of
Saul as king of Israel, with a notice of his exploit in delivering the
people of Jabesh-gilead from the Ammonites. Chaps 8-12. It then gives an
account of his first sin at Gilgal, for which Samuel threatened him with
the loss of his kingdom, and of his victory over the Philistines, with a
general summary of the events of his reign. Chaps. 13, 14. For his
second sin in the matter of the Amalekites Saul is rejected, and David
is anointed by Samuel as his successor; the Spirit of the Lord forsakes
Saul, and an evil spirit from God troubles him; David becomes his
minstrel, is in high favor with him, slays Goliath in the presence of
the two armies of Israel and the Philistines, returns in triumph to the
camp of Saul, marries Michal his daughter, but becomes an object of his
jealousy and hatred because he has supplanted him in the affections of
the people. Chaps. 15-18:9. The remainder of the first book is mainly
occupied with an account of the persecutions to which David was
subjected on the part of Saul, and of the wonderful way in which God
delivered him. It closes with an account of Saul's distress through the
invasion of the Philistines, of his resort in trouble to a woman that
had a familiar spirit, of the terrible message that he received at the
lips of the risen Samuel, of the defeat of the armies of Israel by the
Philistines, and of the death of Saul and his three sons on Mount
Gilboa. The _third_ part occupies the whole of the second book. It
records the reign of David, first at Hebron over the tribe of Judah,
with the accompanying war between the house of Saul and the house of
David, and then, after Ishbosheth's death, over all Israel at Jerusalem.
With the fidelity of truth the sacred historian describes not only
David's many victories over the enemies of Israel, but also his grievous
sin in the matter of Uriah, with the terrible chastisements that it
brought upon him and his kingdom--Amnon's incest, the murder of Amnon by
Absalom, Absalom's rebellion, pollution of his father's concubines, and
death in battle. The closing years of David's reign were saddened also
by David's sin in numbering the people, for which there fell in
pestilence seventy thousand of his subjects.

14. For the evidence that the author of these books availed himself of
the writings of the prophets contemporary with the events described, see
above, Chap. 15, No. 6. In 1 Chron. 29:29 we read: "Now the acts of
David the king, first and last,