Tag: Saul

An Irrational Fear

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

Jealousy Consumes Saul

“And Saul was very angry, and this saying displeased him. He said, “They have ascribed to David ten thousand, and to me they have ascribed thousands, and what more can he have but the kingdom?” 9 And Saul eyed David from that day on.” 

1 Samuel 18:8-9, ESV

The phrase here suggests anger that has been intensified. King Saul was not just annoyed or irritated; it was much more than that. He saw and heard the women as they gathered—with their tambourines and music they began to rejoice over the victories of David. Rather than rejoicing David’s success, he made a choice (a decision) to be jealous. 

Something inside of him was very wrong and terribly twisted. 

Unrighteous anger twists the heart of a man into something that disturbs even our closest friends. When we act out of this anger, it distorts and then blinds us and we become unrecognizable. We no longer can hear the voice of our kind and gentle God, He who laid down His life for His friends. 

Saul was terribly wrong. From this minute on a jealous anger would drive him to a breaking point. He was now consumed with anger, jealousy, and ultimately murder. He wanted David dead. “And Saul eyed David from that day on.” (v. 9.) 

“Anger is cruel, and wrath is like a flood, but jealousy is even more dangerous.” 

Proverbs 27:4 

I once learned the proper way to kill a diamond-back rattlesnake. Obviously, you must be careful, and Saul was not. The snake’s venom would destroy him; he had been bitten, and he would not survive. Jealousy over David’s victories would totally ruin him. Saul’s envy will poison his heart and soul. 

Please do not be consumed by this sin. A disciple must learn how to work through the issues of jealousy, envy, and evil. The Holy Spirit will see that we will see these things head on. God will not allow us to fully enter His kingdom if we hold on to jealousy and anger. 

Rather than focus on what others have, we’re called to accept and receive what we’ve been given. We should rejoice in Him who gives gifts to those He has chosen. We must stay faithful and celebrate His gifts to others without becoming angry and spiteful. 

“Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” 

Romans 12:10 

Jealousy is like drinking something poisonous and hoping that the other person will die.

King Saul is Poisoned by His Sin

“Danger, Will Robinson, danger!”  

(B-9 Robot, “Lost in Space,” 1967) 

6 As they were coming home, when David returned from striking down the Philistine, the women came out of all the cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet King Saul, with tambourines, with songs of joy, and with musical instruments. 7 And the women sang to one another as they celebrated, “Saul has struck down his thousands, and David his ten thousands.” And Saul was very angry.

1 Samuel 18:6-8 

David was quite successful. His tactical prowess exceeded the other military leaders; he was a dream come true, and everyone knew it. But, there would be a downside to being victorious in battle. Gavid was about to find this out. Things would start to get crazy, and it wasn’t his fault. 

Out came those who could sing. 

Everyone knew it. David’s successes became the song of Israel. What he achieved was the stuff of legends. When he returned, he found those who received victory. They would sing, but those songs would create issues. Saul would become offended, and that would become dangerous. David would soon find this out. He understood, and yet, he really didn’t. King Saul would never really accept David’s accomplishments; Saul blocked out the wonderous battles of David. 

King Saul could never accept this. 

“The anger of the king is a deadly threat.”

Proverbs 16:14 

Saul’s anger would develop into jealousy, and that was dangerous. 

We’ll look at this closer.

War Band Leader

“So, David went out wherever Saul sent him 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.” 

1 Samuel 18:5, NKJV 

David was now part of Saul’s army. The Goliath incident had propelled him into serving as a “man of war” now. The shepherd now led a war band. Saul seems to recognize David’s faith and skill. I don’t believe King Saul recognized exactly who this young man really was. 

The humble shepherd was soon given authority, “over the men of war.” 

David would have known little of the practical aspects of being a leader and the obligations involved. That would need to be earned before it could be appreciated. I really believe that King Saul was quite pleased with David at this point. 

Maybe though Saul’s need was for leadership in the top ranks of his army? We read that, “Now there was a fierce war with the Philistines all the days of Saul. And when Saul saw any strong man or any valiant man, he took him for himself.” (1 Sam. 14:52.) 

Saul saw with his own eyes Goliath being slaughtered. He recognized the audacious faith of the shepherd boy, and the incredible faith it instilled in the Israelite army. Yes, the king knew that David was a prodigy. 

Verse 10 points out what David’s strength was that he “behaved wisely.” In Hebrew is śāḵal, a verb that explains much. It means to be prudent, to have insight or to comprehend, or even to be an alert student. It seems that he grasped all that happened, whether good or bad. 

David understood that he was under the king’s authority. 

The people accepted the young David. The men in Saul’s government also supported David. He was accepted and well received. However, this is going to be a problem in the future. 

Wisdom is the power to see and the inclination to choose the best and highest goal, together with the surest means of attaining it. (JI Packer.)

“Wisdom is the principal thing; Therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.” 

Proverbs 4:7