ugh unjustly persecuted to
the death. Loyal he is to the end, because he has _faith_ and
_obedience_. Faith tells him that if king he is to be, king he will be,
in God's good time. If God had promised, God will perform. He must not
make himself king. He must not take the matter into his own hand.
Obedience tells him that Saul is still his master, and he is bound to
him. If Saul be a bad master, that does not give him leave to be a bad
servant. The sacred bond still remains, and he must not break it. But
Saul is more. He is king--the Lord's anointed, the general of the armies
of the living God. His office is sacred; his person is sacred. He is a
public personage, and David must not lift up his hand against him in a
private quarrel.

Twice David's faith and obedience are tried fearfully. Twice Saul is in
his power. Twice the temptation to murder him comes before him. The
first time David and his men are in one of the great branching caves of
Engaddi, the desolate limestone cliffs, two thousand feet high, which
overhang the Dead Sea--and Saul is hunting him, as he says, as a
partridge on the mountains. "And it came to pass when Saul had returned
from following the Philistines, that it was told him saying, Behold David
is in the cave of Engedi. And Saul took three thousand chosen men out of
all Israel, and went to seek David and his men upon the rocks of the wild
goats. And he came to the sheepcotes, and by the way there was a cave;
and Saul went in, and David and his men remained in the sides of the
cave. And the men of David said unto him, Behold the day of which the
Lord said unto thee, Behold I will deliver thine enemy into thy hand, and
thou mayest do to him as seemeth good unto thee. Then David arose, and
cut off the skirt of Saul's robe privily. And it came to pass
afterwards, that David's heart smote him, because he had cut off Saul's
skirt. And he said unto his men, The Lord forbid that I should do this
thing unto my master, the Lord's anointed, to stretch forth mine hand
against him, seeing he is the anointed of the Lord. So David stayed his
servants." And afterwards Saul rose up, not knowing what had happened,
and David followed him. And when Saul looked back, David stooped down
with his face to the earth and bowed himself before Saul, and spoke many
noble words to his king (1 Sam. xxiv. 1-8).

_And David's nobleness has its reward_. It brings out nobleness in
return to Saul himself. It