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Please turn with me in your Bibles 
to 1 Samuel 18. 1 Samuel 18, we see the rise 
of David and resentment by Saul. I'll read the chapter and then 
we'll look at it in some detail. So beginning in 1 Samuel 18 at 
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 
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 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. Then 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, seeing 
I am a poor and lightly esteemed man? And the servants of Saul 
told him, saying, in this manner David spoke. And 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. Well, 
let us pray. Father, thank you again for the 
written Word. Thank you for this life of David, 
for these books in the Old Testament that show us daily life in Israel, 
and the life of faith in a man like David, the life of apostasy 
in a man like Saul. I pray that your Spirit would 
guide us and help us to understand the chapter, help us to understand 
it in the larger context of the revelation of God, and help us 
to see practical lessons for our own hearts and our own lives. 
And to that end, Father, we pray for the ministry of your Holy 
Spirit, that he would be at work in our hearts and in our minds. 
And we ask through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, as I said, 
this chapter obviously indicates the rise of David and the growing 
resentment of Saul. David is anointed in 1 Samuel 
chapter 16. but he won't actually assume 
the throne until the death of Saul. Chapter 17, as we saw the 
last couple of times, David in the valley of Eilat was successful 
against Goliath, that Philistine giant. And so as we see now in 
chapter 18, the word is spreading. David's His fame is growing. 
His esteem in the eyes of men is certainly abounding, and that 
conversely moves Saul to great irritation and great resentment. So, I want to look first at this 
covenant with Jonathan, and then secondly, the attitude of Saul 
toward David. But notice this covenant with 
Jonathan. They forged the most excellent 
relationship. David and Jonathan. In fact, 
later on, we'll see that the things that David had learned 
as a result of his association with Jonathan helped him in those 
times and seasons when Jonathan was not present. It is a good 
doctrine of friendship that we see here, and as we look at this 
particular section, we notice the response of Jonathan to David. In the first place, he esteemed 
him. Notice 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. Again, a description that is 
very intimate, a description that is very strong, a description 
that highlights the special bond that these two men shared together. Now, the love between the two 
was obviously owing to the grace of God. They saw a gracious spirit 
in one another. As well, they were aligned in 
their kingdom interests. They both wanted the advancement 
of God's kingdom, they both wanted security for the people of God, 
and they wanted stability to reign there in the nation of 
Israel. He makes a covenant with David 
according to verse 3. Then Jonathan and David made 
a covenant because he loved him as his own soul. What type of 
a covenant this was, one man explains it was probably a mutual 
pledge of loyalty and friendship. They covenanted together in this 
bond that they had, And this was, in fact, binding to each 
one of them. And then notice the concern for 
the kingdom manifested by Jonathan. Up to this point, Jonathan doesn't 
know that he's no longer the heir to the throne. Remember 
that God, according to 1 Samuel 13, and then definitively in 
1 Samuel 15, is cutting Saul off. There is no dynastic succession 
coming from the loins of Saul. Rather, God, through the prophet 
Samuel, said that he's going to take the kingdom from Saul 
and give it to a neighbor that is better. 1 Samuel 15. That 
was David. So Jonathan doesn't know that 
he's not the heir to the throne at this particular time. But 
because of what he has witnessed with reference to David, he makes 
this overture in verse 4 to indicate that David is the heir apparent 
for the throne of God. Again, he hasn't been told this 
by special revelation in any way that we know, but rather 
he sees the skill, ability, and wisdom of David, so he gladly 
concedes these things. Notice in verse 4, 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 all 
of the things that were unique to royalty, Jonathan divests 
himself of them and he gives them over to David. Later on, 
in 1 Samuel chapter 23, he will acknowledge that David is in 
fact going to be the king over Israel. This is great deferment 
on the part of a man to another. It is the exact opposite of Saul, 
Jonathan's father. Saul sees the success of David, 
and Saul is enraged. Saul sees the esteem that others 
have for David, and Saul is angry. Saul is envious and suspicious 
of David every step of the way, but Jonathan possesses this gracious 
spirit wherein he sees, again, the advancement of God's kingdom, 
the protection of God's people, the security and stability of 
God's kingdom is at the forefront of his mind, and he realizes 
or recognizes that David is, in fact, the man to pull this 
off. One commentator says, this deed on his part was an act of 
faith. Only faith makes us willing to 
be the lesser. Faith causes us to surrender 
the rights we pretend to have over against the Christ, who 
is truly Israel's King. So it was an act of faith on 
the part of Jonathan to defer to David, and this again is absent 
in the heart of King Saul. Now notice this summary statement 
in verse 5. David prospered, David commanded 
troops, and David was ultimately accepted by both servants and 
the people of Israel. And then the chapter as a whole 
just gives us this sort of bird's eye view concerning David's rise. 
We see his success. According to verse 5, he is successful 
with people and servants. According to verses 14 and 15, 
he has great wisdom. According to verse 30 in the chapter, he 
has esteem from all of the people. As well, there is this love for 
David that is manifested first by Jonathan in verses 1 and 3. He's loved by Israel and Judah, 
according to verse 16. He is loved by Michael, the daughter 
of Saul, in verses 20 and 28. And he's loved by the servants, 
according to verse 22. Now, when we look at this and 
we ask the question, what is the secret of his success? Very 
often you'll hear that question about successful men. What is 
the secret of their success? Sometimes you'll hear the answer, 
behind every successful man is a good woman. That is obviously 
a good thing and true. But in this chapter, the secret 
of David's success is that God is present with him. It's actually 
not a secret. David understands what we understand 
in the New Covenant. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ 
brings peace with God. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ 
brings protection from God. Faith in our Lord Jesus Christ 
brings communion with God. And faith in our Lord Jesus Christ 
produces in us the attitude that Paul highlights in Romans chapter 
eight. If God is for us, who can be 
against us? So Yahweh is present with David 
and that is the reason for his success. You see that in three 
places in the chapter. Notice in verse 12. Verse 12, 
now Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him. 
You see it again in verse 14. David behaved wisely in all his 
ways and the Lord was with him. And then again in verse 28, thus 
Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David. So that is the 
secret, not a secret, but that is the power behind David's success 
in this particular juncture as he is rising in the esteem of 
all Israel, where he will eventually rule a consolidated kingdom over 
both the northern and the southern tribes. Now let's look secondly 
at the attitude of Saul toward David. In the first place, we 
see his anger toward David in verses 6 to 9. After the battle 
in the Valley of Elah, David returns. Notice in verse 6. Now, it 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. This was not unique to this situation. Israel in Exodus chapter 15, 
after the victory that they had over Pharaoh and Egypt, women 
led by Miriam came out to engage in song of praise. Jephthah's 
daughter, upon his return from effectively vanquishing the foes 
of Israel, she comes out and engages in a dance of celebration 
to glorify God and to honor the victor. And that is precisely 
what is happening in this particular instance. And then notice what 
they say when they see David. Verse 7, So the women sang as 
they danced, and said, Saul has slain his thousands, and David 
his ten thousands. One man says, 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. You understand 
that? This wouldn't be unique to just 
this particular situation. But a monarch who is being equated 
or outdone by a servant or an inferior would have a problem 
or a challenge with that. But this man goes on to say, 
and especially of one insecure in his position and jealous of 
his prerogatives. So as they announced, Saul has 
slain his thousands and David is 10,000. We already know Saul 
has his problems. We already know Saul is agonizing. We already know the Spirit has 
departed from him. We see his decline in the further 
degrees of apostasy, as I said earlier, culminating in his conference 
with this witch at Endor, and then ultimately his defeat by 
the Philistines on the field of battle. But in this instance, 
he responds as we might imagine. He's upset. He's angry. He's 
like a little child. And that is precisely how the 
author portrays the situation. Notice in verses 8 and 9, then 
Saul was very angry. So again, just the opposite of 
Jonathan. Jonathan exhibits a gracious 
spirit, a spirit of deference. A spirit that is akin to John 
the Baptist, when he says, with reference to Jesus Christ, He 
must increase, but I must decrease. The Baptist understood that he 
was, in fact, inferior to our Lord Jesus, and he makes that 
announcement. Jonathan recognized that. Jonathan 
wasn't jockeying for position. Jonathan wasn't about succession 
to the throne. Jonathan was about the good administration 
of the kingdom. It takes faith in order to step 
out of the way to make a path for those who are better qualified 
and better able to engage in that. Saul is just the opposite. He's angry, and the saying displeased 
him. And he said, they have ascribed 
to David ten thousands, and to me, they have ascribed only thousands. And he probably said it a whole 
lot more poutier, and a whole lot more whinier, and a whole 
lot more snivelier, if that were possible in this particular instance. He's upset. He doesn't get things 
to go his way. There are people out there that 
think David is better. They think David is more powerful. 
They ascribe to David greater victory than they do to Saul. 
So this man, like a big child, is pouting and is whining and 
is sniveling about this particular situation. And then notice, he 
says in the middle there of verse 8, or at the end of verse 8, 
Now what more can he have but the kingdom? So saw I David from 
that day forward. The margin gives a good gloss. 
He viewed him with suspicion. He viewed him with suspicion. 
Instead of entering into a covenant with him, instead of treating 
him as his own soul, no, he's suspicious of David. Now, again, 
as we look at this particular chapter, David is happily unaware 
of all that's going on behind the scenes. David isn't aware 
of this. Now, there's a little brush with 
the sphere in just a moment, and we'll try to explain that. 
But thus far, David doesn't know the rage and the enmity of Saul. 
He knows the friendship and the solidarity with Jonathan. Perhaps 
at this point, he only assumes that Saul is for him as well. 
That brings us to, secondly, his attack upon David in verses 
10 and 11. Remember, at the end of chapter 
16, this distressing spirit from the Lord comes upon Saul. And 
there was a servant who said, you know, I happen to know a 
fellow who's pretty good at playing the harp, because it had been 
suggested that music would soothe this man's soul. And so this 
servant says, I know a fellow who's able to play the harp, 
and that's how David was brought into the court, into the royal 
court, and there he played to soothe Saul when he was undergoing 
this distressing spirit from the Lord. But in this instance, 
notice what the text says in verse 10. It happened on the 
next day that the distressing spirit from God came upon Saul, 
and he prophesied in the house. Now, the prophesying here is 
not a word from the Lord. I think the ESV translation is 
probably better, preferably. It says, he raved within his 
house. He wasn't prophesying, he wasn't 
speaking the truth of God's Word, he wasn't engaged in revelation. 
John Gilglosses, or he famed himself or faked 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. So 
it was not the case that this distressing spirit comes upon 
him and he prophesies in the name of Yahweh. That's not what 
happened. He was raving like a lunatic, 
we might suggest. And we see this activity of David. David responds in kind. So David played music with his 
spear as at other times, but there was a spear in Saul's hand. So David does what he did in 
1 Samuel 16. Hey, there's this distressing 
spirit that comes upon the king. He goes a bit nuts. So go ahead 
and play the music and that will hopefully soothe and relieve 
him such that everything will go back to normal. But it doesn't 
stop there. Notice, the narrator tells us 
that he had a spear in his hand to set us up for verse 11. And Saul cast the spear, for 
he said, I will pin David to the wall. But David escaped his 
presence twice. This is going to happen again 
in chapter 19 at verses 9 and 10. It's going to happen again 
in chapter 20 at verse 33. David was nimble. David was quick. David was able, just like he 
was able to evade the Philistine giant, he was able to evade Saul's 
attack with the spear. Now, this might introduce a question 
in our minds. If it doesn't or hasn't, then 
let me suggest a question. Why in the world would David 
go back to Saul? I mean, if there was a fellow 
that had a spear and he was kind of interested in throwing it 
at me, I'd probably try and avoid him, just going to be honest. 
I wouldn't want anything to do with that. And so if you ever 
not want to see me, just throw a spear my way and you'll never 
see me again. I will run and hide and know 
that you obviously don't like me and I'm not into spears, at 
least the business end of spears. Now, we know what's happening 
in the narrative. We know the rage. We know the 
anger. We know the suspicion. We know 
the envy. We know the lack of the presence 
of the Spirit in Saul. David doesn't. As far as David 
is concerned, this man is sick. As far as David is concerned, 
this man has a problem. As far as David knows, a bit 
of the harp will help soothe this man and make it such that 
he won't want to throw spears at people. In other words, what 
we have is that as far as Saul under the distressing spirit, 
he could be dangerous, but as far as David knew, he wasn't 
necessarily malicious. For David, it was an outburst 
of Saul's recurring madness, not a manifestation of his murderous 
rage. So again, we know the narrative, 
we know the backdrop, and we know what's happening, but David 
doesn't. That's why David doesn't just cut bait and leave Saul 
at this particular juncture. David is operating as a man of 
faith, understanding that the present king of Israel has this 
malady, has this distressing spirit, and insofar as he's able 
to play this music to soothe him, then everything should be 
okay. He doesn't know and realize at this point that Saul wants 
him dead, or that's going to eventually grow more. And then 
notice, thirdly, the appointment of David in verses 12 to 16. Verses 12 to 16, we see this 
fear of David. Verse 12, 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. He appointed him 
as a leader of a thousand troops so that David would no longer 
be near him. You see how this juxtaposition 
works. The Lord is with David. Saul 
sees that and Saul is angry as a result because Saul doesn't 
know the Lord. You're dealing with a man who 
is godless. You're dealing with a man in 
whom there is only darkness. You're dealing with a man who 
is an apostate and a defector. So as he sees the blessing of 
God upon this man David, it just produces in his own heart and 
soul this rage and this fury. And so he appoints David as a 
commander of a thousand troops so that he will be away from 
him. He is removed. Gil says he made 
him a captain, over a thousand, not out of respect to him, and 
not 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. So when it comes to Saul, not 
only does he see that Yahweh is with David, but the corollary 
is that people love David. So Saul's in a unique position. 
It's kind of like the Pharisees, the religious leaders at the 
time of Jesus. They despised Jesus. They wanted 
to dispatch Jesus. They wanted to kill Jesus. They 
wanted to get rid of Jesus. But there was popular support 
for Jesus. There was a whole host of people that liked Jesus. 
His fame was spreading. They couldn't just take him out 
back and put a bullet in his head and dispose of him, because 
then there would be an outrage among the people. They had to 
have some semblance, they had to have some sort of at least 
external compliance with Roman law, though it was a a kangaroo 
court and all of that, but they couldn't just get rid of Jesus 
because of the popular support that Jesus had. So Saul finds 
himself in that precarious position as well. Verses 14 and 15 highlight 
the ongoing contrast. David behaved wisely in all his 
ways, and the Lord was with him. Therefore, when Saul saw him, 
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. Now notice, fourthly, and finally 
in this section, his antagonism of David. There is this antagonism. There is this, I'm going to get 
him. So initially he says, I'll make 
him a commander of a thousand troops just to get him out of 
here. And hopefully, while he's out of here, he'll get lost in 
battle to the Philistines. But now that becomes overt. The 
plan that he hatches is actually malicious and vicious and vile. In the first place, he proposes 
this marriage to Merah, which is a breach of the promise that 
he had made in chapter 17 at verse 25. What was supposed to 
happen to the man that felled the giant? He was supposed to 
get the king's daughter. He was supposed to have his father 
get tax-exempt status in Israel. Now, what is Saul doing? He reneges 
on that particular promise, and he says, oh, before you can have 
her, you need to show yourself worthy in battle. So notice the 
changing of the terms of Saul's promise in 17. Then 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. For Saul thought, let my hand 
not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against 
him. Brethren, according to the promise originally made in chapter 
17, David should have received the daughter, his father should 
have received tax-exempt status in Israel, and ideally, or honestly, 
David could have went right back to the field and been a shepherd 
for the rest of his life. The promise of 1725 did not obligate 
David to a life of service in Saul's military. The obligation 
simply was to dispatch Goliath. David satisfied that end of the 
bargain, and now Saul, in his rage, and in his anger, and in 
his madness and suspicion, he changes the terms. And I think 
this underscores something we ought to see, or ought to be 
obvious to all of us. People that are wicked lie. People 
that are wicked break promises. People that are wicked do these 
kinds of things. Sometimes it's amazing to me. 
People say, I don't know how in the world that guy could have 
lied. What do you mean? He's an abortionist. What do 
you mean? He's a wicked person. That's part and parcel of the 
way they operate. The devil was a murderer from 
the beginning. He's a deceiver from the beginning. 
And those persons who are of their father, the devil, ape 
him and do exactly what he does. So he changes the terms. And 
then notice the plot of Saul. That is absolutely diabolical 
right there in the middle of verse 17. For Saul thought, let 
my hand not be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines 
be against him. It's not going to be Saul that 
goes against all of Israel and Judah and says, I'm going to 
get rid of David. No, he's going to get rid of 
David, but he's going to let the Philistines do it. Just really 
unfortunate when you think about this in light of David's future, 
2 Samuel 11 and 12. David has to get rid of not an 
enemy, not a foe, not a traitor, not a bad person, but a godly 
faithful man in Uriah. So what does David do? David 
plies him with alcohol. David tries to get him to go 
lie with his wife, so that when it's found out that she's pregnant, 
then it will be thought that Uriah is the father. But Uriah 
is too noble for that. Uriah has too much integrity 
for that, so David demands that Joab put Uriah into the hottest 
part of the battle, and thus the Philistines will ultimately 
take out Uriah. So it's an unfortunate thing 
that David learned, at least in his life, in terms of how 
he would operate later. But at this point, this is what 
Saul wants to do. We see the humility of David 
when he is approached with this proposition in verse 18. 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. So there's this change of plans, 
and that brings us to the marriage of Michael, verses 20 to 27. 
Notice the love of Michael for David. I think this is the first 
place, one of the few places in Scripture that speaks of a 
woman's love for her husband. And later on, it's going to be 
Michael that ends up hating her husband. So there's some interesting 
sort of foreshadowing going on here relative to the later life 
of David. But this woman, Michael, loves 
David. And then we have the wicked intention 
of Saul, again in verses 21 to 24. So Saul said, I will give 
her to him that she may be a snare to him. Now that snare is going 
to be further explained in verse 25. But realize, Saul isn't doing 
this out of the goodness of his heart. Saul isn't a man full 
of benevolence and love and generosity. Saul has twisted, distorted, 
and demented ends in view. And so he makes this plan, he 
hatches this plan. And in verse 21, 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, seeing 
I am a poor and lightly esteemed man? And the servants of Saul 
told him, saying, in this manner David spoke." We have, again, 
just the contrast between these two men. Saul and his proud arrogance, 
wanting to get rid of David. And David, in humility, saying, 
Who am I? I'm just a lowly man from a house 
that nobody knows. There's no notoriety. There's 
no splendor. Here again, he's typical of his 
greater son, the Lord Jesus Christ. He has no form, no comeliness 
that we should look upon him. He's a man of sorrows. He's acquainted 
with grief. He comes from Bethlehem. This 
is not the region of glory and power and majesty. So David is 
typical of his greater son. And now notice the particular 
act that is in view. The proposal by Saul in verse 
25, then Saul said, thus you shall say to David, the king 
does not desire any dowry. But, always watch out for that. This is a bad transaction. The king does not desire any 
dowry. Again, if I'm David, I'm wondering, 
why are we even having this discussion? Didn't in 1725 you said whoever 
fell the giant got the wife, got the tax-exempt status? Why 
are we back and forth here? First it was Merib, and then 
she married someone else, and now it's Michael, and you're 
telling me you don't want a dowry, but what it is I demand is 104 
skins of the Philistines. Now brethren, understand the 
Philistines aren't going to give those willingly. The Philistines 
aren't going to give those happily. This means that I want you to 
kill in battle a hundred Philistines. So what is he doing? What is 
his hope? What is the diabolical twisted 
nature of his soul? He wants David to die at the 
hands of the Philistines. He is sending David on this mission 
so that David will end up dead. Now, when it comes to this whole 
idea, I know it seems a bit odd and a bit strange, but it was 
pretty common in the ancient Near Eastern world. Look at David's 
response. So he says, 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, listen to what we 
read. 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. So David not only does what Saul 
demands, but David doubles it and brings back 200 foreskins 
of the Philistines. 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. Ralph 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. This isn't just a 
Philistine or a Israelite problem in this era or in this time frame. There's barbarism that has affected 
mankind throughout wars and battles and those sorts of things. He 
goes on to say, at least these Philistines were dead before 
they were mutilated. Much warfare is not so, quote 
unquote, merciful. Such practices were not uncommon 
in the Near East. Egyptians might count severed 
hands of their enemies, Judges 8. 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. Moabites and Ammonites. Hence, 
Saul could ask for 100 foreskins of Philistine dead. And David 
delivers. David not only delivers, but 
he does it twice. He brings 200, and Saul does 
give Michael to be his wife. And the chapter ends with a summary 
statement of the continual enmity between Saul toward David. The presence of God is with him, 
and Saul recognizes it. The love of Michael is with him, 
and Saul recognizes it. The fear of David, Saul still 
possessed it. The enmity between them was real. Not David so much toward Saul, 
but certainly Saul toward David. The prosperity of David and the 
esteem of David continue to thrive and flourish because he's God's 
man for God's time, and he walks by faith, and he does what he 
does for the glory of God and for the good of the kingdom. 
Again, that is a lesson that we need to take from this chapter. 
The goodness of David and the goodness of Jonathan concerns 
ultimately the glory of God and the security of the kingdom of 
Israel. Saul is treating his position, Saul is treating his 
job as it were, as simply something for himself. He has no thought 
of God, he has no thought of the people, he has only thoughts 
concerning the securing of his role within the kingdom. In terms 
of some concluding lessons, in the first place, the spiritual 
declension in Saul. Brethren, if your life is marked 
by anger, envy, and suspicion toward others, beware. Those 
aren't good things. I'm not suggesting that Christians 
don't struggle. I'm not suggesting that Christians 
don't have remaining corruption. I'm not suggesting that Christians 
don't have troubles in these particular areas. But this anger, 
envy, and suspicion toward another believer is a horrific sign that 
things are not well in the heart of Saul. As well, the duplicity 
or the reneging on the word. We just read these sorts of things 
and we don't even think twice about it. But brethren, it's 
a bad thing for a king to make a deal and then renege on it. 
We want kings, those in authority, to be honest men. We want them 
to keep a hold or uphold the word that they have spoken. There's 
promises that politicians, kings, authorities make all the time. 
We've gotten to the place where we just readily accept, of course 
they're going to break it. They're politicians. That's just 
what they do. Well, that's not what they're 
supposed to do. Certainly, when we pray for kings and those who 
are in authority, according to Paul's admonition in 1 Timothy 
2, we ought to pray that honest people would find their way into 
positions of authority. That may seem outlandish, but 
that is certainly beneficial to the people of God living in 
body politics. And as well, this fear of David. He fears the man who fears God. Saul should have feared God, 
but rather he fears a man who fears God. It reminded me, when 
I first looked at this, of Mary, Queen of Scots. Remember that 
famous saying, I fear John Knox's prayers more than an army of 
10,000 men. In other words, David feared 
God, so Saul feared David. John Knox feared God, so Mary, 
Queen of Scots, feared John Knox. It is a much preferable way for 
persons to lay down their arms, to surrender, to wave the white 
flag, and fear the Lord God, and treat with love and esteem 
and respect other persons that fear the Lord. Secondly, the 
providence of God is certainly obvious. The more that Saul opposes 
David, the more that God exalts David. You see that every step 
of the way. The more that he is enraged against 
David, the more that God gives him more elevation, more esteem, 
more love by the brethren. One commentator, David Samora, 
says, 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, has given him someone who will protect 
him against Saul, Michael does so in chapter 19, and has strengthened 
his claim as Saul's successor, as the king's son-in-law. A third 
thing that we ought to appreciate here that does really directly 
carry over into our New Covenant context is the threat posed against 
the kingdom. In 1 Samuel chapter 17, it's 
very obvious it is an external threat. to the Kingdom of Israel, 
led by Goliath, that champion of the Philistines. The Philistines 
obviously oppose Israel and want to decimate them and want to 
subjugate them and make them servants of the Philistines. 
That's a problem. You see it in the New Testament. 
You see the world in opposition to the Church of Jesus Christ. 
1 Samuel 18, however, gives us that threat from within, the 
internal threat that at times is even more difficult and more 
pernicious to deal with. You see that in Paul's sort of 
admonition to the Ephesian elders. From among you, men will rise 
up seeking to draw away disciples of Christ after themselves. There's 
always the presence of this two-fold threat against the kingdom of 
God, against the church of Jesus Christ. Have you ever just reflected 
upon the fact that we've made it to the 21st century and the 
church is still intact? Who do you give glory to? I give 
it to God. The fact that the church is still 
intact is evidence that Christ is enthroned at the right hand 
of the Father and He is carrying out the promise that He declares 
in Matthew 16. I will build my church and the 
gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. There will be the 
external threat and there will be the internal threat. Van Hoy, 
commentator, 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. This wasn't just an internal 
threat. It was an internal threat with 
great unction. It was the very king of Israel 
who's about destroying the kingdom itself. Vannoy 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 covenant people, i.e., 
from the 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. That's 
why we need to be careful. That's why we need to watch and 
pray. That's why when we ask God to protect your kingdom, 
yes, from external threat, but protect it from the internal 
forces that are seeking to destroy it that way. In other words, 
brethren, we need to be on guard, we need to be watchful and mindful 
that everything outside of the Church wants to destroy the Church. And if that is in our head, now 
obviously we don't walk around absolutely suspicious of everybody 
and everything, But in our prayer closets or in our public prayer 
meetings, we ought to be praying for God's provision and protection 
over the church. And then finally, may it be the 
case that we, like David, would experience what David knew in 
verses 12, 14, and 28. That secret of David's success 
is that Yahweh is within. It's a blessed statement that 
we see in Genesis chapter 39 in the Joseph narratives. Remember that? He goes into Potiphar's 
house. The text begins with, the Lord 
was with Joseph. It was the Lord who protected 
him from Potiphar's wife. It was the Lord who providentially 
gave to him that favor with the jailer. It was the Lord's presence 
with Joseph that sustained and kept him persevering to the very 
end. And the same thing is true with 
David. We have had cause to say before that David was not sinless, 
but he was sincere. He was not perfect, but he was 
faithful. He was not a man without blemish, 
but he was a man that was without reserve in terms of his worship 
of the true and living God. He had believed the gospel, he 
knew that peace with God, and he knew as well communion with 
God, and that's what secured David. Well, let us pray. Our 
Father, thank You for Your Word, and thank You for this wonderful 
picture of David and Your presence with him, and what a horrific 
picture we see of Saul. And God, I pray that You'd help 
us all to watch and pray, not just with reference to external 
and internal threat relative to the Church, but also with 
reference to our own hearts. We know there is the external 
threat there. There's many temptations in this 
world. There's many foes, many enemies. 
But God, we do have remaining corruption. We do have what that 
hymn writer describes. We have a proneness to wander 
and a proneness to leave the God that we love. So Lord, secure 
us, keep us, and guide us by your grace and for your glory. 
And do bless all of the brothers and sisters in this local church. 
I pray that you would be with us in this week, that you would 
keep us, that you would cause your face to shine upon us, and 
that we would know that peace that does surpass all understanding. 
And we ask these things through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
We'll close with a brief time of meditation.