Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

judgment. Throughout all of his life, David felt the bitter result of
marrying many wives.
The Ziphites, hoping to win favor with the king, again told him
about David's hiding place. Once more Saul summoned his men of
arms and led them in hunting David. But friendly spies brought
word to the son of Jesse, and with a few of his men, David started
out to learn the location of his enemy.
It was night when they came upon the tents of the king and his
attendants and saw, unobserved, the camp quiet in sleep. David
asked, "Who will go down with me to Saul in the camp?" Abishai
promptly responded, "I will go down with you."
Hidden by the shadows of the hills, David and his attendant
entered the camp. They came near to Saul who was sleeping, with
his spear stuck in the ground and a jug of water at his head. Beside
him lay Abner, his chief commander, and all around them were the
soldiers, locked in sleep. Abishai raised his spear. "God has
delivered your enemy into your hand this day. Now therefore, please
let me strike him at once with the spear, right to the earth; and I will
not have to strike him a second time!" He waited for permission, but
instead he heard the whispered words: "'Do not destroy him; for who
can stretch out his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be
guiltless? ... As the Lord lives, the Lord shall strike him, ... or he
shall go out to battle, and perish. The Lord forbid that I should
stretch out my hand against the Lord's anointed. But please take now
the spear and the jug of water that are by his head, and let us go.' ...
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