Hearing that Keilah, a town on the western frontier, was harassed by the
Philistines, David with his men relieved it (1 Samuel 23:1-14); and then,
for fear of Saul, he fled to the strongholds in the “hill country” of Judah.
Comp. Psalm 31. While encamped there, in the forest in the district of
Ziph, he was visited by Jonathan, who spoke to him words of
encouragement (23:16-18). The two now parted never to meet again. Saul
continued his pursuit of David, who narrowly escaped from him at this
time, and fled to the crags and ravines of Engedi, on the western shore of
the Dead Sea (1 Samuel 23:29). Here Saul, who still pursued him with his
army, narrowly escaped, through the generous forbearance of David, and
was greatly affected by what David had done for him. He returned home
from pursuing him, and David betook himself to Maon, where, with his
600 men, he maintained himself by contributions gathered from the
district. Here occurred the incident connected with Nabal and his wife
Abigail (1 Samuel 25), whom David married after Nabal’s death.
Saul again went forth (1 Samuel 26) in pursuit of David, who had hid
himself “in the hill Hachilah, which is before Jeshimon,” in the wilderness
of Ziph, and was a second time spared through his forbearance. He
returned home, professing shame and penitence for the way in which he
had treated David, and predicting his elevation to the throne.
Fighting against Israel. Harassed by the necessity of moving from place to
place through fear of Saul, David once more sought refuge among the
Philistines (1 Samuel 27). He was welcomed by the king, who assigned him
Ziklag as his residence. Here David lived among his followers for some
time as an independent chief engaged in frequent war with the Amalekites
and other tribes on the south of Judah.
Achish summoned David with his men to join his army against Saul; but
the lords of the Philistines were suspicious of David’s loyalty, and
therefore he was sent back to Ziklag, which he found to his dismay may
had been pillaged and burnt during his brief absence. David pursued after
the raiders, the Amalekites, and completely routed them. On his return to
Ziklag tidings reached him of Saul’s death (2 Samuel 1). An Amalekite
brought Saul’s crown and bracelet and laid them at his feet. David and his
men rent their clothes and mourned for Saul, who had been defeated in
battle near Mount Gilboa. David composed a beautiful elegy, the most
beautiful of all extant Hebrew odes, a “lamentation over Saul and over
Jonathan his son” (2 Samuel 1:18-27). It bore the title of “The Bow,” and