Considering the Bible

David Marries Michal

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.

1 Samuel 18:30

30 Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.

Let’s remember what has just occurred in the life of David. A madman named king Saul demanded 100 foreskins of the Philistines to secure the hand of the royal princess Michal, that would bring David into the royal family through marriage.

What kind of dowry is that? This is the legacy of the princess Michal, that her worth in front of her father was that of the death of 100 Philistines, and then the mutilation of those men, shaming them in their death.

Out of this exercise of death and mutilation, David exceeds the request and brings 200 foreskins back to king Saul, doubling the request. (Michal must have felt such sensitive love towards her future husband!).

Yet out of this exercise of senseless death, the unintended(?) consequence would be the raising up of the Philistine army, responding to such a flagrant display of shaming, mutilation and death. So here come the battles with the enemy, all because of a madman’s desire to take David out of the picture.

Yet this must have pleased Saul, at least initially, since each battle with any enemy, offered the opportunity for David to breathe his last. One stray arrow, one swipe of a sword, and Saul’s troubles would all vanish, or so he thought. How foolish!

As the battles wore on, David’s reputation grew and Saul’s frustration intensified.

Young’s Literal Translation actually translates the last clause of this verse as

…his name is very precious.

Other translations speak of David’s renown, or his increasing notoriety, of his fame increasing, and his name being held in high esteem, but this may not be limited to only the nation of Israel, over whom he would eventually rule. I imagine even his enemies, the Philistines recognized his military prowess.

Granted, the Philistines surely did not consider his name precious, for he continued to win battle after battle against them. But for the nation of Israel, who have only king Saul to compare with as king material, David must have seemed like a ray of hope in a dark dark time.

With all this attention being focused on David, Saul must have been having fits. Not only was the king experiencing envy over David’s success, verse 29 of this chapter spoke of Saul’s fear increasing. He was even more afraid of David.

What is the result? Saul became David’s enemy continually. No let up, no reprieve, no allowance. Saul was set on destroying David.

Does that remind you of One, who is Precious in our sight, and yet had enemies committed to His destruction, without cause and without reason. He seeks our best and yet there are those who rail against Him. When they rail, remember, they are captive to the spirit of Saul, helpless in their rage and fear.

Let us be more like the Greater David, seeking their best in spite of their fear and envy. Maybe even love our enemies – What a novel idea!

---

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David Marries Michal

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.

1 Samuel 18:20-29

20 Now Saul’s daughter Michal loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him.
21 Saul thought, “Let me give her to him, that she may be a snare for him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.” Therefore Saul said to David a second time, “You shall now be my son-in-law.”
22 And Saul commanded his servants, “Speak to David in private and say, ‘Behold, the king has delight in you, and all his servants love you. Now then become the king’s son-in-law.”
23 And Saul’s servants spoke those words in the ears of David. And David said, “Does it seem to you a little thing to become the king’s son-in-law, since I am a poor man and have no reputation?”
24 And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.”
25 Then Saul said, “Thus shall you say to David, ‘The king desires no bride-price except a hundred foreskins of the Philistines, that he may be avenged of the king’s enemies.’” Now Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
26 And when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to be the king’s son-in-law. Before the time had expired,
27 David arose and went, along with his men, and killed two hundred of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, which were given in full number to the king, that he might become the king’s son-in-law. And Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife.
28 But when Saul saw and knew that the LORD was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him,
29 Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.

Ok, so last we met, we saw King Saul invite David into his royal family via marriage to his elder daughter. Of course, David was to be granted this priviledge due to his taking on Goliath and defeating him, but Saul forgot about the gift’s he promised and negotiated another agreement with David for the hand of Merab, his elder daughter.

But lo and behold, on (or very near) the day of the wedding, Good ol’ King Saul took this benefit away from David, bringing shame upon his name and confusion to his heart. How could David understand what was going on? The king was surely mad, and by that I mean both mad (angry) and mad (insane).

With our passage this morning, we are going to experience a bit of deja vu, in that Saul and his henchmen take advantage of his daughters feelings to put David in the path of certain death.

Saul’s daughter Michal was in love with David, and with every bit of news that crosses the kings desk, Saul seeks the good of his daughter. No that is incorrect!! He seeks how he may take advantage of a situation for his own advancement, and this time is no different.

Let’s offer David another opportunity to join the royal family, and in the offer, provide a situation that may eliminate Saul’s greatest threat. The previous offer, for Merab, was to fight the Lord’s battles for Saul. Saul wanted to have control, provide direction to David, get in the mix, interfere and potentially direct David into dangerous situations, raising the likelihood of death in battle.

What is truly amazing is that David retains his humility through this emotional roller coaster ride, again referring to himself as not worthy of entering the royal family. He considered himself a “poor man” having “no reputation”.

What was David thinking when the king’s servants spoke of Saul’s love for David, and of all his servants loving him? The king had just recently thrown two spears at David, and shamed him in front of the nation by reneging on the marriage to Merab?

Whatever David thought, the offer was provided to him. The price of Micah’s hand for marriage? One hundred foreskins of the Philistines.

This was an attainable, specific, measurable goal for David, so he set out to complete his side of the bargain and “force” king Saul’s hand in providing Micah as his bride. And to make a point, good old David, when asked to walk a mile, walked two miles. He brought back two hundred foreskins, which meant two hundred Philistines had met their maker.

Saul got what he said he wanted, yet his frustration level must have been boiling over. Of course the Phillistines weren’t the problem! The Philistines were the solution, but they did not come to Saul’s request, and in loosing two hundred soldiers, only elevated David in stature, causing Saul greater fear of his dominance.

And now, he had two of his children committed to the enemy. It was bad enough for Saul when Jonathon had shown allegiance to David, but now it appeared that his daughter was also seeing the benefit of being associated with a believer in the Lord, a man who was led of the Spirit, and of a humble heart.

So it is with the kingdom, for as we exercise a humbleness, and desire to love our enemies, even after two spear throws, and a show of disgrace, the kingdom will expand, one by one.

Or the enemy will only slip into greater darkness, with more bile rising in his throat, and a commitment to fighting the believer! So it was with Saul, and he continually set himself as David’s enemy, even as his father-in-law.

Truly, this passage speaks of the division of family due to deeper allegiances that are offered, deeper even that blood. Micah made the wise choice, as did her brother Jonathon. They followed David.

Centuries later, Jesus, the Greater David, described this realignment of family in the following words.

Matthew 12:48-50

But he replied to the man who told him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers!
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

Who is your sister? Who is your brother? It all depends on who your Father is!

---

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

David Marries Michal

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.

1 Samuel 18:17-19
17 Then Saul said to David, “Here is my elder daughter Merab. I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me and fight the LORD’s battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.”
18 And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father’s clan in Israel, that I should be son-in-law to the king?
19 But at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.

Ok Saul, you promised your daughter to any man who would take on the Philistine giant, a chapter back, in verse 25. Riches and tax free status for the family, along with the hand of the kings daugther, actually becoming of the royal family. Haughty rewards for knocking ol Goliath down.

1 Samuel 17

25 And the men of Israel said, “Have you seen this man who has come up? Surely he has come up to defy Israel. And the king will enrich the man who kills him with great riches and will give him his daughter and make his father’s house free in Israel.”

It is a good thing David didn’t depend on the word of the King to motivate him to take Goliath out. This reward of a kings daughter (and the other rewards) obviously had not been granted to David as yet, and as it turns out, this promise from the Israeli King was quickly be forgotten. An unfaithful party always wants to renegotiate!

Now to get the kings daughter – forget the riches and tax free status – David had to perform more tasks, life endangering tasks, tasks that would seemingly accomplish Saul’s not too secret desire for David’s demise. Saul offered his eldest daughter Merab, IF David would fight the LORD’s battles for Saul. Notice that little phrase that Saul inserted into this agreement David was offered.

Only be valiant for me and fight the LORD’s battles.

What is this all about. Of course David was on the team, and had shown himself to be sold out to God in his life, in battles that he would be called upon to fight, and service to his king. Is Saul seeking to hide his intentions, or rather reestablish his authority over David, and by doing so, hoping to control his actions, maybe directing David to more dangerous areas of battle.

Was he seeking to increase his influence over David, through obligations that this marriage would create? Was Merab in love with David or a tool for Saul? We may never know!

What a dastardly fiend this Saul is turning out to be! Let’s be clear. This is not Saul coming good on a promise he gave David earlier. This is an alternative offer for him, that brought with the hand of the king’s daughter, added responsibilities to the king. A new agreement! What a loving family David is offered to join!

Notice David’s attitude, in that he exhibited a humble spirit in the face of his enemy, in the face of a man who had reneged on an earlier promise! Who am I, and what is my life or my father’s family in Israel…?

David was in a great place in this circumstance, having not been self elevated by the honors he had been granted. He was a humble servant.

In David’s humility, it appears the agreement for marriage was completed, and the plans for David and Merab’s wedding were progressing quite nicely. Expectations were established, and the nation most surely have heard the rumors, that a lowly shepherd boy, turning into a valiant warrior, was now entering into betrothal with the kings daughter, and soon to be a part of the royal family!

If it wasn’t for a settled humility that David lived in, this may have become a most heady time in his life.

Up until the wedding day that is. I can imagine Saul playing this game up until the very day of the wedding, keeping David in an elevated place of distinction before the entire nation.

Comes the wedding day, and Merab is no where to be found. Or is it that David is restricted from the wedding? And who is this Adriel the Meholathite? Where did he come from? His name will show up later in the story of David, but we shall be patient until then for any further information on this fellow.

Saul had successfully pulled the rug out from under David, and the shame that cascaded down on David must have been excruciating. How could he show his face amongst those who he led and fought with, and how could he explain the circumstances, the actions of this mad man who was king of Israel, and who was to be honored by all.

David was placed in a very difficult position by the king, and yet his commitment to God gave him the strength to keep his focus on higher things.

David’s depth of character shines bright in these passages.

He truly was a man after God’s heart, and provides such a great shadow of the True, Greater David, the One who would take our shame and disappointment!

Let us remember His faithfulness, his commitment, and His surety of promise to us. Let us be thankful the reneging spirit of Saul is not the Spirit of the Lord!

For He is faithful, and He is good.

---

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible

Saul’s Jealousy of 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.

1 Samuel 18:12- 16

12 Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him but had departed from Saul.
13 So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people.
14 And David had success in all his undertakings, for the LORD was with him.
15 And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him.
16 But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.

Fear. A natural result of departing from the Living God. Yet even in this maelstrom of emotions that Saul was experiencing, some lucidity seemed to come to him occasionally.

Yes the Lord had departed from Saul, and Saul was reminded of this daily as he saw David minister to him in his royal court. Saul had lost the kingdom, lost the Lord, and lost his sanity, and David was obviously becoming the benefactor of this transition of privilege.

So in the midst of envy, possession and fear, Saul made another decision. His failure to kill David must have only amplified his feelings of inadequacy, and this constant reminder when he saw David may have fueled this decision to send him out to war.

Yes, send David out into the wars.

Saul sent David out so he can find some temporary peace. Anything to provide relief from this constant realization that his future was in trouble. And David represented this trouble, a very obvious reminder that his days were numbered.

Yes, send David out into the wars.

Men die in war and David’s “luck” may just run out. How illogical to think that the one whom God has chosen to replace Saul would be in danger of being a victim in battle. This is typical of those who do not consider the reach of the saving hand of God.

Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear;

If God’s hand is on a man (or woman), that one is indestructible until God has accomplished His will through and in them.

David would experience success in all his undertakings, which only fueled Saul’s fear of David more. The passage shows the growth of Saul’s fear, in verse 12 to Saul’s fearful awe of David, in verse 15. Fearful awe.

David was simply listening to the Lord, acting with wisdom, performing his duties and doing as required. Twice in our passage, (verse 13, and 16) we find that David “went out and came in before the people”. David was becoming a man of the people, gaining in recognition and stature in the eyes of the nation he served.

But in David’s faithfulness, two very different reactions resulted.

The people of Israel and Judah loved him.

King Saul only saw David as a greater threat, and became more fearful. It seems that Saul’s short term solution to his problem only added to his long term problem of David’s ascension in the nation.

So what could Saul do? What could he do to control David, to gain power and influence over David?

What could he do? Killing him didn’t work. Having Israel’s enemies kill him didn’t work.

In our next installment, King Saul finds another way of controlling David.

See you then.

---

Thanks again for coming to visit. I hope you found something of interest in this post and would appreciate a comment, to begin a discussion. If you know someone this blog may bless (or challenge), send them a link, so they may join us in our discussion.

Come join us at Considering the Bible