Old Testament - 1 Samuel 18 - June 18, 2022

6/18/2022 – 1 Samuel 18

As I begin this last chapter in Samuel that I’ll cover in Come Follow me, I think of the things I’ve already learned from David: HUMILITY in all circumstances, his amazing focus and belief on the Lord (I believe that is called FAITH),  and his COURAGE to do what is right in all of his doings—whether he fights to save his nation or whether he assures that the sheep he has been asked to care for are in good hands when he has to leave.

Saul brings David to live in his home. David and Jonathan (Saul’s son) become close friends. Jonathan gives his sword and bow and his garments to David…honoring and supporting the fact that be believes David will, and should be, the next king instead of Jonathan himself. (v’s 3-4)

Saul sends David out to take care of various situations.  “And David went out whtihersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself 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 sights of Saul’s servants.” (v5)

When David returned to Saul’s home, the city came out proclaiming Saul, but proclaiming David even more. Saul could not handle the fact that his people were placing David above him! Saul was not only jealous, but he was angry. V 10 says that “an evil spirit from God came upon Saul”, and “Saul eyed David from that day and forward.”  As to the ‘evil spirit’, the Joseph Smith Translation changes that phrase to “the evil spirit which was not of God”. David was full of humility, faith, & courage. Saul was full of jealousy and anger, and those traits stopped Saul’s progression. Just as humility and faith help us to open ourselves to greater influence from the Lord, jealousy and anger opens ourselves to greater influence from the adversary.

Jeffrey R Holland: “There are going to be times in our lives when someone else gets an unexpected blessing or receives some special recognition. May I plead with us not to be hurt—and certainly not to feel envious—when good fortune comes to another person? We are not diminished when someone else is added upon. We are not in a race against each other. . . . The race we are really in is the race against sin, and surely envy is one of the most universal of those.”

Jonathan, Saul’s son, saw the same things in David as Saul did, but Jonathan saw David through their great friendship and love for each other. Jonathan wanted only support his friend. 

Saul sent David away from his home and away from the eyes of the people. David filled this far away assignments wisely…and even that mad Saul more angry with him. (v’s 14-15)

Saul’s next ploy to get rid of David was to first promise him his daughter, Merab to be his wife. David was worried, he did not come from royal blood. He asked Saul: “Who am I? and what is my life, or my father’s family in Israel, that I should be son in law to the king?” In the meantime, Saul sent David to be in charge of the battles with the Philistines, so that David would die in combat. But David did well in combat and became more beloved by the Israelites. David and Merab loved one another. But at the time of David’s and Merab’s wedding, Saul gave Merab to another man.  David and Merab went to Saul proclaiming their love for each other. 

So Saul the said that he did not want any dowry, “but an hundred foreskins of the Philistines, to be avenged of the king’s enemies.” (v25) Saul was sure that David would be killed while preforming this job.  But instead, David returned with 200 foreskins. 

Saul, who had once been so close to Heavenly Father, knew that “the Lord was with David.” (v 28. David and Merab were married. “And Saul was yet the more afraid of David: and Saul became David’s enemy continually.” (v29)  And “David behaved himself more wisely than all the servants of Saul; so that his name was much set by [adored]. 

David continued doing the right things for the right reasons. He did not fall back on the “that’s not fair”. He only grew stronger in the eyes of the Lord and in the eyes of those who loved him.