Saul Tries to Kill David

As many who have followed me for a bit, I have fallen into the Psalms, and I can’t get up! (As if I would want to.) The Psalms are a majestic collection of poetry, of heart felt human experiences that constantly challenge me in my own frail attempt to follow the true King. As many of the Psalms are written by David, my study on the Psalms has spurred me on to looking at the life of David, is the main contributor to this book, and to follow the victories and tragedies of the shepherd King of Israel.

Many times in the narrative, we will see the Lord Jesus, imperfectly, yet a reflection of His spirit in a man with weaknesses.

In chapter 19, we see King Saul working out his previous decision, that Saul would be “David’s enemy continually” (18:29b). Let’s see how that works out for the King.

1 Samuel 19:8-10

8 And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him.
9 Then a harmful spirit from the LORD came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre.
10 And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.

At the end of our previous portion of Scripture, the very last phrase of verse 7, the author tells us

… Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.

Jonathon went out on a limb in front of his father, the king of Israel, to secure David back into the royal circle.

We dwelt last time on the gentle boldness of Jonathon in his approach to his father, and seemingly found success in providing a safe environment for David to return too.

Yet, in all the history we have seen with Saul and David so far, the fact that David would return into an environment with king Saul is quite remarkable. The king had reneged on promises, lied to him, shamed him with marrying off his betrothed on the day of the wedding, and on top of all that, had made numerous attempts to kill the young man.

What does that say about David and Jonathon’s friendship? The bond between these two men was anchored in a trust. How David must have trusted Jonathon, in that he came back into this unstable and potentially deadly environment.

Our passage speaks of another relationship also. Jonathon and Saul. Father and son. King and crown prince. User and used.

Saul used his son’s bond with David to pull him back into the inner circle, and for a period, there seemed to be a détente, a co-existence between the failed king and the young one destined for greatness. Of course Saul took advantage of David’s skill in warfare, for it seemed that Saul was regularity at war, so David’s presence was most likely spotty when it came to being in the kings presence.

But time dragged on, David continued to grow in abilities and victories, and Saul brooded. In the midst of victories for his nation, Saul could not rejoice in the national growth and prosperity the victories promised. No – Saul was under the influence of a harmful spirit, a spirit from the Lord.

The term “harmful” may be translated as bad, or evil, wicked, disagreeable, even malignant. This spirit from the Lord was not of the Lord. In the midst of this spiritual influence, Saul lost all resistance, forgetting his words to Jonathon, and attacked David with a spear. Now, whether he threw the spear at David, or ran at David to pin him to the wall, it doesn’t seem to be clear. What is clear is that Saul was not to be trusted, Jonathon lost face, and David was on the run, away from the the palace for 20 years, returning as the rightful King. But now, David was on the run, a fugitive until Saul passes from this earth.

Although this passage speaks volumes about the actions of a man in power doing insane acts (and the possible reason in the background for these insane acts), it also speaks of trust, and the willingness to forgive.

Trust between friends.

Jonathon and David remained close to the very end, and Jonathon’s trust in his father’s words did not seem to tarnish the bond these men had. It seems David understood the concept of love covering a multitude of sins, and knew that forgiveness is required attitude if relationships are to continue. I suppose that is the more important lesson for myself tonight as I write this, that to have relationship is to be willing to forgive for the sake of the other.

Relationship cannot exist without forgiveness!

Trust between father and son.

Jonathon and Saul were father and son, nothing could erase that bond, and yet each time a promise was broken, each time a word was taken back, the thread of experiential relationship between the two of them became thinner and weaker. It seems that though Saul was king, he was “relating” only to a harmful spirit.

In closing, let me ask – Have you a grudge against a friend this day? Go to him and ask for forgiveness. It will do your heart good!

Mark 11:25 And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”

How about if a brother has something against you, even without cause?

Matthew 5:23-24 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

Relationship will be strengthened when your brother sees you care enough to ask for forgiveness without prompting!

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