It is a remarkable fact, that the only instance we have on record of the inner life of religion during the time of Saul, except what is found in the case of David, is in reference to the king himself. When endued with the gift of prophecy he was made the subject of a great moral and spiritual change. It was said of him, "Thou shalt be turned into another man ;" and when this was verified, we are told," God gave him another heart." (1 Sam. x. 6.)

The absence of real heart-felt religion from the people generally, must not however be inferred from the omission of clear and frequent references to it in the brief narrative of Samuel. But for the eminent piety and public character of this prophet we should not have heard of the piety, prayers, and inspiration of Hannah. Had not Boaz been the progenitor of the Messiah it is not likely that we should have had that beautiful picture of the simplicity, piety, and purity of Hebrew life in his time, as given in the Book of Ruth. There can be no doubt but that such instances were continued and multiplied under the rule of Samuel and Saul. Indeed, the universal disgust felt for Samuel's unworthy sons, is a tolerably conclusive proof that a healthy moral and religious character prevailed among the Hebrews of that day; and it seems probable that this improved, rather than diminished, towards the termination of Saul's reign.

CHAPTER II.

DAVID'S YOUTHFUL LIFE AND CHARACTER.

DAVID was the youngest son of Jesse of Bethlehem, and great grandson of Boaz who married. Ruth, the young Moabitish widow. The family had held a prominent position in the tribe of Judah, being the principal landed proprietors in the neighbourhood of Bethlehem.

To what extent Jesse maintained this position and possessed this property, cannot be clearly ascertained. By the Hebrew law of inheritance the landed property of a father at his death was divided into equal portions, one in number more than the number of his sons; the eldest son taking two of these portions, the others one each. The daughters were supposed to be provided for by the father's other property. Boaz was evidently a wealthy man; but as we do not know how many sons he had, nor how many sons were born unto Obed, we have no means of knowing what portion of the property came into the possession of Jesse.

Some expressions used by David in his Psalms have been referred to for the purpose of showing that his family was in a very humble and obscure position; but it is doubtful whether these passages justify the conclusions which have been drawn from them. It is also worthy of remark, that although Jesse is described as occupying a position of some respectability

in Bethlehem, and was able to send three of his sons to the army of Saul, and to support them there, there is no mention made of any property possessed by him, excepting sheep; and these are said to have been but "few."

The youngest son of Jesse received a name indicative of great endearment,-"the beloved," "the dear one," or "darling." Yet, notwithstanding this, it does not seem that he was a particular favourite in the family. It is an undoubted fact that we have, in the case of David, means of knowing his sentiments, of gauging his feelings, and of entering into the most sacred recesses of his thoughts, hopes, and fears, more than is possible in the case of any other Old Testament character. In his numerous Psalms this inspired poet poured forth the convictions, expectations, and emotions of his soul without reserve. These give us a delineation of his inner man, and almost supply a secret history of his life. Yet ample as are these expressions of his feelings, it is remarkable that he never mentions his father but once, and then certainly not in terms which indicate paternal kindness.

"When my father and mother forsake me,

Then the Lord will take me up." (Psalm xxvii. 10.)

Eminent commentators maintain that the hypothetical form of the passage ought to be removed; that to bring it into strict accord with the original it should be read :

66 For my father and mother have forsaken me,
But the Lord will take me up.'

Nor does David speak of his mother in those terms

*Hengstenberg contends for this sense, and maintains that the former is inadmissible.

so frequently

of warm affection which Solomon
employs when speaking of his maternal parent. His
allusions to her, however, indicate that he regarded
her as a woman of real piety. In his prayers we find
such expressions as the following:-

"Give Thy strength unto Thy servant,
And save the son of Thine handmaid.”
(Psalm lxxxvi. 16.)

"O Lord, truly I am Thy servant,
I am Thy servant, and the son of Thine handmaid.”
(Psalm cxvi. 16.)

It is also worthy of note that while his nephews Joab, Abishai, and Asahel, the sons of his sister Zeruiah, are spoken of as his companions and fellow soldiers, we never hear of his brothers in the history of David.* Whatever was the cause of this, it does not appear to have arisen from his choice. He laments this estrangement, and says:

"I am become a stranger unto my brethren,

And an alien unto my mother's children."

(Psalm lxix. 8.)

It has been supposed that the want of cordial sympathy between David and his brethren, arose from his being so much younger than they; but this could only apply to the elder ones. Zeruiah his sister was certainly one of the oldest of Jesse's family, for her sons were evidently about the age of David; so that there

* We read (1 Chron. xxvii. 18) of Elihu as prince of the tribe of Judah, who was one of the brethren of David." And Jerome has preserved an ancient Hebrew tradition which identifies this individual with Eliab, David's elder brother. But as these traditions cannot always be relied on, and the Hebrews used the terms "brother or brethren" in a very loose sense, so as to include cousins or kinsmen, the hypothesis does not seem sufficiently strong to be relied on.

could have been but one sister between David and his next brother: it is not probable, therefore, that there could be such difference between the age of David and that of his next elder brother, as to account for the absence of brotherly affection between the youngest son and all his brethren.

David was the only one of this family who, as far as we are informed, was engaged in any actual employment. He was, for some reason which does not appear in the narrative, singled out to have the charge of his father's sheep; and when he was required to visit his three elder brothers in Saul's army, neither of his other brethren took his place, and discharged its duties. David "left the sheep with a keeper." (1 Sam. xvii. 20.) Nor does David appear to have been thought of when Samuel, on his important mission, came to the house of Jesse, until the Lord had rejected all the other sons, and Samuel had put the searching inquiry, "Are here all thy children ? " All this appears to indicate that, in his youth, David was regarded as of little account in the family of his father.

Young as he was at this time, however, David evinced many interesting and eminent qualities of body and mind. Although of rather low stature, with red or auburn hair, he was very agile, and remarkably strong. (Psalm xviii. 33, 34.) When first he appears in the history, he was, as already mentioned, engaged in the humble position of a shepherd boy. This occupation, although it has been unduly disparaged as suitable only for slaves, frequently called forth the noblest powers of man, and afforded opportunities for the display of daring courage and indomitable prowess. Such was the case with the son of Jesse. Wild beasts not unfrequently assailed the flocks on the hills of