FIRST SAMUEL, Chapter 18
David Joins Saul’s Army
I Samuel 18:1-5 David and Jonathan
David’s courage and his love for God made a positive impression on Jonathan, and it began an enduring friendship between them. David apparently couldn’t afford to purchase his own weapons and armor. Perhaps that’s because Jonathan’s father had failed to keep his promise to reward David for killing Goliath. Certainly, as young man David had no experience serving as a soldier, and so – before now – would not have had a need for weapons and armor. Whatever the reason was, Jonathan takes personal responsibility for out-fitting David as a soldier. (Although David possessed Goliath’s armor and weapons as a trophy, they were far too large for him to use personally.) Not only does Jonathan give David his weapons, the Crown Prince gave him his own (princely) robe. In giving David his crown prince’s robe to wear, Jonathan is unknowingly designating him as his father’s successor – something God had already privately demonstrated by having Samuel anoint David.
Saul’s conscripting David into the armed forces of Israel is a fairly clear indication to us that David must have been 20 years old by this time. That was the earliest age an Israelite male could be inducted into the army. Saul’s decision was a wise one. David immediately became a successful soldier. In short order David earned his own command.
In addition to Jonathan, the crown prince’s, devotion to him, David’s military success and his personal integrity also earned him the respect of Saul’s officials and the nation, in general.
1 Samuel 18:6-16 – Saul’s Growing Jealousy of David
Whatever affection Saul had for David, it fairly quickly began to disappear. As the army returned from its most recent battle against the Philistines (in which David had struck down Goliath), women across the countryside came out of their towns and villages to celebrate Saul’s victorious army…..but especially to praise David’s prowess on the field of battle. Their song was: “Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” That David was more popular and more acclaimed than he was inspired jealousy and suspicion in the mind and heart of Saul. No doubt mindful of Samuel’s chilling rebuke in I Samuel 15:28 (The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel away from you today, and he has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you.”), with the statement “What more can be given to him but the kingship?” Saul probably suspected that David was the man God had chosen to replace him as Israel’s king.
For Saul, jealousy quickly developed into hatred for David. The day immediately after David’s great victory, Saul – possessed by an evil spirit – attempted to murder David while he was playing his lyre for the king. First he hurled a spear at David. Later he tried a second time to kill David. Both times David escaped death.
After attempting to kill David in his palace/fortress, and aware the God was with David (and no longer with him), Saul opted to release David from his palace duties and instead made him a commander over a thousand man unit of soldiers. As previously mentioned, David was blessed with success in every one of his military undertakings. But the greater David’s success and popularity with the people, the more Saul was both jealous and afraid of him.
1 Samuel 18:17-19 – Saul Offers One of His Daughters To David For His Wife
Saul was nothing if he wasn’t devious. David had to die. So, in his evil mind Saul concocted a plan that he was sure would bring about David’s death….just not overtly by his (Saul’s) hand. He decided to offer David the hand of his eldest daughter, Merab, in marriage. But the offer was conditioned on an assurance David would have to give Saul, that he (David) would continuously wage war against Israel’s enemies, the Philistines. It was a stroke of brilliance, so though Saul! Sooner or later David would surely be killed in battle……then the problem (David) would be eliminated. No more rival for the people’s praises let alone for Israel’s throne. And no one would be the wiser. Let the enemy do Saul’s dirty work! But David humbly protested that he was not worthy to be the king’s son-in-law given his humble background as the son of Jesse, and so he declined Saul’s offer. Instead, Merab was given to Adreil of Meholah as his wife. Given that Saul never kept his promise to reward David both financially and with marriage to one of his daughters for defeating Goliath (17:15), perhaps David sensed that the king would not keep his promise this time either. Regardless, Saul’s plan to see David die was check-mated by David’s humility.
I Samuel 18:20-30 – The Royal Wedding of Michal and David
David’s magnetism and attractiveness drew Saul’s younger daughter, Michal, to him. Michal was in love with David. Learning of his daughter’s feelings for David, an ever-crafty king Saul decided to offer David her to be his bride. Apparently the same condition as before was presented to David. He could marry the king’s daughter, provided he would regularly battle against the Philistines. And, as before, Saul expected that David would eventually be killed in the fighting. In effect, setting up Michal to become a widow (as he also would have let it also happen to Merab) was certainly a small price to pay for the David-threat being terminated. This time he even brought others into the his plot. Saul directed them to encourage David to marry Michal because the king and everyone else loved him so much! But David showed no interest. Once more he declined the king’s offer due to his humble status as Jesse’s as well as his poverty – which meant he was unable to pay the appropriate dowery price for Michal.
Never say that Saul was a quitter……He informed David that he didn’t want money in exchange for the hand of his daughter. Instead, David could supply a different kind of dowery: One hundred Philistine foreskins. Saul was sure that, were David to accept his price, his rival would end up being killed by the Philistines rather than be the killer of a hundred Philistines. But Saul underestimated David and his men. Together they killed 200 Philistines. Counting them out, David presented the Philistine foreskins to Saul. Trapped by his own scheme, the king had no choice but to give David his daughter in marriage.
David still alive. David as his son-in-law. David even more successful and more of a hero. He couldn’t lose! And to top it all off, the LORD was clearly supporting and blessing David. Saul had to have been almost apoplectic! More intimidated by David that ever, Saul’s hatred for David increased to the point where it was continuous.
Incidentally, Saul’s demand-price of Philistine foreskins clearly indicated that the Philistines did not engage in the Hebrew’s practice of circumcision. From the time of Abraham circumcision had been a visible, physical sign demonstrating a Hebrew/Israelite male’s entrance into a covenant-relationship with the LORD. It was a command that God had given Abraham and all his descendants.
The Green-Eyed Monster of Jealousy…..
Let’s look at jealousy a little closer by examining what God’s Word says about jealousy. Please turn to Acts 13:45; Galatians 5:19-21; Romans 13:13; and also I Corinthians 12:20.
Saul’s jealousy of David wasn’t the first time we have seen this sinful emotion in his heart. Do you recall another object of Saul’s jealousy…..and what occasioned it?
Can you think of any other individuals and instances in the Bible where the specter of jealousy reared its ugly head? (Genesis 4:3-8; Genesis 37:11; and Matthew 27:18).
Have you had occasion to fall prey to this sin either as a participant or as a victim? What were the circumstances? How did you overcome the sin of jealousy?