A Story of God and All of Us Young Reade - By Roma Downey Page 0,24

shakes his head, bows, and then turns to join his men.

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Saul, looking wretched and aged, turns and walks back alone to his camp.

Just an hour earlier he beseeched God to speak with him. And now he realizes that God has sent him a very clear message--though not the message that Saul longed to hear.

The dignity of the monarchy now belongs to David. He is the man who will be king. It's just a matter of time.

That night, Saul sits alone in his tent. Outside, he hears the thunder of hooves, signaling the arrival of a messenger. Then Jonathan enters, breathless.

"Father!" Jonathan cries.

"What is it, son?" growls Saul.

"The Philistine army is in the next val ey. Near Gilboa--"

For once, Saul couldn't care less about battle. "Jonathan," he says gently,

"David is near."

"Forget David! You must defend your kingdom. It is your duty!"

Saul feels a strange lack of confidence. "We leave at dawn," he mumbles meekly. "At dawn. Tell the men. And now leave me, son. I must seek guidance."

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After Jonathan departs, Saul wanders alone into the night. He aims for the raging fire he has seen in the distance these past few evenings, for he knows that it is the camp of a pagan woman who speaks to the dead.

Saul is dazed, tormented. He would be easy prey if he were attacked during his journey, for he carries no sword and is incapable of defending himself.

Finally, he sees the flames and hears the jangle of shells and bones that hang in a tree, blown by the wind. Saul makes a simple request: "Bring up the spirit of the dead prophet Samuel."

The woman does not make eye contact with Saul. Instead, the seer speaks to the flames: "We ask you... the dead... for an audience with the prophet Samuel."

Samuel appears to Saul, sitting on a rock right next to him. "Why? Why do you wake me? Why do you disturb my spirit?"

"F-f-forgive me," an astonished Saul stammers. "I only called you because...

because when I speak to the Lord he does not answer."

Samuel looks bemused. "The Lord? Really?" A smile now flits across his bearded face. "You disobeyed the Lord," he reminds Saul.

"I tried to obey," Saul answers. "Really. I tried."

"He has torn your kingdom from you and given it 96

to David." Samuel glares at the man he once anointed king. "Look at me, Saul."

Saul doesn't want to. He doesn't know whether Samuel is real or a ghost. To look into Samuel's eyes is to look into some great abyss that Saul has never seen before. But he looks anyway.

"This battle will be your last," Samuel says evenly.

"No. Please. No."

"Soon you will be with me in the cold earth, Saul--as will your son."

"Take me," Saul begs. "But spare Jonathan."

But Samuel is gone. The only sound Saul hears is the rattle of bones and shells clanging in the wind.

When Samuel's prophecy comes true, and the Philistines kill Jonathan, Saul's spiral into despair is complete.

David and his men wait for the news from the fight. When word comes of Saul and Jonathan, he is devastated. Uriah, his trusted lieutenant and

confidant, moves toward his friend. "You don't see it, do you?" asks Uriah.

David is puzzled. He has no answer.

"This is the beginning, David. Our time has come."

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Now the other men spill out of the cave and walk toward David, realizing that the new ruler of Israel stands before them. "The people will look to you to defend them," Uriah tells his friend. "They will want you to unite the Israelites once again."

David stares at Uriah, taking in his words. They wash over him, soak into him, revitalize him. David grips Uriah's arm tightly and embraces him.

"Thank you, dear friend. You are right. If God has cleared the way, we must be strong."

Now he looks at his men. He knows precisely what he must do next. "Let it begin," he pronounces.

Uriah pulls away from David's embrace. He looks David in the eye as an equal for the last time, and then slowly kneels. "Yes, my king. Let it begin."

The other men follow Uriah's lead, so that now David is the only man standing.

"King David!" they roar.

In time, all of Israel's tribes come under David's rule. As his kingdom and power grow, he decides he needs a capital city from which to rule, and a proper home for the Ark of the Covenant.

The city he chooses is just five miles from David's

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childhood home in Bethlehem. It is an inspired choice, situated at the crossroads of the north and south