David in Saul’s House

1 Samuel 18–20

Main Idea: The distinction between Saul and his family reveals the difference between those who embrace God and His Messiah and those who reject Him.

1. Jealousy and Murder
2. Killing Jealousy through the Gospel

Introduction

After David’s victory over Goliath, the tension between Saul and the young runt rises to an epic level. Not for David, of course, but for Saul. Saul sees the kingdom slipping from his grasp, and he knows it is just a matter of time before his reign will end and the reign of David will begin. Samuel has already anointed David as the future king (16:12-13). The Hebrew word messiah means “anointed one,” so David is the “messiah” of Judah at this time.

In 1 Samuel 14:52, we saw that Saul co-opted young, brave warriors into his royal army. He also swayed the hearts of these brave men away from the Lord. When we pick up in chapter 18, we see that Saul will not let David go back to his own home. Rather, he brings David right into his royal family. The Hebrew is strong: Saul took David for himself and would not let him go back to his father’s house (18:2). Saul attempted to sway the young David. He even gives his daughter Michal to marry the young David. More to that move in a moment.

But at this stage we can say that Saul comes to hate the coming messiah, the one who has been anointed to replace him. By contrast his own family members love, honor, and commit to the coming messiah. Their distinctive commitment to David is a picture for those who will embrace God’s plan as opposed to those who reject it. This picture establishes a pattern we see later with Jesus.

Jealousy and Murder

It is no wonder Saul attempted to bring David into his royal retinue, since he was a young and promising warrior. David would be a great political and military ally. His presence in the royal house would certainly boost morale! However, the text gives other motivations at work in Saul as well. He experiences the burning pangs of jealousy in his heart and life.

The women of Israel start singing David’s praises—literally! They sing songs about him, and they dance over him. They compose a song about his greatness: “Saul has killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands” (18:7). In terms of the honor-shame dynamic at work in the book, it is clear they give slight honor to Saul, but they give greater honor to David! To say the least, Saul notices the slight. Observe what the text clearly states of Saul:

Saul was furious and resented this song. “They credited tens of thousands to David,” he complained, “but they only credited me with thousands. What more can he have but the kingdom?” So Saul watched David jealously from that day forward. (vv. 8-9)

He even goes so far as trying to pin David to the wall because of his rage. David played the harp for Saul, but Saul was so eaten up with jealousy that he threw his spear at the young boy trying to murder him (vv. 10-11).

Jealousy is a terrible emotion. Jealousy is the scab you keep picking only to have the wound fester. Jealousy is a hunger you simply cannot satisfy; the more you eat, the emptier you feel, and it forces you to feed it once again. Jealousy is a pain that will not abate; it persists and pounds us until we are pushed to the point of no return. Jealousy is a terrible and harsh master.

Saul felt the awful talons of jealousy dig into his heart to prevent him from loving David and loving God’s plan through David. We mentioned that Saul gave his daughter, Michal, to David as his wife (vv. 17-30). On the surface that seems like a great thing: David will formally be in the royal house! But appearances can be deceiving.

As Saul has previously given the appearance of godliness but denied its power (chs. 13 and 15), he now gives the appearance of affection but actually felt hatred toward the young David. Beneath the surface of Saul’s life lay a horrific, noxious brew of jealousy and hatred. Notice what the text says about Michal’s potential marriage to David: “I’ll give her to him,” Saul thought. “She’ll be a trap for him, and the hand of the Philistines will be against him” (18:21). Wow! What a loving father! He attempts to kill David through marriage. We know that in-law relationships can be tough, but have you had your in-law actively plan for your murder even before you were married? That is rough!

In fact, it shows Saul’s overwhelming and disturbing jealousy. When we see Saul’s hatred toward David, it expresses itself in chapter 18 in three plans to murder David:

1. Saul throws a spear at David (vv. 10-11).
2. Saul attempts to give his elder daughter Merab to David so David will have to fight the Philistines and die as a result (v. 17).
3. Saul gives his daughter Michal to David so he would die (vv. 21,25).

David escaped the first plot. David escaped the second by not marrying Merab. The third murder plot deserves further mention. David rebuffed Saul’s offer of Michal, saying he needed to give something in return for the marriage of Michal. This is typically known as a mohar, or “bride price.” So Saul sets the price: 100 Philistine foreskins (v. 25). Now that is a costly marriage! Saul’s intention was that David would fail at gaining the bride price, dying in the attempt. He essentially plotted a murder for David.

But, true to form, David went out and acquired 200 Philistine foreskins instead! This is terrible bloody business! It seems absolutely horrific. Although the text describes the event, it does not prescribe the event for you and for me. The action works and communicates in an honor-shame culture: David honored Saul above and beyond what Saul deserved. That is the point we are to take from David’s actions.

Saul, however, is not done with his murderous ways. In chapter 19 Saul speaks to his family and servants and orders them to kill David. Fourth time’s the charm? From that point onward, David is in Saul’s house, but David is the target for Saul’s plots on his life. Saul is jealous and out of control, a man who has lost his sanity and his grip on life.

The reason? He “realized that the Lord was with David and that his daughter Michal loved him, and he became even more afraid of David. As a result, Saul was David’s enemy from then on” (1 Sam 18:28-29). Michal was committed to, and loved, the coming messiah of Israel. It is telling that the stories of Michal and Jonathan open and close 1 Samuel 18 and 20. They serve as a kind of frame that contrasts with Saul’s hatred, loathing, and fear of David.

After the last attempt on his life, the young David fled from Saul’s household to Ramah and stayed with Samuel. He recounted to Samuel all that Saul had done. While he was there, Jonathan vowed to protect him against his father’s ravings. Jonathan had entered into a covenant with David over and against his father (18:3-4), and now in 20:16-17 Jonathan renews that covenant with David based on the new wave of attacks from Saul. Jonathan will not betray David but will remain true to him. He swears loyalty to David, tellingly, and the Lord is his witness (20:12-15). Jonathan defied his father’s plans to murder David and instead helps him because of his commitment to the anointed one of God.

Saul’s own family rebels against his plans to kill David. This should tell us something important: Saul does not have the support of the Lord, his family, or his people. This manifests itself in a few ways:

1. The people sing and rejoice over David and love him (18:6-8,16,30).
2. Michal and Jonathan both commit to David in covenant—Michal through marriage (18:27-28) and Jonathan through a covenant of friendship and commitment (18:3; 20:16).
3. The Lord is committed to David but sends an “evil spirit” to Saul (18:10-14; 19:9).

That God sent an “evil spirit” to Saul deserves mention. Why does God do this? It is important, as we said in the introduction, to see what the narrative shows and says (see pp. 7–8). The first mention of the evil spirit coming upon Saul is in the context of this summary statement: “Saul was afraid of David, because the Lord was with David but had left Saul” (18:12). God has said in Samuel’s prophetic announcement that the kingdom is ripped from Saul and given to David, a king after God’s heart (13:14; 15:22-29). The text now shows this reality of God’s rejection of Saul by means of the evil spirit He sends on Saul. Each of these instances reveals that God has left Saul and was “with” David. This reality leads to radical fear, jealousy, and hatred of God’s anointed man after His own heart.

Killing Jealousy through the Gospel

We can learn lessons from Saul’s jealous heart.

Jealousy Appears on the Horizon of Our Lives When We Are Not Content with What God Has Proclaimed Over Us

Saul’s kingdom was over; David’s kingdom was on the rise. Jonathan knew this and committed to David. So did Michal. They got in on what God was doing. This meant Jonathan would never be king. But instead of resenting David over God’s anointing, Jonathan embraced God’s plan. He killed jealousy by committing to God’s plan for Israel. Jonathan was more interested in the Lord’s kingdom over and above his own kingdom! Saul was not. He was more interested in his plan and holding onto his power than embracing the Lord’s plan and divine power. Whenever anyone chooses self over the Savior, bad things happen!

Jealousy Reveals Our Deepest Loves

Saul’s greatest love was himself, not Yahweh, the God of Israel. If we are jealous, we put more weight on ourselves and our wants, needs, and desires than the weight of God’s desires for us. For example, if a pastor reads this commentary, we must ask: If revival broke out in the place where you minister, would you rejoice? But what if God broke loose in another church, in another denomination, and exponential salvation/baptism/growth occurred in all the other churches but not your church. Would you be jealous? Would you resent the anointing of God and the salvation of the lost in other churches, or would you embrace God’s work and rejoice in God’s plan? You see, jealousy reveals our deepest loves. If we love self rather than God and His plan, we are in deep trouble.

Jealousy Is Closely Related to Fear

Notice that Saul is constantly “afraid” of David. The text mention’s Saul’s fear of David at numerous places (18:12,15,29). Jealousy and fear go hand in hand. Saul was afraid of David and what he meant: others loved David, David would be king, David would be great, and God anointed him. But this meant Saul was set in the background rather than the foreground, and he feared losing power. As a result, he was jealous and resentful of this young man.

Life does not have to be filled with fear and jealousy! What kills fear and jealousy in life? Nothing other than perfect love found in Jesus Christ, found in the gospel. At the Summit Church, we have committed to embrace these key realities of the gospel:

1. In Christ, there is nothing we can do to make God love us more; there is nothing that we have done to make God love us less.
2. Christ is all we need for everlasting joy.
3. As Christ has been to us, so we will be to others.
4. As we pray, we will measure Christ’s compassion by the power of the cross and resurrection.

This is an adaptation of the “Gospel Prayer” put forth and taught by J. D. over the course of many years (Greear, Gospel, esp. 45–190). Only the power of the gospel kills fear and jealousy in life. We see that Jonathan knew the power of the gospel. Jonathan knew he was deeply loved by God and cared for, regardless of whether he was king. Jonathan knew the Lord was his everlasting joy. As God had been gracious to him and his family, he was gracious to David. Jonathan measured compassion by God’s overwhelming kindness.

If we experience debilitating jealousy, then we must learn to embrace the gospel. You can be confident in who you are because in Christ you are freed to be fully yourself, not someone else. Jonathan knew he would not be king, but he still embraced who God had made him to be. The gospel frees us. We learn that our identity is not bound up in our profession or what others say about us. Our identity is found in what Christ has called us through His gospel: deeply loved, forgiven from sin by His blood on the cross, valued, and set on His purposes. Only the power of the gospel will kill jealousy in life.

So, if you are allowing the seeds of jealousy to sprout into a terrible jungle of sin, one way you can kill jealousy is to pray to Jesus His powerful gospel, and allow Jesus to remind you of His love, His identity, His purpose for you, and His plan. A good start would be to pray the gospel prayer mentioned above.

Reflect and Discuss

1. How does this passage help you understand God?
2. How does this passage of Scripture exalt Jesus?
3. What does God’s sending the evil spirit to Saul signify?
4. Who are the characters that love and support David in this chapter?
5. Where do you experience your deepest experience of jealousy? Why do you feel jealous? Is it based out of fear, threat, or something else? Write down your thoughts and discuss them with someone you trust.
6. How does it make you feel when others get recognition and you do not? Do you feel unloved, unrecognized, and undervalued? Why or why not?
7. Are you content with what God has proclaimed over your life through the gospel: deeply loved in Jesus, forgiven, and valued? Why or why not? Write down your thoughts.
8. What part of the gospel prayer stands out to you the most and warms your heart the most? Why? Write down your thoughts.
9. Jealousy is a powerful and debilitating emotion that can stay with us a long time. What obstacles prevent you from rejecting jealousy? Write down your thoughts and discuss them with someone you love and trust.
10. Take a moment to thank Jesus for the grace He has given in the cross and resurrection. Celebrate the good news that we are deeply loved, forgiven, and valued by Christ.