The brothers were angry when they found David putting himself forward,
in a way which they thought absurd, but their taunts did not deter him
from presenting himself to King Saul, who was pleased with the gallant
boy, and proposed to arm him with his own armor, a coat of mail, greaves
of brass and the like. But "no," said David, "I would feel clumsy and
awkward in your accoutrements, I will meet the giant with my shepherd's
sling and stone, in the name of the Lord God of Israel whom he has
defied."
The giant came blustering out with a tread that shook the ground. When
he saw his little antagonist he was vexed, for this seemed to him no
foeman worthy of his spear. But when the conflict was really on, lo! the
unerring eye and hand of David sent his pebble from the brook straight
into the giant's head, and the victory was with Israel.
And after that, David went to the palace and played sweetly on the harp
to charm and soothe the madness of King Saul, on whom there came by
spells a fierce and terrible malady. He formed a close friendship with
Jonathan, the king's son, a friendship which has passed into a proverb,
so tender it was and so true. After a while he married the king's
daughter. He had a great many wonderful adventures and strange
experiences, and in time he became king himself, as the Lord by his
prophet Samuel had foretold and chosen him to be.
But better than all, David's deeds of valor and the great fame he had
among the nations, which abides to this day, was, in my mind, the fact
that he wrote many of the psalms which we use in our public worship,
this, the twenty-third, is one of the very sweetest of them all:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
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