Don't Mess with the Blessed

I Samuel 18:10-30

Welcome! Today we continue our series on David, from the book in the Bible of I Samuel. We are also going to spend some time remembering the Lord Jesus through taking of the bread and cup, and following this, we will have a short sharing time in which those who wish to share what the Lord is teaching them may do so.

Today’s passage from I Samuel is timeless. Saul is both jealous and afraid of David, jealous of how the people love him and afraid that David will take the kingship from him, and as a result, he tries again and again to get rid of David. But David, a young man of faith and a living relationship with God, is able, by God’s given wisdom and blessing, to overcome every obstacle Saul throws at him.

I might call this a meme, in that it is a plot device used in story after story for hundreds, even thousands, of years. As a plot device it is effective because it is both funny to see the bad guy lose over and over and it is gratifying to see the good guy win. This is the formula in practically every Saturday morning TV show I ever watched, and it is the formula in countless movies and prime time TV shows and books, from The Wizard of Oz to The Dukes of Hazzard to the Redwall series. 

There are two big differences between all these stories and today’s passage of Scripture, though: today’s passage is a true story, and the reason David is the good guy and Saul is the bad guy has everything to do with God. Let’s go through this passage, backing up a little for context, to I Samuel 18:5.

Whatever mission Saul sent him on, David was so successful that Saul gave him a high rank in the army. This pleased all the troops, and Saul’s officers as well.

When the men were returning home after David had killed the Philistine, the women came out from all the towns of Israel to meet King Saul with singing and dancing, with joyful songs and with timbrels and lyres. As they danced, they sang: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his tens of thousands.” Saul was very angry; this refrain displeased him greatly. “They have credited David with tens of thousands,” he thought, “but me with only thousands. What more can he get but the kingdom?” And from that time on Saul kept a close eye on David. – I Sam. 18:6-9

And so here we see the jealousy of Saul, but not only jealousy, but fear. Psychologists might call this a classic case of projection. If Saul were in David’s place, he would almost certainly take possession of the kingdom by force. In our previous chapters from this book, we have seen that Saul does not base his actions on what God wants, but on what he wants. He is quick, when caught, to spin a tale otherwise, but others (especially the prophet Samuel) see right through him.

The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully on Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the lyre, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand and he hurled it, saying to himself, “I’ll pin David to the wall.” But David eluded him twice. – I Sam. 18:10-11

Now two chapters back, in response to Saul’s continued sinfulness and unrepentance, we learn that the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him. This became a pattern in Saul’s life, and through a remarkable sequence events David, who had already been privately proclaimed by the Lord through the prophet Samuel to become the future king, ended up becoming the person who comforted Saul during this periods by playing a musical instrument for him.

This was one of these times. We don’t know exactly what it was like when Saul was experiencing these episodes, but it would appear that these episodes included periods when Saul was in a trancelike state. They also seemed to bring out Saul’s darkest desires, making him more likely to act on his most evil thoughts. This is certainly what seems to have happened here, as I am sure Saul had in the past thought about trying to kill David, but now, under the influence of this spirit, he actually tries to do so.

We aren’t given the details of the episode, but it seems he threw a spear at him not once but twice. Spears are big things, so I cannot imagine that David did not notice the first attempt. I can picture Saul apologizing profusely, saying he didn’t know what happened, he didn’t know what came over him, or how it’s just an effect of his “illness,” but if this is what transpired, I can imagine David being quite concerned but nevertheless telling Saul it’s all right and, perhaps with some trepidation, getting back on the lyre, only to have it happen again. It could also be that Saul had two spears nearby and just shot them at David one, two. In any case, I would presume that after the second attempt David just got out of there. But I would not presume that David concluded from this episode that Saul had an unwavering desire to kill him; later parts of this book seem to give credence to the opposite. David may well have chalked this up as an effect of Saul’s demonic torment, but presumed that Saul still really liked him when he was “himself.”

Note, too, what David did not do: He did not pick up the spear and throw it back at Saul. David, slayer of the giant Goliath, was certainly capable of beating Saul in a fight, but, even after being attacked, did nothing of the sort. We will see this theme again and again in the coming weeks: David knew Samuel had anointed him but he saw it as God’s job to end Saul’s reign, or not, but it was something David absolutely refused to initiate.   

Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had departed from Saul. So he sent David away from him and gave him command over a thousand men, and David led the troops in their campaigns. In everything he did he had great success, because the Lord was with him. When Saul saw how successful he was, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he led them in their campaigns. – I Sam. 18:12-16

Saul had once known what it was like to be led by the Spirit of God. But due to his repeated rebellion of God’s commands, he had become separated from God. God was not with him anymore, and it was obvious – beginning with the victory over Goliath – that God was leading David and blessing all that he did. What did Saul hope to accomplish by promoting David and sending him away? I think that with the promotion he didn’t have much of a choice. David was a national hero, and the people would have been shocked and possibly revolted if David hadn’t become an army leader. Saul likely also hoped that David would die in battle. War normally takes many lives, including those of its leaders. But no such luck; because of God’s protection and David’s heart for following God, God protected him, gave him victory after victory, and caused the people to love him even more. In other words, the plans of Saul had backfired.

Saul said to David, “Here is my older daughter Merab. I will give her to you in marriage; only serve me bravely and fight the battles of the Lord.” For Saul said to himself, “I will not raise a hand against him. Let the Philistines do that!” But David said to Saul, “Who am I, and what is my family or my clan in Israel, that I should become the king’s son-in-law?” So when the time came for Merab, Saul’s daughter, to be given to David, she was given in marriage to Adriel of Meholah. – I Sam. 18:17-19

Now Saul had promised previously that the person who stood against Goliath would get Saul’s daughter’s hand in marriage. What came of that promise? Apparently nothing. At this point in the account Saul already had racked up quite a long history of lying and breaking promises.

Now why did David refuse this request? It may well be that David genuinely felt that he was not of the “stuff” to marry a king’s daughter. That even David would think of saying such a thing is fascinating to me – Saul was only the first king of Israel, yet in this short time, the culture had already changed to such a great extent so as to become infused with the idea of royal lines versus commoners! Saul himself was not of a royal line of anything. He was a commoner himself. I think in this we see some of Samuel’s warnings about the dangers of having a king already coming true.

What did Saul hope to gain with this marriage? Ultimately, the passage tells us, the goal was to get David killed in battle. But David was already leading his troops in dangerous battles. The difference, I think, is that David would have been deeply indebted to Saul if he had taken his daughter in marriage. An inviolate part of tradition in those times, and continuing in some parts of the world today, was the dowry. A dowry, a large gift paid to the father of the bride, was required whenever a man married. The dowry both compensated the father for the loss of a family “worker” and also served as a kind of insurance in case the groom died or divorced his wife. Because David could not afford a dowry befitting the daughter of a king, he would owe Saul and feel obligated to do whatever Saul asked of him, even if it meant going into battle when one was extremely outnumbered or otherwise especially likely to fail. Saul figured that if David agreed to the marriage, it would be much easier to maneuver David into taking on a battle he was sure to lose.

The impression I get from the rest of these few verses is that, culturally, even though David had given this excuse, the expectation was that Saul would wait for David to gain enough wealth to offer a proper dowry. But Saul changed tactics again, instead quickly marrying his daughter off to someone most likely far more a “commoner” than David. What was the purpose of this? I think it was to get David angry, angry enough to embarrass himself and lower or destroy his reputation among the people. There is also that past promise regarding Goliath. It seems like Saul was finally fulfilling his promise there – albeit with these other conditions of serving him bravely and fighting his battles – but now he was reneging on that promise altogether! Surely, David would express his anger? No – there is no sign that he did any such thing.

Now Saul’s daughter Michal was in love with David, and when they told Saul about it, he was pleased. “I will give her to him,” he thought, “so that she may be a snare to him and so that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” So Saul said to David, “Now you have a second opportunity to become my son-in-law.” – I Sam. 18:20-21

Then Saul ordered his attendants: “Speak to David privately and say, ‘Look, the king likes you, and his attendants all love you; now become his son-in-law.’” They repeated these words to David. But David said, “Do you think it is a small matter to become the king’s son-in-law? I’m only a poor man and little known.” – I Sam. 18:22-23

We aren’t told what Michal saw in David, but likely it was his looks, his being a hero, and perhaps some of his character qualities. But in later weeks we will see that she does not really share David’s intense love of God or his desire to worship Him and obey Him wholeheartedly.

What did Saul mean when he said she might be a snare to him? At one level he certainly was thinking again about trapping David into risking his life in battle, but perhaps he also knew Michal’s well enough with respect to her lack of desire for the Lord so as to think she would cause David to sin and lose his love for the Lord, leading to the result that God would no longer continue to bless all that he did.

This time, in contrast to the discussions over his first daughter, why did Saul mostly speak to David through his attendants, rather than person to person? I think, first of all, he did it because talking in person failed the last time, and second, he felt it was more likely David would “let his guard down” when talking to the attendants. Note that he wanted the attendants to say that they all loved David, buttering him up. But once again, David’s response was the same – his humility was not just an act before the king, but the real thing.

When Saul’s servants told him what David had said, Saul replied, “Say to David, ‘The king wants no other price for the bride than a hundred Philistine foreskins, to take revenge on his enemies.’” Saul’s plan was to have David fall by the hands of the Philistines. – I Sam. 18:24-25

It was improper for a person wanting to marry a woman to ask the father of the woman for a bride price; instead, he was just supposed to show up with a big chest of loot and hope it was enough. By working through his servants, Saul was able to bypass this cultural convention and communicate that he didn’t want any financial gift. Instead, his request was quite irregular – he wanted David to kill 100 Philistines. I personally think he envisioned David going at this alone, one Philistine at a time. By demanding the foreskins, he knew that David would be desecrating their dead, which would make the Philistines even more angry at David (assuming they figured out it was him), and would make them even more motivated to kill him.

When the attendants told David these things, he was pleased to become the king’s son-in-law. So before the allotted time elapsed, David took his men with him and went out and killed two hundred Philistines and brought back their foreskins. They counted out the full number to the king so that David might become the king’s son-in-law. Then Saul gave him his daughter Michal in marriage. – I Sam. 18:26-27

David liked this plan. Money he may not have had, but the Lord’s success in battle he did have. David did not go out alone, but with his men. Did his men have to do this? Probably not. I suspect that because they loved David, they were happy to fight for him. Note that David and his men provided double the “dowry” that Saul requested.

So, again, Saul’s plans backfire, and not only is David not dead, but his fame likely increased even more. Also Saul had no choice but to really give Michal to David in marriage, likely further increasing David’s popularity. He is now the hero who has married a princess!

When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved David, Saul became still more afraid of him, and he remained his enemy the rest of his days. The Philistine commanders continued to go out to battle, and as often as they did, David met with more success than the rest of Saul’s officers, and his name became well known. – I Sam. 18:28-30

And so David’s name continued to grow – not just as a war hero, but as a man of character, as a man who loved God, as a man who – maybe someday – deserved to be king. There is no question in my mind that as David’s name did continue to grow, so did his influence as a man who loved God; that is, David’s faith was multiplied into the lives of those who came to know and love him – David’s love of God became their love of God. Saul, on the other hand, became even more jealous, angry, and fearful, willfully choosing enmity not only with David, but with David’s God, the only true God, creator of the universe, giver of the Law at Sinai, and the One for whom choosing enmity is the worst decision a person can possibly make. Saul’s influence was likely declining, but even so, what Saul was multiplying was deceit, duplicity, and a fake reverence for God, a reverence in words but not actions.

What can we learn from today’s passage? How can we apply it to our lives?

From Saul, we can learn a lot about the futility of trying to persist in doing things our way, in our own strength, rather than God’s way and in His strength. For those of us who have come to understand the message of the Bible as a whole, that we in our sin have separated ourselves from God, who is perfectly holy, and that we are completely unable to reconcile ourselves to God, because we have nothing untainted by sin to offer Him; that God sent His son, Jesus, also God, into the world to teach us about Him but also to live a completely sinless life; that, being without sin, Jesus could choose to sacrifice Himself for our sins, doing what we could not do, reconciling us to God; that Jesus did so by allowing Himself to die on the cross, crucified, experiencing not only unimaginable physical suffering but also the full wrath of a righteous God for the sins of all mankind; and that this gift of reconciliation is not automatic, but – like any gift – must be received and opened; and that we “open” this gift by confessing our sinful condition to God, and receiving in faith God’s gift of Jesus as the payment for our sin, believing that He died for us and rose from the dead: for those of us who have come to understand this message and in faith believe it, we can still set ourselves against God by refusing to turn from sin or confess it to Him.

Saul was not an atheist! Neither were the Pharisees and scribes and others who hated Jesus and even shouted “Crucify! Crucify!” Neither were these latter people believers in Jesus as Savior, but like them we too can set our hearts against God. The lesson we should learn from Saul is that to do so is not only unwise but certain to fail us. Whatever we hope to gain by setting our hearts in our own stubborn way – we will not gain! If we hope for pleasure, that pleasure will be fleeting and followed by much greater pain. If we hope for something else, it to will be denied us. Let us not be like Saul.

We can also learn something from David. David was not perfect; David failed and fell like any man. But David had a heart for God, and when he discovered his heart had led him astray, he repented, turning from his sin and returning back to God. David didn’t just have an intellectual faith in God, but a passion for Him, a desire to see His name made great. One of the things we see in David’s example is God’s protection of those who truly seek to follow Him. That’s not to say there aren’t trials; indeed even David’s life is filled with trials. Already we have seen Saul try to kill him directly with the spear and indirectly through the Philistines. In the same way our lives may be filled with trials, but God ultimately protects all who put their faith in Him. I say ultimately because, unless the Lord returns before we die, we will all die, but even in death God will protect us. We will be with God, with Jesus, forever in heaven, a place Billy Graham described as “far more glorious than anything we will ever know in this life.”

As you have likely heard, Billy Graham passed away this week, at the age of 99. Billy Graham was a great David-like example of a person who loved and lived for the Lord. Billy Graham holds the remarkable distinction of having appeared on Gallup’s Top Ten Most Admired Men 61 years, more than any other person. (Next was a former president with 31 years.)

One of my favorite stories about Billy Graham, however, is the intersection of his life with that of Louis Zamperini, the subject of the book and movie called Unbroken. Louis ran in the 1936 Olympics and was on the cusp of being the first person to break the four-minute mile. But WWII happened, and Louis found himself floating in the ocean after his plane went down. Miraculously he survived sharks and near starvation only to become captured by the Japanese and placed in a terrible POW camp guarded by a sadistic guard named Mutsuhiro Watanabe. Again, miraculously, Louis survived until the end of the war upon which he came home to a hero’s welcome and married his love. But then everything fell apart. He suffered severe PTSD and other aftereffects of the war, and drowned his pain in alcohol along with taking his frustrations out on his wife. But then in 1949, Billy Graham had a series of nightly events in Los Angeles, and his wife went to one and turned her life over to Christ. She stopped her plans for divorcing Louis, and dragged Louis to go the next night. He walked out almost immediately. But she dragged him again the following night, and Graham was preaching about forgiveness. This message reached Louis’ heart, and he prayed for forgiveness for his sin, entering into a life of faith in and love for Christ. He and his wife helped countless others, letting anyone who was “broken” stay at their home. He also forgave his tormentors in the prison camp, including Watanabe. He and Graham remained lifelong friends. Zamperini, through his writings and appearances, shared the gospel with literally millions of people. This is just one example of the influence of Billy Graham. Like David, he came from humble beginnings, and like David, his faith allowed God to use him to affect not only his home nation, but the world.

In a few moments we will spend some time remembering the Lord with the bread and cup, as Jesus Himself instructed us to do. As music plays quietly, spend time with the Lord in prayer, asking for forgiveness of what the Lord brings to your mind, and asking Him to increase your love for Him. This is an experience meant for those who have already put their faith in Christ; for those still exploring and coming to understand the truth claims of Christianity, it is not expected that you take the bread or cup; instead, we ask that you spend these few minutes reflecting on what you have heard today.