Saul listened to their words, and hope crept into his heart.
“Provide me now a man that can play well, and bring him unto me,” he said eagerly.
Now the fame of David’s playing and singing had spread even beyond Bethlehem. “We must send for David, the son of Jesse,” said the king’s servants at once. He was the very person they wanted. Not [folio 16] only could he sing and play, but he was a good boy, brave and fearless, and best of all, as the servants said, “The Lord is with him.”
So the shepherd boy was brought to the king’s darkened tent, ready to do his bidding. Sitting there in the dim light, he drew such magic music from his harp’s strings, and sang such sweet songs, that the very song of the birds seemed to be filling the tent. The king, as he listened, seemed to feel the breath of the mountain fields, to hear the call of the sheepfold and the murmur of the dancing streams. It acted like a charm. The black misery was lifted from his heart, and the evil spirit was put to flight by the song of the shepherd boy.
It was no wonder, then, that the king, for a time at least, loved the boy with his bright face and sunny hair, and wanted to keep him as his armour-bearer. But perhaps, as Saul grew well and had no further need of the music, David was no longer wanted, and so he went back again to the Bethlehem fields to look after his sheep.
God had made use of David’s skill in music, and before very long another call came to him. This time the need was for one who could aim straight, who had a quick eye and a steady hand.
War had broken out. The fierce Philistines had come up with their great armies to try and conquer the land. Every man in Israel who could fight was called [folio 17] up to protect his country. Already David’s three elder brothers had joined Saul’s army, which was preparing to fight the enemy.
Jesse sends David to the camp.
On either side of a narrow valley, divided by a stream which ran along over smooth stones, the two armies faced each other. There they were encamped, [folio 18] like wild beasts ready to fly at each other’s throats. At any moment the fight might begin, and that stream be stained red with blood. Only the Philistines were far the strongest, and the Israelites had but little chance of victory.