evil – King David 101

David Deceives the High Priest

⁷Now a certain man of the servants of Saul was there that day, detained before the Lord. His name was Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul’s herdsmen.

Then David said to Ahimelech, “Then have you not here a spear or a sword at hand? For I have brought neither my sword nor my weapons with me, because the king’s business required haste.” ⁹And the priest said, “The sword of Goliath the Philistine, whom you struck down in the Valley of Elah, behold, it is here wrapped in a cloth behind the ephod. If you will take that, take it, for there is none but that here.” And David said, “There is none like that; give it to me.”

1 Samuel 21:7-9, ESV

Mark my words; Doeg the Edomite was an evil man. Evil men do very evil things. He is immortalized forever in the pages of 1 Samuel as terribly wicked. Doeg is not a Hebrew, and he is called a chief shepherd overseeing other shepherds, and he was in the service of King Saul.

Was he a captive? Was he a traitor? And what about this phrase, “detained before the Lord?” I got curious so I looked up the word, “detained.” The Hebrew word is pretty broad and I didn’t get any real insight. It’s used 46x and has several meanings, but the general sense is “restrained, halted, or stopped.” Why?

(If you want, you can jump ahead to 1 Sam. 22:19 to understand Doeg’s heart.)

In vv. 7-8 the spotlight is turned back on David and Ahimelech. David continues the charade. His deception lies continue as he presses his need to the high priest of Israel. David takes the holy loaves of bread, but he wants more. He really needs a sword.

Apparently, the sword that Goliath carried had been kept in Nob in safe keeping. For the priests it was special, maybe even holy. No matter, it was a memento of a glorious victory, but everything is different now.

“It is painful to the last degree to see one whose faith towered to such a lofty height in the encounter with Goliath, coming down from that noble elevation, to find him resorting for self-protection to the lies and artifices of an impostor.” William Blaikie

Did you catch that? An imposter. David had become a deceiver, a liar. What do we do with that ugly indictment? I guess I have more questions than answers. Just maybe, in the heat of the moment lying became permissible.

Maybe David should of just leveled with the high priest.

In Psalm 34 David wrote, “Does anyone want to live a life that is long and prosperous? Then keep your tongue from speaking evil and your lips from telling lies!”

Wow, David. Are you sure about that? To be honest, I don’t want to malign with David. After all he was fleeing for his very life. Undoubtably there was a price on his head, and the bounty hunters would be out in force. David was scared out of his wits.

You might say he was just being resourceful, and he didn’t want to implicate anyone else in his escape. Saul and his army were hunting him, and maybe David thought that the priests would be beyond Saul’s reach. Maybe they would have.

Except for Doeg, the Edomite.

David at Nob

“David went to the town of Nob to see Ahimelech the priest. Ahimelech trembled when he saw him. “Why are you alone?” he asked. “Why is no one with you?” “The king has sent me on a private matter,

“David said. “He told me not to tell anyone why I am here. I have told my men where to meet me later. ³Now, what is there to eat? Give me five loaves of bread or anything else you have.”

1 Samuel 21:1-3

David was afraid and anxious; he really doesn’t seem to have a plan. So where did he go? He went straight to Nob, the city of priests overseen by Ahimelech the High Priest of Israel. David did right; when you’re confused go to God.

The Ark of the Covenant was still in Nob.

We have a fleshly tendency to lean on our understanding. We think we know what is right as we calculate our best move. However, when we lean on our own understanding bad things are apt to happen. Proverbs 3:5-6 fits well here:

“Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
⁶Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take.”

Ahimelech was on edge by David’s arrival. He saw something in David, but he wasn’t exactly sure what it was. I think he also was nervous. The passage points that he “trembled” when he saw David. Why, I’m not sure.

The word “trembled” has an interesting meaning. Literally it means “terror,” or even an earthquake. Ahimelech was disturbed by David’s arrival, and it seems that he didn’t understand what was happening politically. David had fallen out of favor for some time now.

David lied to Ahimelech, claiming he was on a secret mission for the king.

David’s world was complicated; he could trust no one, not even the high priest. These verses advance the idea of paranoia and fear affecting everyone. Ahimelech asked two questions. I believe that he couldn’t really discern David’s reasons for coming to Nob.

It was a bald-faced lie.

David demanded bread. He was hungry and no provision was made before his escape. It would be nice if they had planned better—a secret cache of food and weapons would have been incredibly helpful.

We will pick this story up in the next post.

True Colors

Jonathan now knows; his father’s true colors were now obvious, which almost always happens over time. Saul hates David and now begins an even more effort to murder him. His hatred now consumes him. The king is no longer rational. He wants to kill him.

(And I don’t know why.)

But Jonathan is committed to warning David. He loves his friend; and so, he sticks with a prearranged signal. He will risk everything. David must be warned.

“Run and find the arrows that I shoot.” As the boy ran, he shot an arrow beyond him. ³⁷And when the boy came to the place of the arrow that Jonathan had shot, Jonathan called after the boy and said, “Is not the arrow beyond you?” ³⁸And Jonathan called after the boy, “Hurry! Be quick! Do not stay!” So Jonathan’s boy gathered up the arrows and came to his master.”

1 Samuel 20:36-38, ESV

Those arrows were genius—a plan that was wonderful and kept Jonathan safe. And David would now know his next step. I must admit I see no reference to prayer or seeking God, that troubles me. (But I must assume the singer of Psalm 23 understood God’s protection and care.)

⁴¹And as soon as the boy had gone, David rose from beside the stone heap and fell on his face to the ground and bowed three times. And they kissed one another and wept with one another, David weeping the most. ⁴²Then Jonathan said to David, “Go in peace, because we have sworn both of us in the name of the Lord, saying, ‘The Lord shall be between me and you, and between my offspring and your offspring, forever.’” And he rose and departed, and Jonathan went into the city.”

1 Samuel 20:41-42

David saw the arrows and heard Jonathan speak. I suspect his heart sank. He wanted reconciliation and he didn’t want to leave in this way. And he didn’t want to go out in the wilderness. He was now a fugitive on the run.

David loved Jonathan and it showed it. There was nothing cold or professional. He expressed a love that went beyond “bad news.” It wasn’t contingent on terrible news, for it was real, authentic. He had made a covenant.

David will now spend the next 10-15 years on the run from Saul.

He will try to live in the wilderness. But David would be protected by the Lord, and although he didn’t realize it, he was on a timetable set by God Himself. The clock was running but David was learning many things about being a king. His education would be long and hard.

“Experience: that most brutal of teachers. But you learn, my God, do you learn.”

C.S. Lewis

I believe David still had his harp, and I believe he would still worship the Lord God. He would compose even more psalms. And much of the wilderness would be woven into what he would sing. Worship was at his very core.

And worship is why we exist.

The Bow and the Arrows

I will shoot three arrows.” So much depends on these three, will David be restored to the court of king Saul, or will he need to flee into the wilderness?

Then Jonathan said to David, “Tomorrow is the New Moon; and you will be missed, because your seat will be empty. And when you have stayed three days, go down quickly and come to the place where you hid on the day of the deed; and remain by the stone Ezel. Then I will shoot three arrows to the side, as though I shot at a target; and there I will send a lad, saying, ‘Go, find the arrows.’ If I expressly say to the lad, ‘Look, the arrows are on this side of you; get them and come’—then, as the LORD lives, there is safety for you and no harm. But if I say thus to the young man, ‘Look, the arrows are beyond you’—go your way, for the LORD has sent you away. And as for the matter which you and I have spoken of, indeed the LORD be between you and me forever.”

1 Samuel 20:18-24

Jonathan’s plan is simple. It’s a setup after observing the response of Saul to David’s absence at a feast. He is being secretive, his father’s spies are everywhere, but his heart and covenant with David compel him.

It was the second day, and David’s chair was still empty. Saul noticed this and became furious. It’s this furious anger that betrays him.

“Then Saul became angry with Jonathan and shouted, “You son of a perverse and rebellious woman! Don’t I know that you are siding with Jesse’s son to your own shame and to the disgrace of your mother? ³¹Every day Jesse’s son lives on earth you and your kingship are not secure. Now send for him and bring him to me—he must die!”

It’s here we see Saul broadcasts his hatred toward David. It exposes everything and now Jonathan knows what is in his father’s heart. It’s a rage that bubbles up for all to see; it is uncontrollable and obvious. David “must die.”

Pay attention now. Saul attacks Jonathan’s mother in verse 30. We don’t know the details, but it seems that in his anger he disparages the character of Jonathan’s mother. Anger has the tendency to completely twist and distort one’s perception of reality. It’s like a wildfire that can’t be controlled.

“An angry person stirs up conflict, and a hot-tempered person commits many sins.”

Proverbs 29:22

Jonathan’s plan has now become active. He now knows what he must do. He picks up his bow and gets his arrows. He must communicate with David about what he knows. His covenant with David supersedes everything, even the chance to rule as the next king of Israel.

The wilderness in desperate hiding is the last place David wants to be. As I read the life of David, I see that he doesn’t want this—he has done everything possible to avoid it. This isn’t a choice he makes, rather it’s been thrust on him by God himself. And who can walk with God without doing His will?

Jonathan shoots his arrows in the field, but wide of the mark. This is David’s cue that he must run; Saul intends to murder him. He dares not remain under Saul as his king. He must escape into the desert.

The Encourager

“Then David fled from Naioth in Ramah and came and said before Jonathan, “What have I done? What is my guilt? And what is my sin before your father, that he seeks my life?” ²And he said to him, “Far from it! You shall not die. Behold, my father does nothing either great or small without disclosing it to me. And why should my father hide this from me? It is not so.” ³But David vowed again, saying, “Your father knows well that I have found favor in your eyes, and he thinks, ‘Do not let Jonathan know this, lest he be grieved.’ But truly, as the Lord lives and as your soul lives, there is but a step between me and death.” ⁴Then Jonathan said to David, “Whatever you say, I will do for you.”

1 Samuel 20:1-4, ESV

David leaves Naioth behind, as he realizes that Saul (and his soldiers) had been temporarily “disabled.” He knew that the threat to assassinate him had for the time being had been stalled, and yet David didn’t stay for the theatrics. He simply knew it was time for an escape.

And yet David seems mystified, and he reaches out to Jonathan with 3 questions that trouble him. It seems David is loyal, but he simply doesn’t understand the intensions of Saul. In all three questions David asks “what.” He is mystified.

It takes the humility of Jonathan to attempt to ease David’s fear.

Jonathan answers in an oblique way. He assures David that he can protect him with what he knows. Jonathan is aware of Saul’s treacherous plans and assures David of the strategies and plans that the enemy is concocting. He will do all that he can.

It is here that we begin to understand that Saul is drawing near, and that David realizes that certain death has gotten very close. David understands how close he has come to being killed at the hand of Saul. “A step between me and death” is how David sees the plots of Saul.

Again, Jonathan assures David of his commitment. Although he does not debate the claims of David, he simply assures him of his covenantal dedication. Jonathan encourages a discouraged man, and he speaks hope to the struggling David.

This is what an encourager does. They bring comfort to the frustrated and weary. They stand in a remarkable place, and although they won’t deny the facts, they give strength to the weary. They declare all that God is to those who are overwhelmed and fearful.

“He gives power to the weak and strength to the powerless.”

Isa. 40:29, NLT

This comfort usually comes through people—servants of God who do not debate but encourage. They have renounced their own agenda and now live for others. They embolden, spurring others to be faithful to their calling.

“I would go to the deeps a hundred times to cheer a downcast spirit. It is good for me to have been afflicted, that I might know how to speak a word in season to one that is weary.”

Charles Spurgeon

Influenced but Without Surrender

In an odd scene in the life of King Saul is recorded in 1 Samuel 19:18–24, where Saul, enraged, sends soldiers to capture David. Three groups are overpowered by the Holy Spirit, and each group begins prophesying instead of arresting David. Finally, a frustrated Saul himself goes to Ramah, and there he too is overcome by the Spirit:

“He tore off his clothes and lay naked on the ground all day and all night, prophesying in the presence of Samuel. The people who were watching exclaimed, “What? Is even Saul a prophet?”

1 Samuel 19:18-24

“Influence Without Surrender” is one of the better ways to explain this strange passage. Even after several readings, this seems to be the best interpretation. Saul (and three groups of soldiers) come under “the influence” of the Holy Spirit and are prevented from capturing David.

God proactively intervenes in the life of His anointed one.

David must have been in shock. God defends him in an astonishing way, but in a manner that amazed the onlookers. And David was learning what God was really like. When the Lord goes to battle, anything can happen. In His powerful sovereignty, God decides the weapons He will use. In Saul’s case, the prophetic works perfectly.

Troop after troop is floored by the presence of a mighty God. Finally, Saul decides to intervene. Why isn’t David in custody? Saul intends to find out; when he steps into the prophet’s presence. When this happens, Saul falls under the very presence of God and encounters the Lord.

And really, we must understand that Saul comes under the influence of God but refuses to surrender. Isn’t this the epitome of his life? He may understand, but Saul refuses to surrender and to yield and submit to the Lord God.

That’s what God does to His rebellious and disobedient children.

For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, He hath also rejected thee from being king.

1 Samuel 15:23

Saul does this every time.

Please understand. God “is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” (2 Peter 3:9.)

Climbing Out the Window

¹¹Then Saul sent troops to watch David’s house. They were told to kill David when he came out the next morning. But Michal, David’s wife, warned him, “If you don’t escape tonight, you will be dead by morning.” ¹²So she helped him climb out through a window, and he fled and escaped. ¹³Then she took an idol^[^b^] and put it in his bed, covered it with blankets, and put a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.

¹⁴When the troops came to arrest David, she told them he was sick and couldn’t get out of bed.

¹⁵But Saul sent the troops back to get David. He ordered, “Bring him to me in his bed so I can kill him!” ¹⁶But when they came to carry David out, they discovered that it was only an idol in the bed with a cushion of goat’s hair at its head.

¹⁷“Why have you betrayed me like this and let my enemy escape?” Saul demanded of Michal.

“I had to,” Michal replied. “He threatened to kill me if I didn’t help him.”

1 Samuel 19:11-17

Let’s consider the resourcefulness of Michal:

Much of this passage deals with Michel, David’s first wife. She is clever, showing ingenuity in helping David escape. An explanation– When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and how much his daughter Michal loved him, ²⁹Saul became even more afraid of him, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life. (18:28-29.)

Her actions enabled David to escape. First, she warned him. Second, she gave him directions to leave their bed chamber. Third, put a facsimile of David in their bed to buy him more time to escape. They both knew that Saul’s troops were coming.

Notice Saul’s distorted thinking; he considered her actions as a “betrayal.” He knew that David escaped due to her actions to gain David some time,

Saul interrogated her himself; he strongly asserted that she helped David escape. She lied to protect herself–” “He threatened to kill me if I didn’t help him.” (v. 17.) Now this wasn’t true, but her own life was at stake. Whether or not the lie was necessary, it created enough latitude for her to escape any punishment.

Her crafty wisdom would give David a chance to escape.

One thing struck me reading the text. These troops were most likely man who had served under the direction of David against the Philistines. There is something false about them, a betrayal of what they knew as false orders to apprehend and to kill David.

David would face these men again. Saul’s hatred and his attempted murder of David had just begun.

Evil Carries a Spear

^“And there was war again. And David went out and fought with the Philistines and struck them with a great blow, so that they fled before him. ⁹Then a harmful spirit from the Lord came upon Saul, as he sat in his house with his spear in his hand. And David was playing the lyre. ¹⁰And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul, so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.”

1 Samuel 19:8-10, NLT

There are things in this passage that I don’t fully understand. I will try to share what little I do know. Let’s have a go at it.

If I could, I would get out my X-Acto Knife and carefully cut out verse 9, I would do it. The very idea that the Lord would send “a harmful spirit” to come to Saul is hard to grasp. Perhaps we need to recognize that after his sin, sparing Agag in 1 Sam. 15:20, nothing good is ever spoken of Saul in scripture.

Sin develops over time. Nothing is a mere trifle or insignificant.

Saul’s sin metastasizes, and any real repentance becomes impossible. This is sobering. And scary. It’s no wonder we’re warned repeatedly to renounce our sin. At this point Saul comes under the direct influence of evil powers. His continued disobedience becomes his very character.

Saul sits with his spear in hand, and David, his arch enemy, stands before Saul playing the harp. Instead of being comforted, he becomes murderous. It seems he cannot control himself. And with that spear Saul throws it at David, and Saul intends to “pin David to the wall.”

Somehow David eludes it, and escapes into the night.

Some of this seems logical and understandable. The “good” escapes; but the evil in the heart of Saul remains. From this point on, Saul is basically “unreachable.” He becomes full of darkness.

And without God’s Holy Spirit convicting and leading us through our own sin, we too will destroy ourselves. The lesson of Saul’s repeated rebellion should terrify the believer who wants to follow Jesus. Let’s not trifle with sin; if not dealt with will also destroy us.

“One great power of sin is that it blinds men so that they do not recognize its true character.”

Andrew Murray

Jonathan Understands

“And Saul spoke to Jonathan his son and to all his servants, that they should kill David. But Jonathan, Saul’s son, delighted much in David. ²And Jonathan told David, “Saul my father seeks to kill you. Therefore be on your guard in the morning. Stay in a secret place and hide yourself. ³And I will go out and stand beside my father in the field where you are, and I will speak to my father about you. And if I learn anything I will tell you.”

^4 “And Jonathan spoke well of David to Saul his father and said to him, “Let not the king sin against his servant David, because he has not sinned against you, and because his deeds have brought good to you. ⁵For he took his life in his hand and he struck down the Philistine, and the Lord worked a great salvation for all Israel. You saw it, and rejoiced. Why then will you sin against innocent blood by killing David without cause?” ⁶And Saul listened to the voice of Jonathan. Saul swore, “As the Lord lives, he shall not be put to death.”

^7 “And Jonathan called David, and Jonathan reported to him all these things. And Jonathan brought David to Saul, and he was in his presence as before.”

1 Samuel 19:1-7

What a strange sequence of events, but stranger things have happened and will happen to David (the future king of Israel).

Saul finally takes his rage out into the open. He wants David to be executed, but he never offers any justification for his anger or decision. All he wants is David’s head. No explanation is given. David is regarded as a traitor, but to whom?

Saul requires his court to take action. The king wants David dead. This proclamation has never happened before—the king of Israel demanding the death of another Israelite. This is the deep power of wickedness coming from a twisted heart. This can only come from something quite satanic.

Jonathan, at this critical point, understands the strong power of covenant. He has vowed to defend David, no matter what the cost is. He will be true forever. So Jonathan determines to defend his “brother.”

Jonathan has now become a spy. He listens closely and then passes to David about what has heard. He will defend him no matter the cost. Jonathan understands that the very life of David is in his hands.

Jonathan reminds king Saul of the heroics of David on behalf of the nation of Israel. He speaks truth into untruth. Saul listens and is persuaded that his decrees are wrong. He backs off and vows to treat David favorably.

Saul swears that David should not be touched (executed). That will be temporary as we can see. It seems that Saul’s wrath is simmering below the surface. His repentance is only for show, at least for this moment. Oh, the depth of an angry unforgiveness.

Because of Jonathan’s intercession, David is forgiven temporarily, and he is restored to his place in court. Perhaps David’s past triumphs are the key to his present survival, at least for the moment.

There are many lessons to be drawn from this passage. I hesitate to list them as I believe that the Holy Spirit will show you what is necessary.

Saul Hates David

“Saul gave him his daughter Michal for a wife. ²⁸But when Saul saw and knew that the Lord was with David, and that Michal, Saul’s daughter, loved him, ²⁹Saul 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

100 Foreskins

²⁴When Saul’s men reported this back to the king, ²⁵he told them, “Tell David that all I want for the bride price is 100 Philistine foreskins! Vengeance on my enemies is all I really want.” But what Saul had in mind was that David would be killed in the fight.

²⁶David was delighted to accept the offer. Before the time limit expired, ²⁷he and his men went out and killed 200 Philistines. Then David fulfilled the king’s requirement by presenting all their foreskins to him. So Saul gave his daughter Michal to David to be his wife.

²⁸When Saul realized that the Lord was with David and how much his daughter Michal loved him, ²⁹Saul became even more afraid of him, and he remained David’s enemy for the rest of his life. ³⁰Every time the commanders of the Philistines attacked, David was more successful against them than all the rest of Saul’s officers. So David’s name became very famous.

1 Samuel 18:24-30, NLT

A snare had been set. King Saul wanted David dead. A trap would destroy him; Saul had the bait, and he also knew that nothing could be traced back to him. David had become very popular, and so Saul had to be very careful.

Saul had a plan, and yet it seemed it was a good one.

David was called upon to do what seemed impossible. Saul declared that David was to bring him back 100 “foreskins” taken from the dead Philistines. Now the Philistines had been a terrible problem for the people of Israel. They had been attacking and destroying without any restraint.

Saul surmised that whether to win or lose, that the David problem would be resolved. If anything, David would be tarnished in the minds of the Philistines. Perhaps a bounty would be placed on David’s head. He would become a “target” and be especially hated. Perhaps this is true?

But David would ultimately prevail.

David exceeded and even doubled Saul’s wishes. Instead of just meeting, he doubled what Saul had required. Returning from the battle, he carried 200 of the foreskins back to the king. He returned with not just the minimum but surpassed it.

Ah yes, the matter of the foreskins. First, we must understand how the Philistines had attacked and harmed Israel. They continued to advance and Israel hadn’t really responded to their continual harassment. Saul understood that many had died and he had no answer to their constant attacks.

Second, David was a man of his times. Things were brutal and the very survival of Israel demanded a response. Yes, David needed to respond with force. The Philistines needed to know that Israel could return fire with fire. David did this.

Third, these were dead men. David collected these foreskins from the dead his men had already killed. He didn’t seize the enemy and forced them to endure “surrender” their penises at “gunpoint.” David collected these foreskins from the Philistines that were already dead.

Now granted this wasn’t perfect or New Testament theology, and yet it was the need of the moment.

The Shield of Meekness

²⁰In the meantime, Saul’s daughter Michal had fallen in love with David, and Saul was delighted when he heard about it. ²¹“Here’s another chance to see him killed by the Philistines!” Saul said to himself. But to David he said, “Today you have a second chance to become my son-in-law!”

²²Then Saul told his men to say to David, “The king really likes you, and so do we. Why don’t you accept the king’s offer and become his son-in-law?”

²³When Saul’s men said these things to David, he replied, “How can a poor man from a humble family afford the bride price for the daughter of a king?” ²⁴And the servants of Saul told him, “Thus and so did David speak.”

1 Samuel 18:20-24

There are a couple of layers here. In this passage we read 1) Saul’s thinking. 2) Saul’s men being faithful, 3) David’s response about it all. I suggest that we should gather up all three to understand what exactly is happening.

In #1 we see something a bit sinister. Saul’s heart is full of evil. He wants David dead. When he finds that Michel really loves David, he manipulates that into his purposes. Saul doesn’t rejoice, rather he hates it. He devises a way to destroy David.

In #2 we see that the king’s trusted men are those who smooth it all out. They manipulate it all to declare Saul’s “wonderful” offer of advancement. They are faithful, but not to the truth, but to Saul. (Every king, president or prime minister needs these sorts to do what he wishes.)

In #3 we read about the thinking of David. He seems unaware of the evil that he has stepped into. We hear of his humility about it all. He recognizes that he’s unworthy to become a son-in-law. He brings up the subject of a dowery, the payment he must give to earn a marriage.

It’s here that King Saul’s efforts seem to advance.

Again, it’s how Saul works. He is still thinking that he’s in control (but he really isn’t). Saul doesn’t realize it, but he’s fighting against the purposes of God. It all seems simple to us now, but at that moment it’s not so easy.

I think that its David’s humility protecting him. That’s a bit counterintuitive and I struggle with it a bit. Perhaps it all seems he’s walking out of meekness. That characteristic keeps David safe from Saul’s wickedness.

And perhaps it will cover us from evil as well?

“We had long known the Lord without realizing that meekness and lowliness of heart should be the distinguishing feature of the disciple.”

Andrew Murray

Overcoming With an Opposite Spirit

^“Then Saul said to David, “Here is my elder daughter Merab. I will give her to you for a wife. Only be valiant for me and fight the Lord‘s battles.” For Saul thought, “Let not my hand be against him, but let the hand of the Philistines be against him.” ¹⁸And David said to Saul, “Who am I, and who are my relatives, my father’s clan in Israel, Merb I should be son-in-law to the king?” ¹⁹But at the time when Merab, Saul’s daughter, should have been given to David, she was given to Adriel the Meholathite for a wife.”

1 Samuel 18:17-19

Saul’s deceit is now effective. His heart wants to manipulate David; he wants to destroy him. As I read this portion, I’m struck by Saul’s evil. He wants David dead but is unwilling to do this sin on his own. He wants the ungodly Philistines to do this dirty deed.

He falsely believes that David’s success is based on his military prowess. He thinks the skill of David militarily acumen is secular and superb. But it isn’t. David’s ability is grace. A gift of God to men. It really can’t be explained otherwise.

Saul was a man bereft of the Spirit of God.

I don’t think otherwise. Saul discovers his “kryptonite.” It is his denial of the belief of God’s presence on a simple man. Maybe he knows, but he also understands that something has changed; Saul has lost the anointing of the Lord.

Saul has lost his way. And now he resorts to the human way of thinking.

David is on a completely wavelength. In verse 18 he shows the humility and meekness of a heart that is saturated with God’s residence. I believe that this is called “overcoming with an opposite spirit.” I don’t think you can see this any other way.

God is using David to communicate to us His heart. David’s humility is something built inside; He responds in an innocence that is seldom seen. He was sincere; what you see is what you get.

David responds with a heartfelt love for Saul. David is totally sincere, and he responds reveals God’s heart toward Saul. (If only King Saul would listen to God. But that wasn’t going to happen.)

The marriage between David and Merab was just pretense. Saul stepped in and blocked it; he would never allow David’s ascendance into the royal line.

Something significant, I think. David still has his harp. He worships himself through this morass. That worship sustains him. When David plays, it’s a level of protection from his enemies.

A word about “overcoming with an opposite spirit.”

Faith does some amazing things in a simple believer’s heart. We must (incessantly) respond to evil in the way of David. He shows us how.

Much could be said about how we interpret this passage, and yet I keep focusing upon David’s humility here. But the work is His. And we must see this insight of a man who is giving himself to the ways of God, even in the tumult of the moment, David rests in the Lord.

This will test the heart of David.

An Irrational Fear

^{12 “}Saul was afraid of David because the Lord was with him but had departed from Saul. ¹³So Saul removed him from his presence and made him a commander of a thousand. And he went out and came in before the people. ¹⁴And David had success in all his undertakings, for the Lord was with him. ¹⁵And when Saul saw that he had great success, he stood in fearful awe of him. ¹⁶But all Israel and Judah loved David, for he went out and came in before them.”

1 Samuel 18:12-16

This account is saturated with Saul’s fear. He dreads David’s success, and he’s terrified by it. Saul wants David dead. Obviously, the spears didn’t work. David was not dead.

Psalm 5 was apparently written at this time. It seems that his psalms (songs) were often what keeps him centered on the Lord. David sings his way through conflict. He must sing in order to trust in God’s presence, to sing settles him into the peace and safety of the Father’s presence. To be honest, our discipleship demands “singing.”

“Now Saul was afraid of David, because the LORD was with him: By all outward appearance, Saul is in control. Saul has a throne. Saul has an army. Saul has spears. Yet Saul was afraid of David because the LORD was with him.”

EnduringWord.com

I suspect that Saul was not only disturbed by David’s success, but more importantly he no longer had the presence of God. Saul was uncomfortable around David. Afraid, and that fear now motivates him to hate, and also throw spears. He wanted to murder David.

David must now have to face a new “Goliath.”

He innately understood this. And what must he do to defuse this? Israel loved David, and that was a good thing, but it was also difficult. The praise of the people only stirred up Saul. That was very dangerous. David has now become a target.

I think that when God took His presence away it only accelerated the destruction of Saul. “Nature abhors a vacuum,” and if God withholds Himself nothing but jealousy would control him. Murder was now free to rule Saul.

Saul now has an intimate understanding of being afraid.

Leave the Spear Behind

“And Saul hurled the spear, for he thought, “I will pin David to the wall.” But David evaded him twice.“

1 Samuel 18:11, ESV

“And Saul sought to pin David to the wall with the spear, but he eluded Saul so that he struck the spear into the wall. And David fled and escaped that night.“

1 Samuel 19:10

King Saul has gone mad.

We need to understand that David is completely different. He would leave Saul’s spear in the wall. Remember that David was the giant killer, the boy who faced Goliath. I don’t really think that David was really afraid, he knew God’s protective hand was on him and this made the difference.

Saul attacked David twice.

But David spiritually understood God’s heart. He understood the spiritual principle of “turning the other cheek” and “loving your enemies.” He overcame with love and kindness. And lots of grace.

“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good“

Romans 12:21, ESV

The Greek word for “overcome” is νικάω which can be translated as “to conquer or to come forth victorious.” It is also used when someone is arraigned before a court of law but wins the case.

To follow Jesus means you entirely reject using the spear. It’s not for you. Never.

You cannot attack another without destroying yourself.

“We win by tenderness. We conquer by forgiveness.”

Frederick W. Robertson

We must leave the spear in the wall. You must not throw it back.