101 And the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell down slain on mount Gilboa. 2 And the Philistines followed hard after Saul and after his sons; and the Philistines smote Jonathan, and Abinadab, and Malchi-shua, Saul's sons. 3 And the battle went sore against Saul, and the archers came up with him, and he was terrified by the archers. 4 Then said Saul to his armour-bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through with it; lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armour-bearer would not; for he was much afraid. So Saul took the sword and fell on it. 5 And when his armour-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he fell likewise on the sword, and died. 6 So Saul died, and his three sons, and all his house died together. 7 And when all the men of Israel that were in the valley saw that they fled, and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; and the Philistines came and dwelt in them.
8 And it came to pass the next day, that the Philistines came to strip the slain, and they found Saul and his sons fallen on mount Gilboa. 9 And they stripped him, and took his head, and his armour, and sent [them] into the land of the Philistines round about, to announce the glad tidings to their idols, and to the people. 10 And they put his armour in the house of their god, and fastened his head in the house of Dagon. 11 And when all they of Jabesh-Gilead heard of all that the Philistines had done to Saul, 12 all the valiant men arose, and took up the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the terebinth of Jabesh, and fasted seven days. 13 And Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he committed against Jehovah, because of the word of Jehovah which he kept not, and also for having inquired of the spirit of Python, asking counsel of it; 14 and he asked not counsel of Jehovah; therefore he slew him, and transferred the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.
111 And all Israel assembled themselves to David to Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh. 2 Even aforetime, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel; and Jehovah thy God said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be prince over my people Israel. 3 And all the elders of Israel came to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before Jehovah; and they anointed David king over Israel according to the word of Jehovah through Samuel.
4 And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. 5 And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come in hither. But David took the stronghold of Zion, which is the city of David. 6 And David said, Whoever smites the Jebusites first shall be chief and captain. And Joab the son of Zeruiah went first up, and was chief. 7 And David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it the city of David. 8 And he built the city round about, even from the Millo round about; and Joab renewed the rest of the city. 9 And David became continually greater; and Jehovah of hosts was with him.
10 And these are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who shewed themselves valiant with him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him king, according to the word of Jehovah concerning Israel. 11 And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: Jashobeam, the son of Hachmoni, the chief of the captains; he brandished his spear against three hundred, slain [by him] at one time. 12 And after him, Eleazar the son of Dodo, the Ahohite; he was one of the three mighty men. 13 He was with David at Pas-dammim, where the Philistines were gathered together to battle; and there was [there] a plot of ground full of barley; and the people had fled from before the Philistines. 14 And they stood in the midst of the plot and delivered it, and smote the Philistines; and Jehovah wrought a great deliverance. 15 And three of the thirty chiefs went down to the rock to David, to the cave of Adullam, when the army of the Philistines was encamped in the valley of Rephaim. 16 And David was then in the stronghold; and the Philistines' garrison was then at Bethlehem. 17 And David longed, and said, Oh that one would give me to drink of the water of the well of Bethlehem, which is in the gate! 18 And the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem, which is in the gate, and took it, and brought it to David; David however would not drink of it, but poured it out to Jehovah. 19 And he said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing! should I drink the blood of these men [who went] at the risk of their lives? for at the risk of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did the three mighty men. 20 And Abishai the brother of Joab, he was the chief of three; and he brandished his spear against three hundred and slew them; and he had a name among the three. 21 Of the three he was more honourable than the two, and he was their captain; but he did not attain to the [first] three. 22 Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man, great in exploits, of Kabzeel: he it was that smote two lions of Moab; and he went down and smote a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. 23 He also smote the Egyptian, a man of stature, five cubits high: and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear. 24 These things did Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, and he had a name among the three mighty men. 25 Behold, he was honoured above the thirty, but he did not attain to the [first] three. And David set him in his council. 26 And the valiant men of the forces were: Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, 27 Shammoth the Harorite, Helez the Pelonite, 28 Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, Abiezer the Anathothite, 29 Sibbechai the Hushathite, Ilai the Ahohite, 30 Maharai the Netophathite, Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, 31 Ittai the son of Ribai of Gibeah of the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite, 32 Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, Abiel the Arbathite, 33 Azmaveth the Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, 34 Bene-Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shage the Hararite, 35 Ahiam the son of Sacar the Hararite, Eliphal the son of Ur, 36 Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, 37 Hezro the Carmelite, Naarai the son of Ezbai, 38 Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, 39 Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the Berothite, the armour-bearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah, 40 Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, 41 Uriah the Hittite, Zabad the son of Ahlai, 42 Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite, a captain of the Reubenites, and thirty with him; 43 Hanan the son of Maachah, and Joshaphat the Mithnite, 44 Uzzia the Ashtarothite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, 45 Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, 46 Eliel of Mahavim, and Jeribai, and Joshaviah, the sons of Elnaam, and Jithmah the Moabite, 47 Eliel, and Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.
121 Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he kept still close because of Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men who helped him in the conflict; 2 armed with bows, using both the right hand and the left with stones and with arrows on the bow; [they were] of Saul's brethren of Benjamin: 3 the chief Ahiezer, and Joash, the sons of Shemaah the Gibeathite; and Jeziel, and Pelet, the sons of Azmaveth; and Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite, 4 and Jishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; and Jeremiah, and Jahaziel, and Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite. 5 Eluzai, and Jerimoth, and Bealiah, and Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; 6 Elkanah, and Jishijah, and Azareel, and Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; 7 and Joelah, and Zebadiah, the sons of Jeroham of Gedor. 8 And of the Gadites, there separated themselves to David in the stronghold in the wilderness mighty men of valour, men fit for the service of war, armed with shield and spear; whose faces were [like] the faces of lions, and who were swift as the gazelles upon the mountains: 9 Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, 10 Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, 11 Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, 12 Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, 13 Jeremiah the tenth, Machbannai the eleventh. 14 These were of the sons of Gad, captains of the host: one of the least was over a hundred, and the greatest over a thousand. 15 These are they that went over Jordan in the first month, when it overflows all its banks, and they put to flight all [them] of the valleys, toward the east and toward the west. 16 And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the stronghold to David. 17 And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, If ye come peaceably to me to help me, my heart shall be knit unto you; but if to betray me to mine enemies, seeing there is no wrong in my hands, the God of our fathers see [it] and rebuke [it]. 18 And the Spirit came upon Amasai, the chief of the captains, [and he said,] Thine [are we], David, And with thee, thou son of Jesse: Peace, peace be to thee! And peace be to thy helpers! For thy God helps thee. And David received them, and made them chiefs of bands. 19 And there fell some of Manasseh to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle: but they helped them not; for the lords of the Philistines upon deliberation sent him away, saying, He will fall to his master Saul at the peril of our heads. 20 As he went away to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh: Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zilthai, captains of the thousands that were of Manasseh. 21 And they helped David in his expeditions; for they were all mighty men of valour, and were captains in the host. 22 For day by day there came [men] to David to help him, until it was a great camp, like the camp of God.
23 And this is the number of the men equipped for military service, who came to David to Hebron, to transfer the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of Jehovah. 24 The children of Judah that bore shield and spear were six thousand eight hundred, equipped for military service. 25 Of the children of Simeon, mighty men of valour for war, seven thousand one hundred. 26 Of the children of Levi four thousand six hundred. 27 And Jehoiada the prince of Aaron, and with him were three thousand seven hundred; 28 and Zadok, a valiant young man, and his father's house two and twenty chief men. 29 And of the children of Benjamin, the brethren of Saul, three thousand; but hitherto the greater part of them had adhered to the house of Saul. 30 And of the children of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valour, men of name in their fathers' houses. 31 And of the half tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were expressed by name, to come and make David king. 32 And of the children of Issachar, who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their bidding. 33 Of Zebulun, such as went forth in the host, armed for war with all weapons of war, fifty thousand, keeping rank without double heart. 34 And of Naphtali a thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear. 35 And of the Danites armed for war twenty-eight thousand six hundred. 36 And of Asher such as went forth in the host, to set themselves in battle array, forty thousand. 37 And from the other side of the Jordan, of the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and of the half tribe of Manasseh, with all manner of weapons of war for battle, a hundred and twenty thousand. 38 All of them men of war, keeping rank in battle array, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king. 39 And there they were with David three days, eating and drinking; for their brethren had prepared for them; 40 and those too that were near them, as far as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, brought food on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen; provisions of meal, fig-cakes and raisin-cakes, and wine and oil, and oxen and sheep, abundantly; for there was joy in Israel.
45 It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every one that has heard from the Father [himself], and has learned [of him], comes to me; 46 not that any one has seen the Father, except he who is of God, he has seen the Father. 47 Verily, verily, I say to you, He that believes [on me] has life eternal. 48 I am the bread of life. 49 Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness and died. 50 This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. 51 I am the living bread which has come down out of heaven: if any one shall have eaten of this bread he shall live for ever; but the bread withal which I shall give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52 The Jews therefore contended among themselves, saying, How can he give us this flesh to eat? 53 Jesus therefore said to them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Unless ye shall have eaten the flesh of the Son of man, and drunk his blood, ye have no life in yourselves. 54 He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood has life eternal, and I will raise him up at the last day: 55 for my flesh is truly food and my blood is truly drink. 56 He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood dwells in me and I in him. 57 As the living Father has sent me and I live on account of the Father, he also who eats me shall live also on account of me. 58 This is the bread which has come down out of heaven. Not as the fathers ate and died: he that eats this bread shall live for ever. 59 These things he said in [the] synagogue, teaching in Capernaum.
60 Many therefore of his disciples having heard [it] said, This word is hard; who can hear it? 61 But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples murmur concerning this, said to them, Does this offend you? 62 If then ye see the Son of man ascending up where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit which quickens, the flesh profits nothing: the words which I have spoken unto you are spirit and are life. 64 But there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would deliver him up. 65 And he said, Therefore said I unto you, that no one can come to me unless it be given to him from the Father. 66 From that [time] many of his disciples went away back and walked no more with him. 67 Jesus therefore said to the twelve, Will ye also go away? 68 Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast words of life eternal; 69 and we have believed and known that thou art the holy one of God. 70 Jesus answered them, Have not I chosen you the twelve? and of you one is a devil. 71 Now he spoke of Judas [the son] of Simon, Iscariote, for he [it was who] should deliver him up, being one of the twelve.
(Read John 6:36-46)
The discovery of their guilt, danger, and remedy, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, makes men willing and glad to come, and to give up every thing which hinders applying to him for salvation. The Father's will is, that not one of those who were given to the Son, should be rejected or lost by him. No one will come, till Divine grace has subdued, and in part changed his heart; therefore no one who comes will ever be cast out. The gospel finds none willing to be saved in the humbling, holy manner, made known therein; but God draws with his word and the Holy Ghost; and man's duty is to hear and learn; that is to say, to receive the grace offered, and consent to the promise. None had seen the Father but his beloved Son; and the Jews must expect to be taught by his inward power upon their minds, and by his word, and the ministers whom he sent among them.
(Read John 6:47-51)
The advantage of the manna was small, it only referred to this life; but the living Bread is so excellent, that the man who feedeth on it shall never die. This bread is Christ's human nature, which he took to present to the Father, as a sacrifice for the sins of the world; to purchase all things pertaining to life and godliness, for sinners of every nation, who repent and believe in him.
(Read John 6:52-59)
The flesh and blood of the Son of man, denote the Redeemer in the nature of man; Christ and him crucified, and the redemption wrought out by him, with all the precious benefits of redemption; pardon of sin, acceptance with God, the way to the throne of grace, the promises of the covenant, and eternal life. These are called the flesh and blood of Christ, because they are purchased by the breaking his body, and the shedding of his blood. Also, because they are meat and drink to our souls. Eating this flesh and drinking this blood mean believing in Christ. We partake of Christ and his benefits by faith. The soul that rightly knows its state and wants, finds whatever can calm the conscience, and promote true holiness, in the redeemer, God manifest in the flesh. Meditating upon the cross of Christ gives life to our repentance, love, and gratitude. We live by him, as our bodies live by our food. We live by him, as the members by the head, the branches by the root: because he lives we shall live also.
(Read John 6:60-65)
The human nature of Christ had not before been in heaven, but being God and man, that wondrous Person was truly said to have come down from heaven. The Messiah's kingdom was not of this world; and they were to understand by faith, what he had said of a spiritual living upon him, and his fulness. As without the soul of man the flesh is of no value, so without the quickening Spirit of God all forms of religion are dead and worthless. He who made this provision for our souls, alone can teach us these things, and draw us unto Christ, that we may live by faith in him. Let us apply to Christ, thankful that it is declared that every one who is willing to come unto him shall be made welcome.
(Read John 6:66-71)
When we admit into our minds hard thoughts of the words and works of Jesus, we enter into temptation, which, if the Lord in mercy prevent not, will end in drawing back. The corrupt and wicked heart of man often makes that an occasion for offence, which is matter of the greatest comfort. Our Lord had, in the foregoing discourse, promised eternal life to his followers; the disciples fastened on that plain saying, and resolved to cleave to him, when others fastened on hard sayings, and forsook him. Christ's doctrine is the word of eternal life, therefore we must live and die by it. If we forsake Christ, we forsake our own mercies. They believed that this Jesus was the Messiah promised to their fathers, the Son of the living God. When we are tempted to backslide or turn away, it is good to remember first principles, and to keep to them. And let us ever remember our Lord's searching question; Shall we go away and forsake our Redeemer? To whom can we go? He alone can give salvation by the forgiveness of sins. And this alone brings confidence, comfort, and joy, and bids fear and despondency flee away. It gains the only solid happiness in this world, and opens a way to the happiness of the next.
