David a Fugitive
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On the first day of the feast the king made no inquiry concerning
the absence of David; but when his place was vacant the second day,
he questioned, “Wherefore cometh not the son of Jesse to meat, neither
yesterday nor today? And Jonathan answered Saul, David earnestly
asked leave of me to go to Bethlehem: and he said, Let me go, I pray
thee; for our family hath a sacrifice in the city; and my brother, he hath
commanded me to be there: and now, if I have found favor in thine
eyes, let me get away, I pray thee, and see my brethren. Therefore
he cometh not unto the king’s table.” When Saul heard these words,
his anger was ungovernable. He declared that as long as David lived,
Jonathan could not come to the throne of Israel, and he demanded that
David should be sent for immediately, that he might be put to death.
Jonathan again made intercession for his friend, pleading, “Wherefore
shall he be slain? what hath he done?” This appeal to the king only
made him more satanic in his fury, and the spear which he had intended
for David he now hurled at his own son.
The prince was grieved and indignant, and leaving the royal pres-
ence, he was no more a guest at the feast. His soul was bowed down
with sorrow as he repaired at the appointed time to the spot where
David was to learn the king’s intentions toward him. Each fell upon
the other’s neck, and they wept bitterly. The dark passion of the king
cast its shadow upon the life of the young men, and their grief was
too intense for expression. Jonathan’s last words fell upon the ear of
David as they separated to pursue their different paths, “Go in peace,
forasmuch as we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, say-
ing, The Lord be between me and thee, and between my seed and thy
seed forever.”
The king’s son returned to Gibeah, and David hastened to reach
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Nob, a city but a few miles distant, and also belonging to the tribe of
Benjamin. The tabernacle had been taken to this place from Shiloh,
and here Ahimelech the high priest ministered. David knew not whither
to flee for refuge, except to the servant of God. The priest looked upon
him with astonishment, as he came in haste and apparently alone, with
a countenance marked by anxiety and sorrow. He inquired what had
brought him there. The young man was in constant fear of discovery,
and in his extremity he resorted to deception. David told the priest that
he had been sent by the king on a secret errand, one which required the
utmost expedition. Here he manifested a want of faith in God, and his