she had put an image in David’s bed and had covered it over nicely, and the bed looked as though a man were lying in it. The soldiers told Saul that David was ill, and Saul commanded them to carry him in the bed to the palace. Saul believed that surely David could not escape if he were ill. But when they came with the bed, Saul found only an image in it, and David was nowhere to be seen. Saul knew his daughter had fooled him because she loved David and wished to save his life.
David had run away to Ramah, where Samuel lived, and had told the old prophet about his troubles. And Samuel took him to a place near by, called Naioth, where the young prophets lived.
Now Saul was very angry, and he sent through the country to find where David had gone. When he heard that David was with Samuel at Naioth, he sent messengers to capture him there. But the messengers did not capture David. They stayed in Naioth with Samuel and with David and worshiped God at that place. Saul sent other messengers, and they did the same. At last Saul said, “I myself will go, and I will capture David.” But when he came to the place and heard the others praying and worshiping God he had no strength left to harm David. He bowed down to the earth and worshiped, too. And he stayed a night and a day at that place; but David fled away and hurried back to Gibeah to speak with Jonathan.