Not far from David’s hiding-place was a city called Keilah, and the people who lived there were being troubled by the Philistines. David heard about their trouble, and at once the spirit of a king stirred his heart. He wanted to help them, so he asked God if he should take his little army and go out to drive the Philistines away. God told him to go; but his soldiers were afraid to go with him. He prayed the second time, and God gave courage to all his men.
When Saul heard that David had driven the Philistines away from Keilah and had marched with has soldiers into the city, he thought, “Now is my chance; I will capture my enemy, for he has gotten himself into a trap.” Saul believed it would be easy to capture David inside the walls of Keilah, and he planned to send an army to take him there.
But God warned David of the danger he was in, and told him to leave the city. So David called his soldiers and hurried away into a thick woodland to hide. There he was when Jonathan found him one day and told him not to be afraid. “God will not let my father hurt you,” he said, “for you will yet be king over Israel and I shall be next to you.”
David felt glad when he heard Jonathan’s comforting words,. How he loved his friend! For a, long time they talked about the happy days to come when David would be king and they could work together as faithful friends. Then they bade each other good-by, and Jonathan went away. This was the last time they ever saw each other, for Jonathan was killed not long afterwards in a battle with the Philistines. David went from one place to another to hide in the mountains and in the woods. Everywhere he went Saul followed after him with an army of three thousand men. At last Saul’s army came to the wilderness of Engedi, where David was hiding with his men in a great cave. Saul did not know that they were inside the cave—and he wished to rest for a while, so he went into the cave and lay down to sleep.
David and his soldiers were standing in the dark shadows at the sides of the cave when Saul entered, and they saw him lie down to rest. But he did not see them. When he fell asleep David crept up softly and cut off a part of his: robe. Then he went back into the/ shadows again to wait until Saul should awaken.
David’s soldiers wanted to kill Saul. They knew he was a wicked King, and that God was much displeased with him. But David remembered that God had once chosen Saul to rule his people, and he believed it would be a great sin to kill one whom God’s prophet had anointed, so he would not let his soldiers harm the sleeping man.
When Saul awoke and went out of the cave, David followed and called after him. Saul was surprized to hear David’s voice behind him, and when he turned and saw that David had been in the cave while he lay asleep he knew then that David was not his enemy at all. He knew that David would have killed him if he were an enemy. David showed him the piece of cloth that he had cut from Saul’s robe, and told how his men had urged him to kill Saul. But he said, “I will not hurt you, for you are the Lord’s anointed. Why should you believe that I am seeking your life?”
Saul was ashamed of himself when he heard David’s kind words and saw that David really did not mean to do him harm. He wept for sorrow when he remembered how much he had once loved David, and he said, “You are a better man than I, for you have done good to me while I was trying to kill you. Today the Lord! let me fall into your hands, and you have spared my life. I know that some day you will be the king of Israel.”
After their talk together, Saul took his army and returned to his home at Gibeah. Perhaps he thought he would never again trouble David, but the evil spirit soon came back into his heart and he grew as hateful as ever. David had been afraid to go home, and now Saul started out to find him again.
David was hiding in the country that belonged to the Ziphites, and they sent word to Saul to come and take him there. So he came with an army of three thousand men and pitched his camp in the wilderness of Ziph, at a place called the hill of Hachilah. David sent spies to be on the watch, and they brought back word to him that Saul had come. “Now,” thought David, “I will go by night and visit Saul’s camp. Perhaps I can show him again that I do not wish to harm him.” So he took a young man along, named Abishai, and they two entered Saul’s camp while all the soldiers were sleeping soundly. Even Saul’s brave captain, Abner, was fast asleep; for God had put a deep sleep upon them all. David and Abishai went into the center of the camp, and there they found Saul lying with his spear stuck into the ground near his head, and with a bottle of water standing by.
Abishai wanted to kill Saul, but David said they had not come for that purpose. He told Abishai that some day God would permit Saul to be killed, perhaps ini a battle, but that it would be wrong for him to kill one whom God’s prophet had anointed to be king of Israel. He told Abishai that he might take Saul’s spear and the water-bottle; and then they walked quietly out of the camp. No one heard them come and no one heard them go away.
When the two men climbed to the top of a hill outside the camp, David cried loudly to Abner, the captain of Saul’s army. And Abner awoke with a start. He knew David’s voice and he was afraid. David told him that he was not. tit to be the King’s chief captain because he had not watched to keep an enemy out of the camp. He said, “Some one has come into your camp to kill Saul, and you have been asleep. They have stolen the spear and the water-bottle of your master. Send one of your soldiers now to get them.”
Saul, too, was awakened by David’s voice, and he cried out, “Is that your voice, my son David!” Again he felt ashamed when he found out how easily David might have harmed him. He knew he had sinned greatly, and he asked David to return to Gibeah, for he would not try any more to take his life.
But David remembered the other times when Saul had become sorry for his jealous behavior, and he was afraid to believe the promise that the King made. Instead of going back to live in Gibeah, he took his soldiers and went to the land of the Philistines, where he lived until he heard about Saul’s death.