Saul, of course, did not know on whom the choice had fallen as his
successor, but from that day on which he was warned of the penalty of
his disobedience divine favor departed from him, and he became jealous,
fitful, and cruel. He presented a striking contrast to the character he
had shown in his early days,--being no longer modest and humble, but
proud and tyrannical. Prosperity and power had turned his head, and
developed all that was evil in him. Nero was not more unreasonable and
bloodthirsty than was Saul in his latter days. Prosperity developed in
Solomon a love of magnificence, in Nebuchadnezzar a towering vanity, but
in Saul a malignant envy of all extraordinary merit, and a sullen
determination to destroy the persons it adorned. The last person in his
kingdom of whom apparently he had reason to be jealous, was the ruddy
and beardless youth whom he had sent for to drive away his melancholy by
his songs and music. Nor was it until David killed Goliath that Saul
became jealous; before this he had no cause of envy, for kings do not
envy musicians, but reward them. David's reward was as extravagant as
that which Russian emperors shower upon singers and dancers: he was made
armor-bearer to the King,--an office bestowed only upon favorites and
those who were implicitly trusted and beloved. Little did the moody and
jealous King imagine that the youth whom he had brought from obscurity
to amuse his melancholy hours by his music, and probably his wit and
humor, would so soon, by his own sanction, become the champion of
Israel, and ultimately his successor on the throne.

In the latter part of the reign of Saul the enemies with whom he had to
contend were the various Canaanitish nations that had remained
unconquered during the hard struggle of four hundred years after the
Hebrews had been led by Joshua to the promised land. The most powerful
of these nations were the Philistines. "Strong in their military
organization, fierce in their warlike spirit, and rich by their position