11 And it came to pass after the death of Saul, when David had returned from the slaughter of the Amalekites, that David abode two days in Ziklag. 2 And it came to pass on the third day, that behold, a man came out of the camp from Saul with his garments rent, and earth upon his head; and as soon as he came to David, he fell to the earth and did obeisance. 3 And David said to him, Whence comest thou? And he said to him, Out of the camp of Israel am I escaped. 4 And David said to him, What has taken place? I pray thee, tell me. And he said that the people had fled from the battle, and many of the people also had fallen and died, and that Saul and Jonathan his son were dead also. 5 And David said to the young man that told him, How knowest thou that Saul and Jonathan his son are dead? 6 And the young man that told him said, I happened by chance to be upon mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul leaned on his spear; and behold, the chariots and horsemen followed hard after him. 7 And he looked behind him, and saw me, and called to me. And I said, Here am I. 8 And he said to me, Who art thou? And I said to him, I am an Amalekite. 9 He said to me again, Stand, I pray thee, over me, and slay me; for anguish has seized me; for my life is yet whole in me. 10 So I stood over him, and put him to death, for I knew that he would not live after his fall; and I took the crown that was upon his head, and the bracelet that was on his arm, and have brought them hither to my lord.
11 Then David took hold of his garments and rent them; and all the men that were with him [did] likewise. 12 And they mourned, and wept, and fasted until even for Saul, and for Jonathan his son, and for the people of Jehovah, and for the house of Israel; because they were fallen by the sword. 13 And David said to the young man that told him, Whence art thou? And he said, I am the son of an Amalekite stranger. 14 And David said to him, How wast thou not afraid to stretch forth thy hand to destroy Jehovah's anointed? 15 Then David called one of the young men and said, Draw near, [and] fall on him. And he smote him that he died. 16 And David said to him, Thy blood be upon thy head; for thy mouth has testified against thee, saying, I have slain Jehovah's anointed.
17 And David lamented with this lamentation over Saul and over Jonathan his son; 18 and he bade them teach the children of Judah [the song of] the bow. Behold, it is written in the book of Jasher:— 19 The beauty of Israel is slain upon thy high places: how are the mighty fallen! 20 Tell [it] not in Gath, carry not the tidings in the streets of Ashkelon; Lest the daughters of the Philistines rejoice, Lest the daughters of the uncircumcised triumph. 21 Ye mountains of Gilboa, let there be no dew, no rain upon you, nor fields of heave-offerings! For there the shield of the mighty was vilely cast away, The shield of Saul, [as] not anointed with oil. 22 From the blood of the slain, from the fat of the mighty, The bow of Jonathan turned not back, And the sword of Saul returned not empty. 23 Saul and Jonathan, beloved and pleasant in their lives, Even in their death were not divided; They were swifter than eagles, they were stronger than lions. 24 Ye daughters of Israel, weep over Saul, who clothed you in scarlet with splendour, Who put ornaments of gold upon your apparel. 25 How are the mighty fallen in the midst of the battle! Jonathan is slain upon thy high places. 26 I am distressed for thee, my brother Jonathan: very pleasant wast thou unto me; Thy love to me was wonderful, passing women's love. 27 How are the mighty fallen, and the instruments of war perished!
21 And it came to pass after this that David inquired of Jehovah, saying, Shall I go up into one of the cities of Judah? And Jehovah said to him, Go up. And David said, Whither shall I go up? And he said, Unto Hebron. 2 So David went up thither, and his two wives also, Ahinoam the Jizreelitess, and Abigail the wife of Nabal the Carmelite. 3 And his men that were with him did David bring up, every man with his household; and they dwelt in the cities of Hebron. 4 And the men of Judah came, and there they anointed David king over the house of Judah. And they told David, saying, It is the men of Jabesh-Gilead that have buried Saul. 5 And David sent messengers to the men of Jabesh-Gilead, and said to them, Blessed be ye of Jehovah, that ye have shewn this kindness to your lord, to Saul, and have buried him! 6 And now Jehovah shew kindness and faithfulness to you; and I also will requite you this good, because ye have done this thing. 7 And now let your hands be strong, and be ye valiant; for your master Saul is dead, and also the house of Judah have anointed me king over them.
8 And Abner the son of Ner, captain of Saul's host, took Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and brought him over to Mahanaim; 9 and made him king over Gilead, and over the Asshurites, and over Jizreel, and over Ephraim, and over Benjamin, and over all Israel. 10 Ishbosheth Saul's son was forty years old when he began to reign over Israel, and he reigned two years. However, the house of Judah followed David. 11 And the time that David was king in Hebron over the house of Judah was seven years and six months. 12 And Abner the son of Ner, and the servants of Ishbosheth the son of Saul, went out from Mahanaim to Gibeon. 13 And Joab the son of Zeruiah, and the servants of David, went out. And they met together by the pool of Gibeon; and they sat down, these on the one side of the pool, and those on the other side of the pool. 14 And Abner said to Joab, Let the young men now arise and make sport before us. And Joab said, Let them arise. 15 And they arose and went over by number, twelve for Benjamin, and for Ishbosheth the son of Saul, and twelve of the servants of David. 16 And they caught every one his fellow by the head, and [thrust] his sword in his fellow's side, and they fell down together. And that place was called Helkath-hazzurim, which is by Gibeon. 17 And the battle that day was very severe; and Abner and the men of Israel were routed before the servants of David.
18 And there were three sons of Zeruiah there, Joab, and Abishai, and Asahel. Now Asahel was swift of foot, as one of the gazelles that are in the field. 19 And Asahel pursued after Abner; and in going he turned not to the right hand nor to the left from behind Abner. 20 Then Abner looked behind him, and said, Art thou Asahel? And he said, I am. 21 And Abner said to him, Turn thee aside, to thy right hand or to thy left, and lay hold of one of the young men, and take for thyself his armour. But Asahel would not turn aside from following him. 22 And Abner said again to Asahel, Turn thee aside from following me: why should I smite thee to the ground? how then should I hold up my face to Joab thy brother? 23 But he refused to turn aside; therefore Abner with the hinder end of the spear smote him in the belly, so that the spear came out behind him; and he fell down there, and died in the same place. And it came to pass, that as many as came to the place where Asahel fell down and died stood still. 24 And Joab and Abishai pursued after Abner; and the sun went down when they came to the hill of Ammah, which is before Giah on the way to the wilderness of Gibeon.
25 And the children of Benjamin gathered themselves together after Abner, and became one troop, and stood on the top of a hill. 26 And Abner called to Joab, and said, Shall the sword devour for ever? knowest thou not that it will be bitterness in the latter end? and how long shall it be ere thou bid the people return from following their brethren? 27 And Joab said, [As] God liveth, unless thou hadst spoken, surely then in the morning the people had gone up every one from following his brother. 28 And Joab blew the trumpet, and all the people stood still, and pursued after Israel no more, neither did they fight any more. 29 And Abner and his men walked all that night through the plain, and passed over the Jordan, and went through all Bithron, and they came to Mahanaim. 30 And Joab returned from following Abner, and gathered all the people together; and there lacked of David's servants nineteen men, and Asahel. 31 And the servants of David had smitten of Benjamin, and of Abner's men, three hundred and sixty men, who had died. 32 And they took up Asahel, and buried him in the sepulchre of his father, which was in Bethlehem. And Joab and his men went all night, and they came to Hebron at break of day.
141 And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the rulers, [who was] of the Pharisees, to eat bread on [the] sabbath, that they were watching him. 2 And behold, there was a certain dropsical [man] before him. 3 And Jesus answering spoke unto the doctors of the law and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath? 4 But they were silent. And taking him he healed him and let him go. 5 And answering he said to them, Of which of you shall an ass or ox fall into a well, that he does not straightway pull him up on the sabbath day? 6 And they were not able to answer him to these things.
7 And he spoke a parable to those that were invited, remarking how they chose out the first places, saying to them, 8 When thou art invited by any one to a wedding, do not lay thyself down in the first place at table, lest perhaps a more honourable than thou be invited by him, 9 and he who invited thee and him come and say to thee, Give place to this [man], and then thou begin with shame to take the last place. 10 But when thou hast been invited, go and put thyself down in the last place, that when he who has invited thee comes, he may say to thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have honour before all that are lying at table with thee; 11 for every one that exalts himself shall be abased, and he that abases himself shall be exalted. 12 And he said also to him that had invited him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, nor thy kinsfolk, nor rich neighbours, lest it may be they also should invite thee in return, and a recompense be made thee. 13 But when thou makest a feast, call poor, crippled, lame, blind: 14 and thou shalt be blessed; for they have not [the means] to recompense thee; for it shall be recompensed thee in the resurrection of the just.
15 And one of those that were lying at table with [them], hearing these things, said to him, Blessed [is] he who shall eat bread in the kingdom of God. 16 And he said to him, A certain man made a great supper and invited many. 17 And he sent his bondman at the hour of supper to say to those who were invited, Come, for already all things are ready. 18 And all began, without exception, to excuse themselves. The first said to him, I have bought land, and I must go out and see it; I pray thee hold me for excused. 19 And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them; I pray thee hold me for excused. 20 And another said, I have married a wife, and on this account I cannot come. 21 And the bondman came up and brought back word of these things to his lord. Then the master of the house, in anger, said to his bondman, Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring here the poor and crippled and lame and blind. 22 And the bondman said, Sir, it is done as thou hast commanded, and there is still room. 23 And the lord said to the bondman, Go out into the ways and fences and compel to come in, that my house may be filled; 24 for I say to you, that not one of those men who were invited shall taste of my supper.
(Read Luke 14:1-6)
This Pharisee, as well as others, seems to have had an ill design in entertaining Jesus at his house. But our Lord would not be hindered from healing a man, though he knew a clamour would be raised at his doing it on the sabbath. It requires care to understand the proper connexion between piety and charity in observing the sabbath, and the distinction between works of real necessity and habits of self-indulgence. Wisdom from above, teaches patient perseverance in well-doing.
(Read Luke 14:7-14)
Even in the common actions of life, Christ marks what we do, not only in our religious assemblies, but at our tables. We see in many cases, that a man's pride will bring him low, and before honour is humility. Our Saviour here teaches, that works of charity are better than works of show. But our Lord did not mean that a proud and unbelieving liberality should be rewarded, but that his precept of doing good to the poor and afflicted should be observed from love to him.
(Read Luke 14:15-24)
In this parable observe the free grace and mercy of God shining in the gospel of Christ, which will be food and a feast for the soul of a man that knows its own wants and miseries. All found some pretence to put off their attendance. This reproves the Jewish nation for their neglect of the offers of Christ's grace. It shows also the backwardness there is to close with the gospel call. The want of gratitude in those who slight gospel offers, and the contempt put upon the God of heaven thereby, justly provoke him. The apostles were to turn to the Gentiles, when the Jews refused the offer; and with them the church was filled. The provision made for precious souls in the gospel of Christ, has not been made in vain; for if some reject, others will thankfully accept the offer. The very poor and low in the world, shall be as welcome to Christ as the rich and great; and many times the gospel has the greatest success among those that labour under worldly disadvantages and bodily infirmities. Christ's house shall at last be filled; it will be so when the number of the elect is completed.
