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1 Samuel 16—2 Samuel 1
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Scripture Reading: 1 Sam. 18; 1 Sam. 19; 1 Sam. 20
As we read the Bible, we should not interpret it in a loose way. We surely need guidance from the Lord, and we also need to know the controlling principles. Otherwise, we may be careless in our interpretation. In studying the books of history in the Bible, we need to be poor in spirit and we need a seeking spirit. We need to pray, "Lord, there is something here that I do not know, but You know. Lord, reveal to me the intrinsic significance of this portion of the Word." This should be our prayer as we continue to consider the history concerning David as one prepared by God to be a man according to the heart of God.
David was persecuted and tried by Saul. Saul was nearly the unique source of all David's trials. In the trials that God gave to him in His sovereignty, God prepared a provision for David. God prepared Jonathan, Saul's son, who loved David (18:1-5).
Jonathan loved David like his own soul (vv. 1b, 3b). While the father was persecuting David and plotting to kill him, his son was loving David to the uttermost. It seems that there was discord in the family over David, with the father hating him and the son loving him. If God had not provided Jonathan in such a way, it is doubtful that David could have endured the trials under Saul. David could pass through these trials mainly because of the help that Jonathan rendered to him. From this we see that when we are under God's trial, God knows that we need some provision. On the one hand, we have the trials; on the other hand, we have God's provision to support us and sustain us in the trials.
Jonathan and David made a covenant, something that was to be kept and fulfilled to the uttermost (v. 3a).
In order to equip David, Jonathan gave him his robe, armor, sword, bow, and belt (v. 4).
Saul took David and would not let him return to his father's house (v. 2). This is a further indication that God had prepared all the details concerning David's environment.
David was successful in every mission that Saul sent him on (v. 5a). The secret of David's success was his wisdom. Even as a youth, he behaved in a very wise way. For example, when his oldest brother condemned him for coming to the camp of the Israelites, he asked his brother, "Is there no cause?" (17:29). He realized that there was a cause from God and that God had prepared him and sent him. God had sovereignly put him in the field to take care of sheep, and God used the attack of the lion and the bear to train, prepare, and equip him to kill Goliath. David was also very experienced in speaking and in confronting people. His youth had been full of experiences which were the basis for his assurance in relation to Goliath. It is not an insignificant thing for a teen-ager to kill a lion or a bear. As a youth David gained this experience. Therefore, he was not afraid of Goliath.
Because David acted wisely, Saul set him over the men of battle, and it was good in the sight of all the people and also in the sight of Saul's servants (18:5b). Whatever Saul did to David became a good opportunity for David to gain favor with the people.
In 18:6-9 we see Saul's envy of David.
Saul became envious of David after David's return from striking the Philistines (v. 6a).
As David returned from striking the Philistines, the women came out of all the towns of Israel to meet Saul and they said, "Saul has stricken down his thousands;/But David, his ten thousands" (v. 7). When Saul heard this praise, he was displeased and said, "They ascribe ten thousands to David, but to me they ascribe only thousands. And what more can he have except the kingdom? So Saul eyed David from that day on" (vv. 8-9). Saul was angry and was envious of David.
There are many "Sauls" in the church life today. We may become envious when others are approved and we are not. For example, suppose you share in a meeting and hardly anyone says amen. Then someone else shares, and he receives many amens. You may say to yourself, "Why were so many amens spoken to him and so few to me?" If you say this, you are today's Saul.
Let us take as another illustration of the Sauls in the church life the matter of appointing elders. In appointing elders we must be fair and pure, and we must not be political. Suppose that in a particular church five brothers are taking the lead, but thus far no one has been officially appointed to be an elder. Eventually, only three of these brothers are appointed. The other two are very good brothers, but they do not have the capacity to be elders. These two may be stumbled and wonder why the other three were appointed to be elders and they were not. These two brothers might say, "The five of us have been laboring together to take care of the church, but we two have been set aside. Why were the others appointed to be elders and we were not?" These brothers need to receive grace in order to put their flesh on the cross. Otherwise, they may become cold to the church and withdraw, no longer continuing faithfully in the church life.
The hardships in the church life are related to the flesh. All the flesh in the church life needs to be diminished. Galatians 5:17 says, "The flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh." In the whole universe there is only one war — the war between man and God. The man warring against God is the flesh. The flesh wars against God as the Spirit, and God who is the Spirit is warring against our flesh. Our flesh is the real enemy of God. However, Galatians 5 not only speaks of this war but also says, "They who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and its lusts" (v. 24). Christ has crucified the flesh, and now we must apply this to ourselves.
David was very different from Saul. David knew only to behave and to have his being according to God's heart. He had no feeling for himself. Rather, he knew only to labor and conduct himself for God's people and God's kingdom.
In 1 Samuel 18:10—20:42 we have Saul's device to kill David. Saul went from being envious of David to plotting how he might kill him without damaging his own name.
Saul attempted to kill David by striking him with a spear even to the wall (18:10-11a). When Saul attempted to kill him, David did nothing to avenge himself. He only fled (v. 11b). Saul was afraid of David, for Jehovah was with David and had departed from Saul (v. 12). If Saul had learned to know the flesh, he would have worshipped the Lord for choosing David. He would have realized that the Lord was sovereign and that He, not Saul, should be the originator.
Saul removed David from being with him and made him the captain of a thousand (v. 13). In all his campaigns David acted wisely, and Jehovah was with him. When Saul saw that David acted wisely, he was in awe of him (v. 15). All Israel and Judah loved David (v. 16).
Saul plotted to cause David to be killed by the Philistines (vv. 17-30). Saul's plot was to give his oldest daughter, Merab, to David as wife; however, Saul did not keep his word (vv. 17-19). When Saul learned that another daughter, Michal, loved David, Saul plotted to give her to David as wife that she might be a snare to him (v. 21). Saul's giving of Michal to David was on the term that David would give him a hundred Philistine foreskins (vv. 22-25). Saul intended that this would fulfill his plan to kill David through the hand of the Philistines.
David brought the full number of foreskins to Saul, and Saul gave him Michal as wife. When Saul saw that Jehovah was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him, he was more afraid of David and became his enemy from then on (vv. 28-29). Furthermore, when the princes of the Philistines went forth against Israel, David succeeded more than all the servants of Saul. So David's name was very highly esteemed (v. 30).
Saul not only plotted to have David killed but determined to kill him (19:1-7). He told Jonathan his son and all his servants to kill David.
Because of his great delight in David, Jonathan protected him (vv. 1b-3). Jonathan informed David that his father was seeking to kill him. Also, Jonathan promised David that he would speak about him to Saul and then tell David anything that he might learn.
Jonathan appeased Saul concerning David by relating all the marvelous deeds David had done for Saul and for all Israel (vv. 4-5). As a result, Saul was appeased not to kill David, and David was in Saul's presence as before (vv. 6-7).
Saul was appeased only temporarily, for he attempted again to kill David (vv. 8-24; cf. Psa. 59, title).
Saul tried to strike David to the wall while David was playing the lyre to Saul when Saul was troubled by an evil spirit from God (vv. 9-10a). Some readers of this book may be bothered by the fact that an evil spirit from Jehovah came upon Saul. They may wonder how such a thing could happen. In matters such as this, we need to realize that God is sovereign and that everything is under Him and everything is for Him to carry out His eternal plan.
David fled from Saul with the help of his wife Michal, Saul's daughter (vv. 10b-17). The very one whom Saul thought would be a snare to David was a help to him.
David fled and came to Samuel at Ramah (vv. 18-24). In doing this David went to the proper source to receive consolation. Saul sent messengers three times to seize David, and each time the Spirit of God came upon the messengers to cause them to prophesy (vv. 19-21). Then Saul himself went to Ramah, and the Spirit of God came upon him as well to cause him to prophesy, even to strip off his clothes and prophesy before Samuel, laying naked all that day and all that night (vv. 22-24).
Chapter twenty describes Jonathan's help to David. David entreated Jonathan to save him (vv. 1-10), and Jonathan helped David to flee from Saul (vv. 11-41a). Eventually, David and Jonathan departed from each other in the covenanted love (vv. 41b-42a), and David fled from Saul (v. 42b). This was all that David could do.
