Immerse: Kingdoms Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 126
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IMMERSE
•
KINGDOMS
1S
| 16:14–17:12
Now the Spirit of the Lord had left Saul, and the Lord sent a tormenting
spirit that filled him with depression and fear.
Some of Saul’s servants said to him, “A tormenting spirit from God is
troubling you. Let us find a good musician to play the harp whenever the
tormenting spirit troubles you. He will play soothing music, and you will
soon be well again.”
“All right,” Saul said. “Find me someone who plays well, and bring him
here.”
One of the servants said to Saul, “One of Jesse’s sons from Bethlehem
is a talented harp player. Not only that—he is a brave warrior, a man of
war, and has good judgment. He is also a fine-looking young man, and the
Lord is with him.”
So Saul sent messengers to Jesse to say, “Send me your son David, the
shepherd.” Jesse responded by sending David to Saul, along with a young
goat, a donkey loaded with bread, and a wineskin full of wine.
So David went to Saul and began serving him. Saul loved David very
much, and David became his armor bearer.
Then Saul sent word to Jesse asking, “Please let David remain in my
service, for I am very pleased with him.”
And whenever the tormenting spirit from God troubled Saul, David
would play the harp. Then Saul would feel better, and the tormenting spirit
would go away.
The Philistines now mustered their army for battle and camped between
Socoh in Judah and Azekah at Ephes-dammim. Saul countered by gathering his Israelite troops near the valley of Elah. So the Philistines and Isra
elites faced each other on opposite hills, with the valley between them.
Then Goliath, a Philistine champion from Gath, came out of the Philis
tine ranks to face the forces of Israel. He was over nine feet tall! He wore a
bronze helmet, and his bronze coat of mail weighed 125 pounds. He also
wore bronze leg armor, and he carried a bronze javelin on his shoulder.
The shaft of his spear was as heavy and thick as a weaver’s beam, tipped
with an iron spearhead that weighed 15 pounds. His armor bearer walked
ahead of him carrying a shield.
Goliath stood and shouted a taunt across to the Israelites. “Why are you
all coming out to fight?” he called. “I am the Philistine champion, but you
are only the servants of Saul. Choose one man to come down here and
fight me! If he kills me, then we will be your slaves. But if I kill him, you
will be our slaves! I defy the armies of Israel today! Send me a man who
will fight me!” When Saul and the Israelites heard this, they were terrified
and deeply shaken.
Now Dav id was the son of a man named Jesse, an Ephrathite from