slaughter of ten thousands by David, whilst they ascribed the slaughter of only thousands to him, he " eyed him from that day, and forward^." The benefit which David had conferred in the slaughter of Goliath was of no account in his mind ; so rancorous is " envy, even as rottenness in the bones'^." Even on the very morrow after this victory did Saul " cast liis javelin at David, to smite him to the wall :" yea, twice was this effort made by Saul for his destruction ; and " twice," as it were by miracle, " did David avoid the stroke*^."
Bent on the destruction of David, Saul had recourse to every expedient he could devise. He offered him his elder daughter to wife, and afterwards his younger daughter Michal ; and set his servants to work upon his ambition to accept the offer, on purpose to involve him in war with the Philistines, that so he might fall by their hands'^. And when David had accom- plished double the task imposed ujDon him, it only provoked the enmity of Saul so much the more against him^. Not having succeeded in this device, he " ordered Jonathan his son, and all his servants, to kill David '^;" which, if Jonathan had not made it known to Da\'id, would, by one or other of them, have been effected. And when, by the expostulations of Jonathan with his father, the order was revoked, and safety was guaranteed to David under the sanction of an oath, yea, and when fresh services to a vast extent w^ere rendered by David, still did Saul's heart burn with rage against him, inso- much that he again cast a javelin at him to destroy him, and sent messengers to watch and assassinate him in his own houses-, and to the fidelity of his wife alone he owed his pre- servation'\ Still, with relentless fury, did this blood-thirsty monarch pursue him, with three successive bands of mur- derers ; yea, and he himself also followed with a fourth, to seize and destroy him^: yet, notwithstanding the clearest pos- sible interposition of God in his behalf, did Saul still determine upon his death'', and even cast a javelin at his own son for pre- suming to intercede for him'. And when David had fled to Gath, and in his way had obtained from Ahimelech the priest, under pretext of being on urgent business from Saul himself, some temporary supply of food, together with Goliath's sword, Saul, on hearing of it, slew no less than eighty-five priests by the hand of Doeg his informant, and then smote the whole city also with indiscriminate rage, " both men and women,
a 1 Sam. xviii. 7 — 9. ^ Prov. xiv. 30.
^ 1 Sam. xviii. 11. "^1 Sam. xviii. 17—25.
« 1 Sam. xviii. 25, 27, 29. f 1 Sam', xix. 1. ^ ,
s 1 Sam. xix. 4 — H. ^ 1 Sam. xix. 11 — 17.
i 1 Sam. xix. 18—24. k i Sam. xx. 31.
1 1 Sam. XX. 32, 33.