Show SOME SACRED 1 I lie he death of saul lert left israel without a kill king 0 it is true david had been as such years year before by the prop prophet liet samuel but bu he liali had naver assumed nor madi made any attempt to assume the reins of 0 government 9 so long oil 0 as S srul ul held hek the scepter dvid david was content to t stop with his fathers flocks or 01 serve his country a as a soldier even after afler till the insane wrath of his hia icing alzin 0 bad turned against 15 liim him and driven him from his home lie remembered that saul was the lords lord s and lie he war wap perfectly willing illing to let matters take their course satisfied fied in ill the end all would bo be right his love for the hout houte e ol of saul and especially for prince jonathan if nothing else would have kept him from asserting ill bis rights to the crown and L moreover david irto a perfect stranger to that worldly ambition ai I 1 that seemed to be the ruling passion of saul jie he would never undertake any enterprise that effected the welfare of his hia people without first enquiring through the prophet of the lord lod if such a course would be agreeable or not to the god of israel while saul on the other hand only consulted the lord when his hi affairs had assumed an aspect arid and through 0 his own wickedness that all earthly help was of no avail and it seemed his throne was crumbling beneath hini him then it was lie would call upon the lord but it was too late for the lord answered him not neither by dreams nor by triin nor by prophets but now nov a change had taken place saul was got gathered to his fathers and it wa was necessary that some one raise the fallen scepter and assume tile the control over israel times were very very unsettled unett led the tha philistines were were elated over their recent on mount gilboa bilboa and further hostilities could be expected by the defeated israelites besides some of the most formidable strongholds strong 0 holds in the land remained to be taken for as ion long as they were in the hands of the enemy israel could hope for no permanent peace or security after having mourned for saul and jonathan a number of days at 7 david and his little band etrick tenta and took the camel trail for hebron ebron fl abere upon at ai rival lie he was hai ledas kill king r by the tribe of judaic other tribes would have no doubt their allegiance to the new kill king had it not been for abner th the e brave and popular lieutenant general of sauls army army who persuaded them that Isho son of stul S tul should succeed his father on the throne accordingly with and his army repaired to mahan aim a city east of the river jordan whore the son of saul was proclaimed king over all the tribes of israel save that of judah abner now got his army together 0 arid and marched against this latter tribe with the intention ir of finishing anif lung them for their adherence to david his plans acle anticipated however by the shepherd king icing who accordi accordingly angly ent a small band of his choice under joab son of suri to meet abner the two armies came together near the pool of gibeon and as was customary lary in days it was decided that a deiv picked men from each bide should stand forth and fight to determine teri nine which side poss possessed ossed the more valiant soldiers L for this cause twelve men chosen from each army who fought n with such fierceness cs that they killed each each other to tire llie last man the two armies now took up the fight arid and after a ore battle abner was forced IQ a disorderly retreat losing men while the killing of Div davids ids army were ona only 20 during the long 0 warfare that now ensued between the flie houe of saul and that of david this the latter waxed stronger stroner stron er and stronger eti sti while the diew in i weaker ind weaker so in ill seven years yearn was acknowledged king over all israel a aid n d froni from th that at time thile on oil tile the glory of the israel ibish nal nation ion grew brighter and more inure lustrous until in after years the wize wise tin the great a the iiii mistily 0 city salonon transgressed 0 g the laws ot of the heavenly king ind and fell whereupon the kingdom was 1 and became divided and has never since regained regi ined its former I 1 glory i about twenty four miles ita as the crow lie flie koith of If eblon in ill tile hie f of the ludean hills partly surrounded by deep wild B ravings and glens and commanding in an excellent view of the stir surrounding 0 territory cebue tile the most bormida formidable ble stronghold 13 of tile over four hundred years had elang elapsed etl since gods chosen people emerged from the wilderness and crossed try dry shod the river jordan still jebus ain in the heart inh inheritance er itanece h and on a spot that w was is destined to become more inore farned famed than any any other it in this w world orld rem remained in in the hands bandit of gods enemies they considered their fortress impregnable arid and indeed up to the time of chiq which we write 10 as 13 C they had ample cause for so thinking rut but now the hosts of israel were again united and for war under ono one of the mightiest princes the world had ever known david though God CloI fearing was a man of war and his fame as a soldier and leader hall had always been wafted wafred far arid and wide his very name was eniti enough ali to DI make I lic the hear t of pit philistines ilistine qu quake ake with fear ile he no sooner got the internal les settled than he made preparations for the further conquest and subjugation of canaan jebus being tile the most important im rant stronghold lold as i IV ell as the hardest to take was the first against which the son of jesse marched for as Josep josephus lius remarks lie he was determined mined to demonstrate ili his power in the capture of this one fortress and there by to intimidate the rest of israels en enemies amies after a hard feht tight lie succeeded it in taking the h lower part of the city but tho fortress or citadel was R till still tin and what ans more the inmates felt fo eo secure in the protection of their high walls that they simply la laughed baled at the israelites and in derision they placed their blind aud and maimed on the wall and shouted tho the army under david that if tire they wanted to couie come in they would have to first conquer their invalids which they intimated the great KI eat army of Israil israelites ites would be unable to do lie he laughs best who laughs last david knew that the llie pram ise of rewards was the best way to encourage 11 his men t to action so he promised that the first of his hia men to cross the ditches that surrounded the stronghold and scale tile fixations ficat ions should have the command cfall of all his army this promise had the desired effect as a great many of his soldiers became at once ambitions bivions bit ions for the command and made a rush for the walls Joa joab bEun son of jeremiah was the first to reach the top and he accordingly 41 cried out to the king besre ward viard the Jehu Jebus sites ites were soon scion expelled and david made his home ir in the captured fort which he called the city of david the same saine is jeru jerusalem alcan city of tile the great king do dov q bartholomew |