The last time we were together, two weeks ago, we finished Chapter 17, where David went to battle against Goliath and killed the Philistine champion. Well, here in Chapter 18, we continue in the story of Saul and David. As David Samura says in his excellent commentary, in the rest of 1 Samuel, God, the Lord of history, providentially guides the lives of two persons, Saul and David. The former's decline and the latter's rise.
However, the emphasis is not so much on their political actions as on their internal conditions, that is, their spiritual relationships with God. In this particular chapter, we see David's rise, assuming the position of a military leader, and he also receives the benefit of becoming Saul's son-in-law. And then we see that continual decline of Saul and the continual rise of David. So we're going to look at this chapter under the title, The Rise of David and Resentment by Saul.
So I'll begin reading in verse 1. Now when he had finished speaking to Saul, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David. And Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Saul took him that day and would not let him go home to his father's house anymore.
Then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. And Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt. So David went out wherever went out wherever Saul sent him and behaved wisely. And Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants.
Now it had happened as they were coming home, when David was returning from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women had come out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with joy, and with musical instruments. So the women sang as they danced and said, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands. And Saul was very angry, and the saying displeased him. And he said, they have ascribed to David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed only thousands.
Now what more can he have but the kingdom? So Saul eyed David from that day forward. And it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, and he prophesied inside the house. So David played music with his hand, as at other times.
But there was a spear in Saul's hand, and Saul cast the spear, for he said, I will pin David to the wall. But David escaped his presence twice. Now Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul. Therefore, Saul removed him from his presence and made him his captain over a thousand, and he went out and came in before the people.
And David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David because he went out and came in before them. And Saul said to David, here is my older daughter Merah.
I will give her to you as a wife. Only be valiant for me and fight the Lord's battles. For Saul thought, let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him. So David said to Saul, who am I and what is my life for my father's family in Israel that I should be son-in-law to the king?
But it happened at the time when Merib, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David that she was given to Adriel, the Maholothite, as a wife. Now Michael, Saul's daughter, loved David. And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. So Saul said, I will give her to him, that she may be a snare to him, and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him.
Therefore Saul said to David a second time, you shall be my son-in-law today. And Saul commanded his servants, communicate with David secretly and say, look, the king has delight in you and all his servants love you. Now therefore become the king's son-in-law. So Saul's servants spoke those words in the hearing of David.
And David said, does it seem to you a light thing to be a king's son-in-law, saying I'm a poor and lightly esteemed man? And the servants of Saul told him, saying, in this manner David spoke. Then Saul said, thus you shall say to David, the king does not desire any dowry but 100 foreskins of the Philistines to take vengeance on the king's enemies. But Saul thought to make David fall by the hand of the Philistines.
So when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well to become the king's son-in-law. Now the days had not expired. Therefore David arose and went, he and his men, and killed 200 men of the Philistines. And David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law.
Then Saul gave him Michael, his daughter, as a wife. Thus Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David and that Michael, Saul's daughter, loved him. And Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David's enemy continually.
Then the princes of the Philistines went out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed. Amen."
Introduction
Now, certainly it is obvious here the decline of Saul and the rise of David. So we're going to trace this out under two or three broad considerations. First, the covenant with Jonathan in verses 1 to 5. Jonathan esteems David.
Saul envies David. In the second place, we'll see the rise of David. We're going to just take a sampling of texts from this passage or from this chapter. And then thirdly, the resentment by Saul.
That's the bulk of the chapter in verses 6 to 30. So the resentment by Saul, we ought to see it with the backdrop of how David is being perceived in all of Israel and how he does indeed have the favor of God.
The Covenant with Jonathan
Let's look first at this covenant with Jonathan. Notice Jonathan's response to this victory in the Valley of Elah. When David renders, when David puts Goliath to death, He takes Goliath's hat off. We read in verse 1, the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David, and Jonathan loved him as his own soul.
Jonathan no doubt saw in David a man who was consumed, for A. the glory of God and B. the glory of God's kingdom. Jonathan saw that for David what was important was killing Philistines. Jonathan saw in David a mighty warrior who valued and prized the God of Israel. And so immediately Jonathan saw this and it endeared him to him.
Notice that Jonathan loved him as his own soul. Then Saul took him that day and would not let him go home to his father's house anymore. Remember back in chapter 17 we saw that David would go from Bethlehem to the king's court. Well, now after David has killed Goliath, Saul wants to confine him specifically to his court.
Notice that they make a covenant, David and Jonathan. Verse 3, then Jonathan and David made a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. The nature of the covenant is not specified. We don't know exactly what it was, but it was probably a mutual pledge of loyalty and friendship.
These men forged a bond together under God. They certainly had as their objective the glory of God and the death of the enemies of God's kingdom. And notice what Jonathan then does in verse four. Jonathan took off the robe that was on him and gave it to David with his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt.
Now, Jonathan did not know at this particular point that he was no longer the heir to the crown. Remember back in chapter 13 when God announces this, or when Samuel specifically announces this, obviously under God's sovereignty, he says to Saul, chapter 13 verse 14, But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for himself a man after his own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be a commander over his people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you. And then in 1528, again, Samuel indicting Saul for his sin.
In 1 Samuel 1528, so Samuel said to him, the Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to a neighbor of yours who is better than you. We don't have any reason to believe at this particular time that Jonathan understood this. As far as Jonathan knew, he was the heir. He was the crown prince that would eventually ascend the throne in Israel.
Now note the significance of what he is doing here. He, as the crown prince, takes off his royal robe He takes off his armor, even to his sword and his bow and his belt, and he gives those items, those tokens of his royalty, he gives them over into David's care and into David's trust. One man says this was a virtual abdication, an abdication of the throne by Jonathan the crown prince. Now, no one else in the chapter recognizes this, but as we move on in 1 Samuel, we see that that is precisely what Jonathan had in mind, whether it was in an official capacity or he saw in David a mighty warrior that was good at killing Philistines and good at advancing the glory of God.
Jonathan recognized something in David that Saul did not. Well, Saul saw certain things, but it caused fear in the heart of Saul. Rather, in Jonathan, it provoked a devotion. Later in 1 Samuel 15, I'm sorry, 1 Samuel 23 and verse 17, he says specifically to David, this is Jonathan, Then Jonathan, Saul's son, verse 16, arose and went to David in the woods and strengthened his hand in God.
And he said to him, Do not fear, for the hand of Saul, my father, shall not find you. You shall be king over Israel, and I shall be next to you. Even my father Saul knows that." Again, that's a bit later on in the story. But in this particular instance, this is highly significant that Jonathan would take off his royal robe and he would hand it over to David.
He saw in David a mighty warrior who was consumed with the glory of God. It's because of this that he willingly abdicates. And this tells us something about Jonathan. The advancement of God's kingdom was the priority for Jonathan.
As we move through this chapter, it was not so for Saul. In fact, Saul is clogging up the advancement of God's kingdom. We'll make this lesson, or we'll observe this lesson when we complete our study tonight. But suffice it to say that all of this interplay between Saul and David took a period of time.
What were they not doing when Saul was chasing David and trying to kill him? They were not killing Philistines. They were not advancing the kingdom. What Jonathan does in this particular instance essentially says that the kingdom matters the most, the glory of God is paramount, the good of the people of Israel is paramount, and so David is the man to do this.
So he willingly takes off his robes and he willingly abdicates over into the hand David one man says this one man by the name of the graph interestingly enough this deed on his part Jonathan's was an act of faith he says
Jonathan's Faith and Humility
only faith makes us willing to be the lesser You see the contrast between Saul and Jonathan. Jonathan willingly becomes the lesser of David. When Saul sees David's rise, Saul gets angry, and he gets envious, and he gets suspicious, and all he wants to do is destroy David. Who do you think we ought to imbibe when it comes to this particular narrative?
We ought to pursue Jonathan's ethic. We ought to be a humble people. We ought to be more consumed with the glory of God and the advancement of his kingdom than of our own status or of our own position or of our own privilege or of our own perceived rights. If God is blessing a particular individual, instead of getting upset at that particular individual, we ought to willingly stand behind them and seek to see them prosper and to advance the Kingdom of God.
This brother says that only faith makes us willing to be the lesser. He says faith causes us to surrender the rights we pretend to have over against the Christ who is truly Israel's king? Who's a New Testament person that modeled something of this sort of a behavior? John the Baptist.
What does he say concerning Christ? He must increase, but I must decrease. We suppose that if Jonathan would have been in that particular context, he would have said the exact same thing. One supposes that Saul wouldn't have said that.
Saul would have looked at him with suspicion. If Saul looks at David that way, certainly he's going to look at David's greater son that way. Saul is not a good role model, boys and girls. Do not follow this particular man.
His decline, his spiritual declension, his apostasy is so evident in this chapter, it's as if the author is appointing us to this reality, that this is what happens when you take matters into your own hand. You neglect the meeting or waiting upon God's prophet the way he commands. You neglect engaging in those things that God has called you to. You neglect killing the Amalekites, or Agag, the way you were supposed to.
This is the result of an apostasy from God. And we need to take heed to this. Jonathan, in contrast, is a man of God that wants to promote the kingdom of God. And then notice, verse 5 is a bit of a transition statement.
Some commentators take verses 1 to 4 with chapter 17. We chose not to do it that way, probably because of the amount of text, the amount of narrative. But notice, verse 5 is a transition that summarizes what's going on. So David went out wherever Saul sent him and behaved wisely.
He prospered. This phrase is used often in the chapter. He behaved wisely or he prospered. He was being used by God.
He was doing those things which were pleasing to God. Notice as well, verse 6, and Saul set him over the men of war. So he's a military leader, he is a commander, he has authority, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants. So we see that covenant with Jonathan.
The Rise of David
Now let's look at the rise of David. Again, we're going to marshal together various passages from this text. to set as the backdrop for the resentment by Saul. In the first place, David's success. I mean, he is wildly successful in this chapter.
Verses 5, 14, 15, and 30. We just read 5. Notice in 14. Verse 14, we read, David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him.
Verse 15, therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. And then again in verse 30, than the princes of the Philistines went out to war. And so it was, whenever they went out, that David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul." So you see, David is God's man. David is the one who is securing for Israel that stability and peace against the threat of Philistines.
Notice as well, he is being highly esteemed by all the people according to verse 30. As well, the passage of the chapter continually tells us that everybody loved David. I mean everybody. They were crazy about David, verse 1.
Of course, Jonathan loved David. Israel and Judah, in verse 16, loved David. Michael, the daughter of Saul, verses 20 and 28, loved David. As Robert Alter points out, this is the only time in the Bible, or at least the first time, that it's ever said that a woman loved a man.
And it's Michael's love for David. And then as well, he is loved by the servants of the king. You see the sharp contrast here. And again, I think Samora's right.
What we are not to conclude is the political element or see the political element involved in Saul's decline and David's rise. Now certainly, there is a political application. by nature of the fact that Saul is a king and David's on his way to kingship. But it's spiritual. The marked difference is that the spirit has departed from Saul and the spirit dwells in David.
This is ultimately the secret of his success. And that is underscored in verses 12, 14, and 28. 12, 14, and 28 tell us that Yahweh is with David. Yahweh is with David. Notice in verse 12, the Lord was with him.
Verse 14, the Lord was with him. Verse 28, the Lord was with David. Again, what does the author want you to see? Saul does not have the Lord, hence this declension.
David has the Lord, hence this prosperity, hence this rise, this success, this love, this esteem by the people of Israel. So you see, just in these few passages, that David is on his way up. And again, it's not because of, you know, intrinsically David is a wonderful human being. He's not a sinless man, he's a submissive man.
He is a man after God's own heart, and God blesses him, and God is present with him, and God gives him that wisdom, and God prospers him on the battlefield. Whatever it is his hand finds to do, he does it with his might under God, and that is blessed by God.
The Resentment of Saul
In the third place, the largest section of the narrative, the resentment by Saul, verses 6 to 30. I want to look at this under four A's. First, his anger toward David. Second, his attack upon David.
Thirdly, his appointment of David. And fourthly, his antagonism. of David. You know, when you were younger, your parents said, quit antagonizing your brother, quit antagonizing your sister, quit antagonizing your siblings. This provocation, this irritation.
Well, in this particular instance, the antagonism is a desire to see David dead at the hands of the Philistines.
Saul's Anger Toward David
But note first his anger toward David. Verses 6 to 9, they're returning from the Valley of Elah. What happened in the Valley of Elah? We see glory to God in the highest thud, to quote Dale Ralph Davis, right?
Goliath loses his head at the hands of a shepherd boy. They're now returning, verses 1 to 5, sort of a summary, we're back to the narrative in terms of the return from the Valley of Elah, the victory accomplished by David over Goliath, they are received by these women. The women celebrating, the women dancing, the women rejoicing, the women banging, tambourines and praising God and thankful for this military victory. You see a similar instance in Exodus 15, 20, Judges 11, 34.
Note their victory song in verse 7. So the women sang as they danced and said, Saul has slain his thousands and David his ten thousands. Now, we know what happens because we just read it. We know what happens because we probably read it several times before.
Think about this. One man says, a man by the name of Freedman, the very fact that David was accorded equal treatment with the king in the song would be sufficient to arouse the suspicions of any monarch. and especially of one insecure in his position and jealous of his prerogatives. I mean, this is the backdrop that serves as the provocation to send Saul into a tailspin. He's already got problems.
He's already had the Spirit of the Lord depart from him. He's already had this distressing Spirit from the Lord sent to him to trouble him. He is under the judgment hand of God Almighty. And in this particular instance, we just see radical decline, radical declension.
Again, I cannot stress this lesson enough. When we begin to decline, when we begin to apostatize from God, I'm not saying a full-on, full-blown apostasy. Apostasy simply means a falling away. We fall away a little bit at the beginning.
We fall away in our scripture reading. We fall away in our praying. We fall away in our attendance at the public means. We fall away from the Lord's Supper.
We fall away from those things that God has ordained for the good of His people. It never ends well. I'm here to tell you that. It never ends well when you start to fall away from God.
You may not end up like Saul. You may not have a distressing spirit from the Lord that only the sweet psalmist of Israel can soothe with his harp. You may not get to the place where you're chucking spears at the man who's playing the harp for you. But know this, that when you leave off the means that God has ordained for your good, the end is never good.
Okay? God has made us a simple folk, like a car. You cannot not put gasoline in the car and expect it to run. You have to service the vehicle.
The same is true for the Saint of Christ. There are no Christians who can make it to the Celestial City without the means that God has provided, without that filling of the tank, without the means of public prayer, private prayer, Scriptures and worship, we need those things. Saul left off and it cost him everything. Saul started off by just a simple thing.
Well, I didn't want to wait for Samuel, I wanted to do the sacrifice. I didn't want to wait for Samuel, I wanted to... No, no, you need to do what God says. Every single time God says something.
When we get to the Amalekite instance or the Agag instance, what does Saul do? He would rather have Agag alive, and he'd rather have those bleeding sheep. He'd rather have those things. And he would rather disobey the living and true God.
You see the gradual decline of a man. This is a great spiritual study in what declension looks like for persons who leave off the things that God has specified. We need to guard our hearts. We need to use the means.
We need to be about the scriptures and prayer. So notice, Saul's response to this song. He doesn't pick up a tambourine and join in the dance. He doesn't say, you're right!
He doesn't say, praise Yahweh! He doesn't say, blessed be the God of Israel, who has given us this victory. No, verse 8. Then Saul was very angry.
And the saying displeased him. That's a great way to rain on a parade. I mean, this is a time of celebration. David has killed Goliath, and hence the Philistines have been decimated.
This is a blessing from the Lord. But that's not the way Saul interpreted it, because Saul is not like Jonathan. You see, foremost and uppermost in Jonathan's mind is the glory of God and the advancement of the kingdom. If David will realize that, then Jonathan will gladly give him his royal robes to that end.
Saul sees things just the opposite. It's his glory, it's his honor, it's his praise that needs to be uppermost. Saul was angry and the saying displeased him and he said, they have ascribed to David ten thousands. It's probably an adversative here.
But, to me, they've ascribed only thousands. He's upset about this. Now, what more can he have but the kingdom? You see, Saul is reflecting upon this scenario.
If I don't watch it, if I don't neutralize this threat, if I don't stop this shepherd boy from Bethlehem, then he's going to end up assuming control of the kingdom. That's what verse 9 indicates to Saul, I, David, from that day forward. He eyed him with suspicion as the new King James has it in the margin. He viewed him with suspicion.
He didn't see him as a great military leader. He didn't see him as one consumed with the glory of Yahweh. He didn't see him as one who could advance the kingdom of God. He saw him as a potential threat to the throne and as a result it affected him to the point where now secondly he attacks David.
Verses 10 and 11. and it happened on the next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul. This happened already as we saw in 1st Samuel 16 verses 14 to 23. This is how Saul and David first came into connection. Remember Saul had the distressing spirit.
One of his servants said, you know, music will probably calm you. And I just happen to know this musician and his name happens to be David. And he can soothe you and he can minister to you. I mean, that's the provenance of God.
The servant just happened to know this. The servant just happens to bring this together. That's how God gets these two men together and intertwines their lives. Well, the same thing happens here. this distressing spirit from God comes upon him, and he prophesied in the house.
Now, we are not to understand that he was actually speaking the revelatory word of God. Gil says, or he feigned himself a prophet, mimicking their motions and gestures, or as the Targum, acted like a madman or a fool, uttering foolish words and using ridiculous gestures, which seems most agreeable to the evil spirit in him. The ESV has it, he raved within his house. I think that captures what the Targum suggests.
He raved in his house, this distressing spirit comes upon him and he goes into one of these temporary bouts of madness. And so what then does David do? David played music with his hand as at other times. Do you see the contrast?
Do you see the difference? The man apart from the Spirit of God, who has the distressing Spirit from God, is out of his mind, and David, the psalmist or the harpist, is playing his music, seeking to alleviate, seeking to soothe, seeking to comfort. this poor pathetic soul. And then notice at the end of verse 10, but there was a spear in Saul's hand and Saul cast the spear for he said, I will pin David to the wall. But David escaped his presence twice.
Now, we may wonder how is it that David would ever have favorable contact with Saul again. I've got to say, if Roger launched a spear at me right now and I was able to duck it twice, I don't know that I'd go to Chili's with him tomorrow. Oh, maybe I still would. I love Chili's and I love Roger.
But you get down in the narrative and David's dialoguing with Saul about marrying his daughters. David, do you not remember he just threw the spear at you? Think about it this way, we have the narrator telling us what is going on and David doesn't. Far as David knows, this is one of those bouts of temporary madness.
If you happen to go into a mental hospital and somebody had a particular episode and they turned on you with violence, you probably wouldn't ascribe it to a maliciousness. You probably wouldn't think, they just don't like me. They probably don't know you. You happen to be there perhaps visiting someone else.
Someone's having an episode. They see you. They seize you. And they try to render some harm done to you.
David most likely assumed it was that. It was temporary madness. And while it was, in fact, dangerous, it wasn't malicious. David doesn't know the degree to which Saul is struggling at this particular point.
First Samuel 18 and David did it David's not checking the Bible say oh wait a minute He's trying to kill me because he's envious and he's angry he's upset and he wants to do me in that's not what David's thinking David says you know back in 16 this fellow had this distressing spirit and I played for him, and it soothed him, and it calmed him. In this particular instance, he's having another one, and the manifestation was a bit odd. He chucked a spear at me twice. I was able to, you know, dodge it, thankfully.
But he didn't conclude that Saul was out to murder him. That's most likely what's going on in this particular passage.
Saul's Appointment of David
Now notice, as well, verses 12 to 16, moving on to that third A, his appointment of David. 12 to 16. It says that Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul. You know, I mentioned that there's three times in 1 Samuel 18 that says that the Spirit of the Lord, or that the Lord rather, Yahweh, was with David. There's three times that chapter 18 tells us that Saul was afraid of David.
It's the same instances. Every time we read that Yahweh was with David, Saul is afraid of David. Every time God is obviously with David, those are the instances where Saul is afraid of him. He's fearful of David.
Notice 12a. Now Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him, but had departed from Saul. Therefore Saul removed him from his presence and made him his captain over a thousand, and he went out and came in before the people. Now, probably he was not making him a captain over a thousand out of respect for him.
He just tried to pin him against the wall with a spear. John Gill says, not out of respect to him and in honor of him, but partly to cover his malice and please the people, and partly in hope that he might be slain by the enemy at the head of his troop. This isn't Saul having a change of mind. Thank you for soothing me.
Thank you for getting this spear chucking out of me. Now I want you to manage my military. No, that's not it at all. Saul is still raging.
Saul is still envious. Saul is still jealous. Saul is still suspicious of him. And Saul is, in his mind, seeking the best way that he can dispose of David and his potential threat to Saul's throne.
The contrast is continued according to verses 14 and 15. David behaved wisely in all his ways, and the Lord was with him. Therefore, when Saul saw that he behaved very wisely, he was afraid of him. But all Israel and Judah loved David, because he went out and came in before them.
How do you think Saul appreciated that? You know, not only does Saul have this angst towards David privately, but everywhere he goes, people are in love with David. It had to be a miserable season for Saul. That amount of bitterness, that amount of anger, that amount of envy, that amount of suspicion.
He must have been a miserable person. And everywhere he goes, don't you just love David? Isn't David fantastic? Isn't David wonderful?
Isn't David great? Saul is seething inside. I don't want to hear anymore about David. I've got to deal with David.
I want to end David. I've got to get rid of this threat." Now,
Saul's Antagonism: Marriage as a Death Trap
notice the antagonism with the view to killing David. Verses 17 to 19, the marriage to Merib. Notice in verse 17, Saul said to David, here is my older daughter Merib. I will give her to you as a wife.
Only be valiant for me and fight the Lord's battles. Now, this is intriguing, isn't it? He's not a man of his word. What was the deal?
If you kill Goliath, you get my daughter. There's no additive. There's no, oh yeah, I also need you to continue. No.
From what the promise was that was given in 1 Samuel 17, David should have been given the wife, he should have been given tax exempt status, and he could have lived happily ever after. But that's not Saul. Saul says, here is my older daughter Merib. I will give her to you as a wife.
Only be valiant for me and fight the Lord's battles. Now notice Saul's end game. For Saul thought, let my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him. You see, what happens if Saul does kill David?
Everybody loves David. What's that going to transfer into? Everybody's going to hate Saul. Saul has to get rid of David, but Saul can't do it himself because Saul still has enough wisdom to realize that if I kill David, it's not going to go well for me in this kingdom.
So I'm going to have him marry, I'm going to have him go to battle, and I'm going to have him get killed. Wonder where David learned what he learned concerning Uriah. Saul used this very tactic on David that David later employs in 2 Samuel, unfortunately. But notice, verse 18, David said to Saul, who am I and what is my life for my father's family in Israel that I should be son-in-law to the king?
Do you see the contrast? The author is saying, proud Saul, humble David. The author is saying spirit departed, spirit present. The author is saying Saul in declension, David godly, David rising because of humility.
This is a blessed in the poor is in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God incident. David sees himself as a lowly individual. He says to him, who am I and what is my life for my father's family in Israel? that I should be son-in-law to the king." One can only imagine Saul rolling his eyes going, come on, I don't want to hear this anymore. We just need to dispose of you.
I'm tired of your ability, I'm tired of your fear of God, I'm tired of the fact that God is with you, and I don't want to hear about your humility anymore. Verse 19, But it happened at the time when Merob, Saul's daughter, should have been given to David, that she was given to Adriel, the Maholothite, as a wife. Now, that probably was very frustrating to David. Again, the narrative doesn't tell us, but this is not a good deal.
When you say to a man, you can have my wife or my daughter, then make sure the man gets your daughter. This is just not legit. Now that brings us to the marriage to Michael, verse 20. Michael, Saul's daughter, loved David.
And they told Saul, and the thing pleased him. Not because he was going to have a godly son-in-law, not because his daughter was going to marry a good man, not because the advancement of God's kingdom was occurring around him, but because this will serve as an incident where I can kill David. The guy is in bad shape. He is in a wretched condition.
The author wants us to get this, see and appreciate. This is the effect of sin. This is the effect of not dealing with sin. This is the effect of cutting corners.
This is the effect of adding. This is the effect of subtracting. This is what happens when you do not follow God's Word the way that God says to follow it. This is a case study in spiritual declension.
Notice, so Saul said, I will give her to him that she may be a snare to him and that the hand of the Philistines may be against him. Therefore, Saul said to David a second time, you shall be my son-in-law today. He sends his servants to seal the deal. Go there.
Tell him I'm delighted in him. In other words, go lie to him. Tell him I love him and I want him to be my son-in-law. Seal the deal.
Why? So that I can get him into the battle so that he can die on the field. The servants of Saul told him, verse 24, in this manner David spoke. Now notice, Saul said, thus you shall say to David, the king does not desire any dowry but one hundred foreskins of the Philistines.
I told Mike today, this is how I know that, you know, if battle or stuff ever comes upon the Christian church today, I just don't think we're here. I don't think we're about battling and doing the sorts of things that these mighty warriors of Israel did. What do the foreskins signify? It signifies dead Philistines.
The idea isn't that they go to a clinic and they remove the foreskin surgically and they bring it. That means they're dead Philistines. Prove to me that you butchered a hundred Philistines, bring me their foreskins, and then you can have Michael. David says, that's a good, good arrangement.
Saul thought to make David buy the hand of the Philistines, so when his servants told David these words, it pleased David well. It was good in his eyes. David says 104 skins is nothing. I'll be married by day's end.
I'll be with my bride tonight. Give me something difficult, Saul. In fact, it was such the case that David goes out and collects 204 skins. 100, that's nothing, that's child's play. David goes out to battle, he destroys 200 Philistines.
Verse 27, Therefore David arose and went, he and his men, and killed 200 men of the Philistines. And David brought their four skins, and they gave them in full count to the king, that he might become the king's son-in-law. Then Saul gave him Michael his daughter as a wife. I mean, the imagery that is suggested by the narrative.
They're counting these things out, and each one represents a dead Philistine. Davis says this, in a footnote, because this is obviously not a passage that we probably think long about. Davis says, some people are repulsed by such ancient barbarism. But barbarism is as much modern more so than ancient.
Something a little history of warfare and persecution will make clear. At least these Philistines were dead before they were mutilated. Much warfare is not so merciful. Such practices were not uncommon in the Near East.
Egyptians might count severed hands of their enemies. Assyrians might tally heads. Egyptians sometimes cut off and counted the male organs of the sea peoples they killed in battle. Philistine males did not practice circumcision as did Israelites and others, for example, the Moabites and the Ammonites.
Hence, Saul could ask for 104 skins of Philistine dead. So the four skins here are representative of the fact that there are 200 dead Philistines who no longer pose a threat to the kingdom of God and no longer pose a threat to the people of God. And this is what he presents to Saul. And Saul then gave him Michael, his daughter, as a wife.
Saul Becomes David's Continual Enemy
Now notice the continual enemy of David in verses 28 to 30. Then Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michael, Saul's daughter, loved him. And Saul was still more afraid of David. So Saul became David's enemy continually.
Then the princes of the Philistines went out to war, and so it was, whenever they went out, that David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed. we have the rise of David, we have resentment by Saul, and in that resentment we see this gradual, rapid decline that is in place in Saul's soul. Again, on one hand, it's actually sad to witness. It's actually sad to see, because remember, when Saul first was identified as that man head and shoulders above all the other Israelites, and when Saul goes into battle, and he's killing Ammonites until the heat of the day, Saul looks like Israel's champion. Saul looks like that king that will lead the people of God into further victory.
But it doesn't take long for Saul to begin that decline. It doesn't take long, and then the Spirit of the Lord is withdrawn from him. And then we see all manner of wickedness issue forth in this man's life.
Application: Spiritual Declension
In conclusion, just a couple of lessons in the first place. We've already mentioned this, the spiritual declension in Saul. Notice his fear of David. pointed that out in the three instances where it says Yahweh is with David in those three instances Saul is afraid of David. Saul should have feared God.
Saul fears the man who fears God. You see, people, when we fear God, when we honor the Lord, it will make persons uncomfortable. I mean, they may not respond like Saul and throw spears at us, but if we are walking with the Lord in a godless, perverse culture, then it's probably the case along the way that we're going to ruffle a few feathers. Not because we're obnoxious, Not because we're arrogant, but because we fear God.
So I worked through this and I considered the fear of Saul concerning David. I thought of that quote from Mary, Queen of Scots. She said, I fear John Knox's prayers more than an army of 10,000 men. She didn't fear the God to whom John Knox prayed.
She feared the man who feared that God. And that's precisely what we find in Saul. Saul, repent. Forsake your sin.
I'm speaking as a man. We know the Spirit has departed. We know that God has handed him over. to judgment. But if it is ever the case that we are in a predicament like this, stop, repent, forsake.
Proverbs 28.13 promises mercy for those who confess and forsake their sin. They will find mercy. 1 John 1.9 promises to us, if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we see that we're on the pathway to spiritual declension, stop! Do not continue in it.
I remember many, many years ago there was a particular pastor, became a missionary and he went to another country and ended up in gross sexual sin, gross sexual misconduct. It was terrible, it was wretched, it was a blow to our our movement of churches. And another pastor by the name of Mark Chansky preached a sermon on that situation not long after. And I'll never forget what he said.
And I think he was just channeling the Puritans here, John Owen. Apostasy doesn't just happen. You're not going to wake up tomorrow and go to your closet and pull a pitchfork out and put on a red cape and put horns on your head and go out and do devilish things. Apostasy doesn't just happen.
It happens in steps. You stop reading, you stop praying, you stop going to church, you stop fellowshipping, you stop seeking the Lord. You do enough of those gradual steps and eventually you fall off. You see it played out for you in the life of Saul.
If you are on this path, or anybody out there in the world of the internet is on this path of declension, stop it. Repent. Forsake. Go back to the Lord our God.
Seek Him while He may be found. Call upon Him while He is near. That God accepts returning sinners. And we need to understand that.
Application: The Providence of God
In the second place, we need to see in this passage again the providence of God. The God who used donkeys to identify Saul. The God who used a servant to identify David. That same God uses Saul's strategy to destroy David to actually advance David.
It's actually intriguing. The more that Saul opposes David, the more that God exalts David. And David, by and large, is happily unaware of what's going on, isn't he? David doesn't know the machinations going on behind the scenes.
He doesn't know what Saul is doing. He sees Saul's giving me his daughter. Great. He doesn't know that Saul hopes that that daughter brings him into death by Philistine.
Saul is conniving to bring death and destruction upon David, and God is using that to exalt David. Samora said it this way. He said, once again, Saul's strategy in the marriage of David and Michael has backfired. Instead of killing David, his attempt has given David honor in the eyes of all the people as the king's son-in-law.
Right? Not only is he not dead, now he's part of the royal family. As well, Saul has given him someone who will protect him against Saul. Do you know what happens in chapter 19, verses 11 to 17?
Saul says, go get David. What does Michael do? Michael fakes out Saul's henchmen and says he's not feeling well. Well, David's already escaped.
The very woman that Saul designed to bring death and destruction upon David is the very woman God uses to bring freedom and safety to David. And this has strengthened his claim as Saul's successor later on in 2 Samuel chapter 13. Brethren, if you ever struggle with the providence of God in terms of what does it look like, just read 1 Samuel. God takes day-to-day events.
He takes lost donkeys. He takes servants who happen to see somebody playing the harp once. And he takes a wicked, wretched, apostate man to advance his kingdom. He can use the likes of us, certainly, if that is his MO.
Application: Threats from Within
A third thing we ought to appreciate from this passage is the danger to the kingdom. The danger to the kingdom. Chapter 17 presents the danger to God's kingdom from the external realm. Right?
It's Goliath. It's the Philistines. They're the threat. In the church, we have heretics, and we have governments, and we have oppression, and we have external forces that seek to silence the witness and the testimony of the church.
There is an external foe, to be sure, but chapter 18 shows us that there are threats from within. There are internal forces that are seeking from within to destroy that very kingdom. A man by the name of Vanoi says the progress of the kingdom of God was hindered for many years simply because the most highly placed individual in Israel sought his own interests rather than submitting them to God's revealed will. I mentioned that earlier.
While Saul is trying to kill David, guess what Saul's not doing? He's not administering the kingdom. He's not fighting Philistines. He's not destroying threats.
He's so caught up in his own soul. He is so caught up with his own agenda. He is such a narcissist that everything centers on him. And as a result, the advancement of God's kingdom has effectively come to a halt.
He goes on to say, viewed from the perspective of the forward movement, of redemptive history, we find in this instance that opposition to God's redemptive program does not come from outside of God's people, i.e., from uncircumcised Philistines, as it does in chapter 17, but from within, from a person identified with the people of God. In fact, it comes from the highest place of leadership in the land. So you see, we ought to appreciate, in 1 Samuel 17, we need to deal with the external threat. We need to kill Goliath, and we need to neutralize Philistines.
But when we come to 1 Samuel 18, we can never conclude that all is well. The absence of Philistines doesn't mean the absence of a threat. The absence of a Goliath does not mean the absence of a man that's seeking to destroy from within. The church needs to take this to heart.
We not only have to contend with, for instance, oppressive government, but we have to contend with false teachers. We have to contend with heretics within. We have to contend with false leaders. We have to contend with persons who are more consumed with themselves and their advancement rather than the advancement of Christ's kingdom.
We need to understand that there are Jonathans in the church and there are Sauls. There are Jonathans who stand behind the advancement of the kingdom, that gladly give their robes, that gladly give their stuff, that gladly stand behind God's men so that the kingdom can advance. But there's Saul's inner ranks too. There are men who are so narcissistic and men who are so consumed with their own pride and men who are so consumed with their own advancement that they want to effectively neutralize the cause of God and truth.
They aren't candid enough or honest enough to admit this, but nevertheless it is the case. We need to see in 1 Samuel 17 and 18 there is an external threat, there is an internal threat. We need to be mindful of both. We cannot be preying down the oppressive governments and forget the heretics that sit by our sides or preach in our pulpits on a weekly basis.
The church has to take seriously the presence of a threat that is seeking to neutralize the advancement of Christ's kingdom. But in the final instance, we need to realize the advancement of Christ's kingdom is sure. The Lord Jesus Christ has promised he will build his church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. I just read a little quip recently.
Some men said to a group of Christian pastors, this is way back in the early church, something to the effect that we are going to destroy the church. We are going to take military might and military force, and we are we are just going to eradicate it." And the pastor's response to them was, you know, we haven't been able to destroy it with our pettiness and our sin, so we doubt you'll be able to destroy it. That was a great comment. We haven't been able to do it with our pettiness and sin, we doubt you'll be able to do it with your battering ram.
You see, Jesus has promised, we have in this passage itself, Saul is fighting tremendously to neutralize David and hence to neutralize the kingdom. But God is advancing his David. God will put him on his throne. And David will, in fact, orchestrate and administrate this kingdom according to the plan and purpose of God.
We have that assurance in the son of David, the greater than David, even our Lord Jesus Christ. Well, let us close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for the lessons that First Samuel has shown us so many times about the Church. Give us wisdom to receive these things. Help us as individuals to guard against the sort of decline we see in Saul. to guard against the kinds of wickedness that are so vividly displayed in this chapter, grant us grace to be men and women who fear God, men and women who serve God and obey God, and men and women who use the means that you have given to us for your glory and for our well-being. As well, we thank you that the Kingdom of Christ will advance, the Church of Christ will go forward The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.
And we praise you that you have included us in this. Help us not to be Saul's with our own wicked agenda and our own narcissistic ideas, but give us grace to be Jonathan's who stand behind this advance and seek to promote it. And we pray these things through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.