You sit on a wooded hill watching your sheep graze below. The day turns pleasant as a welcome breeze blows through the still, hot air. "It is good to be a shepherd," you think, "But what I would give to be with my brothers now, fighting beside King Saul for the protection of Israel and the glory of the Lord." Your eldest brothers, Eliab and Abinidab returned home to Bethlehem just yesterday telling tales of the King's recent victory over the Amalekites. Soon they would be off again to fight the true enemies of Israel, the hated Philistines. Glorious it would be to set out on that road with them when they depart. But alas, you are still a youth in your father's eyes and destined to tend the sheep for at least a few more summers.
You lie down under a tall oak, the bucolic scene washing over your senses, the cool earth lulling you with its soothing embrace. Gazing upward you lazily follow the path of a long, low cloud as it flies toward a towering giant of puffy gray."What I would give if only ..."
...And the cloud is a spear flying toward a Philistine's shield. Men scream their battle cries, axes and short swords clash. The sky is suddenly a battlefield of light at war with darkness. And amidst the confusion and bloodshed mighty King Saul races into battle on his black steed. Tall he sits in the saddle, taller than any man around, sword in hand cutting a path of destruction through the enemies of Judah...
A lion's growl in the distance awakens you. Somehow you must have dozed off and... "God forgive me!" But no time! Looking below you see there are only three sheep in the field where four had stood! The dreams of glorious battle fade as quickly as a darting cloud. A more immediate threat is upon you. Your mind races but the Lord is with you and you know just what to do. Today, David of Bethlehem, you must become a man.
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
- You must find the lost sheep (gazelle), then TAKE ALL FOUR TO HIGH GROUND IN THE NORTH. You know of a safe place in the hills with a protected forest and a small lake (marked with poles). The sheep in Bethlehem are not yours and you should not herd them. Your lost one is somewhere in the countryside.
- The TWO LIONS YOU HEARD IN THE DISTANCE MUST BE ELIMINATED your father's sheep will perish!
- Your own town of Bethlehem in the south may also need your help. ELIMINATE ANY THREAT OF LIONS there if you are able. Ϻ}p ÁùÁ◊{LBflF≠˛Q-À÷yVk◊YWåË≥aHÜiZ^Ȇ•&≤º(8]ÒÇ(b <ÄWªπ¨˜zÖ p¨r÷Ê͈≤uõ ÓÅïóÀÌΩUÍjî ús3=u#Á5'2[Û
"Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers, and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon David from that day forward." (Sam.1:13).
Several weeks has passed since the arrival of the Prophet and the dramatic ritual of your anointing. Not much has changed in your life since then; you still tend the sheep, Eliab and your father still treat you as a boy, and your brothers are back in the field fighting the Philistines with King Saul. Yet one thing has changed inside you. You feel a new closeness with God, a distinct PRESENCE as if He were a constant ally at your side. With God as your friend how you can anything or anyone defeat you? Were you not held back by your father's wishes, you would take the battle to the Philistines yourself! They are nothing in the presence of God, not even their arrogant commander Goliath, who even now challenges the men of Israel to single combat. What you would give if only...
Then comes a day when your father Jesse, seeing your eagerness to play some part in the war, sends you on a mission to the front lines. "Take these loaves of bread and roasted grain to your brothers in the Valley of Elah and bring back news of how they fare," he tells you. "Your brother Eliab is headstrong and I fear that he might take up Goliath's challenge and get himself killed! Tell Eliab to stay far away from this madman, then return and tell me his response."
It is a boy's mission, certainly. But an opportunity nonetheless. If you were to somehow kill this "giant" Goliath yourself, not only would your father finally let you join the war, but King Saul himself might even give you a small force to command. After all, would not the elimination of this brute bring great respect in the eyes of the king?
But first you must find the Valley of Elah. Though you boldly agreed to the task, you left so quickly that you forgot to ask your father how to get there! Now you wonder lost in a strange forest...
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
- Find the Valley of Elah and DESTROY THE MIGHTY GOLIATH who awaits there. Have faith. For although you are but an ill-equiped farm boy and Goliath an armor clad war veteran, God will find a way for you to prevail.
- If you defeat Goliath, proceed to the head of the valley where King Saul awaits to give you charge a small force. Your first command! Take this force up the Shaaraim Road and harrass the enemy Philistines to the gates of their two cities, Gath and Ekron.
You need not defeat the cities themselves. King Saul only wishes for you to KILL 15 OF THE PHILISTINES as proof that you are ready to command.
CONDITIONS:
- David must not die or all is lost! Ϻ}l\gñfiyg‰££N¢ 8Äåj˜ôq”
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"Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands!" The women of Gibeah rejoinced at your return from yet another victory against the Philistines.
Over the past few months you have done well as a commander in Saul's army. You have gained the respect of the other captains, the deep friendship of the king's son Jonathan and, most importantly, the love of God's people, Israel. Could you want for anything more?
A feast was set in your honor the night of your return. The king presided and you sat on his left side and Jonathan on his right. "After all, a young man must marry!", the king suddenly announced over the din of the supper table as if completing some unvoiced thought. The guests around the table looked up and stopped their idle speech. Saul stood and placed his hand on your shoulder, raising his voice for all to hear. "David, I will give you my very own daughter in marriage if you will perform but one task for me", he said. What to do? Young Michal, the king's daughter, was sitting down the table from you. Could you simply refuse the king's 'gift' in her presence. But who would want to? She was so beautiful and pleasant. Yet you hardly knew her...
Though his bluntness had surprised everyone, including yourself, the prospect of marriage to the fair Michal was not unwelcomed. You gathered your wits and replied, "Anything, my king." What was Saul up to?
"It seems the Philistines have encroached upon our lands yet again," he continued, "Wishing to extend their domains they've taken the border city of Timnah." Timnah! The town was just 20 miles west of the capitol city Gibeah itself!
"You, David, must stop their advance into our lands. As you know, Timnah represents our westernmost border and it's recent fall signifies a renewed interest in Philistine expansion." The king unsheathed his dagger, walked up behind you. "We must not let them think we will sit idle!". He slammed the dagger into the table in front of you.
Silence reigned in the room of dinner guests. Only the braziers crackled in the still, hot air. You swallowed hard, the dagger still quivering in the wood of the table.
"I will do it," you replied. Standing, you took up the dagger, placed it in your own belt. As the cheers exploded around you, you couldn't help a cursory glance down the table at Michal.
The king was all smiles. "Bring me 100 Philistines heads and my daughter is yours!" A clasp of forearms sealed the deal.
CURRENT SITUATION:
You have assembled your troops near the Valley of Sorek, camped near the road leading into the city. Early reconnaisance has found that the city is heavily garrisoned and you are greatly outnumbered. A rush attack is ill-advised. If you attack the city immediately as Saul strongly advised, you and your army will surely fall! Two of your trusted sergeants have approached you suggesting that the King may be jealous of your growing popularity and is trying to set you up for disaster. "He thinks your confidence in past victories and in the aid of God will cause you to rush headlong into a Philistine force greater than your own." With a nod you ignore this as so much camp gossip. You have agreed to do a job and have no time for such nonsense. If treachery exists God will deal it.
Nevertheless, if you are to take the city you must indeed build a larger force in the field. You will need gold to accomplish this. The locals inform you that the only source of gold is located on a hilltop to the northeast. Unfortunately, the Philistines have built an outpost to guard this gold.
Scouts have also reported a small Amalekite presence in the area who may or may not be friendly to you. You think unfriendly is the more likely situation, since Saul's decimation of their tribe years ago has put Israel on their bad side. Watch your back.
Though the wars with Philistia have subsided for the winter and you now rest easy at home with your wife Michal, you can't shake a profound sense of foreboding that has gnawed at you all day.
Then a messenger suddenly appears at your back door, sweating and out of breathe. He looks around as if wary of someone following him. You see fear in those eyes. He hands you a small leather packet bearing Jonathan's insignia and says, "I will meet you outside the walls. Read this and hurry!" The stranger is gone in an instant, running back the way he came.
You quickly open the packet and discover a letter within and a strange golden amulet. The letter is from Jonathan, your best friend.
"My Dearest Friend,
I regret to inform you that your suspicions about my father were correct. The king has sent assassins to murder you! Leave Gibeah at ONCE. Make haste to the temple at Nob where the high priest has hidden the Sword of Goliath. Take the Sword with you and make it a symbol for the discontented masses to rally around. I am sure that those whose hearts are with you will flock to your side when they see again the symbol of Israel's promised victory over the Philistines. Also, seek out the prophet Samuel. He will aid you in the difficult days ahead.
David I fear for your life and am convinced that this time Saul will not stop until you are eliminated. Right now father is torn between wondering whether you are his ally or enemy. His suspicions and jealousy of you have led to this mercurial state of mind. Nevertheless, this all means that you must be away from Gibeah a long time, perhaps years, until things here return to balance. You must make your new home somewhere far away in the deserts of Judah where Saul does not reign. What I am about to recommend, you may not want to hear. But I see that your only option is to take up with the Philistines themselves in order to protect yourself and provide for your new followers.
The medallion I enclosed will help you accomplish this. It is a seal of passage into the city of Gath that I acquired from King Achish some time ago while fighting in his lands (It is a symbol of one of their pagan gods, I don't know which). On the battlefield I spared the king's life and that of his son, and in return he gave me this amulet with the promise that if ever I needed safe passage into his city it would be granted so long as I presented the medallion. Go with this seal and tell King Achish of your plight. Forge an alliance with the Philistine king. Perhaps he will grant you a township in return for some form of military service. Currently he is at war with the Geshurites and would no doubt welcome someone with your great military prowess. Help him to defend his lands or even eliminate his enemy and he would be a powerful ally.
Now the time has come for friends to part. I have loved you as my brother and my friend, and if I were not the king's son I would join you in your lonely odyssey. But I look forward to the day when you will return to Gibeah and make peace with father. Perhaps, when your new home is established and alliances forged you may return here and bring Saul around to your way of thinking. Father can indeed be swayed by the voice of reason given enough time to think on the situation.
Good passage to you David. May the God of Abraham look after you and bless you.
Your friend,
Jonathan Ben-Saul"
*!*
As you tear up the letter and pocket the gold medallion, fear subsides and you know immediately what you must do...
VICTORY CONDITIONS:
1. Escape the city, gathering as many followers as you can along the way. Find the priests at Nob and BRING THE SWORD OF GOLIATH (WAR CHEST) TO THE SITE OF YOUR NEW TOWNSHIP (DESIGNATED BY DOUBLE POLE FLAGS).
2. Establish your township at Ziklag and BUILD A TEMPLE BY THE RIVER BETWEEN THE SINGLE POLE FLAGS.
3. Show King Achish your loyalty by DESTROYING THE GESHURITE GOVERNMENT CENTER.
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