David and Goliath

“ The courage of David, his desire to break the proud spirit of the giant, and his childlike trust in God's help. The contest of words between David and Goliath, and the contest itself, in which Goliath is wounded in the forehead by the stone, falls down, and is slain. The flight of the Philistines, and how they are pursued by the Israelites, and slaughtered with the sword. The jubilation of the Israelites over the victory. The chorus of the women in praise of David. And, finally, the general joy, finding vent in vigorous dancing and leaping. ”

“ He dashes at Goliath with an enthusiasm of youthful courage and faith. While still in the earliest bloom of his manhood, at the head of his wild band of outlaws, he shows himself sagacious, full of resource, prudent in counsel, and swift as lightning in act; frank and generous, bold and gentle, cheery in defeat, calm in peril, patient in privations and ready to share them with his men, modest and self-restrained in victory, chivalrous to his foes, ever watchful, ever hopeful—a born leader and king of men. ”

“ Is there not a cause for my coming to the camp, when my father sent me? Is there not a cause for my resenting the injury done to Israel's honour by Goliath's challenges?" He had right and reason on his side, and knew it, and therefore did not render railing for railing, but with a soft answer turned away his brother's wrath. This conquest of his own passion was in some respects more honourable than his conquest of Goliath. He that hath rule over his own spirit is better than the mighty. It was no time for David to quarrel with his brother when the Philistines were upon them. ”

“ The emptiness of man had been fully proved by the forty days of Goliath's haughty boasting. Saul could avail nothing; Jesse's three eldest sons could avail nothing; yea, even Jonathan could avail nothing; all was lost, or seemed to be, when the stripling David entered the scene, clothed in the strength of Him who was about to lay in the dust the pomp and glory of the proud Philistine. ”

“ His head was carried high; in place of a scowl, he smiled with a sort of boyish eagerness, and a light which was partly exultation and partly mischief sparkled in his eyes. Once or twice the giant caught at the other, but David slipped from under the grip of Goliath easily. It seemed as if his skin were oiled. The big man snarled with anger, and lunged more eagerly at Pierre. Father Anthony caught the shoulder of his friend. ”

“ Unto Goliath’s slayer is the hand
Of Michal, the king’s daughter! DAVID [Joyously]
Michal! Michal! DOEG
See, see, my lord! Do you not understand? ISHUI
It is another coiling of their plot! MICHAL
Coiling of plot? What mean you? MERAB
Ah? You know
Not it is David offers against Goliath? MICHAL
David? [Shrinking] David? [A low tumult is heard without. Enter a Captain hurriedly.]
CAPTAIN
O King, bid me to speak! SAUL
Then speak! CAPTAIN
Fear is upon the host. There will
Be mutiny unless, Goliath slain,
Courage spring up anew. DAVID
My lord, then, choose! ”

“ Both Daddy and Buster absolutely refuse to play Goliath. I am afraid we shall have to leave it out. I should look such an ass as David if you were Goliath; everybody would laugh at David being bigger than Goliath. ”

“ David and Goliath
David, so young, so inexperienced in the art of war, had killed the champion of the enemy. It seemed incredible. Through the ranks of both armies the news spread like wildfire, and when the Philistines realised what had happened, they were so terrified for fear of what might follow, that they fled, with the victorious Israelites in hot pursuit, who with cheers and shouts and great slaughter pursued them to the nearest city, and then returned to despoil the tents of the vanquished enemy, singing loud songs of triumph. ”

“ Though he is Michal’s for Goliath’s death!
Michal’s to-day, unless— AHINOAM
Merab, a care!
Too near in you were ever love and hate. [The tumult nears. Ahinoam goes to look out.]
[Doeg enters to Merab.]
DOEG [low]
News, Merab! MERAB
Well—? DOEG
A triumph o’er him, yet!
The king is worn, as a leopard pent, between
Wonder of David and quick jealousy
Because of praise this whelming of Goliath
Wakes in the people. MERAB
Then? the triumph? DOEG
This. [The tumult, nearer.]
I’ve skilfully disposed the women
To coldly sing of Saul, but of our David
With lavish of ecstasy as to a king. ”

“ I took my power in my hand.
And went against the world;
'T was not so much as David had,
But I was twice as bold.
I aimed my pebble, but myself
Was all the one that fell.
Was it Goliath was too large,
Or only I too small? ”

“ No swifter stride has been made to fame since the days of David, for like that heroic stripling, with the sling of courage and the stone of truth, he slew Sectionalism, the Goliath which had so long threatened and oppressed his people. ”

“ Had David been asked if he were an expert trailer he would probably have denied such craft; but Goliath, his huge partner, would have asserted that there was no man on all that great range who could “read sign” like this same wiry, alert, active, ferret-eyed man who now began moving around in a bent attitude peering at every impression in the earth, at every crushed bunch of grass, and at every broken twig of brush. David seemed actually exultant when he found a stump of a cigar which had been chewed as if nervous teeth had worked upon it long after its fire had expired. ”

“ Can scatter chariots like blown chaff
To rout; but David, calm and brave,
Holds his ground, for God will save.
Steel crosses wood, a flash, and oh!
Shame for beauty's overthrow!
(God's eyes are dim, His ears are shut.)
One cruel backhand sabre-cut
"I'm hit! I'm killed!" young David cries,
Throws blindly forward, chokes ... and dies.
And look, spike-helmeted, grey, grim,
Goliath straddles over him.
BABYLON
The child alone a poet is:
Spring and Fairyland are his. ”

“ David's elder brothers were in camp, and Jesse, their father, called David from the flocks to take food to them. He found the army of Israel ready to go into battle, but Goliath came out as he had done each day and defied the Israelites, who ran in terror at the sight of him. The spirit of David was moved at this, and he said:
"Who is this Philistine that he should defy the armies of the living God?" "The man who killeth him," said one, "the King will enrich him, and, will give him his daughter and make his father's house free in Israel." ”

“ Of Philistine derision rocked the noon.
Then did Goliath cry, "Am I a dog,
For a boy's whipping? Have you not a man,
That you would send a cleaner up of crumbs
From the queen's table? Come then, and be broken,
For birds to find you and the dogs at night."
And Jonathan heard Philistia shout again,
And David, like a flame unwinded, stood
Quivering at the cry, and laid a stone
In the sling's fold, and cast his staff, and ran,
Fleet as the king bird gliding under leaves,
Towards Goliath. ”

“ Then the soul of David was stirred within him. He spoke to the first man whom he met. “Tell me,” he said, “what does this mean?”
And the man answered, “Yonder is Goliath, the giant of Gath. Every day he comes out at this hour and defies our army. King Saul has promised that whosoever shall face him and overcome him shall have a great reward in gold, and the hand of the princess, as well. But nobody is bold enough to try it.” ”

“ He had passed no one on the road but a Hatburn.
"I only tried to clip off his ear, but he moved."
"Don't hinder me. I'm the Government's agent--and David Kinemon too."
"I wonder what's happened---David's late."
"You can depend on David. His ambition has always been to drive the hack."
POST
OFFICE
"It seems only yesterday he was a child and sat on my knee while I read his favorite story of David and Goliath, and now--he's a man and driving the government mail." ”

“ I am certainly a mere David in comparison with such a Goliath as you, but I am more active than I look—can jump higher than any one would think—high enough, perhaps, to catch you by the flaxen curls upon your forehead, if you meddle with the best horse in my stable. ”

“ On these exploits and subsequent adventures, which invest David's early career with the fascinations of a knight of chivalry, I need not dwell. All are familiar with his encounter with Goliath, and with his slaughter of the Philistines after he had slain the giant, which called out the admiration of the haughty daughter of the king, the love of the heir-apparent to the throne, and the applause of the whole nation. ”

“ Here was a man who would not avenge himself—he would give place unto wrath knowing that vengeance belongs to God. He was ready to make the bold adventure of undertaking to overcome evil with good.
David would not strike his enemy even though that enemy had been in hot pursuit of him. "Destroy him not," he whispered to his companion-in-arms as he felt him clutching the sword which hung at his side. David's greatest victory was not over Goliath, the Philistine giant—it was over himself, over that spirit of revenge which might so easily have ruled his heart in that dark, hard hour. ”

“ Strongly relying upon God, he advances towards the powerful giant, with a sling, and with some specially selected pebbles. Then the Philistines think to themselves, "Now will the great hero blow away the enemy like a speck of dust, or kill him as he would a fly." All at once Goliath becomes terrible in his rage, and raves, uttering frightful oaths at David, declaring that he is treated as if he were a dog, and that [Pg 67] David comes to him with shepherd's staff, and not with weapons worthy of a warrior. David, however, is fearless. ”

“ And then roused by the contagion of David's fearless enthusiasm, and by the excitement of trusting a mere boy to give battle to the great Goliath, Saul, with his own hand, dressed David in his own suit of armour for the encounter, giving him his heavy coat of mail, his glittering brass helmet, and even bound his own sword at David's side. At first David's delight was great that he was wearing the armour of a real warrior. ”

“ Look at those two horses and a man driving a plough through that scrap of ground yonder. There is not another living object in view, though the eye covers enough ground for a European principality. Yet that man dares to challenge all this tremendous Nature! It is David before Goliath, before a whole wilderness of Goliaths, with a plough for a sling and a ploughshare for a pebble. ”

“ There is no story more interesting, told to the good little boy who regularly attends his Sunday-school, than that of David’s wonderful marksmanship when, by throwing a pebble from a sling, he struck the mighty Goliath and slew him. ”

“ One must go out—Goliath must have end. DOEG
Ah, ah! and you will! ISHUI
You? JONATHAN
No, David! SAUL
You? DAVID
Sudden you hound about me ravenous?
Have I thrown doom not daring to your feet,
Ruler of Israel, that you rise wild,
Livid above me as an avalanche? DOEG
A plot! it is a plot! He will be slain—
From you, my lord, dominion then will fall!
Or should it not ... SAMUEL
Liar; it is no plot.
But courage sprung seraphic out of night,
Beautiful and a bravery from God! MICHAL [Behind the throng.]
Open, and let me enter! Open! [She enters.] ”

“ Of fevered false-impassioned overpraise. [Saul, silent, rises slowly and goes, entreated of Jonathan. Many follow in doubt, whispering.]
DOEG [To David.]
This is not all, boy out of Bethlehem.
Goliath’s dead— DAVID
But not all villainy? [Doeg goes, flushing,—and all follow, except Michal, and Merab, who moves cunningly forward as if incensed.]
MERAB
I burn for it! DAVID
For what, and suddenly? MERAB
My father so ungenerously wroth!
And wrought away from recompense so right;
Can you forgive him? DAVID
Merab?... MERAB
Is it strange
That even I now ask it? DAVID
Merab’s self? ”

“ David reflected with more comfort upon his victories over his own iniquity than upon his conquest of Goliath and all the hosts of the uncircumcised Philistines; and the witness of his own heart to his uprightness was sweeter though more silent music than theirs that sang, David has slain his ten thousands. If a great man be a good man, his goodness will be much more his satisfaction than his greatness. Let favour be shown to the upright and his uprightness will sweeten it, will double it. ”

“ His free life out of doors made him strong and manly beyond his years. The Israelites were at this time at war with the Philistines, and David's quick wit and indomitable courage fitted him to play an important part in the issue of the war.
The Philistine army contained a giant named Goliath, described as "six cubits and a span" in height. That is over ten feet; but perhaps his terrible appearance, in all his armor, made him taller than he really was.
One day this giant came out from his army and made a proposal to the Israelites: [6] "Choose you a man for you, and let him come down to me. ”

“ David, in his time, had seen Goliath, the strongest, overcome, Asahel, the swiftest, overtaken, Ahithophel, the wisest, befooled, Absalom, the fairest, deformed; and, in short, he had seen an end of perfection, of all perfection. He saw it by faith; he saw it by observation; he saw an end of the perfection of the creature both in respect of sufficiency (it was scanty and defective; there is that to be done for us which the creature cannot do) and in respect of continuance; it will not last our time, for it will not last to eternity as we must. ”