“Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. 28 But when Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, 29 Saul was even more afraid of David. So Saul was David’s enemy continually.”
30 “Then the commanders of the Philistines came out to battle, and as often as they came out David had more success than all the servants of Saul, so that his name was highly esteemed.”
1 Samuel 18:28-30
David was fighting two battles at once. He had to face King Saul’s hostility, and the ongoing war with the Philistine’s army. I suppose that it was a tremendous drain. After the battle he came home and found nothing but jealousy and anger.
Saul was very afraid of David.
Fear like this turned into deep seated malevolence and hatred. Despite his tremendous success he, upon returning home, found zero recognition. To many he was a hero, but to Saul he was despised and detested. And again, Saul was deeply afraid of David.
Fear accomplishes nothing. Fear only destroys.
Saul was in a spiritual downward spiral. It was just a matter of time before the end. King Saul had become evil. God’s Spirit had left him, and he was nothing more than a shell, vacant and empty of anything good. Perhaps David was grieved to see the king turn into something unrecognizable and dark.
David had been anointed as the next king.
“Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head and kissed him and said, “Has not the Lord anointed you to be prince over his people Israel? And you shall reign over the people of the Lord and you will save them from the hand of their surrounding enemies. And this shall be the sign to you that the Lord has anointed you to be prince over his heritage.”
(1 Samuel 10:1, ESV.)
The prophet’s word had been spoken. There would be resistance and hostility which seemed to contradict this prophecy. David would soon discover the enemies battle against what God had declared. (But what choice did he have?)
God’s declaration of David’s anointing didn’t matter to Saul. He would continue the path he had chosen. David would continue to find success against the Philistines.
“David behaved more wisely than all the servants of Saul, so that his name became highly esteemed: Saul’s plan has completely backfired. David is not only alive but also more popular and closer to the LORD than ever. Saul isn’t finished and will use more manipulation, cunning, and outright violence to attack David.”
David Guzik
King David 101 